Autumn

-----------�
�----�-----�-­
out the coupon at the back of this
magazine and sending it off in the
envelope supplied.
As a GM Card holder, you can
save hundreds, even thousands of
dollars, on any eligible new
Holden�
Each Lime you make a credit
purchase with your CM Card, you'll
earn a 5% CM Carel Hebate lhat
translates into a gua r -ante e d saving
on a ne w lloldcn. And that's on top
of the best deal you negotiate with
yow· Dealer.
You use the CM Card like any
other credit card. It gives you the
choice of either Visa or
MasterCard, up to 55 clays interest
free on credit purchases, a
competitive interest rate, plus no
illll1Ual fee in your first year. You
can even give your GM Carel Rebate
to any eligible member of yolll'
family. And if you transfer yow·
existing credit card balance of
$200
or more to your new GM Card,
you'll automatically earn a 5% GM
Card Rebate on the amount
transferred.
APPLY FOR THE GM CARD FROM HOLDEN AND
YOU COULD WIN ONE OF FOUR FABULOUS TRIPS
FOR TWO TO THIS YEAR'S B ATHURST 1000:
------------�------------­
·Quite simply, it earns you a
rebate towards a new Holden just
by using it, and without changing
the way you spend.
Apply now for yam GM Card,
As well, the lucky winners will be
and, of course, yolll' chance to win
economy airfares from each
special guests at the HSV tent,
a b·ip for two to this year's
winner's nearest capital city,
where they'll have the chance to
Bathurst
accommodation for two (including
meet the HSV race team and have
breakfast) plus transfers to and
posters and photos si.gned.
The prize includes two return
from airport and V.I.P pit passes.
GMM00069
Applying is as simple as filling
1000.
For more information about
the GM Card, simply call the GM
Card Customer Centre on 151 200.
THE GM CARD FROM HOLDEN.
t·condilions apply. Subject Lo
The GM
Card from Holden Rebale rules.
Editor
.Joe Kenwrighl
Art Dir·eetor
Dean Parroll
Features
Jon Hawley
Motorsport
'lony Glynn
Editor·ial Management
Foreword
Dean Parrott
Joe Kenwrighl
Contributing
Pi t Talk
Photographer·s
New products, announcements and the latest in
Anion Wallo
David G. Segal
the world of HSV.
Adver·tising Manager
Peler Jackson
Selective Breeding
(03) 94.86 8066
A ride on the wild side in two big tomcats and
Manager Gasworks
Greg laylor
HSV 's latest.
Designer
Luis a La Rocca
Senator in Whit e
Pub I ished for and on behalf
of HSV by Gasworks Publishing,
family.
a division of Gasworks Pty Ltd
(A member of the Maltingly
&
Partners Group)
Moth Balls
�3SWDRKS
21-31
P hone
Senator 215i meets Tiger Moth for a different
Goodwood Sireel,
Richmond Vic.
(03) 9426 1444
Fax
High performance car for a high performance
:H2l
(03) 9426 1288
way to fly.
Wings of Change
An in-depth report on the big changes at HSV
Holden Special Vehicles, Senalor Drive
1508 Cenlre
3168
Phone (03) 9265 9500
Fax (03) 9265 955S
Claylon Business Park
Clayton Vic
and TWR.
Road
Corporate Racet·
A behind the scenes look at Craig Lownde:o.
One fot· the Road
Managing Dir·cctor
John Crennan
Merchandise M-anager
Australia's queen of drag racing, Rachelle Splatt,
talks about her HSV.
Marg Curl is
HSV Director· of
Oper·ations
John
Mcinerney
The Nahual Selection
HSV's new car line-up tops the HSV evolution.
HRT Manager
Jeff Grech
Finance Manager
Malcolm Allen
The HSV Fi les
Buying used and what you need to know.
Ent:,ri.neering Manager·
Brad Dunslan
Holden By Design
Gener·al Manager
C lub Talk
News from around the traps.
Voll Nol Autumn 1996
Tony Wilson
Vehicle Sales
&
Marketing
Manager·
Parts Sales
&
Marketing
Manager
Steve Markwell
PR
&
Ownet· Relations
Manager
John Harvey
Regional Manager
Vic SA WA NZ
David Piva
Regional Manager NSW
Darren Hassell
Regional Manager Qld
David Johnson
E x c e l e r a t e• 3
Looks- I ike you. could
ao with C1 6 pack /nate !
If you
do it yourself,
do it before
•••
Before it's too late. That's the time to change your plugs.
Spark plugs are the very heart of your engine. If their pulse
is weak or missing, your performance goes down the gurgler
and all the time you've spent tuning goes with it.
Poor starting, poor acceleration and poor fuel efficiency are
sure signs your plugs are loosing their spark and need to be
trashed.
NGK plugs are fitted as ori ginal equipment by more
manufacturers than any other, for one very good reason.
They're the best!
When fortunes are spent getting engines
right, why let one cheap decision blow it?
Foreword
W
elcome to the first issue
of Excelerate, the official
magazi ne of Holden Special
Vehicles. The name blends the two
factors that have made HSV the success
i t i s today: the passion to do i t better
and the excitement of the extra
petformance of HSV cars.
We have had the
pleasure of mee t i ng
many owners of our
A Word from the
Editor
a pai nfu l remi nder that we've lost
some t h i ng along the way. lL look an
HSV VN C l ub Sport to demonstrate
I
t's been a w h i l e s i nce we have
just how much fun there is st i l l out
had a f u l l-on magaz i ne devoted
there. And more. Like the Peugeot,
to performance cars in Austra l i a
I. d idn't have to caref u ll y plot a route
wl1ere t he can; generate new
to avoid leaving the undercarriage
b,hind i f I h i t a real Aus ·ie road.
veh i cl e s and
poss ibi l i ties, new destinations and
appreciated their
new friends. Driving a performance
And l i ke t he XU- l , overtaking and
no-nonsense, down
car is more t han slopping the i nert
h i l l s were swal lowed i n i ts wake.
to earth way of doing
digits on a stopwatch. It's about
Even my t h ree passengers s m i led for
things. Through your
fee l i ng good behind the wheel, that
most of the 800km round trip. S i nce
then, there have been many spec ial
letters and phone calls
magic t i me when the road is good,
we have learnt that y o u
then the world is good and there's a
H S V journeys. lt seems t hat H S V
participate i n a wide
moment to escape the mundane.
have h i t t h e spot when i t comes t o
range of ac t i v i t i es and
Sometimes sharing it w i t h
making any d rive in t h i s b i g country
know how to get the most out of a day,
passengers makes i t spec i a l .
a good one.
w hether it's on a remote outback station,
A t o t h e r t imes, it 's t he sol it ude.
an isolated post in Antarctica or on the
world stage.
Om special vehicles may be an
I w i l l never t i re of picking a
I have had the pleasure of working
with art d i rector Dean Parrol l before.
general d i rection and head i ng out at
H i s artwork co1n1n u n i catcs in an
dawn or the late hours of t h e
instant what ot hers take pages to say.
Our eontri hutors and photographers
indu lgence or reward for purs u i ng
evening not know ing where I w i l l
excel lence but they are also a v i tal
end u p o r who I w i l l meet. I t 's an
hav(' all worked as a tea111. Tlu�y 're
component of a busy and varied
old hahit that starl (!d w i t h 1ny first
d riven by tlu, S<IIIH' 11rg(! to gd o11t
l ifestyle. This is our chance of
ew; a Peugeot 404. I t had th at
there and ca p t u re the 1non1ent l i k(·
"returning the cal l " .
soot h i ng, get you t here in comfort
the rest of u s . A nd i f you have a
feel, no maller what the elements
special moment in your H S V yo11'd
Excelerate i s a reflection o f t h e pace
and success of the people attracted to
cou l d t h row at it. I t Look the 1brana
Like to tel l us abou l , we'd l i ke to hear
H S V vehicles. In its quarterly, f u ll
GTR XU-I that fol l owed soon after
from you as wel l .
colour format there's a special. blend
to demonst rate that it cou l d have
of features covering the latest H S V
done w i t h some serious gru n t .
news a n d activities away ii·om the
ma instream, l ike our cars and their
owners. We'l l introd uce you to people
associated with the cars and you can
count on a healthy dose of
performance motoring and
molorsport.
W hether you are a current
HSV owner, a f u t u re owner
or j ust want to be part of
what's happening at HSV,
1 hope you w i l l enjoy t h i s
f irsl issue o f Excelerate a s much
as I have.
John Ct·ennan
Managing D i rector
H o l den Special Vehicles
1bo often, experi ences l i ke these
Excelerate is about so1ne o f thos('
great moments. Weleon1c to sOin<'
good Limes togetiH!I:
become jaded. They can lose their
freshness or their spontaneity as
rnnre pressing demands
d i stract us. And when
we do get the t i me,
they ean be
Joe Kenwright
E d itor
w_,-,.,
S i x l ucky H S V owners
You can race 30 other com[Juler
have won the " R i d e of
genera te d opponents or lin k two
h y pe rslim u l a l ors together and ra('e your
friends . It pl ugs s t raight i n t o your ho n1e
computer and us ing t he latest rac i ng
HSV Simulator
Stimulator
l nwgi nt ·
d ri v i ng down l h! ' wor ld ' s
fasl t •s l Crand Pri x t" i rt' l l i ls i n n·al l i llll'
w i t hout hot" k i ng t·ve ry l h i ng you o w n lo
do it. I I S V l1ring y o u < H i e of t h e 1 11osl
e x c i t i ng d ri v i ng e x peri ences and you
do n'l havt· lo risk l i ft · and l i nd• or y<1 1 1 r
l ic<'IH'l'. T lw world's firsl personal rc l<' i 1 1g
t"ar s i l l l ldaiors <"lillie in t wo ln od t " ls , t lu·
H HT/S and t he Cl u hs por t/::i HSV
l l y p<· r St i n l l l l a l ors.
Drop yo u rse l f down
i n t o i lw body h uggi 11g
rat ' i ng sea l st•l i n t he t"arl u J I I
fi bre o r K. . v l a r IIHIIHi t 'O<IL l!',
adjust t lw l·(ll'lnula 5000
leailwr slt•t•ring wheel cl llrl
i lw a l loy p!'dals a1ul you're ready lo
slarl ra.. i ng al any one of the 32 �cliTnUia
011e and l l u l y.. ar I ra.. ks. Start w i t h SOITie
l ra('k t est i ng. St·l up t he � u s pe n::; io n,
gl'ar ral ios and wings.
Cai<·Jdal<· hwl loads.
Dea l w i t h var i a h l t ·
wealhn t" ond i t i on�.
P rad i<T, qua l i fying and
raee lUO l ap�. There's a
·
s i m u lat ion software from your com p u ter
shop you can exp lore your talents and
d eve l op your ski l l s as a dri ver. H S V can
advise you w i t h t h e purc h ase of your
compu tet; mon i tor or TV and can s u p p l y
a
PC
opti m i z ed l o r u n Lhe
software a� fast as
Ta lk
In
s i m u lat ion
techn i ca l l y poss i b l e .
Ron Janke or
W i l l H u i at H S V on
your L i fe" w i t h hot
laps
of
a race t rack in t h e i r stale
in the H HT race car
by Pe te r B rock or
C raig Lowndes .
Congra t u l at io ns lo New
driven
.s
Sou t h Wales w i nners,
M i c h ael B u rns o f
N a rrabeen and Stu art
Cagg of Rose l le; V ictorian
winners, Ja1nes Dell ios o f We rri hec
Sou t h and Tra v i s Fe l l of Frankston
and South Australian winners,
(<t�) 92(JS %00.
Pe ter Dolman of Regency Park and
Ti m Creasy of Glene l g . You're in
lor
a real blast !
Also wilmet·s in a t·ecent HSV
dt·aw wet·e Phylip Doughty of
Kew, Vict01·ia who won the
Pete•· Bt·ock •·ace hebuet
and Vict01·ian JH'ize
winnet·s Pearl Towe of
Anlee•·, Graham Couch of
Lowe•· Templestowe and De•·ek
::;eal shaker w i t h 25
Coomentwel of NmTe Wm·•·en,
wall an1pl i fier loo so
you never fo rge t t hai
you' n • v i rt ua l l y t he re.
New South Wales wi:mtet·s
Fnutk Ganlitiet· of Albury Not·th,
Petm· MnJTay of Glenhaven,
David Snitot· of Bowral and
John Rem·don of Collect01·,
Spot the difference
Lou!.· for some big clwnges
(I[
Qneenslande•·s Gt·aeme Bake•·
of Ma•·gate and Gt·aeme Bt·own
mw1y HSV reta ilers arolulll Australia in the
cmning mont.h.�. HSV has int.rmlueNI a new slcuula.nls program for a(( 1-ISV
of Robina Watet·s and TasnunLians
Mt· and Mt·s David Yvonne of
retailers including high qua lity HSV signage, classy showroom .fiu·uiture ./(u·
Me•·ton P lace who collect an
afJparel aml merduuulise display.� a..� well as models for ·vehicle SfJec�/ications
autogt·aphed cap.
wul sports wheel!!. Reta ilers will a l.� o provide specialist HSV service lm.ys,
appoint. speeialist .wtle.� and service personnel and implement.
a.
cu.�tomer care
S tn -fing the Net with HSV. At I he
prognun which will ensnre all JISV owners are uuule t.o feel very special in
Lime of goLng Lo I H·ess HSV had
any HSV Dealership.
jusl completed a study of Laking an
6
and oper·ating by the slar·L of Apr·il.
lnlernel sile. We should have il up
•
E
x c e
Ie raIe
From HSV to HRT you'll find the superior
performance of Bridgestone tyres.
Bridgestone tyres are the first choice of many of
the world's n1ost successful motor racing teams,
including the Holden Racing Team in Australia.
The expertise gained in developing and
producing race-winning tyres also goes into
Lamborghini Disblo VT, AMG Mercedes C36, Jaguar
XJ220 and the stunning Aston Martin 087.
The Exredia S-Ol is available in 30, 35, 40, 45,
50 and 55 aspect ratios.
So no matter what HSV vehicle you drive,
Bridgestone's premier high-performance tyre, the
Expedia S-Ol tyres will enhance its handling, comfort
Expedia S-01.
and retain its factory specifications.
This is precisely the reason why Expedia's have
been approved as original equipment on many of the
world's fastest production cars, including Australia's
own Holden Special Vehicles range as well as the
Porsche 911 Turbo, Ferrari 348GT and 512TR,
The Expedia S-Ol performance tyre from
Bridgestone.
BtllllliESTIJIIE
THAT'S CONFIDENCE
Off the wall gear
to go with an off the wall masterpiece
Australia's No. 1 distributor of HSV parts, accessories and apparel
If___y: ;T\' ',
�
I
Suttons Parts
NSW authorised HSV parts distributor supplying the NSW dealer network.
For any enquiries regarding your nearest HSV retailer, please contact Kerri Wilkins, HSV parts specialist.
@AUTOCOLOR
Dulux
HOLDEN
(_<JU��
'V, ui3f�·
s;noe 1901
SERIOUS CAR CARE
22 Carter Street, Lidcombe NSW 2141
Phone (02) 648 3688
Open 6 days!
I
Clualty
Endorsed
Company
Excelerale is mai l ed
to c urrent H SV owners
several Li mes a year:
lJ you do not currently
own a HSV vehicle, but
would l i ke to receive
future copies, drop us
a l i ne al Excelerate or
send your detai ls to:
.s
HSV
P.O. B o x 1160
Clayton Sou t h Vic. 3 1 69
HSV-sponsored enti·ant
Michael Koppenol won
HRT moves into the Fast Lane
The HRT's new premises at Clayton
Business Park when completed by the
end of the March will be a showpiece
gold in the 404km Intra Mm-ray
development facility. Comprehensive
Mar·athon paddle race afte1·
testing and workshop equipment will
covering the com·se in 37.5
include three brand new state of the
hours, enough to knock 3 hours
art dynos in the first class engine test
off the Open time fo1· his class.
laboratory. Excelerate will take you
A busy time for TW R Chairman
Tom Walki nshaw - two v i s i ts to
Australia w i t h i n a month. The f i rst
in February to see Craig Lowndes
for a hot lap of HRT's new operations
next issue. Note HRT's new address:
Number 1 Fast Lane, Clayton
Business Park, 1508 Centre Rocul,
w i n h i s second consecutive SATCC
Clayton Vic 3168 and not to be
at Sandown and meet w it h HSV
confused with HSV's Senator Dri:ve
execu t i ves to plan a major expansion
address in Clayton Business Pari.:.
of its engineering fac i l i ties and
capabi l it i es. Stay t u ned on t h i s one.
Then early March
for the Austral ian
Grand Prix and
more busi ness
meeti ngs w i t h
Holden a n d
H R T sponsors.
Set the pace with the latest
gear from HSV & HRT
The striking new 1 996 range of
HSV and H RT ap parel an d pe rso n a l
accessories is now available. There arc
Recently spotted in Tom's Cafe
new co l o u rs , dcsignti and exc i t i ng new
and looking ove1· HSV's and
item� i ndud i ng H S V �oek�, H RT
HRT 's facilities in company with
per�onal A M / FM rad i o�,
John Harvey and Jeff Gt·ech was
d r i n k holders, sports
world champion moto1· cycle
watche�, cooler bags and
legend Kevin Schwantz.
sports bags. And the big
se l l ers i n c l ud i ng the j ackets,
polos, T-sh i rls, basebal l hats,
baby wear (you have to train
them young!) and others.
Cruise on down lo your
nearest H S V Dealer or
contact Tom or Dean in HSV
Merchandise Sales on
�
(03) 9265 9500.
E xcel erate• 9
elective
•
ra ·i ng S<' ,ne or a special i st wnrksh p and
Iones. But when i t comes down to
silo
nomi na t i ng a single car t hey cou l d l i ve
up later as t l1e custodian of t h e
col lect ions of these rare and special cars
wjth and enjoy, t here's one that keeps
for their wea l t h y owners. These minders
comi ng up. A V8 Commodore. That's
somet imes have several cars worth over a
right , i t's usual l y a special version of the
m i l l ion dol lars a t t h e i r d isposal w i t h more
V8 Commodore t hat gels the nod from
opportun i t ies to d ri ve t hem t han t he i r
those who l ive and breathe t he world's
owners w ho are too busy bankro l l ing
finest and most expensi ve mac h i nery.
t he col l ect ion. I t's a revelat ion to t a l k
And so i t seemed a good idea to p i t c h
to t he owners and m i nder of some o f
the u l ti mate speci a l V8 Commodore,
Austral ia's most precious meta l .
T h e conversat ion i nvariabl y turns to
t he GTS-R, against two of t h e most
awesome cars seen in t hese parts i n
what t hey woul d own i f money was no
recent t imes. I t was also a good excuse
objec t . The un i formity of the answers i s
to become more acquainted w i t h t hem all!
staggeri ng.
A rare J aguat; a bespoke Rol ls, a
From the beginning, H o l den Special
Peter Stevens w ho was responsible for the
Veh icles has enjoyed a c lose relationsh i p
st u n n i n g reborn Elan roadster and the
ped igreed Ferrari or Porsche perhaps?
w i t h those w ho design a n d b u i l d such
l a test Esprit, styled t he mi lestone
These are mentioned, often in h ushed
exotica as t he Jaguar XJ220 and XJ R- 1 5.
V5000 and other HSV models prior to
t he VP. He was also responsi b le for t he
Jaguar XJ R-1 5 around t h e same t ime.
Those fam i liar w i t h t he SV5000 w i l l see
t h e common themes. Stevens t hen went
onto pen t he McLaren Fl. HSV ha § hung
out w i t h some heavyweight d udes in its
short h istory.
The Jaguar XJ R- 1 5 and i ts XJ220
stablemate, were bui l t by J aguarSporl,
a joi n t Jaguar and Wal k i nshaw operat ion.
H o lden Special Vehicles is based on a
s i m i lar partners h i p between Holden and
t he same Wal k inshaw group so t here is
considerable cross-fert i I isalion w hen
TW H personnel are assigned to special
projects w i t h i n each operat ion. A nd i t
12• E x c e l e r a t e
cont i nues. Ian Cal l u m who penned the
striking Aston Martin DB7 shape, is also
responsible for the GTS-R.
l n a manner n o t so obvious at first , t he
J aguar XJ220, the XJ R- 1 5 and the
demonstrated that less weight , less
GTS-R are effectively half-brothers.
complication and less girt h were the
This made the Excelerate comparison
way to go.
even more compe l l i ng.
The Jaguar XJ220's path from a 1 988
As it stands, the XJ220 is 2210mm
wide, enough to make it wider than any
show car to a ground breaking c u s tomer
passenger car sold in Australi a or
road car i n 1992 was not a simple one.
anywhere else for that mallet; and i t's
First shown as a Vl2 powered monster
about as long as a Statesman. For a car
with fou r wheel drive, it reached
with so much petformance, there's not
prod uction a fuJI 255mm shorter and half
m u c h of t he average road left if t h i ngs
a Lon Lighlet: Unusuall y, i t even managttd
turn ugly in a corner. It's reassuring t hat
to reach the road loo k i ng a tad prettier
the XJ220's race breeding makes that a
than t he show cat: The production car's
remote possibility! Without J aguarSport's
twin turbocharged V6 and rear drive
trimming program, the XJ220 would have
might have disappointed some c ustomers
made even the Hummer look l.ess of a
b u t the McLaren FT has since
j umbo. The engine is derived from the
unit that punched the 1990 XJR-11 to
victories at Le Mans and Daytona. Rated
at 542bhp or 404k W, the racing m i l l can
s l i ngshot the monster Jag from a docile
Ex c eI e r a t e
•
13
•
waii.J i ng pa• <' lo j usl � horl ,f 20 tnp h
clt:�pil<' a ion and a h a l f of we gl tl and ft� l l
calalyl i c collvt· rle r em iss ion <:on I ro ls.
The XJ 220 co11l i n 1 1e� t he J aguar l rad i t io11
whc r<' a nom inated lop speed deten n i nl's
i he model nu mhet:
W h i le i hc world was wa i l i ng for t h is
p iece of snt lp l u re lo t 1 1cel t he p romise
of i l s loob, J aguarSporl produeed an
i n le ri m sports racer model for a one
make racing series and a s l reel legal
conversion option for t hose game enough
lo let t h i s fearsome cal out of i ts cage.
The XJH- 1 5 has a d i recl l i neage lo
J aguar\ Le M ans w i n n ing XJH-9 racer
of 1988 powered by a massi ve 6.0 l i t re
V l 2 . Th i s hybrid
engine has a
'
;
C roup C hol lom end maled lo t he lop e nd
of t he XJS C roup A race r fam i l iar lo
Aus t ra l ians as i he 1 985 Bathurst w i nnet:
It p roduces a rou nd 75k W shorl of I he
XJ220's h igh tech 3.5 l i t re u n i l bul t he
XJR-15's Kevlar and carbon fi bre
construc t ion more than compe nsates.
The composi te m a te ri a l s a re left
u ncovered to generate an i n terior look
i h a l has s i nce become a t rademark of
road cars w i t h a bad a l t i t ude.
The CTS-H has no less of a rac i ng
ped igree. I t can t race a he ritage
back Lo t he l ast C roup A
homologation
spec ial p roduced i n Austra l ia, t he V N
Croup A. The b i g 5.7 l i t re V8 engi ne,
now w i t h a less res t rict i ve exhaust, has
i ts origi ns in C roup A and t he spec i a l
CTS-R carbon f i b re add i t ions a re
p roduced by t he same Holden Hac ing
team thai i s bli tz i ng t he l996lbu r i ng Car
C hampionship. The chassis comes w i t h
H S V 's best hardware i nc l u d i ng t he T·56
6 speed manual transm i ssion shared w i t h
t he U S Corvet te a n d t he p y t hon-sized
Dodge V ipet; t he renowned H yd ra l rak
c l i ff and pre m i u m b rakes. The cabin
cont inues t h e carbon f i bre and "l 'm
coming Lo gelc h a" br ight yel low exterior
t hemes. [an Cal lum's neal styl i ng touches
ensure t h a t it holds i ts head h igh in t he
company of t he m il l ion dol lar J aguars
desp i te i ts prosaic fam ily car origi ns.
D r i v i ng t he m back Lo back on a
closed lest t rack is an
experie nce nol lo be
forgot le n i n a
l ifet i me .
As yo u walk up to t he .Jaguar X .J220,
t he sheer beauty and preserl<'t' of tlw l'lll'
art' s t i l l t' norrgh lo lakt' yo u r brt'alh away
t lll'("t' yt'ars al ' lt" r a first sigh t i nf,!;. Th read
yo u rse l f i n to i ts !'abin and y o u soon
appre.- iall' lhl' no rrnal i l y t h e designt·rs
have IJUilt i n to t he l ayo u t . The ear is
i n t i midating enough w i t ho u t h av i ng
lo deal w i t h a new modus operandi.
And t hat's t he lliOSI awesome pari or t he
X.J220. One instant yo u're dood l i ng along
in w l ral eo u l d pass as an everyday ear;
t he nPx l you have h i t l OOkm/h in u nder
4 se<·onds. That's barely t i me fo r a b l i n k
of a n eye. The o l d t o n o r l 60krn/h m rives
in just u nder 8 seconds. The experience
is s1rrrl'al. At t hese speeds t here is no
sen sal io n of SJ!l'l 'd as l he X .J220 has
yet lo •·onr r nenr·e any serious work.
Thl' a l rrrosl horizo rr lal glass • ·o rri press<�· s
the dl'pl h or v iew so it feeb l i ke yorr're
d riv i r rg fro r r r t he i ns i de of' a pos t box
t hat's ill'l 'll h u rled i r r lo spaee.
The XJR- 1 5 is a d iiTt· n ·r rl
l wasl . I t rrwk< � · s f<·w
t ·onr-essiorrs lo t ·o rr r l o' rl and
its V 1 2 i s u nbrid led, rmv
l'o n ·<" t hai lets loos!' w i t h
a l l t i re blood eurd l i rrg o f a
hansl �tT's wai l . By t he t i me
yo r r'vt · ill'l'n on t h i s eart h
long t ·nor rgh to pul logl ' l l w r
t he l ' n l ry prir:e, y o u r r r if,!;hl r r'l
ill' agi l < · t 'II<Hrgh lo gel i nto i l.
Bell<·r t hai you grad uate w i t h
hono u rs f ro r n a be l l y danc i ng
sl'hoo l !.. fo re you allernpl
lo d rive it. Those w ho ral'ed
it n.: <·all hav i ng to maintain a
shape I hal wnu lei look bet ter
in a snake !'harmer's basket .
The e a r i s serious l y q uick
and it's r ro l shy about tel ling
you. You q u i l'kly gel t he
.
i m p ression t ha t t his is nne hig cal thai
wo u l d lear you apart i f i t decided it
was no longer on your side.
The CTS-H is not shanwd in t h is
('OIIt parry. A pril'elag or $ 75,000 looks
l igh lwl'ighl aga i r rsl l l w X .1220's lag of'
ov!'r ""'' r rr i l l ion do l lars
as del ivt· red i r r Arrsl ral ia.
Arry 2 1 Sk W I- I S V rrrodr· l is
irr ano i i H · r kagrw r·<ll rr par..d
lo t he slarrdard Co r r r r r rodore
V8 and t he GTS-H rams
home j usl how far t h i s
wonderfu l engi ne pushes
out the envelope. For t hose
w ho remem ber the hard,
met a l l i c edge of a Bat h u rst
prepared GTH. X U- 1 o r
A9X 'l<11·ana, the GTS-H
is a lt< lllll't·o r r r i r rg. IISV w i t h
so r rrc just i fir·aliorr l i n ks t ill'
CTS-H w it h t ill's" •·arl i,·r
ears by n a r r r irrg i t s hriglrl
yr·l low livr·ry, X U-:l Yt•l l;�h.
But t l w CTS-H lras a
.ler·ky l l and l l ydt' elraral' l<:r
I hal l lwsr· nudt· l 'a rl y
raet'rs eo u l d nl'ver asp i re
lo. And t hai's l lw st•nt•l
o f why so rnarry i n forrrll'd
e n t husiasts keep !'orn ing
back to t he V8 Co r nmodore.
At t he end of t he day, t he
l w n Jaguars are fi led away
tllllOI I�sl tlw lcgt'nds. S t u n n i ng, ovc·r t l w
lop n r i ssi l<·s t hai k rv<· n o n · I < 'V<I I H '<' lo
< 'V<·ryday driv i r rg I H r l t ha n k Cod t lwy
r·x i sl. 'li• ovnla l·.< ·, w l r i,·h wo r r l d l w
a regu lar oc·c·utTl 'tll'l ' i n c · i t hC' r .lag11a1�
you lravt• lo p11 1 al lt·asl a fool o f Vt'ry
I'XJK'n::;ivl' JI<IIH�d work i n to OI II'OI I I ing
lra1Tic before yo u can sec w hat's r·o rr r i r rg.
Rear v ision? Parking'? l;;•rgel i l , i l ws<'
cars are only meant lu go first fo rwa rd.
B u t t he GTS-R is jusl as happy i d l i ng
down to l i r e local shops, a i r-t·o r rd i t io 1 1 i 11g
r u n n i ng arrd no happy s1 1aps fror r 1
M r P lod. H < 'VI'rsi rrg o1 1 1 o f a park i rrg spol
won't l 'arry t lw risk of a nr;rjor l'o l l isiorr
and t ht' CTS-H's d ro p d < ·ad loo ks w i l l
hr i ng I IH' loeal lads l o t l w i r k r r< '<'S '"' lt'ss
1 1 1<111 r· i i i H ·r .l ag1 1; 1 1: A 1 1 < i w iH'II r ro-orw's
loo kir rg, i l w i l l pmv id<· '"' <�XI' i ling d riV<'
nol qrr i l t · as fasl as l i r e .Jaguars lurl al
l ..asl as i r rvolvir rg. Tire H i r r CTS-H r r r igl r l
slarrd fo r Har·i ng, b u l fo r t he serious
pelm l l r eads w ho have been there and
do ne t hat, it stands fo r Real wo rld .
�
E x c e
I e r a I e • 15
Metro Holden
•
Specialists in HSV parts, accessories and apparel
•
Come and visit the best showroom in Adelaide soon to experience the
Metro difference. So when you want to talk HSV or get your pride and
joy serviced by our specialist technicians talk to us first.
•
For your convenience our parts department is open 7 days a week and
our service department offers Saturday mornings servicing to keep the
roar in your very special vehicle !
No. 1 Port Road, Thebarton, S.A.
Phone: (08) 354 0555
The car is a 1 994 VR Senator
185i in Alaskan White with 4
speed automatic. The owner is
Jenny Horne. And she loves it .
•
A high performance mum .from
a high performance family,
her mint Senator has to
share the garage with an
awesome current model
Supra twin-turbo, the second
placegetter in the 1 995
Dutton Grand Prix Rally.
tra il e r for bring i n g i n t h e fi rewood from
the back paddock . She d i dn't want a ft)Lrr·
J
wheel drive so a H olden was t h e next
enny i s no stranger t o good cars. She
best t h i ng! Jenny grew up i n t he bush
has enjoyed a Calais, M azda MX-6
and the dow n to eart h priorit ies a re never
and Toyota Sec a. Je n n y wanted a
bigger; safer ca r for c h i l d ren a nd t h e
Senator\ fou r doors made i t the pe rfe c t
choice. B u t Jenny has also enjoyed t he
gru n t of t h is one a n d part i c i pated i n a n
H S V advanced driving cou rse where she
was t he only woman d river and came
t h i rd . She had not h i ng hut praise for
t h e cou rse w h i c h she concedes has
cont r i b u ted lo t he enjoyment of the ca r.
Asked to rate her Senator's most
a t t ra c tive qu a l i t i es , Jenny l isted the
looks, comfort and power. The fac t t h at
i t was Austra l i an also rated very h igh ly.
A s k ed about her Senator's lo w b ar;
Je n n y l a ugh ed . At the end of t he day, i t
sti l l had to work as a H o lden and tow the
fa r away.
The seals of t he Senator and d river
pleasure rema i n big p l us es and Jenny
wou l d n't change a n y t h ing about t h e ca r.
She chose t he w h i t e exterior because to
her eyes, it was t he colour t hat went best
w i t h t he i nterior: The car fil l s a dual role
as a n u rban runa bou t and i n t erstate
b l aster and has not given a n y t rou ble
over i ts 30,000kms.
Qu es t i one d about t h e Senator's
speci a l 222-222 numberplate, Je n n y
explained i t w i t h her usual self-effacing
humour, "When t he pol i c e pick me up
and ask me the n umber and I'm n e rvou s,
at least I'm goi ng lo gel it right even i f J
s t u t ter 1-t-t-t-t-two."
0
E x c e l e r a t e • 17
Looking for a place to drive for the
weekend? Jonathan Hawley takes
a Senator 215i out of Melbourne
to the sea . . . and the sky.
A
s far as I know, Biggles never· flew a T iger
Moth. I think - and I 'm str·etching the
memor·y a bit here - that he star·ted off in
Sopwith Camels before graduating to the Spitli n ·s
in which he gave Jerry such a jolly r·mrgh time,
c •·uising ac t·oss the English Channel to blow a few
Messe•·schmi t ts out of the sky befot·e returning to
the g•·een fields of England in tin e for scones and
jam. U sually, he was onto his sec nd pot of tea
18 • E x c e I e r a t e
E xc eI e r a t e
•
19
en
I
before someone cried that "Algie'!;
place i s the Victorian seaside town of
d itched h i s k i te in t h e d rink!"
Torquay. And t he mode of t ransport to t he
WeU, even if t he mac h i nery was
airstrip, instead of being an early model of
d i iTerent, l now k now how B iggles fel t
MC or whatever B i ggles drove, was a big,
cl imbi ng into a leather coal, strappi ng on
!>1st and comfortable HSV Stenator 2 1 Si .
t he fly i ng helmet, donning the goggles
Anyone look i ng for a good weekend
and bumping gracefu l l y across a grass
away from M e l bourne, could do worse
a i rstrip before c limbing gracefu l l y into
t han a cruise down t he Creal Ocean
t.he sky. The year t hough, i
1 996; the
Road. I t's accessi ble, t here's plenty to do
but most of a l l , i t 's one of the world's
great scenie dri ves and an excel lent
stamping ground for sam p l i ng t he
capab i l i t ies of H SV's finel;l.
And the best way lo start the t ri p is by
going u p in one of 1orq a i r Tiger Moth
World's superb l y restored Tiger M ot hs.
Located a couple of k i lometre!; on the
Geelong side of 'l(u·quay, which is t he
gateway lo the C real Ocean Hoad, 'lorqair
has t h ree M o t hs which are avai lable f"or
joy flights of vary ing lengt hs. Two of the
a ircraft are twin-sealers, which rneans
just one passenger goes up w i t h the pilot,
w h i l e t here's a l so an extremely rare Tiger
Jack which was a wide-bodied version
20 • E x c e I e r a t e
b u i l t to take two or t hree passengers i n
fly i ng cou ntless hours i n domest ic 737s
an enclosed coc k p i t . It's t he on ly o n e i n
around t he country. l nstead of t he peaked
Austra l i a, the only operat ional Tiger Jack
cap and epaulettes, he's now decked out
in t he world, and a better bet for t he
i n a bomber jacket and flap-eared leather
fam i l y which wants to go up togethet:
helmet . . . perfect for his c u rrent job,
The Torqair operat ion was sel up in t he
late 1 980s by a group of a i rl ine p ilots left
but guaranteed to cause con n i pt ions
i n your everyday M e l bourne-to-Sydney
jobless by t he big p i lots' s tr i ke of the
businessman if they'd seen him strol l i ng
t ime. With t he w i l l , s ki l l and
across the tarmac towards their jet-liner
wherew i t ha l , plus a big paddock
a
available as an a i rstrip, they struck out
on their own to form a charter and
few years ago.
Ewen takes me through the safety
procedure before we take ofT in our Tiger
joyfiight business covering t h i s rugged
Moth: no dangl ing oxygen masks here,
coas t l i ne. A nd u n l i ke B iggles' mate
j ust be careful how you step
A l gie, so far no-one's had to swim back
don't put your fool t hrough the fabric
to shore.
Now Torqair has the t hree M oths, plus
on
the wing,
!loot; and make ,;ure the four-poi n t
harness is fi t ted snugly. A head o f me
more up-to-date monoplane transport,
is a voice t u be, connected to Ewen's
I he I aL ter of which can take passengers
headphones ( the pi lot i t s in the rearward
a l l the way down the coast tn the
sea t ) plus a cou ple of gauges for air
12 Apos t l es, or across the bottom of Port
speed and a l t i t ude. Above me is a s i ngle
Ph i l l ip Bay to the summer p laygrounds of
wing and the wild b l ue yondet:
Sorrento or P h i l l i p Island.
The propeller is p u lled to k ick-start
M y pi lot was Ewen Simson, wlto I was
t he engine, the s i x- l i tre straight four
pleased to find out had earned h i s s l r i 1 w,;
roars i n t o l i fe and pre t t y soon we're
hump i ng ofT down the grass.
i\ftt·r an i ndecen t l y short d istance
wt·'re i n I ll < ' air and al once, t he mai n
all nwlion of" Tign Moth travel becomes
appan:nl. I t 's so g;cn l l<', so easy and the
Moth fPels
m;
steady as a n w k .
ExceIera te
•
11
The Senato1; a l t hough reassuri ngly
a l tar:hP.cl I n
f (� ITa
firma, warrants hardy a
wistfu l glance as it recedes beh ind us.
A nd the view is fabulous. U n l ike
enclo!;ed small modern a i rcraft , which
I 've always found soul-less, fly i ng i n a
M oth gi ves a wonderful w i nd-in-the­
hel met fee l i ng of freeclom, sort
w;
i f I 've
stepped aboard a big old b lower Bent ley
which has l i fted its s kirts and learnt
to fly. We're doing about 80 k nots at
1000 feel or so, and t he pace is relaxed .
Via t he headphones Ewen poi n t !; out t he
cras h i ng surf of Bel ls Beach, t he road
c l i nging to the water's edge, and the
CFl
I
A ireys I nlet l ight house
in t he d istance.
Before t u rn i ng back
t here's t i me for a few
derring-do manoeuvres
and Ewen banks the
plane hard to the left ,
t u rn i n g i t o n a wing l i p.
For a few extra bucks
passengers can speci fy
the level of aernbatic!;
they're brave enough to
try, b u t with names such
as Loop-de-Loop and
Rol ler-Coaster I ' m glad
t hey're left off our
agenda. Maybe next
t i me, i f we meet the
Red B<uon . . .
Dropp i ng gent l y into
t he green fields spolled w i t h hay bales
and whether i t 's t he p ilot's sk i l l or t he
soft, grassy landing, I don't even feel the
whee l s touch the ground when we land.
I t seems compulsory to have that eup of
Lea at the cafe, then t here's a Lour of the
i n format i ve and wel l-planned museum
before leavi ng.
I f you take t he fl ight in the morning,
there's plenty of t i rne to take a drive
down t h e coast towards Lorne, or further
to A po l l o Bay. Lorne's a good spot to ·fay
overnight, a l t h ough l i ke anywhere a l ong
t he Creal Ocean Road i t ' s a good idea to
pre-book accommodation and d i nner.
Lorne i t ·elf is a pleasant place, about
two hours from M e l bourne and a popular
hol iday des t i nation . There's the crystal
clear ocean and what must be Aus t ra l i a's
wi ldest s u rf comi ng off Bass Stra i t ,
h u t you can also take a short d rive u p
E rs k i ne Fa l ls i n t he Otways rai n forest,
take i n t he awesome v iews from t he rnany
lookouts or just cru i se the Esplanade.
Lorne foreshore is domi nated by t he large
C u n d u:·rland Resort, a t it neslwrc fac i l i t y
t hat o ffers good accornmodat ion f(,r
fam i l ies or co u p les, as does the more
secl uded Ers k i ne Fal ls Col l a ges, or
t he re's t he V ictorian splendour of Ers k i ne
House located a l most on t he Beach.
Fl>r a d ifferent. way home L a ke the
Deans M a rsh t u rn -ofT oppos i te the Lorne
caravan park, w h i ch Lakes you back lo
M e l bo u rne via Wi nchelsea and Gee long.
Better st i l l, if you have t he L i me , t u rn left
at Deans M a rsh and head for B i rregurra
for a great f'ccd at Sunnylmw, a farnt­
s t y k restaurant perfect for an ex tended
Sunday l u neh. Leave one-and-a-ha l f
hours to ret u rn home, a n d ask at t h e
restaurant for t h e best rou te.
A l l of which is a form idahlc� w<ty l o gc ·l
the mosl nul of your car and your L i r r t e .
Let \ fan· i t , even B i ggles needed lo put
h is feel on t he ground occasiona l l y.
to
�
./onnthnn !-lawley is Deputy Edilur !!/
Er.� /;iue Counl.ry flou .� e,
f Jaradc·, Lorn c ·
1 wr c · ot t ple with cnsu i l e,
and $CJS shared l.a1hroon1 .
P l iO Ill' (OS2) H•) I 20CJ
M o n n ljoy
$1 IS
$ 1 25
Ko.�t.a '.� ,
M oun tjoy Parade, Lorne
Exce l Jenl Greek i ns p i red food w i t h
separate w i nebar a n d ('afe.
A bo u t $58 for t wo p l us d ri n k s .
P hone ( 0 5 2 ) 89 1 88:3
Torqair Tiger Moth World
Blackgate Road, Torquay
Tu rn left off Geelong-Torquay Road at
Torq a i r signpost.
Prices: $70-$ 1 7 0 one passenger
(depend i ng on d ist ance), ex t ra aero l n t l i ( ' s
$ 1 5-$:�5. Tiger . l a c · k i s $:W-$70 c ac · h for
t l t r('l' passengers, m o n · for l w o.
Ph om· (052 ) 6 1 S 100
Erskine /<a.lls Col.tages,
Ers k i ne Fal ls Road, Lornt·
$ 1 1 0 per cou p l e in February,
Cornc·r Capl' Otway Hoad a n d
Lorn!' Hoad, l l i r n · g n t Ta
l ,c• is t t n · l y S t n H iay h t n c · h i n pl'<H 'C'fu l
c·o t n t l ry s c • l l i t t g. Opc · n for d i t n H ·r Sa l n rday
and l n n c · l t S t n H iay o n l y. 1-' i xc · d p ri t'l '
fou r- c · c H t rsc· S t t uday h n H · h $:30 or $:18
p h t s d t ·ss c - rl .
Phone (052 ) :362276
$8S
off-peak p l u s weekend pa eka gc ·s.
P hone (052) 892 666
MOTOR magazine.
Cum lwrlwul Lorne,
I SO M ot t n ljoy
SunnyiJrae,
Biggles,
B i ggles Def'ies t he Swastika, by Ca pt .
W. E. Johns. $ 1 2 approx. from Torqa i r
Tiger M o t h World . Other L i L ies available·
if sold ou t .
Pa radl', Lorne
$ 1 HO ( o t i C ' I H' d roo t n ) l o $27!1
( J wn l house),
plus w c : ! ' k c • t H I p a c · ka g! ' s .
Phone (OS2 ) 8CJ2 400
E
x c e
I e r a 1 e • 23
Z4 • E x c e l e r a t e
B
y t he end of 1994, t he origi nal N ot t i ng H i l l
fac i l i t y was b u rst ing a t t he seams. The
research, engineering and development
faci l i t ies along w i t h the Holden Racing 1eam had
been moved to separate locat ions in response t.o
the rap i d growth and lack of spaee.
HSV acted q u ickly to avoid fragmen t i ng the
w i n n i ng H S V team c u l t u re and acq u i red fac i l i t ies
that enabled i t s key players to be reu n i ted u nder
the one roof and to forge even closer l i n k s w i t h
I -ISV owners.
The move i n February 1995 to a mainstream
automotive manufacturing fac i l ity, previously the
N i ssan factory in Clay ton, Victoria, was pi votal
to H S V 's plans. The official openi n g a month later
was spectacular and rival led a top shel f motor
show in the scope of veh ic les on d i sp.lay.
HSV shares its new home w i t h t he Linfox
transport grorrp and the launch was an opport u n i ty
for transport magnate Li ndsay Fox to give h i s
personal col lect ion o f cars an a i ri ng. M i ngled
amongst rare Ferrari, Jaguar; Porsehe and
Mercedes-Benz models, I -I SV owners were well
represented with m i nt examples rnark ing a
seven-year heri tage.
It was a fi t t ing launl'h lirr a fa . . i l i t y t hat is
i ntended to bt· a nu·r·r·a fi rr cntlu",;iasts,
rna n u l�w t u ren; and sonrc of t he world's rnost
prorn i nent engineers and designers.
'lorn Wa l k i nshaw < I I H I s t y l ist lwr Callunr were
key TW H figurcs at t i ll' laun!'h and have a l n rost
been regu lar v i s i tors si nl'c.
A nu m ber of projects i n 1996 w i l l l'onsolidate
the closer relat i onsh i p w i th HSV owners i nc l u d i ng
a t h ree-month p i lot study to exami n e ways to
enhance the "customer for l ife phi losophy."
Purchasers w i l l be flown to t he factory and then
enCOLt raged to meet t he engineers and sr-:t-· t lll'ir
new ear being built before tak i ng d e l i w ry.
HSV want to make sure t hat any d isru p t ion
and demand on resourr·cl; r·an I re addressed before
lock i n g it in as a long-terrn ad i v i ty. Despitl'
H SV's relatiVt'ly short h i story, t here is rnore to
l'apt i vate a visi tor at t i ll' HSV plant t han most
au tomot ive far · i l i t it•s.
HSV owners wlro takr• the t i rne to v i l; i t t he
factory havr� plr•nty to look forward to. HSV
Heaven, a hall of fame dedicated t.o HSV veh i l ' lcs,
E x c e I e r a t e • 15
Wings
ifchange
d isplays a11d r;:w i r t� I I H ' I I IOI ' i c ·s, i s a
lllliSI-s•·•·. Tlw r:wl ol") l u >asls a Sllp<'rl >
• ·ar•·i<·ria, '111 1 1 1's Car,., i n t l w t rad i t ion or
an i n r or n w l d i nt•r 11 l w n · t il• · rood is
w holt ·swll<', � n ·al v a h w and t l w n ·'s
plt•JJIY or i l . O w J H ·rs w l 1o d i 1 u · t l w n · w i l l
ri 1 1d il i 1 1 1 poss i f .lt• 1 1ol lo I I I I I < ' inlo l fl l '
fasc· i n:r l i llh d i sc·trssious �oi 1 1g o r r around
I I H ' I I I . And t l �:11's l u · ron· ) Oll �· · I lo i ll<'
ra( ' i ng lt ·�tttl� St't' sptTi�tl otH'-oiT \ t ' l l it · l t ·s,
t i ll' d) I IO l t •sl r:w i l i l it•s, t l u · lt•sl l r:wk, •·ars
i n prot h wlion and t l w lalt•sl IISV �,.,,._
As la,.,l ) < ' <I I' d n ·w In a <'lost·, 'li>lll
W:d k i 1 Jsh:111 :lllllot i i H '< 'd i 1 1 t ill' l l k t hai
t l w TW H Cn1 1 1 p i s now :1 rival ror t l w
l 'oi'SI'fl<' Wl 'i ss;l<'fl I"I 'SI'il l'f'fl 1'1' 1 1 [ 1'< '.
IISV w i l l play a k . .y rol•· i 1 1
l l 1 i s, <'S f H T ially i 1 1 t l w
/\siun n ·gion.
IISV has i ns l a l l t ·d
l h n ·t · I I I 'W ll'sl ..e l l s
for l'll� i ll<'
de v t ·loflllll'lll i 1 1 t l w
<'X- issa11 rw · i l i t y
a11d it's proj• ·•·i<·d l l w l
l i m·• · dy nos w i l l l w work i n� l'lal <1 1 1 1
0 1 1 a ra11�<' or i nl<'nJal a11d n J I I s idt ·
projt•t·ls a l'l t · r April i < )< )(,_ IISV w i l l also
l iSt' t f w ra.. i f i t y In expa11d i t s sp<'l 'iaf
h l u q > ri n t i n� e ng i ne snv i •·•·
r, ll. 2 1 S p 1 1 n ·hasns and w i l l l w avai lahll'
0 1 1 brand I I(' W t •ngi nt·s or t h ose u nde r
f ( ),( )( )( ) k IllS.
26
•
ExceIera te
Thl're is also a slalt· or l l w arl
t'<llllposiles group t hai w orks t·los••ly w i t h
CSI K O a n d both t l u · ra< ' i 1 1g lt•anl a n d I I I ' W
modt·ls such as t he GTS- K a n · r. . l'k . . t i n�
t he progress i n I h i · area.
Com b i ne t h is w i t h t he abi l i t y lo l >ll i ld
prototypes and deve lop d i flere 1 1 1
a utomot iv<' sysl t 'lnS and t he re's nn l'<'ason
why HSV k now-how shou l d n' t h ave a
major i n l'l ul'nt·t· on <'V<' ryday ear: in t he
same way t hai l 'ors<'lll' : n u l l �olus do.
A l ready, t he sp<'l 'ial l <'rsion or t he
Comlllodore now t · x porl t •d In Asia has
<'Onsiderable HSV i n p 1 1 l . It's a p n ·s l i�··
mod!'l p i l<·hed aga i nst Volvo, H M W and
M t ' IT!'des- Bt'IIZ lll<ldt•ls and t·o1 n bi n•·s
t l w short wheel base
Calais packaging
w i t h a Statesman
gri l l<· and i ll<'
standard C< llllll H H iore
l i vl ' a x l .. rear
suspe nsio11. Hy t he I i i i i < '
H S V had ri1 1 ish!'d u nde r the
hnnn<··t, i l was l i k•· 1 1nl h i ng <Ill sal•·
lo!'ally. HSV used t he e ngi�tee ri 11g
expert i se il ga i ned rm n 1 dt·ve lo p i n� its
ow n perronnall<T ears ror o u l l nJ('k
A 1 1 s l ra l i a lo • ·nsun· t hai t he 2.6 l i t 1·c
s t raight s i x Opt·l t'llgilll' i n t h is e x port
l lolde n w01dd pnronn !'lawlessly in t he
hoi, l ropieaf ( 'O i l d il iollS or i l s i nte nded
mark .. ts. The re are olhn s i m i lar projei'IS.
And II 'V's own
produ . . ts't I I ' V i s set
lo I H •t ·ome t he only
l o. . al m a i n s t ream
1 n a n u ra d u rer Lo have i ts
own Sll n roor instal lat ion
r<wi l i t y. Ne w rasl t rack
prod J w l i o n ra .. i l i l ies
have nol only i mproved
q u a l i t y hut s lashed
de lays in mee t i ng
s pe ! ' i ri ! ' I'USI<IIIIer
req u i re me n ts. Persi ·te n t
I'U mO L I I" or m u f l i-vafve
and s u pe rl'harged V6
engi nes ru n n i ng a round
i n l esl m u les m ight have
sollll ' roi i i H ial ion. I I S V IS t 'O I I S I ' I O I I S
t hai i t s sv:�HOO i s st i l l a Vl'I'Y popl dar
lll<Hfl'f 011 l fH' l iSt'd lll<ll'kel <II H f Joh11
C n · J nlall l 1as <wk n o w l . . dged t hai u V(>
f H 'I-f'o rlll<llll'<' <'1 11-(ill<' i n a lli'W IISV 1 11odt·l
i s a poss i bi l i ty.
0 1 1 a w orl d ll 'V<' I , TW H 1 1 1 rns 20 y<·ars
or ag<· 1 l 1 i s )'<'ar and t h • · • ·on q w ny k1s
i i J ri v l 'd I J ildl 'l' i t s f:wk or l illl'l'<llll'l ' <ll')
and t ill' hands-on u pproa .. h or f'o J J ildt·r
'1; >111 Wa l k i nsi �<IIV 11 1 1 1 global al'l i v i l it •s
have 1 1 1ad<' t h i s i 1 H · n ·asi ngly d i rri .. u l l .
John C rl'llnan' s i 1 1 p u l l o TW H U K lasl
year was lo pul ke y d i v isions i n l o pia•·•·
t hai arc s t i l l d i rct' l l y r<·porla l > l t · l o '111 1 1 1
Wa l k i nshaw. Five business .-e l l s liav<'
t · v o l v t ·d i ncl u d i ng t he H<w i ng d ivision,
i ll<' Volvo opera t ion, the Genera l M ol ors
d iv i s i on , Sign i fic-ant Car · d ivisio11 a 1 1d
l�ngim• t 'Oinpany. Signi ficant Cars h a v .­
i nl ' l uded t he J aguar X .J220 and Aslon
M a rl i n DB7. TW H w i l l ret a i n l i lt•
resour!'es I n lake a concepl from d ra w i ng
I JOard lo ri nal prod uct ion.
W i t h i 1 1 t hai s l ru d u re, TW H has sough t
In ron n u s l ralegit· a l l ian<·t-• w i t h a
l�u rop<'an, U S and Asian <'ar < 'Olll pany.
.John C n • J u w n has a ne w role ror 1996
head ing 1 1 p l l 11· world Genera l Motors
d i v i sion or TWI\ w h i le lll a i n l a i n i ng h i s
HSV i n v olveme n t . I t also gives J o h n
C re n nan more t i me i n A ustral ia. As more
or G M's E u ropean range heads to
A us t ra l i a and local prod ucts slarl lo
penet rate lef'l hand d rive markets, t h i s
makes sense. I t 's · i gn i ficant t hai Peter
Hane n berger, ramous in Australia afkr
i n t roduc ing Holdt·n's HTS hand l i ng
revol u t ion, is now G M 's c u rre n t D i re<'lor
or all prod ut'l programs and engineering
outside lh<' U S.
W he n l h<' w hole A u ::; l ra l i a n n 1olor
i nd u s t ry i s la k i ng a greale r roll' in glohal
market::;, i t i ::; i m pera t ive thai bespoke
ope rat ions su.-h as HSV a rt' nol o n l y on
t he pace in le( 'hnology and marke t t rends
h u t :-;ell i ng 1 he 1 1 1 . As eve n t s u n fi1 l d d u ri ng
1996, IIS V \ role as a key p l aye r i n l l w
TW H. world w i l l beeollle even I l i o n · so
w i t h rea l he ne ri t s fi11· HSV veh i .. les and
owners.
Craig
Lowndes
CRAIG LO WNDES,
the Holden Racing Team's
louring Car sensation, has
justifiably been widely
toutecl by the media and his
legion offans as the rising
star of Australian motor
racing and, in the view of
TWR principal Tom.
a conrplcte driver; i t 's mandatory that
associat ion with t he Holden
you're able to promote yourself and keep
Haci ng 1eam must appear to
t he sponsors happy about con t i n u i ng
be a d ream come true - well, I can
confidently say thai i t is!
But t here's more to the relat ions h i p
I heir su pport.
W h ile you've got to have a package
wlwre you can drive and obviousl y
t han j u s t appearing o n a weekend and
perform on t he t rack, off t he c i rc u i t i t's
j ust as i m portant to also be seen as an
has a chance for a seat in
a podi um fi n i s h .
a<'h iever.
the ultimate open-wheeled
in t he corporate p i c t u re and i t's t hose
class in international
add i t ional areas of re;; pons i b i l i l y that
each day at a race m
I find to be absolut.ely fascinati ng.
- b u t , at last year's Adel a i de Grand Pri x ,
m.otorsport, Formula 1 .
Following his recent Eastern
Creek and Sandown Park
successes in HRT's # 1 5
Mobil Holden Commodore
rocketship, the gregarious
21 year-old p rofessional
racing driver took a break
from his rigorous post-race
promotional schedule
to provide Excelerate
motorsports editor
Tony Glynn with an insight
into his rapidly burgeoning
career in the fast lane.
•
T
o many young racers, my
d ri v i ng a race - w i n n i ng car to, hopeful l y,
Walkinshaw, the 21 year-old
18
''
ExceIe ra te
I n fact, the racing is only o n e element
I n the old days, I ' m told, you used
ee
lu
be a ble to gel i nto your car at t he end of
t i ng and go home
I have a personal M o b i l cont ract
for example, I a l lended at least two
w h ich req u i res me to part i c i pate i n a
fu nctions per n ight, w h i c h is to be
n umber of publ ic appearances d uring the
expected, as you have to look after t hose
next 12 months and a s i m i lar s i t uation
corporate sponsors.
also occu rs w i t h my H olden cont ract,
bot h sponsors conducting their gatherings
In terms of formal presentations, I ' m
act ually s t i l l learni n g t he art, w h i c h i s
at poi n ts all over Austral i a - but there's
another interes t i ng aspect of bei ng a
always a race connect ion w i t h these
cont racted driver.
fun c tions.
I ' m q u i te comfortable now w i t h these
corporate gatheri ng ·, as T don't m i nd
t a l k i ng to people at a l l and,
these days, if you
want to be
As an example, John Harvey and
mysel f rece n t l y appeared at a Holden
Special Veh icles and H DT Owners C l u b
gathering a n d we both look questions
after maki n g a couple of speeches.
John spoke about H S V, t h e i r current
status and the company's future plans,
w h i l e I spoke about t he H olden Rac i ng
leam's act i v i t i es.
I guess you cou ld say t hat such
gatheri ngs are really only i n formal, b u t
every speech - i n cl uding those for
television and radi o - is worth w h i le
when you're s t i l l learni ng and i t's also
very i mportant t h a t such occasions are
seen to have been i n teresting to both the
audience and myself.
To that end, HSV p u t me through a
public speaki n g course for some fou r
weeks and that was worthwh ile, a s i t got
rid of a n u m ber of the l ittle bugs that
were obv ious and now we can begin to
explore the relevant areas of development
i n greater depth.
I t ';; n ice to k now, though, t hat whe11
I 'm out there , I 'm not rea l l y on my own,
as there are people at t h e
m ee t i ng;; ,
w
0
'g
nr
ii5
talks, who will later d i::;cu;;;; rny ;;uhj ecl
mallet;
or the way I presented i t and o ffe r
L i ps on how to make the next one t hat
g
�
u
D
0
l it tle b i t bellet:
�
a;
Even Peter Brock w i l l pick up on
�Q)
these issues and take the Lime to offer
I
c
guidance, w h i c h I reall y appreciate,
ill
U)
as I can see how Brock gels t h e crowd;;
enthused and i nvolved.
ExceIe ra t e
•
29
Craig
1es t i ng the car between races i s
CoT�orate
Racer
usua l l y a 50/50 t a s k shared bel ween
Peter and 1 11yse l f, w i t h Bridgeslnne
request ing eit her; or boi h, of u;; for t he i r
lyre t e s l c sions.
In many respeels, lest inl!; is more
gruel l ing than rac i ng, as you have to fi nd
out w h a t works and doesn't work on i hc
cat; because you s i m p l y can't do i h a t al
As far as I he d r i v i ng .. hores are
race meet i ngs - it seems t he race is over
before you can b l i n k and you cou ld eas i l y
r·orwr · n wd, a r ·r ·rl a i n level of fi 1 11ess has
lo lw acl rir ·vr·d a11d, lo i l ra l r··11d, I lravr• a
lose yourse l f w h i le seat'(:h i ng f o r t h a t
i lll'l·'l' hours a day, s i x days a Wl'l'k fi 1 1 1 r • ss
perfect set-up.
progra 1 1 1 lo fi l i1 1 l o 111y sr·lwdu lr·.
.
So tes t i ng is very, very c r i t ieal to
'
determi ne that ideal set-up, so that,
I slarl r·d a prograr11 rrrysr·lf I hal k ir · kr·d
ofT af'lr·r Bai h u rsl in 191)4; h u l , i11 l'arl y
11)1)5, I I If[' slepped i 1 1 and dcl'id"d l o
I gol oul of i lw r:ar w i l h <Tarrtps, I was
dehydraied and I 1'ou l d 1 1't l i f'l 111y arms.
Thai wm; I he firs! l i rrte I'd do11e a lo11g
h e l p lilt' d o i l properly.
come race day, you're able to fi ne-t u ne
between spri nts w i t h t h e new t h ree-raee
program if it beeomes necessary to c h ase
un extra edge.
So i l wy gol r 1 1 e a fi l n css l m i t w t; who
W t 'll l for sc >t r re laps aro u 11d Ph i l l i p l sla11d
i11 ilw rac ·r· r:ar lo see w h ir · ! . parl il't r l a r
l l l lt::wll's w r · ttse a n d s o forl h , hefon-'
d i ,; lanee raee and, ! hough I was fi t , I
hi kes a11d s w i n u n i ng - b u i I 'd never had
have to say that my private l i fe has
developi ng a progra111 I hal s r r i lc·d
I he
experienced somet h i ng of a n upheaval -
lilt'.
So l 'vr· hccn on a fi l r rcs,; prograrrt w i l h
wasn'l f'i l e11ough - I 've a l ways played
sport and al ways bee11 a r ; l i ve, l i ke rid i ng
righl t m i n i ng for L he job I'm doi ng.
You need strength to d ri ve t he ca1; as
Social ly, considering t h e enormous
range of act i v i t ies l'm i n vol ved in, I 'd
t hough I should poin l out t h a i , as the
mechan ics p u t in even more t i me w i t h
Larry Colwrr for i hc lasl year and i l 's
we don'L run power steeri ng; you aJso
;;ervcd til<' wel l - al I he r rtorrren l , I """
need flex i b i l i L y and you need s l a m i n a l o
t he team, m y soci a l l i fe is bet ter t han
gel oul of a car and acl u a l l y look 111on·
keep y o u r concen l rat ion u p f or s u c h long
t he i rs!
refre,; lwd i ha r r r r rany of rrry eorrrpcl i l or;;,
periods.
,;o i l 's l wr··n wel l worl h a l l i he Pflorl .
W h i le public appearances on
But there's a usefu l nm;sover there
weekends can be fun, for example, t hey
w i t h the shnrler sprinl rar · i ng, as you st i l l
may not act u a l l y he what you wanted to
worl h of a serious fi l ness progra r r t was t he
have t o b e able Lo put 1 5 t o 2 0 laps
do - you can't go water s k i i ng, or motor
eflel ' l of i he lasl J5 lap,; al Bal h u rsl i 1 1
1 1)1)4, when I was . . hasing .John Bowr·.
together fai r l y q u i c k l y.
W hal n · a l l y opt•twd my eyr'S lo i he
So i t's a comfort to me to k now t h a i I ' m
fi l and able l o keep m y m i nd o n t h e job.
Diel is an obvious issue w hen you're
concerned w i l h fi l ness
b i ke ridi ng, as the com m i t rnenl to I he
learn and sponsors a lways comes first.
A d m i t ted l y, i t can be q u i te pleasant
but, at the same t i m e it can be
frust rat ing.
and, w h i le I don't l i ve
W hen I fir l started, my friends used
on salads and so forth ,
to t e l l me t hat I had a good l i fe; b u t , w i t h
I d o l ry l o achieve a
each d a y i nclud i ng sessions a t the gym,
balanr·ed d iet w h ich
the race team, t h e sponsors offices, I he
i n c l udes i he usual
TV and rad io slat ions and so on, you're
fonds, bul in
aet ual l y on the go a l l day, every day and
tnoderal ion - all I t ry
t here rea l l y isn't a loi of t i me left for the
lo do is eul back as
old l i fe;;t y le.
much as I can on the
fal l y food ·,
A n d , eonsidering t he benefi t s on and
ofT the t rack that res u l t from this l i festy l e
- beari ng i n m i nd i h e fad ihat I 've
al way;; wanted to he a pro fessional
raci ng driver - I would have to say t hat
tht"re's no doubt I 've made t h e righl
eareer r·hoi('e and with a bsol utt"ly t he
rigl tl people."
71mx Cl)'n n 1:s Technical Edil.or f!/
Molorsporl News.
30 • E x c e I e r a I e
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One for the r
You 're used to blasting
up to 480km/h in short,
sharp adrenalin rushes.
Off the strip, Rachelle
Splatt tells us what she
looks for in a road car.
0
kay, so you're 26, female and
your job i s to regularly r u n a top
fuel d rag car at speeds u p to
.� OOmph. A l though t h e d rag rac i ng
fra t e rn i t y doesn't l i ke modern
measurements, for compari son's sake let\;
M i chael Sch u macher o r Peter Brock,
a l t hou gh thai has s ill!"<' bet·n el " l i ps ed.
She was also i ht' firs! woman lo ru n at
more t h a n :300 rn p h (aeh ieved i n Houston,
travel on t h e i r be s t days at Monza or
Texas i n front of a s t un ned American
Bat h u rst. You're after a road car; don't
crowd) and is ai m i n g to record the first
i s that Holdens are good for short people.
have t h e budget of a Ferrari F 1 driver
300mph pass ever done in A u stral i a .
T'm only five-fool-one and I have a lot of
(and w ho does? ) so what do you l ook for
Desp i t e t h i s need for speed on t h e strip,
trouble dri v i ng some cars, l i ke I alway s
in your new car?
however, she rates defensive driving
have to carry a c u s h i on or p i l l ow arou nd,
s k i .ll s as paramount on t he road.
even in small cars, but I don't need
call that around 480km/h. Obv i ou s l y,
that's faster than anyone, i nc lu d i n g
For Rac h e l l e Splall, Austral i a's
supremo d rag raci ng s tat; the answer i s
si mple. After v i s i t i ng more car dealers
"I t h i n k l ' m a good drive1: I've got
mys el J o u l of so many accidents j ust from
than we'd wish on anyone,
loo k i n g at other people
Monaro prior to buy i ng the C l u b Sport)
looki ng as much for comfort from the car
as usable power:
"Another t h i n g that l reall y l i ke about i t
any t h i ng l i ke t ha i because of t he s e al
height-adj ustment, w h i c h makes i l reaJ J y
easy to see o u t o f too."
Ahead of her t h i s year is a fu l l s c h e du l e
18 months ago she went
doing the most s t u p i d
straight back to h e r first
t hi ngs and i f y o u weren't
of Australian drag meeti ngs, p l u s a t ri p lo
choice an d ended u p w i t h
watching them you'd be i n
Japan where she's bee n inv ited to defenrl
a V R C l u b Sport 1 85 i and
an acciden t . I a lways look
her L i t le t h ere aga in s t i n ternat ional
hasn't looked back.
ahead, not j ust a l i t t l e b i t
compe t i t i o n from America, G erm any,
ahead a n d look around m e
Sweden and Japan. Back home, she has
u p for a n y t h i n g in the
all t h e t ime, probably
no plans to move out of her favourite road
world," she says. " N ot h i n g
because being i n the race
t rans po 1t , except pe rhap s lo u pgrad e lo a
t:nmpares to i t : it's j u s t
car you have to be alert
VS version of the C l u b Sport. Like
"I wouldn't give that car
beaut i fu l t o drive,
so much and ready for
anyone else, t h ough, there's st i l l room l o
comfortable, easy to see
any t h i ng that l j ust do t he
dream.
out of. There are some cars
same i n a road ca1: I 've
you real l y d read get t i ng
s av e d myself a few t i m e s . "
i n t o for a l ong t r i p or even i f you have t o
A l l t h i s des p i t e copping her fai r share
d r i v e i n t o tow n . I do t r i p s i n terstate for
of attent i on w h i l e d ri v i ng her C l u b Sport.
the races, I do a lot of dri v i ng so I was
"A l o t of people look at i t , " Rac hel le
look i ng for someth i ng t ha t was reall y
says. "You drive around and p u l l u p at
"H I had s o m e money to s plas h
around I ' d proba bly buy some sort of
convert i ble. I don't know w h y, but I 'd love
lo have one one day. So mayb e some t h i ng
l i ke a big Mercedes convert i bl e would be
one of my dream cars."
comfortable and n ice to drive that I
lights and they look at i t , or I'm dri v i ng
wo ul dn' t get sick of. And I haven't yet ! "
around and go past some guys and they
moment, however; centres m·ound work
A more achievable ambi t ion for the
look al it. A lot of people take notice of
and not p l ay. "We're not o u t for
d ri v i ng cars b u i l t by her father Ian's
it and a lot of people love i t, l i ke my
particular records, b u t i t wou l d be n i ce
busi ness Dragway, i s an i mpressi ve one.
friends, all the guys comment and ask
to say I was the first to run 300 ( m p h )
As well as being the driver to beat for
questions about the car."
i n A u stral i a b u t I ' v e g o t to b e rea l i s t i c .
Rachelle's career a s a d rag racer;
A u st ra l ian t i t l es, in 1993 she held the
all - t i me fastest pass record at 5.20,
Rachelle doesn't necessarily rate
herselJ as a V8 fanati c (des p i te owni ng a
I don't k n o w when i t w i l l happen."
0
ExceIe ra t e
•
33
The Natural
Selection
Club Sport
Model:
Bodystyle:
Price:
Engine:
lhmsm.issio11�:
Power:
Manta
Botfy.,tylt•.,:
Pril't':
Engim•:
'lhrnsm i.,.,ion.,:
Pouwr:
Tonfllt':
St·dan and wagon
$1 J-7 ,(,(,;),
$SO,< J2( ) ( wago n )
S.O-l i l n · VH
S-speed 111annal
( s l u ndan l ) , !J--spt·t ·d
a11lo (opl . )
I HSk W al tJ.HOOrp111
tJ.( )( ) 1 1 1 al :{(,( )Orp111
Low . .sl pril't'd I I �V st'dil l l dot 'SI I'I I I H 'a l l
l l w M;1n l;1's s l 1orl on l h ri l ls: I HSi • ·ngi i H '
giv<·s udl'qnal<' pow•·r a n d lon pw,
w h i l• · 1 1 pral•·d SIISJ wnsion und biggt •r
(22!1/SOZ I { 1 ( 1 ) l y r!'s gi v • · i l llw grip and
puis<' fi ,r l wl l t ·r-l l w n-avt'rag<' lwnd l i ng.
�Ly l i ng is n·lul i vely s l d H hll'd, l 1u l l l ll ' n ·'s
no doubl i ng I his < 'ar's lwril age, and l l w
Wagon opl ion is a run aJ iernal iV<' Jc 1r l hw;<·
w i l h a rwr � i l y or a load lo .. arry.
There 's nothing quite like a
V8, wul a bsolutely nothing
like an A. u.stralicm V8 at that.
HS V has ojf'eretl
n
wifle muge
of pet.form.ance V8 sedans for
eight years now, and with
research and de·velopment
being canied out all the
time, it 's a range which is
constantly being upgraded
Price:
Eugiut,:
Tra.n ,,Ill is ., io11�:
Powt•r:
TOI'tf llt':
U�<$11-:{,240
S.O- I i l r< ' VH
5-sptTd n W i n Ja J
(slandan l ) , 4-spc<'d
aulo ( o p l . )
1 8Sk W ul 4800rpm
400N m ul :�600rpm
Th i s rool i n'-loo l i n' u l e i s ror
lhe world\; rasl es l
p l u n d )('rs. Body,
34
•
ExceIe rat e
I I S V 's mosl popular and end11ring
I W I I W sol d i l'rs on in VS 1 nod<· w i l h
S I I S J )('nsion I U n!'d fi 1r a n1on• ('On l roriabJe
ride, w i l lwul saniri . . i ng road hol d i ng
a l , i l i l y. Fl. d l I I SV s i y l i ng gi ves l he C l u b
�pori i l s pn·s< ' I H T , w h i l<-' .. an •fu l
eol l l j lOIWI I I ry s .. l.. .. l ion k< ·t·ps l l w pril't'
way dow n . Overa l l , i l 's a gn·ul pa. . kagc
for fi rs t - l i me H S V owners w h i le a lso
sat i sfying anyone w i l h a h 1sl li11·
fu l l -on V8 performan('e.
and improved. In fact, you
m.ight be swprised Just what 's
on the menu at your HSV
retctilm: We 've rletailed the
model line-up, car by cat:
GTS
Maloo
Bmlystylt•:
Torque:
C l u b Sport
Seda n
$5 1 , 1 50
S.O- I i l re VH
S-speed lllallllal
( ·tundan l ) , 4-speed
aulo (opl . )
1 85k W al IJ.800rpm
400 N m al :�600rpm
Bmly.,tyle:
Price:
Engine:
<'11gi nc, suspension and i n l l'rior a l l gel
l l w HSV l rcal llwnl w h i .. h 11wkcs t he
M a loo 1 l w raslest vchi .. l<· or i 1 s 1 y pe i n
Ausl ra l i a . . . and bei ng a b i t l ighlcr l han
I he M a n i a or Club Sporl , i l 's s l igh l l y
q u icker i 1 1 a s l raighl l i n<• a s w e l l . . .
1'rmrsmissiorrs:
Power:
Torque:
Sedan
$65,975
5.7- l i t rc V8
6-speed 1 1 1anual
( st a ndard ) , 4-specd
auln (opt . )
2 l 5k W al 4800 rplll
475 N m al :�600rp1 1 1
Seriou lllU111bo from HSV 's prem i 1 1 1 11
2 1 5i powerpla n l makes l h e CT ' t he
gru n l er or 1 l w range. Eas i l y p icked
by ils bigger rear w i ng, u n i q ue
gri l l e and i l m T-spoke, 1 7- i l w h
w heels, i l w CTS i s a b o u l go as
much as show. M assi ve, easy lorque
makes for effort l ess perfc mnanee
w h i le slandard s i x-speed gearbox
gi ves I he d river a ral io for any s i l ual ion.
A 1 1 enhanced ' B i uepri n l ' pa<'kag<·'
is a v a i lable for !host' buyers want i ng
a serious perfonnalll't' edge.
Senator
Statesman
l85i and 2 1 5i
l 85i and 2 1 5i
Body.�tyle:
Sedan
Bodystyle:
Sedan
Price:
$59,785 and $72,740
Price:
$65,680 and $76,690
Engine:
5.0- l i t re a nd
Engine:
5. 0- l i t re and
5.7- l i t re V8s
Trans1nissions:
5-speed m a n u a l
'frnnsm i.�sion:
( 1 85i ) , 6-speed
manual (2 J 5i ) ,
Pouwr:
4-speed auto (opl . )
Power:
1 85 k W a t 4800 rp 1 1 1 ,
2 1 5 k W a t 4800 rp 1 1 1
Torqne:
400 N m a t
S.7-l i t re V8s.
11·-SJ ll'l 'd a u t o
(sltnJda n l )
I H:'ik W a t t i .H OO rp r l l ,
2 I Sk W at ti -HOO rp 1 1 1
II.OON 1 1 1 a t :l(>00rp r 1 1 ,
47S N r 1 1 a t :l600rpm
four-speed auto L ra n s r 1 1 ission as standard
fo r fi rs t - c las s expre ss t ra ve l .
A l l t he l u x ury i tems are there, i ncl ud i n g
l e a t h e r I ri I l l , c D p l a y e r; sel r- levcl l i ng
3600 rp1 1 1 ,
Don't be fouled by the Statesman's
rear s u s p e n s ion and t h t'rt''s 1 1 1ort· t k 1 1 1
l i mousine status in the busi ness worl d :
eno ug h l )('rformtLIH'l' t o I ' I " " < � w a y
The Sena tor combi nes the best feat u res
w i t h t h e H S V i nlluence breathed u pon i t s
E u ropean l u x u ry ears t w i t '(' t h ( ' pri l T .
of A u s t ra l ian l u x u ry sedans ( room fo r
engine, s u sp e n s i on , bodywork, i n terior
475 N m at 3600rprn
five ad u l ts, ge n e rou s equ i p m e n t l e v e l s )
and rnueh more, t h e States 1 1 1 a n 185i and
w i t h t h e ex(' l u s i v i t y and u rge t h a t have
2 1 S i are for t he bi g p l ay e rs rnol . i l t- in
GTS-R
rnad . . HSV ra i i i C I IIS . Avai l a b l e i l l ( • i t l w r
I I IOI'l' d i rct 'l io11s t ha 1 1 j 1 1 s l u pward .
Bmfy.�tyfe:
Scd a 1 1
1 85
C ombi 1 1 e H S V ',; perfi m lltnHT p e d i g re ' '
f'rit't!:
t h e ext ra l'OITi fi>rl of t h e "" l ( r u ri n g"
w i t h t h e States 1 1 1 a n',; (·•x t ra l ,• 1 1 g t h a11d
Engin e:
sus p e 1 1 s i o n pat' kage. Or opl for the 'Sport'
l u x u ry and t here's s om e t h i 1 1 g s p e c ia l for
Tn, Sill is.� iou .�:
sus p e n s io n or the CTS fo r u ncompromised
rear seal passengers as w e l l as t h e d ri vel:
$76,000
S. 7 - l i t n VS
6 - s p et'd 1 1 1 a n 1 1 a l
( st a nd a rd )
or
2 1 5 k W spe( ' . T h e Se nator feat u re:;
ro a d h o l d i n g. E i ther way, the Senator rs an
i ro n fist i n a vel vet g l o v e .
Caprice
·
2 1 5k W at !f.HOO rp l l r
47SN 1 1 r at :l600rp 1 1 1
Power:
2 l si
Torqne:
Bodystyle:
Sedan
The w i l d
Price:
$8 7 ,230
and most have I H ' l· ' n s n a p f H ' d 1 1 p a l n · l l d y.
nne.
O n ly 8 ;) w i i i i H' l >1 1 i l t ,
Engine:
5.7- l i t re VS
No wond,•r; w i t h i t s C r1 1 1 1 p 1\ i 1 1 s p i n · d n · lJ r
Trw1.� 111issio11.:
4-speed aulorna l i c
W i n g, i l l yonr fa( '(' y('l fow p a i n t St'hl'IIIC'
Po·uwr:
2 1 Sk W a t 4800rp1 1 1
4 7 S N 1 1 1 at :�600rp1 1 1
a 1 1d t l w u l t i lllLIIl' i n IISV go-fastn
Torque:
The u l l i lllll l l ' i 1 1 HSV l 1 1 x u ry h i gh­
per fonna l l l ' l' 1 1 Jotor i 1 1g, t l w Capri t 'e 2 1 Si
comes with t lw h u ge l y t ' a p a b l e S . 7- l i t re
2 1 5i en g i n e and
re,·al i brated
pat ' kagi ng, t i l l ' CTS- 1 { is t i ll' 1\ ussi,·
perfonlltii iC'l' l ·ar t o e11d l h l'ln a l l .
H S V l ' X f H'l'l s I I H ISI h r JY l ' I"S to go for t he
o p t i 1 1 1 i s, · d e 1 1 g i r l l ' l . l u , · p ri n t i l lg p a t ' k a ge
w h it ' h t 'Osls ti l l ext ra $ 1 0,000 or so,
h111 wort h al l l 'asl another I O k W l o t a k , ·
perfon i iHr ll'P i n t o H I H > I I wr
dir11ensior1.
�
v a l idated by rae<·' w i ns and world G ro u p
A stat u · .
o more G r o u p A rac i n g
s pe<.: i a l · so <"ol leclor status is ass u red .
For H S V ' s r lehu t , i t was a lop c lass ellorl.
I t 's a l so a great d ri v e .
Used Price: $25-.30,000
Early HS V modeL;; were built
Holden VL Cal ais
SV 88 Sedan
with t h e scune enthusiasm as
the latest ones. And becau.;;e
Released:
t hey stood out when new, t h ey
don't exa ctly fa de into the
scenery tOllay and still can be
great buying for l.:een rlri'Vers
lool.:ing for somet hing a way
from the nwinstream . The HS V
policy of nw tching or
impro·ving on the original
/mild quality has pnill
di'Vidends. Most owners h a 'Ve
Holden VL C on1n1odore
SS Group A SV Sedan
Releasetl: M a y l l JHH Sl.n/.us: HSV
< 'O I I i ra<·l l 1 1 1 i l d ho i i J o l o !!:a l i on s pe < ' i a l f(,r
l l o l den Motor Sport Prmludiou: 500
Colours: Panorama
Dri·veline: Spec i a l 1 80 k W G roup A
G r o u p A body package, C roup A seals,
indications, resale should l1e
guocl too. With alm ost 20, 000
HS V examples from. 54 nwdel
ranges, t h e choice is wide.
Ectch edition, Excelera te will
profile ct selection of earlier
HS V m odels:
36
•
Ex c e I e r a t e
Specictl
Examples: Pl a i n w rapp<'r C a l a i s version.
A head ol' i b t i 111e, no longer
so ou l ragt"< HJS J JOW t hai body k i t is
£ :mm11e111.� :
Carbure l lor t :36k W 4. < J VH
w i t h rn i nor I J JOd i l'i t "a t i om; , Tri r n a l i t' M40
.� s p e< d auto. Lool; For: Croup A
wh l ! ' l s, s l a l l t•d gri l le , hody s t y l i ng
'
'
,
Special Example.� :
twin
t h ro t t l e body E F' I 4.9 V8, Borg Warner
M 01no s t e e ri ng wheel
Dorward B l ul' over J ewel l M id n ight
Driveliue:
a 1 1 d velour I rim
lool.:ed aJier them. Tu lw part
entry fee . And on curren t
l•'i rsl HSV
Fi11al Pmdut·tion: . I ul y 1 988 Colours:
'
N ovember 1 988
i l ve r
T5 5 speed m a n u a L Looh: For: E x l r o v f ' rl
tlon't neetl to pay n /Jig ticl.:t>t
Stctlus:
p a< k a g< ' M o1no sle<'ring whe< · l , l < · a t h n
i n i t i a l l •u i l d , 250 second bu i ld .
Fina l Produ ction:
appreciated t he petligree tuul
of the HS V IIW'Vemenl., you
M ay 1 988
d ! ' a l n 1 nodel Prodnction: 1 50
V <"ar pho n< ' and
i n-car fax . Com.m.ellls: S l i < " k V!'rsion
of one of Holden's best ever rnodels
means it can do no w rong. F i rs t to be
b u i l t t o H SV 's w i n n i ng b l u epr i nt ol' h igh
IWr fo rm aJJ<· e and hand l i ng e omb i 1 1 e d
w i t h de('orum and dass.
U.5ecl Price: $20-25,000
Future Prospecls:
@@@@
Holden VL Commodore
F2 0 SV Sedan
RelmMetl: Augu�t
1 988
Commodore
sv 3800
Stutu�: Second
Released: Oc tobe r 1 988
SUttu.s: First ancl only spe('ial
HSV dea l e r mode l , o n l y offi cial model to
use hot N issan Tu rbo en gi ne, k i lled off
due to pres�ures of ext ra Croup A
HSV dealer model based on V6.
demand. Production: 2 o u t of i ntended
PrOtluclion: 49 1 . Final
i>rocluction: May 1 990.
Colours: I n i t i a l l y Do rw a rd Bhu;
20, at hough 2 C C ( Company Car) models
b u i l t to s i m i l ar spec. Final Production:
August 1 988. Colours: I m perial Bl u e,
over Jewel l M idn ight only. Rose
Marl i n B l ue . Driveline: Turbo, E F l
Grey an d Phoen i x Heel added
Driveline: EFI I :32k W
1 50k W :3.0 in-l i ne s i x , J atco MSJ 4
l at e J:
speed au to.
3.8 V6 w i t h m i nor
Look For: Cro u p A wheels,
SV88 and Croup A body bits. Special
Examples: non- t u rbo C C and Tu rbo CC
in M a ra nel l o Red. Comments: Rarit y
1 .8 i n-line fou r ( Holden), 5-speed
( Phase I and 2), Borg-Warner T5 5- speed
and the awesome pe rforma n ce o f N i s s a n' s
manual or 3- speed auto ( N issan ) .
manual (opt Phase 2 only). Look For:
turbo s i x w i l l kee p t h is one i n the hal l of
Look For:
fame for a very seleet band
s i x spoke alloy s .
of owners.
Used Priee: $ 1 7,000
Fulu.re Prospects: @ @ @
mod i fications, recali brated
Turbo H ydraMatic 4-speed auto
Stage 1 body s t y l i n g pac kage,
Special Examples:
Croup A w h ee l s , hor ly pa< · k age , Ca l a i s
s t ee rin g wheel, Morno s tee ring wheel ( from
Stage 2 i n terior w i t h sports seats and
Feb ]989), leather and velour sports i nterior
t ri m , Lu i s i spo rt s s t e e ri n g
and seals. Speci.al Exampl.es: A D R60
Conunents:
whee l .
O n l y sma l l H S V veh icle and
brake l ight i n re ar s poi le r frnrn mid- 1 989,
Holden Astra SV 1800
Hatch and Sedan
ideal second car for one-eyed HSV
Phase 2 with revised exhaust and higher
enthusiast when i t's based on fast and
sh ift points for auto, lower spec SV6.
popular smal l car: We l l -executed w i t h
Commeut.�:
Released: Se ptem ber 1 988 Stct/.u.s:
ext ra hand l i ng and s t reet creel. Strong
E F I V 8 arri ve d i n the V N but V6 w a s no
slouch w i t h lower petrol costs. Balanced
Kept HSV on t h e boi l u n t i l
H S V dea l e r model based on loc a l
Holden pedigree as engine and panels of
J-lolden-badged version of N issan Pulsar
all Astras and Pulsars were s u pp l i ed by
pe rforma nce and l u x ury package st i l l
p owered by H ol den Family 2 engi ne .
H o l den but misses out on rear d i scs
sou ght after. M ore refined t h a n gruff early
Production: 35 hatches, 30 sedans.
Fina.l Production: M arch 1989.
Colours: Beacon Red, Classi c W h i te,
Pl a t i nu m G low. Driveline: E F l 79k W
and viscous coupling of N i ssan's
m a i ns t ream VN models and holds up well
special version.
over t i me.
Used Price: $ 12- 14,000
Future Prospects: @ @ @
Usecl Price: $22,000
Future Prospects: @ @ @
ExceIe ra te
•
37
Club
Tall<
The Queensland owner's club started t he
ball rol l i ng back in 1 982 when it became
'laking a hot l a p of the speed bowl at
the first H DT c l u b in the country, a l t hough
H olden's Lang Lang provi ng ground w i t h John
it now i ncorporales HSV cars as wel l .
Harvey at the wheel of a GTS 2 1 5i i s not
W i t h 1 1 0 members, i t's a s strong a s i t ' s
somet h i ng you get to do every day. N e i t her i s
ever been. There's a Tasmanian c l u b alfi l iated
honking down the m a i n straight o f Calder or
w i th Victoria, one in South A u st ra l ia, Western
Ew;tern Creek raceways at nearly 200krn/h.
Austra l i a and Darw i n I-ISV fans m·e starting
A nd lor most of us, c ha t t i ng w i t h Peter Brock
their own as wel l . And New Zealand, which
over a cup of tea m i ght seem more of a dream
has been a strong mm·ket lor HSV cars for
than rea l i ty.
a long t i me, also has a strong c l u b scene
And yet these are act i v i t ies members of
Aust ral ia's various HSV clubs experience
every now and then, depending on what's been
w i t h around 1 00 members.
So what's to be gained from being in a c l u b ?
Obviously, there's t h e chance to talk w i t h l i ke­
organised for the year's schedule. Accordi ng to
m inded people with a passion for Austral ian
Rob I nne:;, president of the H DT and H S V
V8s - preferably H olden, and preferably faster
Owners C l u b of Victoria, there's a s t rong
than average. There are more tangible benefi ts
e rn J Jhasis on members get t i ng the most out of
as wel l and using the V i c torian cl u b as an
their cars via molorsport act i v i t ies such as
example, i t's obv ious that if you're i n to the
spri n t s and molorkhanas, but strong su pport
go-faster Holden ethos in a big way, then
from the HSV organisation also means there's
this j ust could be n i rvana for some.
a un ique chance to v i :; i t p l aces such as the
Lang Lang pro v i ng ground and meet the
Act i v i ties i nclude: monthly meeting w i t h
guest speakers such a s Peter Brock, Craig
people who have figu red in t. he h i story of
Lowndes, Mark Skaife, H o ward Marsden ( from
the veh icles .
Tickford Engineeri ng) and N orm Beechey;
Not surpri s i ngly, the Victorian C l ub, w i t h
clu b motorsport days at any of the State's
over 450 members, is t he s t rongest i n
racetracks; special events such as the Lang
Austra l i a because h i storica l l y i t's the home of
Lang speed day ; discounts on a range of
Peter Brock, Holden and H S V, b u t there's a
q uality i tems from t y res to window t i n t i ng;
stead i l y ri s i ng t ide of
a mon t h l y newsletter to keep everyone up to
d u bs in most other major
cen tres as wel l . The
be as i nformal as
N S W c l u b is currently
throwing a few
ru n n i ng at around 270
sausages on the
members and l i ke most
barbic. The biggic
others caters lor H DT
for the year i s the
as wel l as HSV mode ls.
Annual Nat ionals,
where the 900 or so
c l u b members nation­
wide gel together to
strut their stuff.
Get i n touch w i t h
t h e clubs by contacting H SV a n d they ' l l
l e t y o u know h o w t o get i n volved and how
much i t ' l l cost. Above all , as Rob Innes
so succinctly poi n ts out, i t 's a good way
to enjoy the ful l poten t i a l of your H S V
while keeping your l jcence i n tact .
�
The Official
Australian
lirand Prix
Year/look
R e - l i v e t h e e x c i t e m e n t of
M e l b o u r n e ' s Wo r l d C h a m p i o n s h i p
baptism with the official
1 996
A u s t ra l i a n G ra n d P ri x Yea r b o o k .
E x p e r i e n c e a l l t h e h i g h s , t h e l ows
and the u n i q u e a t m o s p h e re of
Formu la
1
captured by t h e A G P C ' s
exc l u s iv e t e a m of wor l d-c l a s s
Re-live the
excitement
To reserve your copy now, phone (03] B21iB liDO
p h o tog r a p h e rs a n d w r i t e r s .
T h i s h i g h - q u a l ity h a rd c o v e r vo l u m e
i s a va i l a b l e w i t h i n w e e k s of t h e b i g
r a c e i t s e l f . L i m ited n u m b e r s
a va i l a b l e t e l e p h o n e t h e A u s t ra l i a n
G r a n d P r i x C o r p o ra t i o n now o n
(03) 9 2 5 8 7 1 0 0
to s e c u re y o u r o w n
p i e c e of G r a n d P r i x h i s t o ry.
�,�
�3SWORKS
�
tr:an�rand Prix Corporation and Gasworks Pty Ltd joint venture
The last word in
engine protection
is Mobil 1 .
Mobil 1 is a fu l ly synthetic
motor o il that del ivers the
purest, best perform ing
Fully Synthetic
Motor: Oil
o il possib le.
Mobil 1 is the same off­
the-shelf product used by
Peter Brock on the race
track . . . its continued
use wi l l provtde reduced
engine wear and longer
com ponent l ife .
For more i nformation please
co ntact the Mobil Lu be Line
tol l free o n 1 800 033 863.
M bil
Looking after tomorrow, today.