Sydney show: HSV unveils special GTS, SV08

HOLDEN Special Vehicles (HSV) unveiled special editions of its GTS and Senator Signature at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney this morning – but it was a comment about the performance outfit’s future that created the biggest stir.

No doubt conscious of the Holden muscle car division’s position in this new age of environmental motoring, HSV’s new managing director Phil Harding said at the conclusion of his presentation that a number of alternative-fuel and green powertrain prototypes were currently under evaluation.

“Looking to the future, HSV is in the initial stages of planning the next phase in this company's evolution,” Mr Harding said. “This will include decisions about what alternative fuels can be deployed in a performance saloon and also alternative powertrain concepts.

“We have at our Clayton headquarters a number of prototypes running around to assist in the decision-making … Stay tuned as HSV continues to lead the performance segment with exciting new models.” Commemorating 40 years since the first Australian GTS – a 1968 HK Monaro – the 40th Anniversary edition shown in Sydney is priced from $80,170, restricted to 100 units, comes with either a Sting Red or Heron White exterior and carries a number of unique features including black heritage stripes and ‘40 years of GTS’ logos embedded on the brake calipers, rear panel, sill plate and headrests.

Left: HSV Senator Signature.

There was also a nostalgic air on the HSV stand with the SV08 Senator Signature, which harks back to the SV88 released 20 years ago.

Priced from $82,700, the SV08 has an even more restricted production run of 50 units (20 manual and 30 automatic), with the manual marking the debut of the Tremec TR6060 gearbox that will become standard across the HSV range later this month.

‘Signature’ features of the SV08 include 20-inch ‘Pentagon’ wheels, and unique sill plates, badging and chrome accents on the side mirrors and doorhandles. Exterior colours are limited to Nitrate (silver), Sting Red and Voodoo (blue).

Also on the stand was the $155,500 W427 supercar, which came with its own song composed by former Cold Chisel guitarist and all-round Australian music legend Ian Moss – who performed it live to the crowd at Darling Harbour.

The HSV-Walkinshaw Group’s Elfin Sports Cars also unveiled a new addition to its range – the four-cylinder Type 5 Clubman.

According to Elfin Sports Cars general manager John Clark, the Type 5 has been in development for the past 18 months and is designed for an even workload between road and track driving.

It uses a 2.0-litre Ecotec turbocharged engine (as seen on the Pontiac GXP Solstice) and its styling takes inspiration from classic Elfins such as the C3.

“Our experience in this market has shown that enthusiasts want more involvement and accessibility to spirited track and road motoring, desires we have delivered on with the Type 5,” Mr Clark said.

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