Efijy named US Concept of the Year

Holden has upstaged the world's most futuristic vehicles to win the 2007 North American Concept Car of the Year award.

The Efijy was hand built by a small team of Holden designers in their own time using components donated by suppliers and parts left over from official Holden projects.

The car was built about the same time Holden was putting the finishing touches to the new Commodore and was used as an ''escape'' from the daily grind.

It was intended to be ''just a bit of fun'' for the 2005 Sydney motor show, says its designer Richard Ferlazzo; unlike previous Holden concept cars (such as the two-door coupe that became the Monaro) the Efijy was never intended for production.

At an awards ceremony at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan last week, a panel of experts selected the Efijy ahead of 33 one-off concept cars, each estimated to have cost several million dollars to build.

''I'm just blown away,'' Ferlazzo says of the win. ''I've already been blown away by the reaction to the car in the US but for the car to win an award like this is just mind-boggling.''

The Efijy has been on a coast-to-coast tour of theUS since it was air freighted there last December for the Detroit motor show in January. It is due take part in the world's biggest car festival, the Woodward Dream Cruise in Michigan, where 1.7 million enthusiasts line the streets to catch a glimpse of 40,000 hot rods and street machines over a weekend in August.

Ferlazzo, 45, has been working at Holden as a designer since 1988.He says he came up with the Efijy concept on his first day on the job but it took more than a decade to persuade his bosses to let him build it.

''When I first walked into Holden and saw all the technology they had I thought, 'Gee, you could build a really good hot rod with all this stuff,' '' he says.

''It's every car nut's dreamto design and build their own car. I'm just lucky enough to be able to have done it.''

Ferlazzo says the Efijy cost about $200,000 to build because most of the parts, expertise and labour were donated but it would cost up to $1.5 million to replace.

''We've had offers from entrepreneurs in the Middle East, the US and London who want to buy it but unfortunately it's not for sale. I'd love to take it home but it will end up staying with Holden and being part of its museum.''

The Efijy is powered by a supercharged V8 with more grunt than a V8 Supercar but has barely been driven beyond walking pace. ''I've driven it a few times at Holden's proving ground but I didn't go fast because I didn't want to get any stone chips on the paint,'' Ferlazzo says.

The Efijy will be air freighted back to Australia later this year where it will take pride of place in the museum at Holden's head office in Melbourne.


Fast facts
The name Holden Efijy is a combination of the FJ Holden released in the 1950s and the word effigy, a likeness.
Engine: Supercharged version of the LS2 6.0-litre V8 in the Corvette (and today’s HSVs).
Power: 480kW (600hp).
Estimated cost: $1.5 million.
Underbody: Previous-generation Corvette.
Wheels: 20-inch front and 22-inch rear, billet aluminium. Dunlop SP Sport tyres 255/35 front, 285/30 rear.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald