Common Motors doesn’t at present provide a rival to the Ford Ranger Raptor however had issues gone a little bit otherwise for Holden, a Camaro-powered Colorado would have hit the market.

Holden Particular Autos started tinkering with the Colorado in 2017 after Holden was making ready to finish Australian manufacturing. They ended up constructing two high-powered V8 prototypes, one which was designed for the Australian market and the opposite a North American-spec Colorado ZR2. The prototypes had been fitted with the 6.2-liter V8s and 10-speed computerized gearboxes that HSV pulled from two Chevy Camaros utilized in native side-impact crash checks.

Learn Additionally: 2023 Chevrolet Colorado Noticed Once more Underneath Heavy Camo, This Time In ZR2 Guise

Drive not too long ago had the chance to place the Aussie-spec automobile to the check and found simply how shut the truck got here to hitting the market.

Whereas readying the V8-powered Colorado for manufacturing, HSV acquired the inexperienced mild for its Ranger Raptor rival to be constructed at GM’s manufacturing unit in Thailand. In Australia, it might have been often called the ThunderCat however just some months earlier than manufacturing was set to start, Common Motors determined to kill off the Holden model fully. With that, improvement of the V8 Colorado stopped.

Whereas testing the pickup, the Aussie publication set a GPS-verified 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of 5.5 seconds, roughly four-seconds faster than a Ford Ranger Raptor to the identical mark. HSV engineers additionally outfitted this prototype with upgraded four-piston AP Racing brake calipers up entrance to assist deliver it to a cease.