Commodore Picture Archives

The humble 'tilly' was originally developed in an effort to provide farmers with a truck for the property during the week, and a car for the weekends that the missus wouldn't be ashamed of being seen in. Back in the days when it was socially unacceptable to be seen in town in anything but the Sunday best, climbing down from the cab of a three ton Dodge in the floral frock just wasn't a good look.

Well, you'll still see a healthy number of battle wagons doing the rounds showing off more dings than the Beijing phone book, but there are also some exceptional examples cruising the streets, and we've got one of the best right here.

The fact that Fred Sarti from Just Commodore Spares has gone to the trouble and expense of customising his VR ute certainly doesn't exclude the machine from putting in a hard day's work, in fact, quite the opposite. Recognising the value of publicity convinced Fred that the costs involved in the building process were worthwhile, not to mention the fact that he was keen to end up with one of the best looking work utes in South Australia.

Specializing in the dismantling of Commodores meant that there was only one choice of vehicle to consider when Fred went searching for his daily driver. For too many years now, Holden enthusiasts have been limited to WBs and one tonners as the most recent examples of the GMH ute. With the emergence of the Commodore utility, we now have a whole new generation of Australian iron to work with.

This VR is equipped with the V6 motor which has proved so competent in Commodores since the old straight sixes were dropped from the line-up. Boasting power and torque figures similar to those offered by the 4.2 litre V8 while using considerably less fuel, the fuel injected motor has proved a popular alternative to a V8.

There was no need to go overboard to extract more power from the 3.8 litre motor so Fred was content to fit a set of Genie headers and a custom exhaust to the VR and leave it at that. The major feature of the Commodore was intended to be its external appearance and that's where most of Fred's effort and dollars have gone.

Chasing a smooth-look exterior, the first job on the agenda was to remove the tarp retaining hooks from the rear of the body. Apart from the hooks disrupting the lines of the rear end, the fact that the tarp has to rest on the shoulders of the body when these fasteners are used means that the paint work cops a fair hiding over time. It's not uncommon to see utes that have worn their tonneaus for a number of years to have the finish around the top of the tray taken right back to bare metal due to the abrasive effect of the vinyl cover.

Press studs have been employed to fasten the tarp and while they aren't quite as versatile as the standard elastic retainers, they certainly give the back half a clean set of lines.

Number two was the removal of the door keyholes. Remote controlled central locking makes 'this mod' possible and again removes clutter from the panels. It should also offer  screwdriver wielding thieves their biggest challenge in a while.

Assuming that criminally intent sub-humans were able to gain access to the vehicle, he/she would be greeted by a combination of VR/VS/Calais/Statesman fittings. New slate-grey leather upholstery has been used to cover the Statesman    bucket seats, and woodgrain veneer inserts are featured in  the console, doors and on the shifter handle. The dash has also had Calais gauges fitted, which provide a more comprehensive array of information than the standard items.

Stepping outside once again, the addition of a fibreglass body kit is plainly obvious. Sporting silver inserts in the air dam and highlights on the side skirts, it doesn't take a genius to figure out where the plastic has been added. The most striking feature though, would have to be Fred's rear wing. Incorporating a stop light at the rear, these ute wings have started to make a solid comeback on Commodores, with the opposition Falcons dragging the chain in the aerodynamics department.

Fred is not expecting to win any drag races in the ute, but he does like to get away from the lights and take on the twisty bits with a certain amount of confidence, and he's made a couple Of improvements to help him out in this department. Modifying the stall speed of the auto's torque convertor has given the V6 the ability to get up a good head of steam before it sends power back down to the 17x8 Senator rims at the rear end.