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http://www.cbn.co.za/motoring.php?motor_id=187

So I'm doing a little Google searching for this "Lumina SS" since we have been seeing some odd pictures lately. Well, I have to say this new V8 SS is one bad @ss car! Check out this article real quick and the shots of the SS. This is one great looking ride!!!


March 2007: Chev's mighty muscle car back to motoring articles
IT's never too late to have a happy childhood – not as long as there are cars such as the awesome new Chevrolet Lumina SS around.

Because this muscular brute of a motor car was created with one purpose in mind and that's to make boys of all ages very, very happy.

And jeez, does it do a good job of it!

Just the way it poses at the pavement is enough to put a smile on any boy racer's dial and you don't even have to have been tested positive for performance car addiction to appreciate the Chev's huge flared mudguards, gaping air scoops, ginormous 18-inch alloys on broad, low-profile rubber, dual exhaust outlets and the jet fighter rear spoiler.

And if that's not enough to get the old ticker thumping, wait until you ignite the huge 6.0-litre V8 that lurks under its long, sloping bonnet and hear it howling and growling as only a fine-tuned V8 can do when it's being whipped…

That's when all sanity goes out the window. When you forget about all the common sense reasons for owning a car. Suddenly safety, space, value for money, fuel consumption, economy and practicality count for zero.

Because it all fades away when you stomp down on the pleasure pedal and feel 270 kW and 530 Nm thundering from the engine, through your spine, through the slick six-speed shift to the screaming, smoking rear wheels as they bite into the tar and catapult you on your way down Big Smile Drive.

This new Chev is such an exciting car and so much fun to drive that most South Africans might even be prepared to overlook the fact that it's made in sheep-friendly Australia where they also tend to produce better rugby players, better cricketers, better chefs and even better wine-makers than we do locally.

(OK, I'm ready for the outcry and we can discuss this further over a couple of beers, but let's get back to the Lumina…).

Branded as Holden in Australia it is imported by General Motors South Africa and offered in four Chevrolet model choices, The Lumina SS sedan at R349 000 (the automatic and manual options retail at the same price) and the UTE (which is an ultra sporty bakkie) which costs R329 000 for manual or automatic.

I only spent a couple of hours at the wheel of a Lumina automatic when it was launched here in February, but it was enough to come away impressed by its performance, roadholding, long list of safety and luxury specifications and overall build quality.

The nice thing about the new Lumina is even though it looks big and accommodates five adults with ease, it doesn't feel at all cumbersome or heavy on the road. It's an easy car to park and drive in Aunt Maude mode with none of the skittishness some performance cars have in commuter traffic.

And out there on a long, winding road it is a smart, sophisticated cruiser, so quiet at legal speed limits that you don't even have to turn up the sound. But if you are in the mood for a bit of fun, turn the sound off completely because not even the finest orchestra or most outrageous rock band can make better music than the Chevy's V8 when the rev counter is in the red.

The Lumina SS is an outrageous street hot rod, a Nascar racer sound-alike and a comfortable, sophisticated family car, boat-tower and caravan-hauler all in one.

And if Her Majesty's lip starts pouting amidst mutterings of 'boys and their toys' you can pacify her by pointing out some of the Lumina's fancies such as sports gauges, multi-function leather steering wheel, alloy pedals, leather-trimmed seats, power steering, cruise control, adjustable steering wheel, electric windows and mirrors, trip computer, climate control, a sexy in-dash 6-CD changer and radio and its Blue Tooth compatibility.

Make the point that the car also has a full-house of safety features including ABS brakes with electronic brake distribution, electronic stability control, traction control and almost as many airbags as you will find at an ANC lekgotla.

And, what's more, you can tell her that over and above the Chev's serious good looks WE get a three-year/100 000km warranty and roadside assistance, a three-year/60 00km motorplan, a three-year corrosion warranty and 10 000km/1 year service intervals which add up to a luxurious high performance package that is extremely difficult to beat at the price.

Even She Who Has To Be Obeyed will have to agree with that.