Holden Special Vehicles Reveals Commodore W427 with +496Hp LS7 V8

The muscle-car party in Australia just keeps going on and on; HSV or Holden Special Vehicles, unwrapped the LS7 V8 powered W427 Commodore at the Melbourne Motor Show. While power output figures are still to be confirmed, the W427’s 7.0-liter or 427 c.i. V8 engine is likely to produce in excess of 496 Hp and 640 Nm or 472 lb/ft of torque.

HSV Managing Director, Scott Grant, said: “The W427 will be quite possibly the fastest road registrable Supercar ever produced in Australia and among the quickest anywhere around the world. The W427 will only be produced in limited numbers and we want to reflect that exclusivity in how we connect with our Supercar customers”.

Styling and design highlights of the W427 include an all new front fascia, a three piece carbon fibre rear spoiler, 20 inch machined faced alloy wheel, unique exhaust tips and red leather interior. The W427 is scheduled to enter production in the middle of the year and will be available for sale in dealerships in the third quarter of 2008. –Details and pics after the jump

W427 key highlights

Exterior

All new Front Fascia exclusive to W427

All new three piece rear spoiler in carbon fibre

All new 20 inch wheel

Interior

HSV performance seats in full red hot trim with W427 logo, steering wheel, gear shifter and console lid in full red hot leather

Powertrain

7.0 Litre, LS7 Engine with HSV specific calibration

o 370kW @ 6500 rpm

o 640Nm @ 5000 rpm

Over radiator style cold air induction system with high flow air filter

Dry sump lubrication system with 2 stage pump

Hand fabricated aluminium oil reservoir, with internal baffles for high G loading

Front mount, 13 row engine oil cooler

Ceramic coated, high flow four into one extractors

High flow catalytic converters and exhaust system (3 into 2 ¾ )

Active bi-modal rear mufflers for exhaust back pressure management to improve noise quality

High strength limited slip differential

New high strength six speed manual gear box (TR6060)

GMPT LS7 Clutch with new actuator and pedal assembly for high clamp loads

Suspension

New springs, 30% stiffer than GTS

Revised ride height 20mm lower than GTS

New stiffer rear suspension bushing

All new MRC calibration

Brakes

New 6 piston front braking system (50% increase in pad area)

Strap drive, 2 piece floating front rotors (380 x 35mm compared to 365 x

32mm one piece on GTS)

High friction pad material

* Specifications of W427 as at Melbourne Motor Show

Video: Holden HSV R8 Supercharged vs BMW M3 vs Mercedes C63 AMG

While we wouldn’t mind having the keys of any of these V8-powered high-performance saloons tested by Brit car magazine, EVO, we’re curious to see how the supercharged version of the HSV Clubsport R8 (called Vauxhall VXR8 in the UK) holds up against the BMW M3 and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. Since we don’t want to spoil any surprises, we’ll let you find out for yourselves by seeing the video.

Teenager’s Holden HSV Test Drive Goes Terribly Wrong

Story has it that a 19-year-old teenager took out a Holden VY HSV Clubsport out for a test drive from Bundoora Holden in Victoria, Australia. All was going well until the young Aussie decided to push the pedal to metal on the last corner before the Holden dealership. The teen then lost control of the supped up Commodore which took off in the air after hitting a curb. The car went through the dealership’s gate landing on several cars. Ouch… -More images after the jump

Via: Jalopnik , Source: Im4ges

Chevrolet CR8: Middle East Gets 412 Hp Holden Commodore HSV

With petrol prices flirting with $100 a barrel, we’re guessing there’s big market for cars like the Holden Commodore based, HSV Clubsport R8 in the oil-producing areas of the Middle East. The Clubsport R8 will be exported to the Middle East in left-hand-rive form as the Chevrolet CR8 and that’s about all the differences between the two cars. The new CR8, which will be on display at the forthcoming Dubai Motor Show from 14-18 November, is equipped with a 6.0-liter V8 LS2 delivering 412 Hp. So, now that HSV has created a left-hand-drive version, what the excuse for not bringing it to the U.S.? -Continued after the jump

Press Release: GM Holden has teamed up with Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) to expand its range of exported vehicles to the Middle East.

The new export program, launched overnight in the Middle East, will see a version of HSV’s popular E Series ClubSport R8 model exported in LHD form and badged under the Chevrolet Special Vehicles logo.

The new high performance model will be known as CR8. It features the LS2 6.0-litre engine Generation IV V8 engine delivering 307kw of peak performance with 550 Nm* of torque.

With over 200,000 Holden-sourced short and long wheel based vehicles sold into the region since 1998, the Middle East has been Holden’s biggest and most enduring volume export market.

Currently Holden currently exports variants of the VE and WM sedan ranges which are sold in the region as Chevrolet Lumina and Chevrolet Caprice respectively. The Chevrolet Lumina ranges from the LS model (based on the VE Omega) up to the sports-based SS (based on the equivalent Commodore SS model).

Alan Batey, GM Holden Executive Director – Sales and Marketing comments, “This extension of our product range in the region illustrates the growing maturity of the Middle East market.

“Holden has been able to partner its expertise in tailoring vehicles for the Middle East with the high performance expertise of HSV to deliver a vehicle that will deliver a great driving experience.

“Local buyers appreciate the luxury brands but also seek great performance and handling from their vehicles. Both the Lumina and Caprice deliver that combination and with the introduction of the CR8, consumers will be offered another exciting option.”

Scott Grant, Managing Director of HSV, said “This announcement adds another important export market to the HSV portfolio, on top of our successful program with Vauxhall in the UK and long standing presence in New Zealand.

“HSV is already well known brand among car enthusiasts in the Middle East, many of whom are fans of the Aussie high performance cars and our racing activities.

“We have also been involved in the region through supply and preparation of 20 Clubsport R VZ models for the Lumina CSV Championship which is run by the Bahrain International Race Circuit and sponsored by Chevrolet.

“The initial response from dealers has been exceptional with the CR8 being praised for its aggressive stance, excellent acceleration and handling.”

Exports represent an increasingly important part of GM Holden’s current business model with total export sales for 2006 reaching 46,074. Of those, over 31,000 were for the Middle East in what was a record export year to the region for GM Holden.

Earlier this year, Chevrolet Caprice received its second major award in the Middle East as it was named Best Executive Sedan by Middle East Car magazine. In late 2006, it was announced as Luxury Car of the Year by Middle East Autocar magazine.

The launch of the new export program is timed to coincide with the Desert 400 V8 Supercar round in Bahrain this weekend where the CSV logo will feature prominently on Todd Kelly’s Chevrolet branded Holden Racing Team car.

The new CR8 will also be on display at a CSV stand at the forthcoming Dubai Motor Show from 14-18 November.

HSV Announces Surprise Debut At Sydney Show- LS7 V8 Commodore?

GM’s Australian subsidiary seems to get a kick out of countdowns lately as not long after the VE Series UTE countdown page, Holden’s high-performance division, HSV has added itself a timer on its official webpage noting than in 24 days from now, on October 10, it will unveil “The Biggest Moment In HSV’s First 20 Years”. Mmm, let’s put the facts down starting with the date. On October 10 we have the 2007 Sydney Motor Show. That was easy. -Continued after the jump

Fact two: HSV’s top model is the almighty Clubsport R8. It is based on the VE Commodore and it comes equipped with GM’s LS2 6.0L V8 that delivers 412 Hp / 307 KW. Therefore, HSV’s biggest moment should be either more powerful or unique. Could it be a VE Commodore with the Corvette’s Z06 505Hp LS7 V8 as our friends at Motorauthority rightfully suggest? Could be. On the other hand, maybe it’s a prototype version of the forthcoming Monaro Coupe with HSV badges -that sounds less probable but definitely more desirable.

Well, we could go on guessing until you got so frustrated that you’d prefer to watch Hello Kitty knitting a scarf than continue reading our article but there’s no point in that. In the worse case scenario we’ll just have to wait another 24 days– we’re betting that something will leak into the web sooner than that.