HSV plans will roll on

The current lineup of hotrod Holdens is already locked in place and management chiefs at both HSV and GM Holden confirm it's "business as usual" at the Clayton-based operation in Melbourne.

HSV's managing director, Phil Harding, tells Carsguide he spoke to Walkinshaw in Britain just days before he died and - without going into specifics - confirms a continuation of the current operational plan and perhaps development of an HSV Cruze when the car goes into local production.

HSV is an independent company that is owned by a Walkinshaw family trust, a situation that allowed the company to survive unscathed through the bankruptcy and collapse of his TWR motoring empire.

There is no indication yet of how Walkinshaw's widow and his two sons will operate HSV, but Melbourne lawyer and businessman Jeffrey Browne is chairman of the company and advising.

"I am determined that his life’s work will live on in HSV," he says.

Devereux says Walkinshaw settled his succession before he died.

"Tom knew. He knew. And I think he put his affairs in nice order. We are unconcerned," Devereux tells Carsguide.

"The company is in very, very good shape from a strategic and financial standpoint. We have certain obvious legal protections, and we have absolutely no concerns with the future direction of the company.

"They are in really good shape in terms on inventory and they finished the year quite well on sales. From our standpoint, obviously HSV operates as a separate company but we are planning for the next generation of product with them.

"It'd hate to say it's business as usual, but it is. Phil (Harding) manages the stuff on the ground, Jeffrey Browne and the board have charted a fairly stable course. They continue to be fairly aggressive with their styling, which diffentiates themselves from Holden, and I'm sure they will contineu to do that."

Devereux also paid another tribute to Walkinshaw.

"This might sound a bit callous. It's a tragedy that Tom died, but any great leader has their company in good shape. If Tom has a legacy is that he's built a fairly strong company and an organisational structure to see it through."