I took a long holiday in Australia last year and found it to be a petrol head's nirvana. The whole place resonates to the rhythm of V8 engines, most of which are housed in cooking family saloons, which in Australia means a big car of BMW 7-series proportions. Inevitably, some of these mundane cars get breathed upon by the motorsports divisions; Ford has FPV and General Motors, or specifically Holden, has HSV.

The Ford versus Holden battle runs long and deep through history with the legendary Bathurst touring car races being the annual slugfest for supremacy. Ford's Falcon battles with Holden's Commodore, and it's essentially the Commodore we have to thank for the car you see here, the Monaro, a coupe derivative of the big saloon. Until recently that name meant nothing here in the UK but is an evocative one down under, traditionally a sporting range-topping model for Holden, it is a big ballsy coupe.

We have to thank the huge family of GM for this creation and its presence here in the UK. A brave man at Vauxhall had the guts to say yes and by simply dropping a Griffin on the bonnet made the car ready to sell here. We have had a Holden here before, in the shape of the 400bhp HSV Commodore, but it was only sold in limited numbers; those who enjoyed them remember them fondly.

Being an Aussie the Monaro is right hand drive as manufactured for the home market, which makes it a relatively simple car to bring here, save for the shipping. The real debt of gratitude is to be paid elsewhere though, in the USA. GM has a huge model range globally and when some bright spark opens up the parts bin to find something appropriate for a muscular coupe they can run their finger down the list until they get to Chevrolet, or more precisely, Corvette.

That's right folks, God love 'em, the Aussies run Corvette running gear in their family chariots. It makes sense in such a vast country where relaxed cruising over intergalactic miles are the order of the day and petrol is a third of the price it is here in the UK. But what makes sense down there is just plain funny here, where a V8 is something of a novelty and a supercar engine in a saloon is something you usually only get from Munich.

So let's get it out of the way, the engine dominates the Monaro experience. It is the very heart and soul of this car and to a large extent the reason you'd buy one. Its relaxed nature is very much a reflection of the stereotypical Aussie: laid back to virtually horizontal. You can drive the Monaro without ever seeing more than 1500rpm on the tacho. Short shift through the box and woofle along, chill out thanks to hugely long gearing that has the 349 horses idly grazing in the paddock at a nudge under 2000rpm at a motorway cruise.

There is however a very different side to the beast. Drop it a few gears and let the engine start to breathe and a contrasting picture begins to unfold before your eyes; and ears. The long gearing limits acceleration at the lower end but that wave of torque is irresistible and as the rev counter sweeps right the aural treats begin to take hold. Snarling grunty V8 action of the best kind, genuine NASCAR sounds with delicious tunes to savour up the rev range and a very naughty induction roar up near the red line. In the first three gears the Monaro doesn't feel that swift, only Elise quick really, but into fourth and it begins to show its true colours. Acceleration is relentless with the 160mph claimed maximum (achieved in 5th gear rather than the long legged top) seemingly easily achievable in the right environment. There is a rather obvious penalty to pay in the form of fuel consumption as we struggled to better 18mpg during our time, though that ultra long 6th ratio means 25mpg on the motorway, but overall the thirst is the Monaro's weak spot and that's hardly a surprise.

What is a revelation is the rest of the dynamic repertoire. The Monaro is very well sorted, whether this is the case in its native land we don't know but whoever was charged with setting the chassis up did a very good job. The Monaro weighs over 1600kg but makes a very decent fist of tight and twisties and, as you can see from the pictures, allows some beautifully controllable oversteer. The real talent lays in devouring longer more sweeping sections. Impressive damping and body control meant it coped admirably with our bumpy B-road test routes as well.

We can't comment on the braking abilities as the previous custodians had thrashed the car, leaving the middle pedal devoid of any feel other than vibration and ultimate stopping power seriously undermined. The only other reservations we had were the physical size of the steering wheel (although the helm is full of feel), the length of throw of the gear shift - rushing through the 'box is a real physical exertion - and the height of the driver's seat. I'd swap electric adjustment for a lower driving position personally.

The car itself is about the size of an E-class Mercedes but doesn't look that big in isolation. The Monaro looks good, well, bad actually; bad as in mean. The big bonnet vents may be a little OTT for some and personally I'd go for a darker colour but that's British conservatism on my behalf. Brighter colours will probably be the norm amongst prospective owners who will embrace the individuality of what promises to be a rare site on UK roads.

The interior is as large as the dimensions suggest: four big leather armchairs ensure comfort for long journeys and, as you'd expect given the origins, the climate control is hugely effective. That boot is big as well. You could have forgiven some cheap work in the cabin but the fit, finish and material quality are all very pleasing when you consider the price of the car, and the fact a 350bhp V8 is included. What is the price of this glimpse of Aussie life? Fifteen quid under £30,000; I call that a bargain.

We have to hope that the arrival of the Monaro will induce further dips into the GM catalogue and Ford and others may follow suit. There are a lot of worthy and interesting cars elsewhere around the globe that would satisfy the starved enthusiast packed British market.