How I Turned My 2009 Pontiac G8 Into A VE Holden Commodore Stateside
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I’ll state this first: I’ve always been a Pontiac fan, but the Pontiac G8 wasn’t a true Pontiac. It was an Australian-engineered masterpiece with a redesigned front clip to mimic Pontiac’s design language. Yes, it fell in line with Pontiac attributes of yesteryear, but Holden’s credit was nearly swept under the rug. So, I decided it was time to pay homage to the brand that almost saved the red arrowhead stateside. I converted my 2009 Pontiac G8 GT to a left-hand drive VE Holden Commodore.
JHP Vehicle Enhancements, based in Blackburn Victoria, offers anything you could imagine to transform your Aussie Poncho into a true Roaring Lion. $2,950 USD later, OEM Holden parts were shipped half way around the world to World Class Finish in Uniontown, Ohio, who would be performing the cosmetic surgery.
After a lot of patience on my end, and two weeks later, the conversion was complete. Almost needless to say, I fell in love. Finished in factory Sport Red Metallic, the car absolutely pops everywhere it goes. It has become my candle in the wind for the dying flame that is Holden manufacturing.
The greatest first impression of the build is the attention it garners. It’s been to a handful of shows, and many intrigued passerbyers have approached me asking “What is this?” “How did you do it?” But, it’s the “Why did you do it?” I like to answer most.
No matter what you drive, you become a brand ambassador. I happen to enjoy being one of the many automotive compasses for Holden stateside, as I open intrigued persons’ minds to Australian car culture.
And, that, is priceless if you ask me.
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Briilliant effort – for us in Oz, thank you!
We have several Monaro’s here converted from GTO’s. Neat to see as it is different.
Kudos. The G8 itself is super cool, I’d have a problem doing it.
I am certainly biased but I think that they look better as they were intended before the facelift for the US market, If your ever in Australia Sean email me and I will buy you a few beers at the pub then show you my classic Aussie muscle cars.
good onya Sean..i wish more Aussies valued our homemade cars as much as you,,(American I assume) we still might have had real Holdens past 2017..cheers mate, a great little write up
What a great story Sean! You’re a legend! How many of the young punters over here wack Chevy badges on their Commodores and you turn it upside down and put Holden bits on your Pontiac! You should be running the company mate. Thank you!!! You’ve made my day!!
I want more pics!!
“No matter what you drive, you become a brand ambassador.” <— Totally agree, Sean. Not fun reluctantly subscribing to a brand perception when you buy a car that best suits you. The conversion takes a great VE platform from a dead, oft-disparaged Pontiac brand to a unique, unaffiliated (state-side, at least) head-turner in the USA. I'd even argue that the conversion is cheaper & more gratifying than buying a new(er) car with evermore underwhelming & uninspired styling. I completely converted my G8 with Aussie's Orange VEMNRO show car Front End (HSV clubsport) + re-badging, steering wheel cover, gauge swap. It's such an enjoyable experience to chat with others about the car (or be looked at) almost daily, or even see their shock when I tell them it is a Pontiac. All the credit to the Australians for their engineering & savvy design that ages gracefully.
I could reply to each of you, but I will simply say thank you for all of the kind words. They’re humbling, and echo how I feel completely.
Cheers all,
Sean