Wednesday 29th October 2014

Holden V8 Sandman: Time For Coffee?

Race car for the road? Pah, Holden does race car for the beach!

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If you get a chance, do check out the comments on the Australian stories about the Holden Sandman V8 Supercar. Here they are with a 705hp V8 Supercar panel van making complaints about how it tarnishes the Sandman's heritage and represents shameless cashing in by Red Bull.

705hp panel van. With surfboards.

Leave them to it. We think it's damn cool. To celebrate 40 years of the Holden Sandman (see the original press pic for proof!), Holden and Triple Eight have engineered a 2013 V8 Supercar into a shooting brake/van. With carbon surfboards.

It's to V8 Supercar spec with a full cage, sequential gearbox and racing brakes. As a 2013 car the engine is to 'big-banger' (the racing drivers use that term, honest) type and is actually faster than the current racers. Six months in the making, the Sandman V8 Supercar looks to have been worth every minute.

See the video here.

 

[Sources: MotorAuthority, CarAdvice]

[Ray Smoodiver]

Could have done without the music, but the concept is fantastic! Can't really see Audi or similar whipping up an RS4 DTM equivalent though can you.

Interestingly, they didn't actually show it on track during the broadcast of the Gold Coast 600 (where it was lapping) at all, which was a bit odd. There were a couple of pics on Facebook from the V8Supercars page, but really, no other press.

Add it to the list of bloody cool Holden "concepts" that will be static displayed though (Coupe 60, Torana TT36, SSX, SST etc etc).

[k-ink]

Awesome. Looks like a vast improvement over the original dullard!

[DanielSan]

The only way this would be cooler was if they actually raced it. Sadly rules would stop them among other things.

[Chris Y]

What a dreadful looking thing.

[soad]

Mel Gibson drove one in Mad Max...even if his was a custom car.






How much horsepower did the original had then?

[k-ink]

Ahh, Mad Max! I knew I had seen that ugly turd somewhere before .

[xxxscimitarxxx]

QUIRKY ...... Love it

[craig_m67]

It's looks nothing like a panel wagon!
They all, from every manufacturer during their reign, had high roofs.

Bloody disappointed, they've just bastardised a ute.

[wowman]

Red Bull, you've shown that this station wagon goes around a track. That's fine. Now take it to the beach, go surfing with the boards you've put on the roof and sleep a few nights in the back. Sit upright to enjoy a cup of tea in the morning to prove the roof is high enough.

Then, only then, you can claim your concept is up to the name "Sandman".

From what I've seen it's not.

[jamespink]

I want to swap our firms Berlingo now! Wow, what a cool works van, I can see it in our company stickers as I type...

[soad]

craig_m67 said:

It's looks nothing like a panel wagon!
They all, from every manufacturer during their reign, had high roofs.

Bloody disappointed, they've just bastardised a ute.

Actually, it's a 2013 V8 Supercar with a bespoke fabricated body, not a canopy.

[soad]

Great PR for Red Bull there!

Amusing police "van", anyone? Just imagine how they could attack the speed humps.

[Reardy Mister]

Given the Sandman's position in Australian car culture folk lore; the number of times rumours have surfaced that Holden will build another one (complete with headline grabbing "concept") only to disappoint; AND the fact we just lost the last remnants of our car industry and therefore will never see its likes again; bandying the Sandman name around was a bit risky. Especially one that actually has the profile of the wagon, not an evolution of the original van or even the canopied utes of more recent times (as per the orange one, pictured).

Nice they've done something different, cynical of them to use the Sandman name.

I used to have a 4.2l V8 panel van that the sandman was based on. Woeful car really but its a must as a young Aussie.

Edited by Reardy Mister on Thursday 30th October 03:43

Edited by Reardy Mister on Thursday 30th October 03:44

[irocfan]

neat concept