Holden Tempted to Build Efijy in Limited Run

GM Holden Ltd. reportedly is considering a limited edition run of its Efijy concept car, with a price tag of at least A$1 million ($836,000) per car.

The Herald Sun newspaper in Melbourne claims oil-rich sheiks, mega-millionaire British businessmen and the brother of Russian President Vladimir Putin have bid millions for the one-off hotrod concept that caused a stir at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit in August.

Its impact in the U.S. saw it named 2007 North American Concept Car of the Year. It has been described as piece of retro automotive artistry.

Designer Richard Ferlazzo says the Efijy cost GM Holden more than A$1.2 million ($1 million) to build by hand, and any potential production versions would carry a similarly large price tag.

The Efijy has a retro coupe body built over a stretched Chevrolet Corvette C5 chassis and powered by a supercharged 6.0L V-8 engine.

Officially, GM Holden says it won’t be building any more Efijys beyond the concept version in the U.S., but company executives confirm there have been “semi-serious” approaches from several people with bank accounts to cover the cost of an Efijy at virtually any price.

It now is being suggested interest in the car could lead to a limited production run.

The newspaper says Holden Special Vehicles majority owner Tom Walkinshaw has the ability to build copies of the Efijy through a range of his businesses, including Holden Motorsport Pty. Ltd. and Elfin Sports Car Co.

Holden Efijy piece of retro automotive artistry.