5
NEWS
Official: Holden VF Ute conquers Nurburgring
Holden's new VF Ute SS V Redline sets new sub-8:20 commercial vehicle record at the ‘RingGM Holden has released a series of videos showing its new VF Ute lapping the Nurburgring in less than eight minutes and 20 seconds, setting what it claims is a new lap record for a commercial vehicle at the famed German road circuit.
The release of the four YouTube videos is the culmination of an ambitious publicity stunt in which Holden’s new VF Ute SS V Redline and talented vehicle dynamics engineer Rob Trubiani take on the ‘Ring in April.
The result was a best lap time of 8:19.37 – better than Holden’s target time of 8:30, making the humble Holden Ute quicker at the 21km ‘Green Hell’ than any other utility, pick-up or commercial vehicle.
The time shatters the previous Nurburgring lap record for a commercial vehicle, which was set recently by a diesel-powered Volkswagen Transporter van with more than 100,000km on its clock.
Modified by German tuning company Revo, the second-hand Transporter lapped the ‘Ring in 9:57, bettering the previous unofficial commercial vehicle record of 10:08, set by female driving ace Sabine Schmitz in a Ford Transit van as part of a Top Gear episode in 2005.
However, the Holden Ute’s 8:19 time falls more than a minute short of the best Nurburgring lap times set by production supercars like the Dodge Viper ACR (7:12), Lexus LFA Nurburgring Edition (7:14) and Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 (7:19).
The new Ute SS-V Redline, which is now on sale priced from $48,490, is seen making good use of its updated FE3 Ultra sports suspension, wider 19-inch rear tyres, bigger Brembo brakes and carryover 6.0-litre V8 at the Nurburgring, where it narrowly undercut the 8:20 time set by Chevrolet’s mechanically similar Camaro SS coupe .
But its 8:19 Nurburgring lap remains more than 10 seconds slower than the 8:07.97 time set by Renault’s Megane RS265, which is cheaper at $42,540 and last year set a new front-wheel drive lap record at the Nurburgring.
“The experts said we should be happy with 8:40. We hoped for 8:30. See how we set the world record lap for a utility, pick up or any other commercial vehicle,” says Holden on its YouTube channel.
In the second video, dubbed ‘Part I: The Machine’, Program Engineering Manager Andrew Holmes and GM North America President and former Holden boss Mark Reuss espouse the virtues of the new VF SS V Redline.
“Just having ponies under the bonnet won't get you far at the Nürburgring,” says Holden. “The ultimate demands performance combined with superior ride and handling. Watch the video to see why the VF Ute is up to the task.”
‘Part II: The Driver’ shows Trubiani behind the wheel of the Redline Ute, and adds: “Described by the media as one of the most talented wheelmen in this country and one of the few Australians qualified to test at the Nürburgring, Rob Trubiani is the real deal. We're just glad he's on our side.”
In the final video instalment, ‘Part III: The Ring’, Holden presents vox-pops with a number of locals at the Nurburgring.
“The Nürburgring is considered by many to be the only place to make a great car,” it says. “Someone forgot to tell them about something we call, a Ute. So we decided to set the world's fastest lap for a utility, pickup or any other type of commercial vehicle for that matter.”
Holden ran teaser shots of the Redline Ute at the Nurburgring on its public website earlier this month and is expected to publicise its Nurburgring exercise in upcoming advertising material.
However, there is no word yet of any export program for the Holden Ute to follow US exports of the SS V Redline sedan badged as the Chevrolet SS later this year and ongoing shipments of the long-wheelbase Caprice as Chevrolet’s PPV police car.
Share this article
Written byCarsales Staff
See all articlesOur team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Stay up to dateBecome a carsales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Subscribe todaySell your car with Instant Offer™
Like trade-in but price is regularly higher
1. Get a free Instant Offer™ online in minutes2. An official local dealer will inspect your car3. Finalise the details and get paid the next business day
Get a free Instant Offer
Owner reviews for Holden Ute 2013
Average rating4 reviews
4.4
Looking for a tradie car?Get the latest advice and reviews on tradie car that's right for you.
Explore the Tradie Hub
Related articles
Disclaimer
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Love every move.
Buy it. Sell it.Love it.
®Contact
Advertise with us
Local marketplaces
International marketplaces
Scan to download the carsales app
Want more info? Here’s our app landing page
App Store and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Play and the Google Play logo
are trademarks of Google LLC.