SS LINEAGE

THE SS MONIKER was first slapped on an HQ Belmont, a sparsely kitted car that was fitted with a 4.2-litre 253ci V8, M-20 four-speed manual gearbox and Monaro diff. Its palette of wild colours included Ultra Violet, Lettuce Alone and Infra Red. Inside it copped the Monaro dash, its own steering wheel and bucket seats, but that’s it. Holden designer Leo Pruneau penned the original SS and 3M provided the sticker kit. The final SS iteration, the VF Series II Commodore is the opposite to its great-grandad. Loaded with grunt and luxury it has a 6.2-litre 304kW V8, six-slot manual or auto trans, sports suspension, overgrown wheels and tyres, aircon, sports seats, infotainment system, hi-tech safety kit. One thing’s for sure, it is easy to see the DNA flow from the first to the last.

ABOVE While the VF’s pretty cool, the HQ still measures up well in the styling stakes.

BELOW Designer extraordinaire, Leo Pruneau, checks out what the young whippersnappers have been up to.