Codenamed RD 001, this Hurricane first captured imaginations when it was shown at the 1969 Melbourne auto show. Using a mid-engined, rear-wheel drive configuration, the two-seater sports car was considered ahead of its time, given the level of innovative features and technology it displayed.
PRE-SAT NAV
The research vehicle was described at the time as an experiment “to study design trends, propulsion systems and other long-range developments”. Original features included digital instrument displays, automatic air conditioning, rear view camera and an automated route finder; features that eventually made their way into production vehicles.
TEACHING AID: The Hurricane, since restored to its former glory, spent its years out of the limelight at a trade school where it was used by apprentices practising their welding.
As for the rear-view camera, engineers used a closed-circuit TV system with a camera mounted into the rear bumper that fed images to a tiny black-and-white TV mounted in the centre console.
The concept was powered by an experimental (and rather potent) 193kW, 4.2-litre V8, a precursor to the Holden V8 which entered series production later in 1969.
Former Holden chief studio engineer Rick Martin led the modern-day Hurricane team of designers and engineers in researching the vehicle’s components, systems and history in order to restore it. The restoration product began in 2006
Martin said: “There are some genuinely remarkable ideas and technology in the Hurricane.”
SPACE AGE: Entry to the Hurricane's cabin appears similar to entering the cockpit of a space explorer.
Occupants were then lowered to a semi-reclining position to allow the roof to close over them.
The car’s glass-fibre body was tested in a wind tunnel and the bodyshell finished in an experimental aluminium flake-based metallic orange paint. Safety features included a foam-lined fuel tank, rollover protection bar, ignition safety locks and a fire warning system.
Michael Simcoe, GM’s executive director for International Operations – Design, added that the Hurricane holds a particularly special place in Holden’s history as it kick-started the brand's ’s long love affair with concepts that has since seen the likes of the iconic GTR-X, Torana TT36, Coupe 60, the GMC Denali XT (which was requested specifically by GM for the North American market) and the EFIJY.