Bitter Vero: The Australian Holden Caprice That Tried To Be A European Luxury Flagship
Posted by Autoamazed@reddit | WeirdWheels | View on Reddit | 30 comments
In the late 2000s, Erich Bitter attempted a bold return to the luxury grand tourer market. Instead of building a car from scratch, he took the Australian Holden Caprice and tried to transform it into a bespoke European flagship. He slapped on a custom Maserati-inspired front grille and hoped demanding buyers wouldn't notice its mainstream roots.
To mask the cheaper origins, Bitter hand-reupholstered almost the entire interior in the finest Nappa leather. It rode on a massive wheelbase and featured a roaring Corvette V8 under the hood, making it a surprisingly capable highway cruiser. However, no amount of premium hide could completely hide the generic GM switchgear.
Debuting just before the 2008 financial crisis, the project was a total commercial flop. Wealthy buyers refused to pay top-tier German flagship prices for an upgraded Holden without a prestigious badge or service network. Only 10 units were ever built.
Would you choose this ultra-rare V8 oddity over a standard Mercedes S-Class?
MasterofPeridots@reddit
I'd reckon it could have done better as a Buick.
phido3000@reddit
That's what imported us commodores were meant to be known as..
Ironically, in china, they were Buick. Park Avenue.
https://www.autospies.com/news/New-Buick-Park-Avenue-in-China-based-on-the-Holden-Caprice-Should-it-come-to-the-US-14122
Us really fucked up holden cars with branding, marketing..
The chinese ones had power fold out feet rests..
201_Legend@reddit
This looks like my 2013 Impala lol
JOliverScott@reddit
That's what it is, GM just sells it under the Holden badge in Australia.
Bowtieguy_76@reddit
This is actually a totally different RWD platform that is more closely related to the Camaro and shares nothing with the Impala
GM did not start selling a fwd Holden sedan until 2018 when they closed Holden's factory and imported the Opel Insignia and rebadged it as the Commodore
Capri280@reddit
Capri280@reddit
Impala with the driven wheels in the rear. Allegedly they read the blueprints upside down when tooling up😉
JOliverScott@reddit
LOL! Yes, it is different in some ways than the US Impala - rear wheel drive, a V-8 Corvette engine option, and in addition to getting the blueprints upside down they were also inverted in the copier, causing the steering wheel to be installed on the right.
DMala@reddit
GM, a pioneer of badge engineering for decades!
Autoamazed@reddit (OP)
Super luxurious Impala like.
Marshall_Lawson@reddit
so in the States we have people who put fake Bentley grilles on the Chrysler 300... that's what this looks like. If they hadn't tarted it up, the corvette V8 would have made this a cool sleeper. So instead its like someone bought a used rental car, LS swapped it, and instead of stopping there they put tacky wheels and grille on it.
No matter how good a car this actually is, i think it's totally unsurprising that it didn't sell well.
Funny-Ad-3710@reddit
It was sold in the US as the Chevrolet Caprice to LEOs.
Marshall_Lawson@reddit
This looks like an impala with autozone "upgrades"
justaBB6@reddit
I feel like importing the Veritas would’ve been an easier way to do that
BadWolfRU@reddit
Basically the Vectra C but bigger?
Autoamazed@reddit (OP)
That's quite a distance from the Vectra.
HildavonRauschstoff@reddit
Still looks like a well-fed Vectra, the same problem as VW's Phaeton - it still looks like a well-fed Passat
Guitarman0512@reddit
It's more like a hypothetical Omega C.
ImaginedUtopia@reddit
And RWD and with a V8
BWC_Python@reddit
looks like Astra H sedan
aljobar@reddit
There’s a bit of misinformation here about the platform/vehicle this is based off. This is a WM series Holden Caprice - the full size RWD model that shares a platform with the Holden Commodore, just the longer wheelbase version. Factory Left Hand Drive models were built for the Middle Eastern market and of course as the Chevrolet Caprice PPV police cruiser for North America.
Funny-Ad-3710@reddit
Front end looks like one of those generic cars used in commercials for car insurance or motor oil.
Xinonix1@reddit
Pretty much an Opel Vectra
yesjames@reddit
the glass cups in the rear seat cupholders are like the interior centerpiece lol. everything else is just caprice
AmonGusSus2137@reddit
The rear looks just like an Opel of some sort, the front end is just a bit weird, that massive logo combined with a low-placed grille really isn't the best design choice
Lexa-Z@reddit
Looks like overgrown Opel Vectra
Willing_Big194@reddit
Old Bitter cars were cool but the new ones not so much.
My grandpa had an SC
OPGuest@reddit
It’s not Bitter’s best car, but I would live to iwn one.
bubbleddusty@reddit
I mean it’s kinda fitting
Bitter did start with Opels and the commodore was birthed by Opel so it’s at least in the same manufacturer ballpark
Throwaway_idiot99@reddit
yes because its rare and its an bitter. i like his old cars like cd and sc. i would even take a bitter blazer :D