Another week and another plane trip to Auckland, but this time it was different. I was on the way to the reveal of something called the Holden Colorado ROX. I had a look around for info, and found no news about this model, no global press information at all. All I knew was that it was being revealed by Holden New Zealand at Kauri Bay Boomrock in Auckland.

That in itself was pretty exciting, as 99% of all vehicles have been released to the world long before they get to us in New Zealand.

The event started at Holden HQ in Mangere. The weather was less than ideal with heavy rain and thunderstorms forecast for later in the day. The reveal was at Kauri Bay Boomrock and the team at Holden had put on a convoy to get us there. We had a selection of vehicles on from us, Holden Acadia, Holden Trax, Holden Colorado and Holden Equinox. All of these vehicles have been fully reviewed by our team and can be found by the links below.

2019 Holden Acadia LTZ-V – Car Review – Arriving like a Boss

2017 Holden Equinox LTZ-V – New Car Review – The Boy Racer SUV

2017 Holden Trax – Car Review – Small car, big change

2017 Holden Colorado LTZ – Car Review – Local Contender

Once we arrived at Boomrock, we were greeted with a large object under a black tarp. Under which was this so-called Colorado ROX. But before we got to see anything, we got the back story about the ROX.

The Colorado ROX is the brainchild of the Marc Ebolo, managing director of Holden New Zealand. Marc wanted to push the envelope further then it had been pushed before, going past the Holden accessory range and out into the custom parts market. He wanted a truck that was as big as the appetite New Zealand has for offroading, a truck ready for anything from the word go.

The goal was clear, the deadline was 10 weeks, and they couldn’t do it without some professional help. This is where family run team from RVE (Retro Vehicle Enhancement) came into the picture. Now they just had to make it happen in time for Fieldays, where the Colorado ROX would be centre stage.

“Once the ball was rolling our Marketing team, together with partners Retro Vehicle Enhancement (RVE), spent considerable time and effort bringing this concept to life – and I think they’ve smashed the project out of the park,” said Marc

Once revealed we saw what can only be described as a super-truck. It was huge, everything about it was big. The ROX features massive 35-inch Blackbear mud terrain tyres, with custom-made monster flares.  A six-inch suspension and body lift from standard, Rock Sliders’ with removable drop steps trying to make it as easy as getting in and out of a standard Colorado. A carbon fibre high-rise bonnet with the biggest air-scope ever seen, a hand-crafted bespoke front steel bumper, replicated at the back of the vehicle too. A rear deck cargo system and 500mm tray extender, together with an extended wrapping roof bar incorporating retractable lights and roof basket. The interior of the vehicle has been up-spec’d with the addition of front and rear RVE sports seats, complete with hand-made leather upholstery.

The reveal was just that, no one got to drive this beast, which was a big disappointment, as the day’s weather was for fit for the pigs. After Fieldays they plan to take the ROX on a roadshow of New Zealand which is planned across 12-18 months.

There was no talk around the cost, or if they even plan to sell them. Right now, it’s about dreaming big and seeing what you can do when you step outside the box. Hopefully, when it’s in Wellington we can get a bit of time behind the wheel to see what the ROX is all about in a full review.

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John Galvin (JSG)
It started at a young age with bedroom posters, the Countach of course. This slowly grew into a super car die-cast model collection, fifty five 1:18 models at the last count. At which point it had almost taken full control, the incurable Mad Car Disease ran deep though my veins all the way to the bone. And things for my loved ones just got worse as the cars where now being bought at 1:1 scale, after a BMW, HSV, and couple of Audi's, the disease reached my brain, pushing me over the edge and down the rabbits hole into the world of the bedroom poster.

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