Holden Efijy
Today, we’re focusing on a car that, upon its debut, effortlessly captured attention, but has undoubtedly faded from memory for many. This isn’t surprising, as the brand that produced it has ceased to exist for several years, and outside its home country of Australia, it had no relevance whatsoever. We’re talking about the 2005 Holden Efijy. Indeed, this spectacular creation is already twenty years old.
The major advantage of successful retro design is its timeless appeal. This is evident, for example, in the retro Fiat 500, unveiled over 18 years ago. This Holden Efijy also features a good blend of modern and classic influences, making its true age difficult to pinpoint. The modern touches on the fundamentally 1950s design are subtle enough not to appear dated themselves. We’re referring, for instance, to the LED lights or the subtle infotainment screen in the dashboard. The biggest clue that we’re dealing with an older concept car can be found under the hood. Nowadays, such a creation would almost certainly be fully electric, but the Efijy was boldly equipped with a 6.0 V8. Not just any V8, but the LS2 that parent company GM, for example, used in the Corvette. In the Holden, that engine, thanks to a supercharger, produced a remarkable nearly 650 hp.
Was there a good reason for Holden to introduce this spectacular creation in 2005? Absolutely; it was a – somewhat arbitrarily timed – tribute to the Holden FJ, launched in 1953. At that time, the FJ was over 50 years old, and Holden decided that its anniversary still deserved to be celebrated. The FJ’s distinctive curves, characteristic of the late 1940s and early 1950s, lend themselves perfectly to a dazzling retro creation. We owe this to Richard Ferlazzo, who served as Holden’s chief designer for many years and for whom the Efijy remains his most celebrated work.
Ultimately, the Efijy was little more than eye candy. There were no further concrete plans for it, and the risk was that the Efijy would primarily gather dust. Fortunately, that wasn’t its fate. In the years following its unveiling, the Efijy was transported from show to show, consistently stealing the spotlight. It even achieved success far from home, in the United States. At the 2007 NAIAS, the then two-year-old Efijy was crowned Concept Car of the Year. Subsequently, this distinctive Holden regularly featured in exhibitions in its home country. Its most recent appearance was last spring, when the Efijy was brought out for a Holden exhibition at the State Library South Australia.