VFACTS April 2024

[ToryMikey]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Each time I read about American I-6 engines, it makes me realise just how fantastic the Barra six was.

I wonder if Holden had it’s time over whether it would have evolved its I-6 the same way…
The painful cost of Nissan I-6 that nearly broke them and then settling for Buick V6…yikes….
I guess the Alloytec won back a lot of buyers but still seems like the long way around…
Still, the Alloytec probably won back a lot of lost ground…

Remember the Holden I6 was fully cast iron and didn't even have crossflow. A late 1985 Holden I6 was equivalent to an XB era Falcon I6, and that's why it was considered too much of a task to get it ready for unleaded. Particularly when the Nissan I6 was right there, itself a victim in the 1990s.

Only problem with the Nissan I6 was the skyrocketing Superyen (as Modern Motor dubbed it) making it not very cost effective to source, hence that glorious sounding V8 was brought out of retirement, quickly slapped together for unleaded, Trimatic was the only available transmission, and made less power and torque than a crossflow EFI Falcon six. But the ads came out thick and fast, "there's nothing like an Aussie V8 and you can only get one from Holden", they always were better at marketing than our team were.

From what I gather it cost less for GMH to make a V8, than it did for them to buy a stock standard I6 from Nissan. Hence the Buick 3800, favoured by muzzas everywhere. Many a grandma spec VN Executive was thrashed into the ground during my high school years.