Uncle Sam wants the Monaro Man ...
Extracted article by Joshua Dowling, The Sydney Morning Herald, Friday January 10 2003, www.drive.com.au

Holden's chief designer Michael Simcoe, who penned the Monaro, has become hot property in the GM world, attracting top job offers. But Holden has fought hard to retain him.

When GM approached Simcoe (pictured) about a senior assignment in the US, Holden chairman and managing director Peter Hanenberger stepped in and requested Simcoe be allowed to stay to complete the all-new 2006 Commodore.

Holden executives would not comment on the assignment but Simcoe told Drive "there were some discussions".

Detroit is familiar territory for Simcoe, who worked in Cadillac's advanced design studio from 1990 to 1992. "It's good experience and I would consider something if it came up further down the track," he said, "but I have a family now and things are different."

According to industry analysts, Simcoe's stocks in the design world increased with the unveiling of the Pontiac GTO at the Los Angeles and Detroit shows this week.

General Motors product supremo Bob Lutz invited Simcoe on stage after the LA unveiling in recognition of his achievement.