New HSV Range Includes Fastest-Ever Oz-Built Car

Holden Special Vehicles releases full details of what the Australian performance-car manufacturer calls the most significant model range in its 25-year history.

The new GEN-F range includes the fastest, most powerful performance production car ever built in the country, HSV says.

The models feature a major exterior-styling makeover including new front and rear fascias, taillamps, wheels and spoilers and an all-new premium interior encompassing new seats and fabrics, instrument panel and cluster, gauges, center console, trims and finishes.

Four powerplants include the debut of the most potent engine ever fitted to a locally manufactured vehicle: a 6.2L LSA supercharged V-8 making 576 hp and 546 lb.-ft. (740 Nm) of torque that is standard on the flagship GTS.

An SV option is available on the three R8 derivatives – ClubSport R8, ClubSport R8 Tourer and Maloo R8 – providing a power upgrade to 456 hp and 420 lb.-ft. (570 Nm) of torque.

The GEN-F range includes all of the models from the preceding E Series lineup, including the recently introduced ClubSport and Maloo.

“The GEN-F range is the culmination of over four years of design, development and testing, and we’re really confident that we’ve developed the best HSVs ever,” HSV Managing Director Phil Harding says in a statement.

 “Value for money has always been, and will continue to be, a key pillar of our success,” he says. “While we’re not in a position to announce pricing just yet, I can assure our fans that they won’t be disappointed.”

Production of most of the new HSV range is scheduled to start by the end of the month, with the models due in showrooms in mid-June. Production of the top-of-the-line GTS launches in late August, with vehicles due in showrooms in early September.

Harding says the new GTS is the culmination of nearly four years of development and testing by the HSV design and engineering divisions.

The LSA drivetrain includes the TR6060 6-speed manual transmission with oil cooler and twin-plate clutch, optional 6L90E 6-speed heavy-duty automatic transmission with oil cooler and rear-suspension module with 9.9-in. (25-cm) differential and upgraded drive and prop shafts.

The GTS’ braking capacity is upgraded with AP radical-forged 6-piston brake calipers with 2-piece rotors front and rear as standard equipment. Combined with increased brake- rotor diameters, the aluminum calipers provide a vastly improved strength-to-weight ratio and noticeable improvements in brake modulation and feel, HSV says. Rear brake-pad size is increased 12%.

“Australia’s most powerful production engine demands a premium braking package, and this was a key program priority right from the outset.” HSV Chief Engineer Joel Stoddart says. “With our new forged calipers, larger rotors and increased pad size, we’re confident the GTS brake package is the equal of anything in the world.”

In a first for an Australian-made vehicle, the new GTS will be fitted with brake-torque vectoring. Previously installed only on a few exclusive global marques, HSV’s brake- torque vectoring helps reduce understeer by generating a rotational moment in the rear axle when the vehicle is under power.

The car’s electronic stability control system detects the understeer, applies braking to the inside rear wheel and transfers torque to the outside rear wheel.

The vehicle also receives third-generation magnetic ride control featuring independent touring, sport and track settings. HSV says hardware and software improvements combine to deliver greater body control, sharper handling and significant improvements in ride quality over the E3 model.

A dial placed behind the gear shifter helps the driver manage the various electronic vehicle-performance systems. This adjusts the vehicle’s ESC, traction control, launch control (manual transmission), torque vectoring, electric power steering and MRC-brand and bi-modal exhaust according to pre-set touring, sport, performance and track modes.

The adjustments instantly change the vehicle’s handling characteristics.

“With so many electronic systems at the driver’s disposal, we wanted to reduce complexity and assist the driver by taking the guesswork out of manipulating the various settings,” Stoddart says. “The driver preference dial does just that – the vehicle’s performance characteristics can be adjusted with a simple clockwise turn of the dial.”

Stoddart says the LSA program posed a number of design and packaging challenges, including engine, transmission and differential cooling.

“We required almost 201.5 sq.-ins. (1,300 sq.-cm) of open frontal surface area to deliver the level of cooling the package requires, which is roughly 75% more than that offered with the E3 GTS,” he says.

Other features in the GTS, included in what the auto maker calls the most significant array of technologies ever offered in an HSV, are a head-up display that shows driver information such as vehicle speed, G-forces and engine temperature on the windshield.

Forward-collision alert, also standard on the GTS, uses a camera that scans the road ahead up to 14 times a second from its placement above the rear-view mirror.

When a crash is predicted, the driver is alerted with an audible tone and a visible alert in the head-up display. Anticipating hard braking, the system applies sufficient brake pressure to close the space between the brake pads and rotors, delivering quicker brake- response time.

The GTS also features lane-departure warning using the same camera technology.

 “We are extremely proud of the new GTS – our hero model and the one we view as the pinnacle of the HSV GEN-F range,” Harding says.