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Holden Special Vehicles have officially unveiled Australia’s true world-beater, the HSV W427.
The W427, which had the covers taken off earlier this year at the Melbourne Motorshow in ‘showcar’ format, is now in production. Sales of the seven litre 375kW ‘Supercar’ have begun in Australia.
HSV’s Managing Director Scott Grant said the car demonstrated engineering and design ingenuity was alive and well in the Australian car industry.
“The story around the development of this car is quite remarkable,” Scott Grant said.
“We are proud to have produced a vehicle of these proportions and are confident the public response to the W427 proves there is a strong future for luxury and performance vehicles in this country.”
The W427 nameplate is a tribute to the first Holden Special Vehicle – the Group A SS VL Commodore, produced just over 20 years ago. This car became known as the ‘Walkinshaw’ in deference to the owner of the HSV business, Tom Walkinshaw, while ‘427’ is the cubic inch capacity of the engine.
Hand built by the General Motors Performance Build Centre in North America, the Chevrolet seven litre engine graces only two production vehicles anywhere in the world – the Corvette Z06 and now Australia’s own HSV W427.
The W427 produces 375kW of power (500 horsepower on the old scale) and 640Nm of torque, which required an extensive engineering program for the car, including all new clutch, gearbox, differential and exhaust, which will be fitted at HSV’s Clayton production facility.
“We have spent two years developing and testing this car and are really proud of the end result,” said HSV’s Engineering Manager, Joel Stoddart.
“It’s the car HSV has always wanted to build and the VE platform gave us the confidence to push the boundaries.
“The W427 has a new six piston front braking system, six airbags, ABS and Electronic Stability Control.
Like all HSV’s the W427 will carry a full three year,100,000km warranty.
HSV’s design team, led by Julian Quincey, have also left a distinctive mark on the final product.
“The design brief for the W427 was to create a unique face for HSV, one that would signal the cars immense capability, authority and power,” Quincey said.
“The W427 is the flagship for the whole HSV range and we wanted to emphasise the hand built qualities of this car.
“We believe we have achieved this with a range of design features including the imposing front face – which emphasises the need for cooling air for the seven litre engine, to the effective and functional three piece design rear lip spoiler, made of carbon fibre to keep weight to a minimum,” he said.
The W427 wheels and graphic are the work of Adam Dean Smith, a former Wheels Young Designer of the Year.
The feature a ‘castellated’ design graphic, also picked up on the exhaust tips.
HSV have confirmed that no more than 427 W427s will ever be built, with 90 vehicles to be built in 2008.
The price, inclusive of the new Luxury Car Tax regime, will be $155,500.
Darren Bowler, HSV’s General Manager of Sales and Marketing said that each purchase of a HSV W427 will be accompanied by a special customer program designed to offer an insight into the craftsmanship that goes into the building of each and every vehicle.
“Every customer will have the opportunity to book into an exclusive VIP tour of Holden Special Vehicles Clayton based production facility, to observe the W427 build process,” he said.
“We’ve established and themed a dedicated viewing station for the W427 build bays on the factory floor.”
Transfers to Clayton will be at the owner’s expense and are only available to purchasers of a W427.
Customers will also receive a personally signed letter from Tom Walkinshaw along with a unique vehicle build certificate. A Customer Access Portal, containing build information, servicing details and other information on the history of their car will also form part of the ownership experience.
HSV W427 owners will receive extra protection on their purchase with the inclusion of a new upgraded version of the world famous DataDots DNA anti-theft technology.
Known as DataDots DNA ‘Platinum’, incorporating the latest encrypting ‘nano’ technology to authenticate genuine HSV components as well as the core vehicle.
Holden Special Vehicles W427 will be Australia’s first car company to offer this upgraded security feature.
All 90 cars being built in 2008 have been pre-sold.
Source - HSV Media.
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From: Holden hints again at Torana future - drive.com.au
Holden hints again at Torana future
Ian Porter, The Age, June 10, 2008
Four years after revealing the Torana concept car, Holden is again suggesting it is looking at building a smaller car alongside the Commodore.
Holden has given the strongest indication yet that it will start producing a smaller car locally.
Long touted as a new Torana, the car is expected to be a size down from the Commodore and could use a smaller version of the V6 engine made at Fishermans Bend.
Holden also plans to step up the pressure in the fuel economy war, where the Commodore has been lagging the Toyota Aurion and the new Ford Falcon.
Holden boss Mark Reuss said on Friday a range of engine technologies was working its way through the development system towards the Commodore production line.
While stressing that the Commodore was still Australia's best-selling car, Mr Reuss suggested Holden was assessing a second model.
"We have a lot of opportunities to do other different product offerings if we choose to do that in Australia," he said.
"We have to be competitive here to do it. We are. Those discussions are very much part of our product planning."
As long ago as 2004, the company showed a concept car, billed as the new Torana, at the Melbourne Motor Show. Based on a cut-down Commodore platform, it was a medium-sized hatchback that promised to be smaller and lighter than a Commodore.
Mr Reuss also said some of the more advanced engine technology Holden was already making for overseas customers at its V6 engine plant was also making its way towards the Commodore.
Holden already makes V6 engines with direct injection and a smaller, turbocharged version of the V6, but these versions are for export only at the moment, to companies including Saab and Alfa Romeo.
Mr Reuss said that in "three to four years" Commodore buyers could expect cars powered by LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and cars that would run on ethanol.
A senior executive from Holden's parent company General Motors recently revealed that a petrol-electric Commodore hybrid was set for 2010.
He said these would be the first steps in a longer program based on a $40 million expansion and technology investment made at Fishermans Bend in the last year or so.
Asked why there are no direct injection or turbocharged Commodores now, director of manufacturing Rod Keane said it would take some time.
"We have looked at the rollout of technology appropriate to the marketplace and all of those things fit on a time line," he said.
"Obviously, we will continue to flow them through our markets, domestic and exports, as we go forward."
Mr Reuss said Holden was not convinced about diesel technology. "I'm not sure diesel is flavour of the month - if you look at diesel prices, they are at the very least unstable and variable," he said, referring to diesel prices that have been consistently higher than petrol prices.
"Diesel has a place in every market ... but diesel is not a silver bullet for fuel economy and cost," he said, citing studies.
"You find that LPG and other technologies are equal to, or better, at the current prices of these alternative fuels," he said.
"And if you want to look to the future with ethanol and the unleveraging of foreign oil in this country, those technologies become much more compelling in this market than diesel does."
[center] [/center]
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HSV needs a new gearbox and final drive to get the best from its new V8
HSV's new LS3 V8 is a new gearbox away from delivering its best. Indeed, the hot Holden brigade has purposely detuned its new V8 engine until it can substitute its existing T56 manual gearbox for a new stronger unit.
The main obstacle to more extensive changes and new model identification on the latest round of HSV updates is that the company is not ready to announce its version of Tremec's latest TR6060 manual transmission. Modifications to the final drive of the W427, which already features the new gearbox, include a high strength, shot-peened differential. This points to the other Achilles' heel of the current HSV drivetrain that also needs to be addressed (on both manual and automatic models).
The same LS3 engine that has just been fitted to the latest HSV range (see our launch review soon) usually delivers well over 320kW and close to 580Nm. Output has been pulled back to 317kW/550Nm in the latest HSVs because the full output specs would be outside the prudent limits for the existing drivetrain.
It also explains why FPV and Ford, which have recently upgraded their final drives and already fitted the new TR6060 gearbox to their FG ranges, have been able to boost F6 torque to 565Nm. Because the F6 torque 'peak' is not just a momentary blip on the graph when it is sustained from 1950-5200rpm, the upgrades have been quite significant.
Not only could HSV match and exceed the F6's figures without changing a single piece of hardware under the bonnet, it could do it right now, if it wasn't for the existing manual gearbox and final drive. And because these upgrades will require other hardware changes (including clutch, shift mechanism and tailshaft), HSV has nobbled its new engine until these changes are ready to roll out.
Further LS3 upgrades will be open to HSV with relatively low levels of investment once the drivetrain issues have been addressed.
It would make little sense to release more new models with the old gearbox and final drive. With the HSV Tourer and manual Senator Signature due in showrooms no later than October this year, this points to HSV's upgrade timetable.
Expect the changes outlined above, and output increases, to apply to all HSV models from that time.
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It will be called the HSV Tourer. From the looks of it, it will be Clubsport R8 spec. A shame in a way - I would love to see a Senator Estate.
Wheels - HSV names its tough Tourer
Here's the picture...
I'm guessing the rear will feature Maloo styling...
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GM Holden employees and retirees were joined today by the Premier of South Australia, local VIPs and community partners as the company celebrated a half century at its Philip Highway, Elizabeth site.
50 years to the day since the first concrete was poured at the Elizabeth facility on 8 May, 1958, GM Holden Executive Director Rod Keane and the Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann MP buried a time capsule, to be opened at the site’s 75th anniversary in 2033.
Included in the time capsule are items including a Holden worker’s shirt, emblems and brochures for the cars currently made at Holden Vehicle operations, pictures and other contributions from the local Elizabeth Grove Primary school, a membership badge for Central District Football Club and perennial Aussie favourite, the Holden stubby holder.
School children from Elizabeth Grove Primary school participated in the burial of the time capsule, assisting Rod Keane and the Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann to lower the capsule into the ground before it was later covered with a commemorative plaque.
Rod Keane said the event was an opportunity to recognise the contribution of employees and the local community in GM Holden’s success.
“Since the first concrete was poured at this site back in 1958, GM Holden has been proud to play its part in the Elizabeth community. We’re immensely thankful for the commitment to this facility which has been shown by successive generations of employees, over half of whom live within ten kilometres of the plant.
“We also recognise the contribution of the local community, our suppliers, Federal and State Governments for their ongoing support of automotive manufacturing in South Australia.”
Holden’s milestones for the year extend beyond the 50th celebrations at Elizabeth and the 60th anniversary of the first Holden car, the 48-215.
“We have an extraordinary number of key dates to recognise this year including the centennial of General Motors and 30th birthday of the
Commodore.
“Of particular significance are two of our community partnerships as we celebrate the 20th season as major sponsor of the Central District Football Club and the 40th year supporting Bedford’s annual achievement awards.”
Established at an initial cost of £10,500,000, the Holden site at Elizabeth started life making hardware components including locks, mufflers, air cleaners, brake drums and mouldings.
Today, Holden Vehicle Operations includes a press shop, highly automated body shop, paint shop and plastics operation as well as a general assembly plant running at its maximum line rate of 620 cars a day. The site currently produces one vehicle every 76 seconds, delivering world class cars around the globe, under brand names including Holden, Vauxhall, Pontiac and
Chevrolet.
Over $530 million has been invested in the site since 2000, making the plant one of the most advanced automotive manufacturing facilities in the world. 3,400 highly skilled employees work at Elizabeth in roles including manufacturing engineers, production operators, maintenance technicians and support services.
Later this year, production will begin on the newest addition to the Holden range, the VE Sportwagon for Australian and New Zealand as well as the Pontiac G8 GXP, a high performance car for the US market.
Source - Holden Media.
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