Summer

time
an
Australian
made
wheel is
being
fitted
exclusively
to an
Australian
made
car.
As a HSV enthusiast. you obviously appreciate a quality Australian made
car. So do ROH. so when HSV asked us to manufacture for the first time. a
top quality Australian made 18"wheel for the HSV-GTS. we were delighted.
In fact. we made all of the wheels in the new HSV-VT range. These stunning
new
HSV
creations
were
manufactured
using
the
most
advanced
technology available and ROH's ability to achieve manufacturing excellence
ARROWCREST
GROUP
which exceeds the highest Australian standards. ROH. manufacturer of
AUSTRALIAN MADE
World Champion Wheels.
Editor·-in-cbief
John Harvey
Editor
Joe Kenwrighl
Art Director
Dean Parrotl
Account Manager
Tim Emery
Contributing
Forewor·d
Photographers
Peter Fritz
Steen Veslergaard
Glenn Allen
Adver·tisiJ•g
Pit Talk
In and around the HSV world
(03) 9265 9500
Published for and on behalf
of HSV by Gasworks Publishing,
a division of Gasworks Pty Ltd
(A mernbcr or 1he Y&B Muningly G.-uup)
Gr·id ll'On
Jonathan Hawley meets an HSV owner
with his own Bathurst grid
�aSWORKS
21-31 Coodwood Street,
Richmond Vic. 3121
Phone (03) 9426 1 444 �ax (03) 9426 l288
Wet and Wild
A wild day in the wet with Marty Hone
and HRT
www.hsv.com.au
Holden Special Vehicles, Senator Drive
Clayton Bu iness Park 1508 Centre Road
Style Counsel
Shapemaster lan Callum talks style
Clayton Vic 3168
Phone (03) 9265 9500
Fax (03) 9265 9555
Managing Director·
John Crennan
High Country Club
Join the club, sport with Joe Kenwright
Mer·drandise Manager
Marg Curtis
HSV Director of
Oper·ations
John Mcinerney
Basic h1stincts
A journey to the core VT
HRT Manager
Jeff Grech
Finance Manager
Malcolm Allen
Media Watch
Bob Hall attends a premier event
Er•giJteering Manager
Brad Dunstan
Holrlen By Design
General Manager
"!(lily Wilson
Holden By Design
National Sales Manager
HSV Files
A Statesman with mumbo, a ix pack
and a one-orr
Alison Garnet
V<·hiclt• Salt"s
&
Marketurg
Manager
Steve Markwell
National Parts Sales
M.nnager
Vol 2 No 4 Summer 1997/98
Ron Janke
PR
&
Owner· Relations
Manager·
John Harvey
Regional Manager
Vic SA WA
Will Hui
Rt=-gional Manager NZ
Chris Stoupas
Regional M.anager NSW
Darren Hassell
RPgional Manager Qld
David Johnson
E xce I e r a t e
•
3
T he WaveRunner GP1200 is the highest powered,
fastest
accelerating,
most
comfortable
high
industries first and only adjustable sponson system
(Y.A.S.) and a new five position super efficient Quick
performance watercraft available. The race bred 1 35 hp
Shift Trim System with more precise handling and
triple cylinder powerplant is combined with the state of
control than has ever been made available in any
the art jet pump design, utilising a 155mm Hyper-Flow
competitive production watercraft.
The WaveRunner GP 1200 also
pump for unmatched acceleration.
Of course power is nothing without
control, which is why the Yamaha GP
1200 features the broadest range of
handling characteristics available.
Yamaha's
race
proven
offers
more
storage capacity with bow storage, glovebox and a
huge oversize storage compartment beneath
the two piece contoured seat.
The
World
fact
is,
one
ride
on
the
WaveRunner GP 1200 and you'll know
Championship hull design features the
you've got it all.
Wave Runner
There's a WaveRunner model to suit you, call (02)
9757
0011 for a colour brochure.
(,UA Kflltcl
Foreword
O
ur owners ar a con tant tiOurce of
feedback and what tllt:y say is displayed
in a large showcase at the factory. Here is
a recent addition:
Dear Sir/Madam,
Firstly I would Like
to
congratulate Lockhart
Holden for their court.eous and friendly service
following my initial inquiries. IVhile I feel this is
tWt
the ultimate reason I purchased my new
A word from the
Editor
W
Ferraris and Porsches at the head of
H V,
it cert.ainly tru:ule the
t he fi eld. Driven fast but not at the
l i m i t , t he C l ubsport demonstrated that
buying experience a
pleasurable one.
Obviously the feedback
you are looking for revolves
h i le I have al ways
i t was capable or pos t i ng t i mes that
adm i red HSV's more
wou ld have placed i t in the t o p 10%.
exot ic models, it was t he
As t he C l u bsporl rumbled i n t o each
s i m p l i c i t y and llO-IlOnsense abi l i ty of"
checkpoi n t , ra l l y entran ts were
arowul what.fir.st inspired
the first C l u b · port t hat rea l l y lirecl u p
start i ng to take not i ce of t h i s subtle
me to buy the vehicle and
my e n t h u s i asm for HSV veh i cles.
new HSV that had t h e goods . It i s no
why I proceeded with the
After enterin g my own Lotus E lan i n
wonder t hat many C l u bs po rt owners
purchase. My buyer profile
t h e 1 989 Lucas Grand Prix R a l l y, I
have s i nce clone w e l l i n a w i de variety
is tlwl I atn 46 years old,
decided to cover t he 1 990 even t
of" motor sport event .
married for 25 years, lwve
w h i l e prov i d i ng a support w h i e l e for
three grawn up children,
1ny 1 989 t L'a lll nwtL·s. I I SV had j ust
C l u bsport owners h i p that I learned to
own and operate my own business and am
released t h e first V N C l u bsport and
appreciate t h i s issue. Our C l u bsport
reasonably conio
f rtable. In the past, I ha11e owned
t h e I I SV press ear i n Asteroid S i l ver
vehicles including Porsche, Ferrari., Detomaso and
•erned to be t he i deal way to stay i n
front of some of t h e world's most
have just sold my Mercedes to buy the Clubsport.
My critetia included a vehicle which is distinct
in appearance, has a uniqueness to ensure that it
retains value and appeal, is not too ostentatious
atul within a manageable price bracket to allow
·
me
exotic and fastest cars.
1(, reac l 1 1 he ra l l y chec k po i n t s
But t here i
another aspect to
feat u re d i ctated a demand i ng
weekend
ched u l e of clo ·e to ] ,000
km. or d r i v i ng, test i ng and
photographic stops pu nctuated by
weather t hat couldn't decide whet her
ahead o f " t he field, I often had to
i t wa · w i nter or s u m me1: Keeping the
t ravel cross-<·ou n l ry on poor rural
cars look i n g t h e i r best wa a never
romb but the VN C l u bsport loaded
e n d i ng lask
having to rob the bank. It is my.feeling that the
w i t h sevt•ra l pas Tngers and
f"a rn i l ies. D<·s p i l <• l h<>se demands and
Clubsport. is that vehicle.
eq u i pment wati never · t ressed and
t he variety i n age grou p · and
n 'ver bottomed out. The first fuel
backgrounds from toddler' to young
to
clwnge vehicles reasonably regularly witlwut
Having never owned an. HSV bifore, I have
lor ow ners and t h e i r
elected to ''put my toe in the water" b_y purchasing
·top revealed t hat it was averaging
. .ouples to far n i l y groups, i t was a
the Last of the VS series with the intention q/
close to 10 l i t res/LO O k m or 28 m i le'
great weekend wh n t here was ·o
purchasing a new VT Series 2 when they are
per ga l l on, not bad for a 1 80k W V8.
much good h u mour and camaraderie.
released in the next
But it ·oon became apparent t hat t he
The C l u bsport has a t t racted an
experience over the next 12 nwnths is a pleasurable
C l u bspurt shou l d have been an
owners h i p j ust l i ke the car : let's h i t
one. I'll go as .far
entrant, not a u pport veh icle.
t h e road a n d have run.
18 months providing my
as to
say tlwt my current .feeling
is tlwt I will probably continuefrom that point on.
As an additional confirmation of my enthusiasm
A t he ral l y e n t rants moved on
from the l i med gymkhana and speed
for your product 1/wve now convinced my business
events, I put the C l u bsport t h rough
partner, to also purclwse a similar twhiclejfom
some of the ·e dosed st ages to ee
Joe Kenw1·ighl
Locklwrt.s inst.erul of the Por.sche he wa.s ord1•ring
how i l would compare w i t h the latest
EdilOI'
atul _you will probably see his questionnaire
returned in the next few days.
/look forward to a Long association witlt your
product arul tlumk )'OU for the opp01tunity to setul
you this letter.
M.G. Qld.
l couldn't think of a better way of finishing
off the year other than w i hing all HSV owne1
and their fami l ies a very Meny Chri tmas and
a safe New Yea1:
Jolm C1-emtruJ
Managing Director
Holden pecial Vehicles
GM Card
lops $3,000
off GTS
H o l den e n t h usiast B i l l Hood from
HRT's 1998
Drivers
C raig Lowndes w i l l ret u rn to H RT i n
Decade Watch
To mark H V 's l Ot h A n n iversary, H S V
h a s released a q u al i ty watch i nd i v i d u a l l y
n u m bered i n a l i m i ted release of 500.
1998 a s part o f a new l i ne-up t o conte I
1-1 V ow ners can request a n u m ber to
t h e 1998 Austral ian Tou r i ng Car
match t h e i r car's b u i l d n u mber on a first
M o u n t Gamb ie1; SA, saved a fu rt her
C ha m p i o n h i p and the Aust ra l i an Grand
i n , first served basis. Price is $225. A
$3 ,000 over t h e best deal h e had a l ready
Prix and I ndy Special Eve n t races. C ra i g
special range of l Ot h A n n iversary
nego t i a ted on a brand new HSV GT S at
Low n c l e w i l l
commemorat ive i t e m s w i l l be l a u nched i n
Alan M ance Hol den i n
d rive car 1 5
J a n uary 1 998 ready t o celebrate H S V 's
M e l bourne. M r Hood had
w h i l e M ark
first decade in February.
m;eu m u l atecl t h e
Skaife, w h o
add i t ional $3,000 sav i ng
ignecl w i t h the
T hese spec i a l i te m
w i l l be j us t t h e
by using a GM Care l . For
team i n J u ly t h i s
beg i n n i ng o f t h e
every $20 Card holders
yeat; w i l l drive
exc i t i ng p l a ns H S V
charge to t h e i r G M V l SA
car 50, i n
h a s t o celebrate
or G M M asterCard, Holden
recogn i t io n of
t h e i r m i l estone
put
Hol den's 50th
f"i rst decade.
one dol lar towards
t h e i r next new ca1; on top of
the best deal t hey can
negot iate. T he GM Card has
h e l ped more t han 2,800
people to save money w h e n buy i ng a new
A n niversary i n
1998. T WR
chai rman, Tom
haw expressed h i s
d isappo i n t me n t i n not b e i n g a b l e t o
H olden. Rebate is earned n o m a l l e r
i nc l ude Greg M u rphy i n t h e n e w l i ne- u p
where a Cardholder shops and t he G M
b u t hoped Greg w o u l d s i g n for t h e team
Carel i s accepted wherever a V l A or
to contest t h e Sandown 500 and Pri m us
M as terCard is d isplayed, a t over 1 3
1 000 at Bat h u rs t , along w i t h races
m i l l i on locat ions around t h e worl d .
contested by H RT in N e w Zea land.
6 · E xcel e r a t e
.s
NewVT
Apparel
Range
Check out the feature
stories in this issue for
glimpses of 1-ISV's classy new
VT apparel range with rich
burgundy, navy and gold as its main eolour
themes. Look for the new polo shirt, t-shirl,
jacket and cap in burgundy and the smart
new navy pullover with matching cord cap,
Oxford
Scholars a1m
Arrows
Both Arrows Formula One cars wi I I
Long Service,
Long Lunch
Founding HSV staff will celebrate their
both with gold H V logos.
Internet Update
Th
HSV/HR T lnternel website
cor d
association with HSV from the b ginning
·1 ,945, 1 55 hits in October for an averag
at a commemorative luncheon just prior
of 62,747 per day. On Bathurst race day,
to Christmas 1 997. Staff who have been
there were 204 ,000 hit
with the company from the fin;l lhre
'153,000 on the following Monday. And
in a recent partnership announced by
months of start-up will be celebrating
the popular H V VT screen saver has
Tom Walkinshaw, managing director of
their role in HSV's first 1 0 year�.
carry the University of Oxford's
aid
Business School name and logo in 1 998
followed by
now been downloaded 1 4,0 1 8 limes. One
TWR Croup Ltd and team principal of
week prior to Bathurst, over 100 fans
Arrows Grand Prix. It links the
joined in a computer chat ·e ·sion with
university's strategic business expert i�e
Mark
with the race team's practical application
by for another chat session soon.
kaife and Craig Lowndes. Stand
I-ISV is pleased to announce that I he
of �cience and technology.
Au tralian Grand Prix Corporation will be
Oldsmobile
AuroraV8
a -ponsor of the internet site until 1998.
Man of the Year
TWH. assisted Oldsmobile in 1 997, ils
Tom Walkinshaw has ju l been named
the 1 997 Autocar Man of the Year and
centenary year, to develop an Indy
H.acing League engine based on I he road
ex-pal Australian and former W heels
going Aurora V8. The fRCs premier
eclito1; Slev • Cropley, now Autocar's
even! is the Indianapolis 500 where the
They are: John Harvey (Publie
Editor in Chief in the UK, was one of
several Autocar staff to acknowledge his
Aurora V8 set pole position and faslesl
H.elations and Customer Service),
lap before winning the race.
David Elliott (Engineering),
al'hievem nb. Mr Cropley noted that
Lind�ay Harrison (Engineering),
Tom and his TWR Croup have designed
Russell Spokes (Production),
Marg Curtis (Personal Assistant to M.D.
more
CHI"
and component than will ever
go on record, and acknowledged Tom's
and Merchandising), Mir·hael Finn
involvement in the highest forms of
( Vehicle Scheduling), Sam Vaysman
racing, including Formula One. (TWR's
(Production), Marlyn Wall (Engin>ering)
and John Crennan pictured.
le ·igner
and engineers have worked
uehind the scenes for a total of 1 2
manufacturers. A t last year's Paris Show,
TWR made a major contribution to five
cars, one of which was publicly
acknowledged)
T
he term 'col lector' doesn't occupy
for around 30 years. W hen he started
rekindle memories of the t h ree other XU-
the thought
racing bac k in the mid to late 1 960 -
1 's Graham has owned in t he past.
of Graham Slater
very often, but when he's forced lo
consider w hether h e fits t h e bil l , h e
"abo u t t h e same time as Brock did," he
chuckles- it was in an H R H o l de n 186S,
There's a l so p l e n ty of memories in the
350 M onaro, in which Graham raced and
and the taste for better-than-average
competed i n hil lclimbs d u ring the 1 970s,
omething to i t . Graham, you see, loves
H o l dens has s t u c k . A l t hough t here have
incl uding a win i n the o u t right touring
hot H o ldens: he loves owning them and
been one or two Fords i n the fam i l y, and
car c l ass at t h e last Victorian hil lclimb
he loves d riving t hem fast on hil l c l i m b
t h ree Austin Healeys, it has been the
c h a m pionship held all h e Lake land
begrudgingly admits there must b e
a n d race c i rcuits. B u t 'collector'? He's
legendary Bat h u rst winning cars with the
hil lclimb. Any doubts about t h e esteem
not so sure.
H o l de n badge w hich have counted for
i n w h i c h Graham holds the car are
most of t he passion .
dispe l led when he tel l s o f t he work that
"I j u s t like the cars. I guess people
cou l d say I'm a bit of a col lecl01; but l
A t t he mome n t h e owns t h ree 1-loldens:
has gone into restoring t he ca1; and the
don't look al it t h at way. I just look at it
t here's a genuine B a t h u rst -spec I-IT 350
fact that he's a L ready drawn u p his wil l
that I love t h e cars, I enjoy having them."
GTS M onaro, a 1972 Torana XU- 1 and a
and left the M onaro t o his son.
The 54 year-old prod uct manage•;
Graham has had molorsport in his blood
VL C roup A 'Wal kinshaw' Com modore.
The M onaro has been in the Slater family
si nce 1973 and has been immacu lately
restored, and the Croup A is also in t i p­
lop condition. The XU- 1 is a recen t
acquisition a n d i s in t h e process of being
restored, but in some way it is t here to
8
•
E xce I e r a t e
"It's a proper B a t h u rst model, it's got
the c l ose ratio gearbox in it, it's got the
M
_ J"Car
_
_
_
Monaro was literally bought off a little
old lady who had herself purchased the
thing fuiJy optioned, only to find it was too
big for her driveway. She would probably
"There's very few of them left now. All
the plates, and engine numbers match on
this one and as a maller of fact we've
if it ever gels pinched it's worthless."
modifications.
"We won the Vic hillclimb Louring car
though, he's most impressed with the VL
championship in 1972 in that. It wasn't
-a car HSV built for Holden to go Group
just a normal XU-1 -it was one of the
A touring car racing back in the late '80s
genuine Bathurst specials with 180
and early '90s. It is the
horsepower or whatever it
se ·ond 'Walkinshaw'
was, which we didn't realise
Graham has owned, but
at the time but are kicking
look· like being the one he
ourselves now because that
will keep given the amount
sold f�1irly cheaply."
"It's a wonderful car. I
So all up, the Slater's
performance Holden tally Lo
personally believe they will
date numbers about nine,
be the collectible HSV car of
give or take the odd ring-in.
the future. Mine is a very
"If you add up the two
nice, original car. We have it
Walkinshaws, the two
chassis dynoed at least once
Monaros the four XU-1s, the
every 12 months to keep it at
optimum tune."
The XU-1 is the fourth Graham has
I-IR, we've had a few Holden
performance car� l guess. My wife's even
had a Kingswood wagon!"
owned, although the other three were
So has he got his eye on anything else?
u eel a hillclimb cars back in the early
"I've had a look at the new HSV VT
four bolt main LT1 block Chev, it's got
'70s, before Graham look a break for the
the works. All the numbers matched and
usual duties of career-and-kids.
The restoration work Look 12 months
The Monaro 327 gave way to the first
XU-1, a 1971 model with full Bathurst
of allention it gets.
it's been in the family since 1973 so it's
Graham later used for drag racing.
removed two of the plates from it because
Of the three Holdens he owns now,
actually willed to my son."
have had a heart attack if she found out
Before that, though, came a Monaro
327 which replaced the original HR 186S
range and you have Lo be impressed with
those cars. The premium brake package
on the GT S looks superb: the Walkinshaw
could do with those brakes."
in which Graham started racing. The
and included stripping the Monaro back
to the bare body shell, but even so it is
no
how pony. The original Rod Stephens
roll cage has been retained, for instance,
as a reminder of the car's competition
heritage. It has been retired now, and
Graham reckons although he might Lake
it out for the odd show or parade lap, the
350's competition days are ove1:
"That car is rather immaculate, and it's
very original -it hasn't been messed
around with. The only reason we put the
stainless steel exhaust system on is because
it sits around doing nothing and the exhaust
system rot · out. It doesn't see many miles
now, and it'll never see the track again."
E xce I e r a t e
•
9
Marty Hone joins HRT
on a rare day off to mark
the end of the
T
he good ol' Aussie ule has always
been a favourite of ours, both as a
dependable workhor ·e and as a
means to enjoy a multitude of recreational
activities- be it cruisin' on a Saturday
night or something with which to take the
1997
dirt bike for a blast on weekends. Or, as
we did recently, Load up the watercraft for
season and the start of a
full scale effort �n
1998
a day roosting one another at the
picturesque Caribbean Gardens complex.
Situated right in Melbourne's outer
eastern suburb of KnoxJield, Caribbean
Gardens was forrnerly horne to a
successful fibreglass boat building
industry, complete with a man-made lake
that was used to test boats during the
week, and entertain crowd with water­
skiing exhibitions
at
weekends. Other
activities have since taken
their place, and now the pretty
lake-side and w I I maintained
gras · surround play ho ·t to a
successful Trash & Treasure
market on Wednesdays and
Sundays, with train rides and
a chair lift to keep the kids
entertained.
It was also an ideal location
to cut loose with some of
Yamaha's latest water rockets.
A far cry li-orn the sometimes
temperamental and more
demanding, stand-up style of
the original jetski, the e
modern machines combine simple,
motorcycle-type controls with the
stability of a proper hull and the latest in
high performance powerplants. F'or those
not familiar with the concept, all
E xc e I e
r
a I e
•
11
j e tsk i/personal watercraft make u e of
t rong, l ig h t weight fibreglass h u l l s of
variou designs, w i t h s i m p l e yet powerful
two or t h ree cyli nder 2-stroke engi nes
driving a m u l t i -blade, axiai-Oow i mp e l l e r
that draws w a t e r up from beneath t h e
h u l l , t h en blasts i t o u t t h rough a
steerable nozzle at t h e rear: U n l ike a
normal boat , t here is no external prop
t h a t can cause i nj ury to r i ders or
s w i m mers, and w he n ridden sensibly,
t hese waterc raft are extremely safe and a
lot of fun for t h e w h o l e fam i ly.
12
•
Exc e I e r a 1 e
plenty of power from its twin cylinder; 90
horsepower (67kW) engine.
Fellow HRT young gun, Jason
Bargwanna's considered comments were
typical of a firsl-limer. .. "Simply
Awesome" summed it up pretty well, with
a preference for the smallest Waveblaster;
the 73hp (54kW) 700A at
$9,900, "Because it was the
most agile and demanding to
ride." Along with the levels of
performance, Jason was quite
taken by the reliability of all
the craft"We just keep putting fuel in
and pressing the bullon"­
alluding to two of the Yamaha
features, the electric start, and
the fact that the direct oil
injection system means that you
do not need to pre-mix oil and
petrol. At least, that's what I
think he meant. On the other
hand, Race Team manager,
Jeff Grech know hi · watercraft.
He brought along his own
Waveblaster 11, kittecl out with
a high performance Riva pipe
impressed Craig Lowndes­
and a rear ride plate for rough
this big, 3-cylinder;
water conditions. Just the thing
watercooled and triple-carbed
to keep everyone in his wake.
baby pumps out and amazing
Residing in the Melbourne
135 horsepower (10 1 kW) and
bayside suburb of Mornington,
can carry 2 persons or Low 2
Je[T geL- to ride his Yamaha
skiers, has adjustable trim
each week in the varying Bay
and can lop 100km/h in
conditions as a way to maintain
smooth water! But his
phy ical fitnes ·. Leaping ofT
favomite, and more in keeping
And just the thing that .John Harvey
and Jeff Grech had in mind when it was
with the image of a young gun, was the
smallet; more agile, $9,995 Waveblaster
decided to put together a nice, quiet day
ll 760, if for no other reason than it was
on the water with the Holden Racing
most like a motorcycle to ride, with
Team drivers after the ups and downs of
the 1997 season ready for a fresh start .in
1998. Well, no sooner had the first
Yamaha been launched and HRT drivers
kitted up in the latest buoyancy suits
when someone said "Which way does the
track go, and what's the lap record?" You
can guess the rest.
The fact that all craft and their riders
were still functional at the end of the day
allests to the safety and reliability of the
machinery, so let's have a look-see at the
various models and what our waterbabies
thought of them. The top-of-the-line,
$14,900 Waverunner GP1200 certainly
the top;;; of waves sure beats
Recurring thunder
jogging. W ith a young family,
the WBll suits his needs now,
In Octobe•·, HSV announced nt.inm· •·evisions to its popula1·
but like the others, he loves the
Maloo utility. The Maloo, which gains its name f1·om the abodginal
hard edged performance of the
W B 700A. l guess once it's in ya
wm·d fm· tlumde•·, benefits f1·om changes inll·oduced with the latest
blood...
VT •·ange. Sll·iking new colmu·s and the VT Club Spm·t's new 17
Despite eve•yone falling off
inch wheels and B1·idgestone Expedia S02 ty1·es lift it f1·om eye
more times than they can
catche1· to head tm·ne•· especially when combined with the new
remembe1; everyone had a ball
•·em· wing option.
with the levels of performance
A drive•·'s side airbag is now standa1·d along with powe.· windows.
offered by these watercraft.
Maloo buye•·s can specify HSV's Glencoe Spo1·ts seats or· the
Like all machinety, and
optional Devenish Pe1·fm·mance design with matching dom· inserts.
I
especially when in the wate1; it
The p1·oven l85kW power·plant and b1·ake system f1·om the
pays to have common sense and
pr·evious Maloo continue.
to be aware or the rights of
Exterior styling combines a specific f1·ont fascia, side skir·ts, rear
others, much of which is detailed
in the Yamaha Safety Video that comes
with each model. The rest is up to you . . .
panel moulding, unique •·em· numbe1· plate sun·mmd, a specific
0
Special thanks to the management of
Caribbean Gardens, and to Yamaha Marine.
14
•
ExceIe ra 1e
tonneau cover with HSV logo and the cab-mowlled upper sail
plane with i ntegr·al stop lamp. For· d1·op dead looks, the Maloo can
be optioned up with the hard tom1eau cover and the high mow1ted
r·ear wing with integral stop lamp.
These factors a l so had a profound
new HSV s ty l i n g should look even more
D H. G , Down the Road G raph ics, w h ich l
i n fl uence on t h e way H o l d en presented
s t ri k i ng.
think i
the new VT Com modore in m a i n s t ream
Ian Callum, TWR's w01·ld-•·enowued
is t he overa l l i m p ress ion you have of t h e
ca1; a s i t i s s i l t i n g o u t t h e re i n t he open.
a lovely ph rase, b u t bus i ca l l y i t
mode l s . Holden s t y l ists produced a more
slylisl of Lhe Aston Ma1·Lin D B7 and
d i s t i nc t i ve front for t h e i r smoo t h new
pa1·L of Lhe Leam thal gave Volvo its
I t is w h u l you not ice about u car from a
shape not u n l i ke HSV's VT M an t a, but
new C70 coupe talks about why he
few h u nd red metres away, not t he deta i l
t h e research c l i n i cs sa 1 d no.
c
Holden t h e n opted lo1 a f ro n t
t h a t l i n ked II I O t h e
ou tgoing VS series.
T h 1 s l e ft HSV lo
chart I tS own new
len i tory w i t h 1ls VT
model
sty1
did Lhe new HSV VT range Lhe
you m i g h t see a s y o u wa l k towards i t . l t 's
way he did:
a l so t h e way t h e car s i t s and relates to
l
e
ounse
and t h e i r u n u sual blend of
" M y I m mediate
t he grou n c l and every t h i ng arou nd i I .
i m press 1 o n of Hol den's
We had t o t ry unci cha nge a s much a · we
new V T was t hat it was
cou l d , for two reasons."
an ex l l c m e l y competent
and bea u l l fu l ca1� Then I
" Fi rs t , we had to get some
d i ffere n t i a t i o n from t h e standard car,
rea l i sed t hat i t would make my job more
w h i c h is u l reudy very good, unc i St!Cond,
smoo t h and sharp edge l i n e · . As new
d i fficu l t , becuuse you cannot d i l u t e t h at
we hud to gi ve i t a more uggres · i ve
E u ropean models reach Austra l i a and
e l egance. I hud lo ma i n t a i n i ts q u a l i t ies
appea l , a n a t u ra l for an HSV. I n
prov ide an advanced new contex t , the
w i t h o u t destroy i ng i t . GM uses the term
ac h ie v i ng t h ese new graphi cs, w e had to
make t h e overa l l s i l houette a l i u l e more
uggres · i ve and d i fTere n t . The front of t h e
c a r ro l l s ofT, t h e bo n net doesn't act ual l y
fi n i sh, i t cont i n ues lo rol l lowurds t h e
ground rat h e r t h a n t u rn i n . I t h u s a
vert ical rather t han horizo n t a l orientution,
so t h e front looks l i ke i t i s t ry i ng to h ug
t h e ground. We also wan ted to emphasize
the lovely plan view to t h i s car so we
p u l led the su rfaci ng around t he fro n t and
kept it goi ng round t o the rear of the fro n t
w h e e l s . I f you l o o k at t h e front edges of
the s i l l s for i nslunce, t hey are j ust a
con t i n ua t i o n of t he su rfuce of t h e body,
a l most exaggerated as t h e y d ri ve towards
the ground ra t h e r t h a n rol l i ng u nder. "
" We cou l d have con t i nued w i t h t hul a l l
round t h e C<u; b u t we've a l ways used t h e
s i l l s a s an HSV s i gnat u re or t rademark
w i t hout over t l y separa t i ng t hem from t h e
car. 1 wanted to con t i n u e t h a t t rad i t ion
w i t h that k n i fe edge com i n g off t h e s i l ls.
[ L i m poses some elrama on the s t y l i ng.
You get t h i s very s t rong c u t in it, and i f
you are goi ng t o d o t hese t h i ngs, you
a l most have t o exaggerate t hem. We've
c lone some t h i ng s i m i lar on the previous
model but on t h i s one, I wan ted l o make
a s t ronger s t a tement so when you stand
buc k , it is q u i t e powerfu l . Then we huve
HSV Det a i l s have become less i m rortanl
to use t h e graph ics of t h e l i nes to
advantage, for i nstance, t h e d i fferent
colour break-ups on d i fferent models.
A lot of t hought goes i n to t h a t process of
"The front of the car rolls
off;
the bonnet cloesn't a.ctu.ally finish,
to create d i fferent models. We a l so
have a p r i v i leged s i t ua t i o n w i t h t h e big
wheel
on H S V cars, and now t he SS has
o u t and replaced by super c l ean,
e l egant forms. C h rome i s defi n i te l y back,
i t's here but i t '
how we can use the graph ics and t hose
l i ne
u n t i l you get to t h i ngs l i ke l i ghts. Fussy
deta i l i
it continues to roll toward.� tl1e
ground rc1 tl1er thnu turn iu . "
now u ee l as jewel ry, not
i n t he way t hat i t was used in t he 1 960's
and 70'· where ears were d ri pp i ng w i t h
c h rome.
o w i t has t o e m phasise t he
b i g wheels as we l l , we were even more
graph i c . These c h rome elements are
consc ious of t he fact t h a t we had to
beco m i n g i m port a n t , and car designers
max i m ise the effect of the wheels."
being t he way t hey are, w i l l not produce
brash jewe l ry. They want t h i ngs to
\Vhat does the tenn "g•·aphics"
look elegant and ophi t i cated ·o i t 's
mean in a styling context?
very i m portant t hat these pieces look
" I t i s what the car looks l i ke, i n
· u l p t u red and part of t he scu l p t u re
profi le, i ts · t ance and t h e way i t
of t he ca�; not j ust aclclecl-on bi ls of
relates t o the en v i ro n m e n t . O n t he
extrusion. I have to a d m i t now t hat
latest d s i gn
c h rome act u a l l y gives today' new
for exam ple, t he glas ·
i · get t i ng s ma l l aga i n from t h e s i de
designs a cert a i n qua l i t y m i ssing
w i t h h i gh waist l i ne · . T h i s i m poses a
from cars of t he late 1980's."
powe rfu l i mage of s t rength and
stabi l i t y, d u rab i l i ty and structure, a
" l was look i ng at a yel low D B 7
t h e other day a n d rea l i ee l because
very ar h i tect u ra l fee l , b u t t h i s
it was a so l i d co Iolii; it wasn't
doe n ' t mean forms are get t i ng
work ing as we l l . I 've wanted to
fl at te1: They are beco m i ng more
have a good look a t a D B 7 in a
subt le b u t not fla t t e r. Other cars are
so l i d cololl l; we have clone a few
start i ng t o come out i n t h i s ve i n .
b u t [ real i sed w h a t t hat car was
For C M , i t has started w i t h t h e new
m i ssing was some c h rome, ancl l am
Ast ra and a rea l l y exc i t i ng coupe
the first t o ad m i t t h a t . In meta l l i c
based on t he A t ra arri v i ng i n
colour i t i
E u rope soon. I f you look a t t h e new
becau�e the s u n l ight give you the
M e rcedes-Benz models, t hey are not
g l i l l er it 1 1eec ls but when you gel
·
not · o i m portant
goi ng t o such hard edges. Not
i n to o l i d colours, it is q u i te
everybody has to. B u t i f you look at
i m portant to have a l i L L i e
the graph ics of t h e i r car , t h ey are
B u t i t has t o be done in a very
becom i ng very powerfu l w i t h a h igh
competent and k now i ng way."
waist l i ne. Look at t h e i r new fou r
seater C L K coupe w h i c h i
quite
park le.
" We wanted to give the Senator
Signa t u re t he f e l i n g of a l u x u ry
dramat ic w i t h large s t ru c t ures
v e h i c l e rat her t han an a l l out rac i ng
around t h e w i ndows. A l l of t h i s is a
or sports ca1: l t was a great
statement of t h e late 1 990's and we have
gi ven the new HSV range a s i m i lar look ."
"Cars w i l l look s t rong, powerful and
confi dent, exact l y what w e wanted for
opport u n i t y t o use c h rome to gi ve t h e car
l rong d i ffe re n t i a t ion and appeal t o those
people who don't want the more blatant
red, yel low or b l ac k graph ics."
Exce I e ra te
•
19
Wlwt
UJ'f'
t he distinguishing fea t m·es
of t h is next genet·ation styling'?
ways t h a t t hese sharp edge cars have no
They have used t h e c u rved roof of t he
form. They have lots of form, and I find
beet le but it i s much more modern t han
t h i s exc i t i ng. These wonderful forms are
t hai . They have taken the bland ness out
in E u rope, it is form u lat i ng a new rec i pe.
now combi ned w i t h very confi d e n t ,
of a conservat i ve p rod uct but it w i l l be
The su rfac i ng i s becom i ng very s u b t l e and
c l e t e r m in e d i n tersec t ions."
"Aga i n , i f you look at G M 's new A s t ra
s 1
ty
e
c ounsel ��:� ; ����� :��
extreme l y soph i s ticated. The p rofi les are
becoming much more rigid and more
a rc h i tect u ra l . l am not · u re
if i t's t he Teu t o n i c
i n n uence b u t I
�� ���� m:a� �:
i
i
l
e
fr
all t hese soft forms
for somet h i ng thai
i n terest i ng to see how the Passal stands
"The Vec t ra i s a good example, t hat
edge that runs clown i ts body l i ne, i t 's
q u i te s u b t l e . In B r i t a i n , i t wou ld take
me a few c lays or a few
weeks to act ual l y not ice
t <
�
l
d o i ng.
l
out in five years. The Ford Ka i s a
wonderful stateme n t of s t rong graph ics.
The use of l i nes across t he s u b t l e
su rfaces t o d i st i ng u i s h e l ements a n d
fea t u res i
s u perb. T h e A uc l i TT coupe,
a l t hough rel ro in i ts s i l houelle, has
gra p h i c s and l i nes t hat are s t rong and
A t t s l ra l i a w i t h meta l l i c
pu rposefu l w i t h its emphasis on w heels
pa i n t , t h a t car must j us t
and sta nce. H a v i ng said thai, if we could
looks a l o t more s t ruc t u red. A car musl
spark l e becau e t h e edges m u s t
get t h e H S V range i n to E u rope, peo p l e
now look s t rong, al most as i f it' · hewn out
absol u t e l y
wou ld l o v e i t . The b i ggest prob lem w e
h i ne out at you . "
wou ld h a v e i s t hat t hey w o u l d n't
of concrete o r stone. You can efTecl i vely
gai n t hat by c rea t i ng t h e su rfaces and the
Asker! t o identify what h e sees a s tbe
understand t he name but I wou l d ex pect
i nlersccl ions a cert a i n way."
t J·end sellet·s in Eu •·ope, Ian Callum
t he la test H S V range to be a big h i t i n
Lists a selec tion, some o f which at·e
t h i s company."
" I t h i n k GM in E u rope are mak i n g a
very
t rong statement w i t h t h e i r cu rre n t
cars, t h e y now h a v e hard edges al l over
the p l ace and I have tried t o capt u re
some of t h at i n t h e HSV range. I t is not
t hat t hey have l o t t h e i r o rga n i c origi ns or
ab·eady available in Anstnlia
OJ'
soon will be:
"Au c l i i s ma k i ng enormous statements
at the mome n t .
T h e n e w A 6 h a s a cert a i n competence
thai the cars are square and boxy. That is
and e l egance about i l . But the edges
clearly not t h e case, ra t h e t; it i s j u s l
t h rough it are q u i te wel l -defi ned
l ak i ng i t l o t h e n e x t st age. T h e forms are
w i t h very
st i l l t h e re, t h e re is a lot of form in a l l
w i l l see some rea l l y exc i t i n g
t rong graph ics. You
t hese s o cal led edge cars, b u t t h e edges
products com i ng from t hat
or i n tersec t ions are now beco m i ng very
et hos. GM also has some
sharp and it i s t o do w i t h tension. N'ter
exc i t i ng t h i n g com i ng up.
the c ri t i c a l l y soft forms, desi gners are
The i r new Ast ra m e n t i oned
say i n g we w a n t t o gel some tension back
earl i e r is the first of t h i s new
i n to i t . And t h a t is w h a t we are t ry i ng to
genera t i o n of cars w h ich
do, t hat's what GM i
doi ng a lot of now
fu n n i l y enough t he j o u rna l i s t s of
and what we t ried to ac h i eve w i t h t he
t h i s cou n t ry fou n d a l i L L i e bland.
H S V range. People t a l ked about Ford's
They are m i ss i ng t h e poi n t and
S i erra as bei ng a blob because it was a l l
w h e n t hey see t h ese cars on t he
soft a n d c u rvy. I n fac t , t he su rfaces o f
road, t he graphics are so s t rong I
t ha t c a r were m u c h fl a l l e r t han a n y t h i ng
hope t hey w i l l s t a rt to u nderstand."
t h a n G M is now doi ng on so ca l l ed sharp
"The Peugeot 406 has s t rong,
edge cars, it i s j us t the rad i uses are
s i mple, e l egant l i nes even t hough
b igger. I t is a m i sconcept i o n in some
some of I he panels are q u i te flat
w h i c h i s surpri s i ng b u t
i s t y p i ca l of
P i n i n farina design.
The new V W Passal is
very pos i t i v e w i t h
s t rong gra p h i c .
20
•
ExceI e ra te
Footnote: "It 's certainLy m_y dream that
one day £n the not too distant future, H V
product couLd find a smaLL niche in the
European markets. " John Grennan.
Jan Callum photo courtesy Motor
I
From HSV to HRT you'll find the superior
performance of Bridgestone tyres.
Bridgestone tyres are the first choice of many
of t h e world's most successfu l motor raci ng teams,
i n c l u d i ng the Holden Racing Team in Aust ral ia.
The expertise gained i n developing and
prod ucing race-w i n n i ng tyres also goes i n to
wel l as the Porsche Boxster, Porsche 9 1 1 Tu rbo,
Ferrari F l 3 3 and t h e AMG Mercedes E36.
The S-02 is available i n 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and
55 aspect rat ios.
So no matter what HSV vehicle you d rive,
Bridgestone's premier h igh-performance tyre,
S-02 tyres will e n hance its handling, com fort and
the S-02 .
retain i ts factory specifications.
This is p recisely the reason why S-02 's have
been approved as original equ i pment on many
of the world's fastest production cars, i n c l u d i ng
Aust ralia's own Holden S pecial Veh icles range as
GASBAID2
The S-02 performance tyre from Bridgestone.
BBIIIIiEBTIJIIE
THA T'S CONFIDENCE
it was l t me to take lock
�lltir� t lse Clui:INIJKII'I had come fr om and look at
going. Th only way to do this
objectively was to take the m i lestone Clubspm1
models on a demand i n g drive and compare them
back to ba<·k. What a dirty j ob but ·omebody had
,
to do i t !
H S V ownet; Ross G i l more, had been sugges t i ng
for some t i me t hat Excelerate shou l d visi t
Au u·a l ia's alpine a reas and tak
ad v an t age of t he
-ummer fa i l i tie at D i n ner Plain. Beautiful walk
horse r i d i ng, mou ntain b i kes, cla sy
accommodat ion, fi · h i ng . . . Ross had ow· allent ion
long ago! The perfect sel l i ng for a C l u bsport
howdown wa a l ready stari ng at u · in the faee:
some of t he most demandi ng, w i nd i ng roads in
Australia aga i n s t a s t u n n i ng baekc l rop of beaut i fu l
,
mou n t a i ns. To make Lh
authent ic,
comparison more
Excelerate i n v i ted a selec :L i on of
HSV owners w i t h t h e i r fam i l ies and t h e i r
cars Lo assess h o w each C l u bsporl
m i le Lone
Lac ked up in i t · dual role as a
fam i l y g Laway and weekend road and
t rack warrior:
The Clubsport started as an inspired
combination of l 80Hfl 1 189 meclwnicals
in a selling that wasn't weighed down with
unnecessary luxur): John Harvey is the
acknowledged originator of the Clubsport
concept and his motor racing focus is
apparent the minute you see the ca 1: Those
who grew up with the Torana GTR XU-1 or
the A9X understood the car's basic e'l:terior
and cabin package immediately and
tailored it to meet their own competition
requirem.enls. For those who didn't, /-IS I I
offered a wide range of options including
sports seats based on the Group A, divided
rear sports seat, front, rear and side skirls
and a fidl sports instrument pack.
The liN Clubsport was released in June
1 990 as an initial batch C?/60 cars that
·arne in Asteroid Silver with mosl. oplions
. fitted. Ajier that, you could order any
standard !-/olden e'l:terior or cabin colour
and many slipped through with trim from
ol her models such. as the Commodore or
/-JSII's own LS series. The l iN Clubsport also
marked the change from simple S l l badging
to bold chrome 1-lS II identification and liN
Clubsports can be seen with eitlw:
24
•
E x c e I e rat e
At the lime, the liN Clubsporl won many
friends thanks to its agility and responsive
feel. On the same sLLSpension settings as the
S ll89 without the weight, it was more
sensitive to driver input and its meclwnica.l
feel rewarded drivers even al low speeds. Its
live axle and early Commodore }i-on t end,
while technically no/ as advanced as later
models, performed remarkably well and
provided plent_y ojj"eedback. The ·uuulard
brakes were its main limilation in
competition use and the SIISOOO brake
oplion was money well-spent. Even though
I he Clubsporl an·i1>ed late in I he liN model
life, a. lolal produclion rtt ll of247 is an
indication of how
well il was recei1'ed.
As Holden
i m proved t he core
product, t he
character of t he
C l u bsporl evolved
from a basic yet
comfortable fam i l y
Lourer t h a t cou ld
double as a
weekend
compet i t ion car Lo
somet h i ng far more
sot h i s t icaled.
But the arrival of
t he VT ha deft l y and suddenly moved t he
C l u bsport parameters sideways and
u pwards on a sleep c u rve. Has t he subtle,
no-nonsense appeal of t he origi nal
urvi ved Lh ·e cha nges? Or has it been
replaced by somet h i ng heLLer? Is t he
C l u bsporl s t i l l true Lo i t s dual pu rpose
t h rough Austra l ia's a l p i ne regions wou ld
fam i l y Lour·er and weekend motor sport
come u p with t he answers.
roles? The Lough 800 krn shakedown
The liP Clubsport a.rrivedjt�st in time for
the Sydney Motor Show in Oelober 1 99 1 .
Its new divided grille, independent rear
SLLSpension and standard body
enhancements including Group A ji-ont
wheel arch e::<:tensions a.ndfog
lights made it a rnore complete aod
idenl.ijiable package. Wheels were
the 16" SVSOOO-style alloy For
competil ion use, the IIP 's extra.
body stif/i1ess was welcome while
the indepeodent rear end made it
smoother and eas)' to drive over
choppy su�/aces and its e-.tra grip,
especially io the wet, was
rea.sSLLring i/ the family was on
boa rd. Sta nda.rd features now
included Langton sports seats, .fi-ortt
elec/ ric windows, central locking,
sports instmmenl. clLLsler and
cruise control on Ihe auto.
l'Ou could order De11enish
sports seats, par/ orjidl
leather trim and premium
sound including a CD plcl)'et:
The shiji in emphasis fwd
s/arled.
For HSV\jijih anniversary,
65 special VP Clubsports (nos
6 / to 125) let HSV in lwo
lone Galaxy Blue over
Panorama Silver with A BS,
Senator-style wheels and
special trim in March 1 993. HSV
inlroduced embroidered seat decals for the
I P and this special build fwd Fifth
Anniversary badgework and seal graphics.
f
There was another special
VP Clubsport that few know
about. In May 1 993, HSV
built a special run of 50 VP
Clubsport 5000i examples
initially itl white over silver
grey. The standard JBOkW
engine was replaced by the
200kW 5000i blar-k motor
.fi'om 1he CTS 1ha1 combined
the lasl ofihefour bolt main
Croup A blocks tuil!t SV SOOO
red motor ancillaries to .ftt
under the s/andard bonne/.
Its model code was CS5i atul came wilh
auto. the premium brake package and ABS
as standard. Production qf all VP
Clubsports reached 443.
A m idst the ru mbl i ng of powerful V8
engines, i t ' · · t range seeing lour C l u b�ports
and a support Manta wagon loaded w i t h
hol iday luggage and fa m i l i es. I t 's a gen t l e
s i de to a performanc-e car t ha t you don't
often see. There is a choice of routes t o
D i n ner P l a i n . Head down to G i pp · land
and s t raight u p from Bairnsdal e to Omeo
and t hen to D i n ner Plain. I nterstate
t rave l l e rs from t h e north often enter from
I t is j ust after 7.00 am at a de�erted
i ndustrial s i t e on the outsk i rt s of
Mel bourne, our designated meet i ng place.
ExceI e ra te
•
25
t h i� �ide. 01; head up the H u me H ighway
and branch ofT to Bright then Harrietv i l l e
and straight up t he t w i s t i ng mou n t a i n
roads t o H o t h a m and t hen o v e r the L o p t o
D i n ner Pla i n . From M e l bourne, t he
G i pps land ro1 1 LP ta k<"S an t>x t ra 20 m i n 1 1tPs
and the last l Ok ms are graded d i rt . The
1- l otham ro1 1te i � �ealcd a l l t he way a� w i l l
b e t h e Omen route rrom early 1 998. B y
then, y o u w i l l need lo fl i p a l'oin a · l o
wh i('h way you would go a s hnth niTer
Clubsport. Its total production of 1 1 1 7
sedans and 7 7 of the wagon introduced
with the VR, explains why. Apart .fi-om. the
new styling, .fi-ont suspension and dash on
the core vehicle, HSV gave the Clubsport an
even stronger identity by standardising fan
Callum's comprehensive styling package
across the \IR range. The VR was the first
to offer a soJier
Touring
suspension option.
While sold
initio Uy w ith the
VP Sena.tor's
wheels, the \IR
Clubsport went to
the showroorns
slwring m uch qf
the VR Senator's
looks and
sophistication.
The VR engine was tweaked to 1 85k W
with a new cold air intake and better
exhau.st ./low and the core VR Commodore 's
new .fi-ont suspension gave HSV engineers
scope to dial in extra grip and better
handling with a more compliant ride. New
Glencoe sports seats and the switch .fr"orn a
/VIomo to Nardi steering wheel ahead of the
intimate new dash, added a distinctive
European character to the VR. The step up
in rr;linement.fr"orn VP to VR was
noticeable. Like many sophisticated
pel}onnance cars twice or three times its
price, the VR Clubsport would cover ground
much faster than most drivers were aware,
making it a relaxing tourer and a more
predictable high speed track car but at the
cost qf.some driver involvement at Low
speeds.
The C l u bsport convoy trave l l i ng i n
c h ronological order u p the H u m e H ighway
in t he early hours looks spectacula�:
Tucked in beh i nd t he VS M anta l ran ·port
whicle, t ht> latest VT C l 1 1 hsport in red is
fol lowed by Cary's VR C l u bsport, s t ri k i ng
i n Canterbury B l ue, t hen Peter's
i mmaeulate VP Fifth A n n i versary
C l ubsporl in its combi nat i on Galaxy B l ue
over Panorama S i l ve1; the VL Group A
Wa l k i nshaw colou1; and backed up by
Luciano's original V N C l u bsport i n w h i le.
J ust out of" Mel bourne, a lone and rare VN
SV LE i n red is overtaken and as the
dri ver spots the convoy, he slots i n beh i nd
to make i t s i x HSV veh i c les in a row.
W i t h t he Man ta's e ru i se con t rol locked
i n t o a legal c ru is i ng speed, the pol ice car
h i dden in the centre strip has to be
content w i t h t he sight or s i x HSV car
i d l i ng past but no more.
C ru i s i ng up the H u me, it is worth
reflec t i n g on each car in the rear vi ion
spe<·tandar but very d i rrerent out looks.
m i rr01: All are used a fam i l y veh i c l e · yet
Already the VR Clubsport released in
July 1 993 is regarded as the benclunurk
each were p u rchased w i t h club
competi tion i n m i nd. Each have been
m i l d l y enhanced by t h e i r owners to reflect
i n d i v id u a l d ri v i ng s t y l e and the i n tensi t y
of t rack compet i t ion w i t hout destroy i ng t h e
origi nal character or each modeL
E x terna l l y, t he test VP had been ri tted
w i t h t he HSV sports gri l l e and the V R had
been given some or t he Senator's pai nt
accents. As Gary later p o i n ts out, a l l bar
the VT have covered over l OO,OOOkms
26
•
ExceIe ra te
and yet t hey a l l look and feel l i ke
n\'w despite a l i fetime of road and
n ·gular t rack use, a reflect i o n of' the
l ongev i ty b u i l t i n t o t hese cars. I t
Sl'l'm
uncan ny, i f' t h i s s a m p l e i s
n ·presentat i ve, h o w H S V has
p i 1 1 po i n ted t he C l ubsport's p u rpose
i n I i fe w i t h u t most accuracy.
On the SU(/ace, the VS Clubsport
i11troduced in April 1 995 Looked Like
o mildly tweaked VR but it was to
fJI'OIIide a visual Link to the radically n.ew
\IT series that would follow. Up .fi'on.t there
was a mare pronounced Lip around the
Krille while the rear spoiler was mised with
o st.rong arch-Like profile and sculptured
wraparound sections. Wheels were a novel
1 hree spoke style but the Senator's stylish
multi-spoked alloy wheeLs were a popular
option. Inside, Mulcahy velour trim
replaced the VR's Nelson trim pattern and
a 250km/h speedo regained HSV
identijica.tian qfier it was dropped/rom the
IIH instnun.ents. l'lwre were also mild
st�spension and brake tweaks. The VS/1
update in june 1 996 featured HS V�s ISS
security upgrade, a new centre console trim
panel, oval side repeater lights and subtle
badge changes. As the \IS progressed,
badgework became bolde1: Who could
wgue with what HSV had dmw to
the Clubsport when the VS sold 980
and VS/1 chalked up 121 9,./or a
staggering VS total of2 1 99?
The s t rong w i nds and early
morn i ng ra i n sq u a l l
don't pha ·e
t he I- I SV cars but t he convoy soon
I ·aves it beh i nd before a stop at t he
M i lawa w i ne gro w i n g region w i t h
its row of grape v i nes and
backdrop of' t a l l mou n t a i n s . The
�not h i ng tempo of a big V8 w h i le
touring has made it easy and i t
doe · n' t go u n noti ced t hat the
l · h i lc l ren i n t he group are happy
all(l relaxed even after such a long
t llf' st i l l 1noun t a i n a i r a n d golden s u n
spe l l . The boots swa l l ow cartons of'
pee k i ng I h rough the t rees, i t i
w i ne and it is t i me to move on. The
relaxed l u nl'h.
road gen t l y t h reads t h rough t he
Ovens Val l ey, each d river reve l l i ng
in t he overt a k i n g power of t h e i r
C l u bsport before tak i ng a rol ler
l'Oa · ter road, u p and c lown, weav i ng
t h rough t ight corners and long
sweepers, i n t o Harriet v i l le. It i s t he Ia ·t
stop before t he road c l i mbs steeply i n t o
s n o w country. Drivers gri n n i ng from e a r t o
\'ln; metal l ic components heat-t i c k i ng i n
·
t i me for a
It i.s worth assessing what each VT
Clubsport nrlvance adds to the original
Clubsport ethos. First, the stxling. The
response to fan Callum's challenging new
Luuk is almost universal. On jirst viewing, it
�� su d�[/i>rent., even CUI!/runting, that many
are wtsure. But as the car becomes more
familicu; as its ji-eshness is better
tt.nderstood, the response is always
unbridled entlu�iasm. It gives the
E x c e I e r a t e • 27
Clubsport more credibility than ever br.;{ore.
The extra weight and size :;houlrl be a
drawback but in realit)' it 's not, when /.he
car .feels so nimble . fiwn the driver's seat.
The stro nger body shell make:; ilfeel l,:ke a
taut smaLL cw; 1wt a sloppy big one.
Supportive new seats, lighter hxdraulic
clutch, :;witch-like Getrag gearbox, potent
brakes and I he powerfi.tl 1 95kW engine that
seen�� . freer and more willing than br.;{ore,
combine to make the VT.feeL Lighter and
smoother. New .front end geometry adds
stability and cornering remains neutraL
unless provoked. Rough roads don't upset it
and it 's almost silent, until it 's stirred. It 's
meant to be easier to Live with as an
eve1yday car but when you open it up, it
has a wicked edge. In proving ground
trials, it clocked close to 245km/h and stiLL
doesn't .feeL stretched. Awesome reserves and
.finesse add new dimensions to the
CLubsport heritage .
Tight corners t hai t u rn back on
t hem elve
·.
Sh er d rop . G l i mpses of t a l l
mou n t a i n peaks.
teep zig-zag c l i mbs.
Choppy s urfaces from t h e w i nter · now.
You would be hard p re
ee l to find " car
t hat does i t a easy as a C l u bsport.
The margin of safety i s reassuri ng and the
surroundi ngs can be enjoyed. The
C l u bsport convoy passes t h rough t h e
H o t harn s k i fac i l i t ies, al most deserted as
the snow ret reats. The road then w h i zzes
across t h e top in d i ps and rises before
reac h i ng D i nner Plain. I t 's not what you
expect. AJter the fu nct ional al most steri le
o�parl rnent blocks at Hotham, t he charm i ng
1\ 0c H I ( ' n
houses of D i n ner P la i n come a a
� l u w k . They com b i ne trad i t ional Aus · i e
1 1 1 c l i i lect u re w i t h t h e steep roofl i nes
�e · q u i red above t he snow l i ne. Governed by
� l r i c - 1 regu lations t hat d ictate sty le, no
l c ·nce · , no clothes l i nes and q u a i n t l i t t le
l i c H I�c · for t he rubbish b i ns, each b u i l d i ng
l c lciiCis d iscree t l y i n to t he bush
c · 1 c 1 i ronment. Horses and catt le roam
1 1 1 rough as i f the house were not t here.
II is not s u rpri i n g t hat owners from a l l
feel the clear mountai n a i r weav i ng i t s
Owner·: Pe ter· Mtumer·ley
c ·nuntry set t i ng. And you can rent t h e i r
magic. Wateri ng holes a n d restaurants are
Car·: VP Clubsport
1 1 1agn i ficcnt houses w he n t hey are not
a l l w i t h i n walking d i stan ·e. Time to d rop
arou nd. As the ·now season fi n i hes,
back a gear and enjoy the h igh cou n t ry.
1 11 n
t he world enjoy t h is u n i q ue h igh
The VT C l u bsport w i t h 5 speed
manual had great acceleration and could
D i nner Plain t ransforms i n to another world
The C l u bsports are locked away, the
q u i t e eas i l y push you back i n to t he sea t . lt
.,f hri · k a l p i ne walks, moun t a i n b i ke
escape complete.
was s u per q u i et with l i l l ie road noise .
ridi ng, fis h i ng, l lama and horseback lours
of I he s u rround i ng al ps. On arrival, you
It was
Looking al t he
a natural. Start
experts wlw o wn and
peedo is
a must as t he speed can
with a gro up o.f Clubsport
easi l y i nc rease w i t h a
race
them. Desigrwle the road
b l i n k of the eye. The
between Dinner Plain and
steering i s very l i ght.
Hotham as the evaluation
Hand l i ng was good w i t h
route. Shwp bends, hills,
plenty o f Bridgestone
fast straights, clear
grip. HSV have fi t ted a
visibility and the
new bra k i ng system tu
occasional fallen rock lo
t he C l u bsport w h i c h is
avoid, it would soo n show
excel l e n t . Loo k i ng at the
up any differences. Set
exterior of the cac; it
some bcLsic safety rules.
Invite l.he drivers lo
one, HSV.
looks a w i n ne1: Good
Cary'
eualuate each Clubsport
own on the same roa d a.nd rate
VR C l u b pori
was a very w e l l ­
milestone against their
the new o ne.
rnai n l a i ned example, i l w a s q u i et a n d a
The enthusiasrn grew as the control route
pleas u re to d ri ve. The first t h i ng I not iced
highlighted the distinctive characters of
was t he d i fference in the dash layout
each model. Families jo ined in. Each
w h i c h is wel l -appo i n ted w i t h t he c ru i se on
treating the other's car with respect but
the i nd icator levec: It was an auto and had
delighting in the comparison . The
heaps of grunt and a great exhaust note,
Excelerate team sto o d aside wul let tlwse,
t he steering had good fee l for I he road and
qualffied by the fact that they lwei already
t he car had good roadhold i ng and
put their money where their mouths were,
hand l i ng. The d i fferent body kit on the VR
tell it as it was.
and the 1 7" wheels make t h e car look l i ke
a real race1: C real
Luciano'
cac;
Ca ry.
VN C l u b:porl wa · i n greal
cond i t ion for a car of i t s age. l t was
manual and had a t ight and d i recl gear
s h i ft . The elu teh was firm bul ea y lo u ·e
and t he engine had plenty of power and
t he exhau ·t had a n i ce burble. The c ia h
and i n terior are very s i m i l a r to my V P
C l u bsport. The car' · · l ee r i ng w a s vecy
d i rect and it had a firm but n i ce ride.
The 1 6" Wa l k i nshaw wheels look good
too. N i ce cac; Luciano.
ExceIe ra t e
•
29
Owner·: Luciano Giannini
i n t e rior crgonomi c·s and exterior s t y l i ng.
Let the c l u tch out and t ry to slop t he
Car: V N Cl uhspm·t
H i de qual ity was excel lent w i t h t he car
wheels s p i n n i ng, have to be gen t l e - not
ft' ,l i ng very · mool h and q u i e t . Engine
my car; oops! Love t he road feel , love the
veh i c l es and have corne away w i t h t he
perfonntll ll't' has i mproved sign i ficantly i 1 1
exhaust note and great gear cha nges.
conc l usion that the VN was ahead of i b
t h i s model, and steering
t i me. I t st i l l h e l d i t s o w n amongst a very
response was very good, as
look i ng cw; t h
fast -evo l v i ng range of I- I SV veh ic les, w i t h
was t he overa l l hand l i ng
body k i t , a touch bolder
each model show i ng lechnological
which was wel l balanced.
t han the V N . Colour coded
I enjoyed d ri v i ng t he w i de ranl:(e of I- I SV
V P: W hat a fan l a · t i c
wheels, a great touch and
i m p rove111enls over its p redt'cessors.
V P: This vehicle seemed to have a
bel ler suspens ion set-up than t he V N ,
i ndependent rear suspension eemed t o
make t he c a r more p red ictable a n d stable.
colour; t h e
OW11er: G m·y Jm·genseu
t hat i n t erior; I love t he
Car: VR Clubspm·t
fabric tex t u re and colour
V
match w i t h t he
: I u ·ed to own a V
embroidered a n n i versary
V3800 ·o it brought back
I fou nd t hat slopping power was nol a
q u i te a few fond memories. I
badge .
problem, clue lo the enhanced brake
love t he subtle body k i t and
au to, and pul it in gear
package.
VR: Th i
·
c·ar wa: a pleas u re to drive.
ign i ficanl ,;t y l i ng i n q novernenls were
obv ious when compared lo previous
larl t h i s car; an
i n terior; s t y l i s h but not over
and you can't w a i t to h i t
t l rt:: lop. A · soon as you k i ck
the accelerator: D ri v i ng
t h rough t h e sharp bends,
t hat engine over; you k now
you are in bu · i ness and when you pul your
u p ·teep h i l b and c lown steep grades, you
rnodels. This veh icle, i n part icular; i · a
fool on L i re heavy c l u tch, you know t here is
know you're in total con t ro l . The p re m i u m
perfect example of t h i s model and c red i t
st:: r ious mu rnbo in f'ronl of t hat gearbox .
brake feel l i ke t hey cou ld slop a steam
to i t s owner: T h e V R
t ra i n . Another bea u t i fu l example of what
engi ne seemed much
HSV can b u i l d.
smoother t han the V N
VT: Wow ! Fal u lous! I need more words,
w i t h less mechanical
fa ntas t i c , exh i lara t i ng, what a car!
noise in t he car:
Astou nd i ng refi nement, the looks are
VT: HSV has come a
rea l l y rad ical m a i n l y because i t's ,;o trend­
long way w i t h t he VT. I t
sel l i ng. The i nterior i s s u perb, t he seals
has Eu ropean flavour; w i t h
are comfortable yet so su pport i ve t h rough
considerably i m proved
hard cornering. The c lash layout is perfect
and t he l ight grey d i a l s look great . What
an i m provement w i t h the c l u t c h and
gearbox! You wou ldn't k now you were
d r i v i ng a V8, let t he c l u tch out, it is so
smooth and every gearchange is j ust right.
Throl l l e response is amaz i ng but watch
out! I t 's so smoo t h and q u iet, look a l the
speeclo. It shows l OOkm/h . No, i m possi ble.
G l ide around corners l i ke t hey are not
t here, stomp on t he brakes, what sloppi ng
power: W hat else can [ say but when can
I g l my hand · on one lo drivt:: every day?
Dinner Plain Central Reservations
Toll Free 1 800 6 70 0 1 9
Dinner Plain Horse Trail Riding,
Helen Packer (03) 5 159 6445
30
•
Exc eI e ra I e
�
Throughout Australia
Suttons Parts
22 Carter Street,
Lidcombe, N SW 2 1 4 1
Phone (02) 9648 3688
Preston Motors
1 55 1 Sydney Road,
Cambel l fi e l d , Vic 306 1
Phone (03) 9359 3999
AMCAP-BBK
1 7 1 Welshpool Road,
Wel shpool, WA 6 1 06
Phone (08) 9458 6666
1 032 Beaudesert Road,
Coopers Plains, Qld 4 1 08
Phone (07) 3259 5051
METRO ii�1�
No. 1 Port Road,
Thebarton, SA 503 1
Phone (08) 8354 0555
Body side
Basic
Instincts
Body Construction
" Body construc t i o n w a s comp l e t e l y
paths were redesigned. E l ements revi sed
rev i sed."
i nc l ud e : front frame work, front
" Re v i s i ons i nc l ude: M o d u l ar roof
suspension strut Lowers, w heel house
asse m b l ies for sedan and wagon, common
brace, fro n t floor cross members, rear
engine compart m e n t for sedan and
frame work, C p i l l ar re i n forcment for
wagon, common rear floor/frame work
sedan, D p i l lar construc t i o n for wagon,
asse m b l ies for sedan and wagon, mod u l ar
8 p i l l ar rei nforcements and back panel
body s i d e asse m b l i es for sedan and
upper asse m b l y for sedan."
wagon and t h e s i ngle poi n t body
"The s t ru c t u ral development has
In t h e last issue of ExceLerate, Ton y
asse m b l y station t hat marries the major
su bsta n t i a L l y i m proved VT's body
H y d e , D i rector; Engineering and Des ign
asse m b l ies: u nderbody asssembly, s ide
d y n a m i c s t i ffness, or n a t u ra l frequency,
flagged new b u i l d met hods t hat would
assembly, roof asse m b l y and back panel
over VS. VT's n a t u ra l frequency is 2 1 Hz,
con t a i n costs w h i l e i nc reasing s i ze, safety
asse m b l y. The res u l t was a body s he l l of
up on VS (20 l-I z ) , resu l t i ng in beller
and s t rength of t h e VT. C raeme Lane,
i m proved d i mensional acc u racy."
road " fee l" and i m proved d ri v i ng
M a naget; Body E ngi neeri ng fi l l s in the
d e ta i l s :
refi nemen t . "
"To i m prove crash and d urabi l i ty
performance, major crash and road load
Roof - wagon
Rear end back
panel - sedan
Roof - sedan
Safety
Lau ri e Sparke, Manager, Advanced
E ngi neeri ng and R i chard M arshal l ,
Sen i o r Project M anager; Advanced
Engi neeri ng fi l l in the d e t a i l s on t h e
Body side
safety s t rategy out l i ned i n t he earl i e r
ExceLerate i n terv iew w i t h La urie Sparke:
" Fo r max i m u m occ upant protec t i o n ,
t he V T ' s fro n t s t ru c t u re needed to
i ncorporate fou r compet i ng
characteri s t ics:
l . A n i n i t i a l l y soft front s t ru c t u re,
Body side
- wagon
req u i red t o keep crash forces as l o w as
poss i b l e for t h e h igher frequency low
speed acc idents.
Underbody
Closed section
beam
Front suspension
towers
Fronl frame work
t ru c t u re
w h i h folds freq u e n t l y and
st ructure, needed t o
unifonnly when crushed,
ahsorb the energy o f high
absorbi ng energy efficient l y with high
peak loads. Th i s protects the occupan t ·
from severe i m pact loads. As fa r as we
o( ·(· u pants.
3 . A very s t i fT and s t rong s t ructu re,
k now, t h i s is an i nd us t ry first . "
l l ( 'eded to manage e x t reme crash energy,
w i thout compro m i s i ng occ u pa n t s u rvival
space.
4. A s t r u c t u re w h ic h is not aggress i ve
" T h e V T s i d e s t ru c t u re also
promote a smoo t h , con t i n uous col lapse of
consi dera b l y red uC"es t h e risk of head and
the frames. Angled frames and a large
neck i nj u ry. A substan t i a l , c losed sect ion
c losed sec t i o n front c rossrnember prov ide
roof frame plus fu l l length A and B p i l l ar
toward ot her; part i c u l a r l y s m a l l e r
pe rformance in real world offset and
re i n forcements form part of a cont i n uous
, eh i cles."
angled crashes, not j ust for barrier tests."
fra me right aro1 1nd t he doors; floor and
"The large frames i n t h e VT' front
"A breakaway fea t u re d i sco n nects the
�t ruct u re are stable and h i g h l y effi c i e n t
front suspe n · i on c rossrnember from the
at absorb i ng crash energy. They are
frames. Th i s al lows t h e fu l l length of the
s t raight and have a very large cross­
frame t o crush and a l l ows the car to
sec t i o n . The shape is com p u t e r
manage the energy of severe crashes."
generated. T h e y taper; n o t s m a l l e r t o t h e
front as you m i g h t expec t, but growi ng
larger to t h e front."
"Com puter
i m u l ation tech n i q u es
enabled t h e design of' a s t rong, stable
Large one piece, closed section
door frame opening
roof' f'ra nws prov idt, IHit,ra l load pal hs to
nuu1age c : rash energy."
" W ork has also been done on the rear
stru c t u re and roof' sl ru('l u re fi >r safety,
and t he globa l s t ru c t u re has be('ll
s t i ffened by 30 per cent for i m proved
ride, hand l i ng and noise and v i brat ion
comfort ."
Large section
roof bracing
Airba1 with t�r.thers and
E fold for optlmlset.l
pi"'Oitction tofront at
occupanu
v.<ebbinr�damp
Jtops Kat belt payout
Seat d�i11n
prevelll11ubmannin1
under�orat belt
Door structure
with additional
reinforcements
"The a i rhag system i s t h e world's best
pra( ' t i C"e in non-aggressi ve occ u pa n t
prot e( · t i on , w i t h tethers, spec i a l fold
pallern and 'sof'l' i n f'l a t i o n on-sel.
These fea t u re · are also des i gned to
prote('l s rna l l occ u pants, smal l female
occupants and o u t of' pos i t ion occ u pa n ts .
E x ce I e r a I e
•
35
Front snubber
Basic
Instincts
rotors are now 296mm i n d iameter ( 7 m m
more t han V S ) w i t h t h ick ness i n c reased
from 23mm on VS to 28 for VT. S i m i larly,
VT rear rotor d i mensions have been
i n c reased to 286mm i n d i ameter ( 7 m m
more t han VS) w i t h a l 6m m t h i c k ness,
5.5 mm more than V S
(and more than
good enough to be HSV's entry level brake
system, ed). "
Th i s system is now acknowledged
i n ternationally as the benchmark i n a i rbag
Stiffened
pedal
stand
design. This ai rbag technology is ·tandard
Fluid chambers
across the VT range for t he d ri ver: Dr·i vers
Mounting Oange
w i l l also appreciate t he centre horn
actuation operated hy new membrane
switch technology."
"The front seals are also be ·t technology,
w i t h pyrotechnic buc k le prelensioners,
castor; h y d ra u l i c tension rod bush and
i m p roved fore and aft com p l i ance steer:
The stale of the art H y d ro Bush has been
speci fica l l y designed for H olden w i t h VT
" Front cal l i pers are a
low drag, h i gh
webbing clamps and sort webbing.
Com modore the fi r l A u s t ral ian-bu i l t
performance, a l u m i n i u m
A ret rac - t i ng lap/ ·ash belt is fitted to t he
veh i c l e t o use such tech nol ogy.
t w i n p i ston s l i d i ng p i n
ct>nl re rear sea l i ng posit ion in t he wagon,
Combi ned, t hese chan ges endow t he VT
design w i t h a s t rong fa m i l y resem b la nce
(a ./ea.t.nre carried over to HSV's Senator
Signature Estate, ed). This is an i ndustry
w i t h excellent s t ra ight l i ne stabi l i ty on a l l
to the cw-rent Corvel le fron t cal l i per: The
su rfaces w i t h reduced steering wheel
brake booster and master c y l i nder have
first, w i t h the bel t al lached to a fol d i n g
seal, mainta i n i ng t h e convenience of the
l uggage pass-through plus the safety of a
lap/sash bel t. Fron t and rear seal structures
v i b rat i o ns."
been revi eel to i n c rease vac u u m
a s · ist a n d reduce pedal
Strut front suspension
with Hydro Bush
t rave l . The master
(hydraulic tension
c y l i nder i s now 25.4 mm
rod
are shaped to support the occupant i n a
in d i ameter w i t h a 200mnr
crash and prevent ·mall occupants i n
p l us 230
part icular from 'submari ni ng', o r s l i d i ng
stepped tandem booster:
under t he lap se<:Lion of t he bel t . "
The boos ter and master
"There is a t w o stage restra i n t system
Semi trailing arm
pretensioner · i n moderate crashes and the
rear suspension
ai rbags p l us buckle pretensioners i n severe
pedal fu nction and feel
even u nder heavy
payloads and h i g h
hes. The rear seat back provides rear
occupant protection from severe l u ggage
d i ameter
cyl i nder changes i m p rove
control, which fi res t he buckle
era
nnn
decelera t i o n . "
" I ndependent rear suspension i s
i m pact i n both sedan and wagon."
standard on a l l V T models, g i v i n g V T
Vehicle D y n a m i c s
sedan . "
RcarroiOI'"
llbmm dlamc!cr
16mm thkkn..,..
wagon t he same d y n a m i c a t t r i b u tes a s the
B i l l H ooper; Manager; Cha ·sis
Engi neer i n g det a i l s several of t h e many
"Steeri n g i s n o w less sensi t i ve o n ­
cen t re w i t h i m p roved l i near i t y res u l t i ng
suspens i on and brake i m provements
i n an eas ier to d ri ve vehic le, w h i l e t he
noticeable in any VT deri vat i v e :
VT steeri ng col u m n is al o new w i t h
"The front suspension now
i ncorporates eight degrees of pos i t i ve
i n c reased st i ffness for i m p roved noise
and v i bra t i on characteri s t ics."
"The VT brake system carries not h i ng
over from VS w i t h proba b l y the largest
"The park brake system now comprises
a si ngle shoe w i t h a l a rger eflec t i ve
rad i us , 95mm i n l i eu of VS's 80m m and a
brake rotors found anywhere u nder 1 5
revised hand brake lever ratio. Dri vers
i n c h wheels on a fam i l y sedan. Fro n t
w i l l n o t i ce the 40% lower lever effort ,
red uction i n lever travel and i ts
ergonom i c p lacement i n the coc k p i t . "
Aluminium
twtnp15ton
<:aUper
"The VT's ABS system i s the latest 5.3
system from Bosch, a t h ree channel
system wh ich has been specifical l y
ca l i brated for A us t ra l i a n cond i t ions, and
for VT suspension geometry, to max i m i se
veh i c l e stab i l i ty u nder a w i de range of
Steering axis
36
•
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A successful national media
launch can play a critical
role in getting a new model
range off to a good start.
Senior Wheels editor,
Bob Hall, gives his account
of the VT HSV launch . . .
T
he arrival of a new HSV model
from H o l den Spec i a l Veh i c l es i s
not some t h i ng t he press i s l i kely
to take l i gh t ly. As Austra l i a's pre m i e r
performance marque, a l o t of fol k s have
an i n terest when somet h i ng new w i t h t hat
helmet o n t h e bonnet shows up in t he
dealer's showrooms. So w h e n H SV
l a u nched i t s e n t i re VT-based cars i n one
fe l l swoop a w h i l e back, it was certa i n to
become a major event on t he calendars
of many motori ng j o u rna l i st s . After a l l ,
GTSes a n d Senators don't exac t l y grow
on t rees.
Norm a l l y a new model l a u nc h w i l l
fo l l ow a drive program a l ong a course
carefu l l y selected t o h i g h l i g h t t h e
s t rengt h s of a gi ven m o d e l o r range.
I t ' s a safe bet that HSV al most certa i n l y
h a d some t h i ng part i c u l arly n i ce and
t w i s ty p l an ned t o show off t h e v i rt u es
of t he chassis and gru n t of the VT's,
but t h i s day was not to be. You see,
somet h i ng e x t ra was added. Jeff Ken n e l l ,
Pre m i e r of V i c tori a . W i t h support from
Pet e r B rock, M ar k Ska i fe, C ra i g Lowndes
and Greg M urphy, m i nd you, t he day
after H RT's big w i n a t Sandown.
Holden Spec i a l Ve h i cles is stepp i ng
i n to a new corporate chaple1; w i t h p lans
t o build up t o 3000 H S V cars a yea1; a
move t hat's req u i red a l mo t as many
changes t o processes and fac i l i t i e s as t o
the cars t h e msel ves. S o i n t h i s context
hav i ng Pre m i e r Ken n e l l perform t h e
offi c i a l reveal of t he new H S V models
made a lot of sense. What wou l d have
been a mere prod u c t l a u nch for t he
motori ng press became a M ed i a E v e n t
w i t h m u c h broader coverage and another
" '' ' ' or conridence for Austra l i a's motor
l l lal l u rac t u ri ng i n d u s t ry. To some the
pmd uct would be m i nor by
omparison.
U n rort u nately t h e bu y sched u l e or H i s
t
I
.kllness p u t a n u mber or rest r i c t ions on
1 1 1 1 1 i ng and loca le or the revea l . As i t
l ra 1 1 s p i red, t he garage area a L t he A l ber!
! 'ark Grand Pri x c i rc u i t was selected as
1
< ' l l l l e , a se n s i b l e choice for The Even l .
l l 1 1 l i n t h e context o f using t he d ri ve
program lo gel a sample of the flavour or
t he new HSV range, we l l ,
o m p ro m i ses
lwd to be made.
For we al Wheels, t h i s was no big dea l .
l lecause of L h e longer lead L i m e o r
1 1 1agazine p u b l i · h i ng v i '-a- v i s L h e d a i l y
pre s , we had d r i ven t h e range a t
l l o lden's Lang Lang prov i ng ground a few
<>eeks before, managing Lo get a pa l t ry
252.9km/h ouL of an auLomaLic
CTS in L h e process. Even faster t han
John Si ngleton and also no
c ·on vi c t ion. We were also Lak i n g a
CTS away from L he launch as parL of
a
comparison w i t h Ford's Fa lcon GT
lo Lake performance rigures aL
< :alder Raceway and L hen head u p
In V i c Loria's beau t i fu l h i g h cou n t ry,
so we were goi ng Lo have p l e n t y of
�cal L i me in t he new HSV
The guys from t h e papers m i g h t n't
had lo be back aL A l ber! Pa rk
have been q u iLe so l u c ky.
w i t h I he W orld's s u p p l y of
Add i t ion of Pre m i e r Ken n e l l t o
t h e proceed i ng meanL the p rogram wasn't
I J U i le what had been expecLed. S i nce we
HSV VT's for Lhe early
afLernoon revea l , L h e adual
d rive p rogram was, or
neces · i ty, brief. U nder
c luud and w i L h i n term i ltenl
ra i n , we headed OUL rrom
S u b u rban M e lbourne on
the Calder free way ( a
good l e s t uf t h e c ru i s i ng
ah i l i t ies of t h e VT, hul
c.. rl e� i n l y nnl i 1 11� plaN'
for max i m u m speed
runs u n l es
·
some free
room ancl hoard w i t h r -n rn p l i rnenls of Lhe
fi ne VicLorian t a x payer i s de · i red) and
headed t owards Bend i go. Out on the
freeway and ofT onto lucal roads for a
d ri ve around M o u n ! M acedon. This gave
an i n k l i ng of how the chass is works ( t h e
SenaLor waoron w a s espec i a l l y i m p ress ive
here ) , uul wasn't t h e place t o push the
envelope. Sw i ng i n to t h e tidy town of
Woodend for l u nch from H SV 's can teen
wagon and a chaL w i t h M es r C rennan,
ExceIe ra t e
•
39
H arvey an I the rest of t h e VTeam.
The d ri zz l y weat her even opened u p and
a l low•d some a lfresco l u nc h i ng w i t hout
the need of cover.
The t r i p back was s i m i la r to t he one
out - m i n u s the c i rc u i t aroun I M o u n t
Macedon - w i t h weat her s l o w l y d ry i ng
o u t and t he spectre of i n ne r c i t y
M e l bourne t raffic a
we approached A l bert
Park (which p t o v i ded
a rem i nder as to w h y
so many peop le pay fot
d
e
cameras. B lack may be a
Me Ia
watch
great look i ng colour when
t h e car's c l ean, but w i t h a
automatic trans m i ss i o n ) .
N obody got l o s t , booked o r
few kay t h t ough the
c i t i z z l · , t h e dat ket
members of t h e
t e lease cont i ngent
b u m ped on t h e trip bac k , and t h e fi t.. t
were look i ng a bit rough around t h e
order of bu · i n ss a ppeared l o be a fast
edges. A nd C o d k nows y o u don't want
manufacturi ng, but as Stale Pre m i e r
t u b b i ng for t h e VT' , so t hey'd look
lo have The Pre m i e r reveal a grungy
y o u k i nda expect he'd s a y t hat. A n y way,
look i ng car!
isn't Victorian R u les Foo t ba l l cal led
p i ffy-dood l e for t he TV
Jell showed up o n cue ( t hough
nobody bot hered to ee exact l y
w h a t h e rol l ed u p i n ) a n d gave
a speech righ t l y p ra i s i ng t he
H S V folks for cont i n u i n g t o
Aussie R u l e
Foot bal l nowadays?
Ca ·e rested.
J efT, B rocky, Ska i fe, Lowndes
and M u rphy all p u l led t h e
sheet o f T H S V ' s latest fo r t h •
s u p port A u s t ral ian
big reveal as a cou p l e of
m a n u fact u ri ng. We l l ,
flashes popped and rnore
okay, h e sa i d Victorian
red l i ghts burned on t h e arrny
of 13 tacarn , . The Event a
fa i l accom p l i , and · i nee I d id n't
g<'l a shovel of and tossed on me,
I considered t h e day a success. B u t
t hen I got to d ri v e a w a y i n an awfu l l y
des i ra b l e CTS w h i l e The Pre m i e r left i n
h i s official Statemob i l e. And
t h at was only t h e first
of t h ree enjoyable days
in an awfu l l y n ice pari
of the worl d . They ough ta
have J eff on more new ear
lau nches . . .
�
Editor's Note: As Bob Hall
has indicated, the 1-JSV drive
program was wt shorl to./it in
with Premier Kenneu 's
schedule, Limiting the
opportunities for the press to give
the new VT HSV range a jitlt work
out. But the new range got off to a
great start when Mr Kennell
accepted the a./fer of an extended drive
period with the new Senator after the
Launch, generating wide coverage. HSV
then made available the Lwgest jleet qj"
HSV lest vehicles in its history to motoring
writers to conduct their own drive programs
in their respective states.
There's hardly anything better t h an t h e
I n fact, HSV and other leading car makers
l o o k and fee l of a s m o o t h , slick body.
such as B M W, Lexus, Mercedes and
We c a l l i t the "wetlook", and hey, it's for
Lamborg h i n i now reco m m e n d Megu iar's
car bodi es.
because their own stringent tests have
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ava i l able. Even I C I Autocolor ( Du lux),
Austra l ia's largest automotive paint
company, officially endorses
Meguiar's products.
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Holden V N Commodore
SV9 l Prototype
Released: A p ri l 1 99 1 Status: Proposed
HSV dea ler model Production: One ofT
Final Prolluction: not appl icable
Holden VQ/VQII
Statesman 5 000i
Part 7
•
1 es
Released: Series I : May 1 99 .1 -Apri l
1 992 , Seri e · I I : M ay 1 992-A pri l 1 99:3
Status: H S V dea l e r model l'mdm·lion:
84 p l u s 9 Fi fl h A n n i ven;ary exa n t p l e �
Colours: M arane l l o Red
Dri·veline: E F l 1 80kW 4.9 V8 w i t h
m i nor mod i ficat ions and rec a l i brated
1urbo l- l yd ra M a l i c 4 speed auto. Look
For: SV.SOOO gri l l e and s i de s k i rts,
V89
fronl and rear a i r dams and rear s po i l e t;
SV5000 t y l e w heels, M a l oo Leering
Fin a l Production: Septem ber 1 99.' 3.
V P u pgrade w i l h Tu rbo l l ydra M a l i l ' 4
whe1•l w i l h mat c h i ng ree l-stri ped l ri m .
Colou.r: C harcoal anl h rac i l e over s l a t e
s peed a u l o or Burg-War11er T5 5 speed
S[Jecial Examples: n o l appl icable
grey lower p a n e l s ex<'epl Fifl h
manual tool.- For: SV 3800 body d e l a i l s ,
Comments: Tight rece s i o n market
A n n i versary model · .
'S a l loy w h e e l s ,
delayed
Dri·veliue: E F I 200k W 4.9 V8 r-·d mol or
'tal
S sea l s i 1 1 v e l o u r and
· man i n serts, + 6 de!'al , FE2
V9 l i n t roduction u n t i l V P
mea n w h i le V N prototype was senl to
w i t h reworked i n t emals, rl'ca l i braied
susJJension, Momo sleeri 1 1g whee l , fi re
Pert h M otor Show w he re il was
ll.trbo l l yd ra M al i c 4 speed a 1 1 1 o . Lool.·
e x l i ngui shet; lacho Special Examples:
up by WA huyer.
Used Price: 122-25,000
/<'o r: Rndy ('olour gri l l e, mod i fied
not appl icable.
SV:-3800 fronl air d<�m w i t h Caprice fog
Comments: L i m i ted ed i t ion i n
l i g l t ts, G ro u J J A front wheel <�rch
Statesman colour w i t h later V 6
extens ions, SV90 bool spoi l er, SV 5000-
refi nement and economy p l us enough
s i y l e a l loy wheels w i t h fl ush centre
HSV i n p u l lo keep il in demand.
pane l , com b i nat ion leather and velour
Used Price: $ 1 4- 1 8,000
I rim i n moky beige t h e n grey from
Ful.urP Prosper·/.�: @ @ @
I I U I I Iber 42 o n , SV90 t h ree spoke M omo
slecri 1 1 g whee l S[Je(:ia.l Exn.m[Jies: Fu l l
leai hl 'l' t ri m , elel'l ric · u 1 1 roof, pol i s h ·d
a l loy�. Series I I opl ion<� I VP 't ·nator 1 7"
a l loys, o1 1e-ofT Cap rice-based 5000i i n
Asteroid s i l vet; F i ft h A n n i versary model ·
Comments: First red engine H S V w i t h
I R S, mod i fied for q u i c ker a n d smoother
low speed response compared to S V 5000.
Used Price: $29-35,000
Fu ture Prospects: @ @ @ @
Holden VN
Commodore HSV
Plus 6
Released: March 1 99 1 Slalus:
G M H A con l racl bu i ld for M c l bo 1 1 rne
Dea ler Market i ng G ro u p ( M e l bourne
M otor Show) Production: 60 au lo,
40 manual Fin a l Production:
August, 1 99 1 Colours: R u by Red
Dri-veline: Standard E F I 3 .8 V6
42
•
Exc e I e r a I e
ts:
®®®®
napped
The difference is Mobil 1 .
M o b i l 1 is u n l i ke any other o i l . Being a fully
synthetic oil, it can operate i n all extre mes of
tem perature w h i lst e l i m i nating engine wear. I n fact the
Mobil 1 that you put i n your HSV, is exactly the same oil
used by the H o lden Race Tea m , M claren Mercedes
Form ula 1 , l ndycar and I nternational Touring Car race
teams to l u bricate their high performance vehicles.
So what does that mean for yo u r H SV? Mobil 1 's u n i q u e
properties offer unsu rpassed engine protection and
d u rab i l ity for the l ife of yo u r engine and can result i n
better fuel economy or increased horsepower, due to
less i nternal friction. O n ly one o i l can make a d ifference
to the performance of your HSV. Mobil 1 , the most
advanced engine o i l in the world .
Mobi l
Feel the difference