Prototype HR Coupe Found ??

[csv8]

Survivor Car Australia: Can you help?

Rumour has it that General Motors Holden toyed with a HR coupe prototype back in the '60s. A survivor car buff has just sent us these photos from Sth Africa claiming it's the real deal.

The shape looks similar to a Monaro coupe. Can you please share this with all your friends to see if anyone has ever seen or heard of a Holden manufactured 'prototype' HR coupe...

We'd be interested to chase this up for a feature story in Australia's first ever Survivor Car magazine
www.SurvivorCarAustralia.com.au

[Cuyper]

How in the hell did that end up in South Africa, there's a good story to be told there.

[93EB_SXR6]

This pictures of the coupe were uploaded to a HD/HR enthusiast page on facebook... some people are claiming they are photoshopped whereas others are claiming it's the real deal.
Interested to know more about this myself, I have been a HR enthusiast since infancy.

[79FordEsky]

They exported them to south Africa,like the monaros, fairmont 'falcon' gt's, also many other cars were exported, these pictures are currently making a huge debate within the HD HR community and the authenticity of the picture. As discussed it looks very similar to the Opel Rekord C Coupe 1966 - 1967

[Cuyper]

I'm aware Holden and Ford both exported cars to South Africa but prototypes no one has ever heard of just shouldn't be there !. They are supposed to be under a million tons of dirt in 1960s rubbish tips right here in Australia.

I don't think it looks much like the Opel myself. It does look period correct for how an Australian coupe of that time would look, very interesting.

[79FordEsky]

Yeh its interesting I would like to look at the compliance plate etc or buy it and bring it bakc home.

[Crazy Dazz]

That's interesting, becuase I always thought that the Holdens sent to SA were rebadged as Chevs? (I seem to recall that in SA, the "El Camino" was actually a Holden Ute.)
Yet these seem to have Holden Badges?

[EASYBOSS]

Wont be for real, it would be well known about if it was.

[MS33LU]

Front 90% of the car looks like an opel based car they had in S.A. Can't remember the name, think it was ranger ss or maybe opel rekord coupe. Only the tail light area and rear section of the boot look like a HR. My guess it is someones custom job.

[Nikked]

Nope, its just a Opel Rekord Coupe, with HR lights...

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Nope, its just a Opel Rekord Coupe, with HR lights...

image

That's actually a pretty cool looking little car in it's own right!

[Bushbasher]

Originally Posted by Nikked
Nope, its just a Opel Rekord Coupe, with HR lights...

image

...and boot facia, and it's right hand drive, and the hip line appears to be straight.

My guess is if it's a real car it's more likely a HR converted to a 2 door with the Opel roof and boot,(duly cut and shut with the HR boot rear), put on it.

[302 XC]

Theres no way holden would have made them here and exported them and no one knew about it,they did toy with a 2 door HR and theres some pics around,but no where near that roof profile

If you believe all the tall stories around there really was 6 cylinder GTHOs as well,as one falls on the floor larfing ......

[Cuyper]

What about the front inner guards?. I does seem to have the Opel roof but that doesn't mean it wasn't made in some GM factory experiment.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by Bushbasher

...and boot facia, and it's right hand drive, and the hip line appears to be straight.

My guess is if it's a real car it's more likely a HR converted to a 2 door with the Opel roof and boot,(duly cut and shut with the HR boot rear), put on it.

blue one up the top is defiantly a Rekord with the HR rear, and no relation to the car down the bottom...the whole side is different.

The white one down the bottom is a Opal Diplomat.




None are the General Motors Holden Prototype IIRC, The factory/official HR coupe concept was based off a earlier 'A' type diplomat.

[sbutler]

That last pics is close to the blue car in the artical for sure..

[Road_Warrior]

Could it be Chev made it there in SA? Ford made 2 door TD Cortinas in SA.

[Nikked]

The Blue car a Rekord...


the South African Rekords were sold as Rangers...


Some has just added HR stuff to it.

[79FordEsky]

Did a bit of research it was done by this guy all photoshopped http://www.fbekholden.com/forum/view...hp?f=11&t=8636

[Nikked]

There was however design studies of a HR coupe by GM-H...I think a issue of motor magazine had some pictures of one iirc...I don't have the issue anymore, but it was a huge write up on the monaro. Had a hot house green Monaro with a green background the cover.

[Nikked]

[JG66ME]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

That's interesting, becuase I always thought that the Holdens sent to SA were rebadged as Chevs? (I seem to recall that in SA, the "El Camino" was actually a Holden Ute.)
Yet these seem to have Holden Badges?

They were badged as Holden up until the HT. The release of the HG saw Holden, cars re-badged as Chevrolet. Opel and Vauxhall cars folwed a few years later so that by 1972ish all GM products in South Africa where badged Bow Tie.

Steven

[JG34JA]

Some interesting stuff here. They also wanted the 253 V8 to be ready for the HR, but that was delayed. One of my favourite GMH models.

[Nikked]

Would have been a quick car...

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Would have been a quick car...

hell yea.. all those old things were light as ****..

[Crazy Dazz]

It goes without saying that this is NOT some secret official Holden model that nobody knew about.
Nor is it likely to be a Holden prototype transplanted to SA, as every sketch, picture, and mock-up I have seen tends towards the squarer lines of (for example) a Chevy.

I could be wrong, but (apart from the tail lights and badge) these look exactly like an Opel Ranger.
Although the name was used elsewhere, the SA Ranger was a “unique” South African project, assembled in SA from Opel, Vauxhall, and Holden parts.
It’s therefore probable that this is some aftermarket grafting of a Holden rear onto a Ranger.
Although, given the “grab basket” nature of their assembly, it is conceivable that at some point these were an actual ranger variant.

[Random Ranger]

A fellow I know in Preston has some 1-1 drawings(plans?), of a HR 2 door/coupe Obtained from Holden many years ago by his father who was a tool maker there for most of his working life (he saved them from a rubbish bin). I'll try to get another look at them, I last saw them about 20 years ago and if I remember correctly, the drawings were totally HR, very squared off, (edit-similar to what Nikked has posted above) not the curved HK-G shape.

[302 XC]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Would have been a quick car...

How quick would it need to be ???
Dyno Dave from yella terra head fame,tickled a HR Premier and beat the XR GT to 100 mile by half a second ...

That's sad a 289 cant even shake down a bloody 186 .....
Still owns the car to

[Kingsley]

Originally Posted by 302 XC

How quick would it need to be ???
Dyno Dave from yella terra head fame,tickled a HR Premier and beat the XR GT to 100 mile by half a second ...

That's sad a 289 cant even shake down a bloody 186 .....
Still owns the car to

Why is it sad? It's a MODIFIED 6 against a stock V8 which wasn't all that powerful. How does a stock HR 186 measure up against a 289??

[Cuyper]

I still have the article about the modified monaro from back in the day. They thought it was almost undrivable it had so much power . Also another where the compared the valiant ford and holden v8 sedans and the valiant was on another level of performance.