2004 HSV Avalanche Reviews

The Team Vodafone star has been the man-to-beat all year and holds a 187 point lead over his arch-rival, Ford Performance Racing's Mark Winterbottom with only two rounds remaining.The young racer has poured all his focus into winning this year's title. He doesn't have a girlfriend, he doesn't have any hobbies. He lives for one thing; to be the best V8 Supercar driver in the country.And so far his plan is working.Over the last five rounds Whincup has taken the most of any driver.At Winton he finished the weekend on equal points with Garth Tander and Will Davison.Despite a race-losing mistake at the Phillip Island 500, he still finished that weekend with the most points.He followed that with a dominating win at the Bathurst 1000 with Craig Lowndes. And hasn't lost a race since, powering to clean sweeps on the Gold Coast and in Bahrain.But after losing a huge points lead earlier the year at Hamilton when he was taken out in a qualifying crash, he's making sure he doesn't get over-confident."We're not getting too far ahead of ourselves," Whincup said after Bahrain."There's still 600 points up for grabs in six races so, of course I'd be silly not to change my approach from here on in."I want this championship more than anyone else and will do whatever it takes to try and be No.1 at the end."It's the right attitude to have because V8 Supercars can be an unpredictable sport, and one mistake could see his lead vanish again.Winterbottom knows that Whincup has pulled out a comfortable gap, but has vowed to keep his foot down to be ready to pounce if Whincup slips up."We haven't given up," Winterbottom said. "Until the chequered flag drops at Oran Park we won't concede defeat. Each round is getting a lot harder but you never know what will happen; we've got two more tracks, two different scenarios."Whichever one of the two Ford young guns that wins the title, they will both look back on this season as a coming-of-age.They have emerged from years of learning as two of the sport's best talents and look set to continue their rivalry that dates back to childhood for years to come.Pre-season favourite Tander knows how they feel. It wasn't long ago he was in the same position as an budding young steerer.Now, though, he is in a very different position. He has gone from the hunter to the hunted this season as the defending champion leading the factory-backed Holden Racing Team.He has fought a lone battle this year for Holden against the Ford chargers. The fight has turned increasingly ugly as he and Winterbottom engage in heated battle both on and off the track.It reached a peak at Bahrain when Winterbottom accidently spun Tander around in the first race and left both of them back in the pack and handed the advantage to Whincup."It was the most unprofessional race I have ever been involved in and I don't know what he was thinking," Tander said of the clash."It is not the way you play the field when you need points. He has made it a lot harder for both of us."And it wasn't just Winterbottom he had a problem with as Whincup's teammate Craig Lowndes spent several laps banging fenders with him.Tander has vowed to fight fire-with-fire to get revenge for rough tactics, meaning Winterbottom will have to play it safe around his Holden rival on the tight confines of Symmons Plains."The driving standards from everyone I raced against this weekend were poor. I don't have a problem with people passing but they need to show some professional courtesy and give you some room," Tander said."I can't remember a race like that and if that's what the guidelines are, well, then I look forward to racing them all later in the year."Although 292 points behind Whincup Tander has vowed to keep fighting."The championship is looking extremely tough and every race that goes by where you have a poor result makes it harder, but its still mathematically possible," he said. "We're miles behind so we need to go into full attack mode. The next two tracks were going to we've been very strong at the last two years, so we won't be giving up without a fight."The wildcards for this weekend's action will be the teammates of the three title contenders; Lowndes, Steven Richards and Mark Skaife.All three have the potential to get involved in the fight at the front of the field and play spoiler to the title fighters.Lowndes finished second in Bahrain - the first one-two finish for Team Vodafone - and finished fifth at Symmons last year.Winterbottom's partner Richards was second in this round in 2007 and has had good speed this year.Skaife has had a disappointing season but with plans to hang up his helmet after Oran Park he is looking to go out on a high. And has a part-owner of HRT he will do whatever he can to get Tander back in the fight.It has been an intense competition this year and the fight will only get hotter at Symmons Plains.  V8 Supercar Top Ten1. Jamie Whincup, Team Vodafone (Ford), 2916 pointsThe 25-year-old has been in the best form of his career this year. He has been both fast and consistent all season long. He is 187 points ahead of the field despite missing all three races at New Zealand when he was taken out by a rival car in qualifying. 2. Mark Winterbottom, Ford Performance Racing, 2729The fastest man for most of the season but has been a off the pace lately. He hasn't been off by much but in this game, you can't afford to be off your best at all. At one stage he looked like the favourite but will need to rediscover his magic and hope for a mistake (or two) from Whincup. 3. Garth Tander, Holden Racing Team, 2624The defending champion has had an up-and-down season trying to settle into his new home at HRT. It is a sign of his strength that he has been able to turn the team back into a force again after several disappointing seasons. 4. Craig Lowndes, Team Vodafone (Ford), 2367It may sound hard to believe but V8 Supercars most popular driver has flown under the radar this year. Whincup's performances have put him in the shade. Lowndes has relied on his experience instead of speed but he looked on-form in Bahrain. 5. Steven Richards, Ford Performance Racing, 2178It's been a funny old season for Richo. He has been quick (winning the round in Darwin) but has been on the edge of title fight. He finished second at Symmons Plains last year so could add to his win tally this weekend. 6. Will Davison, Dick Johnson Racing (Ford), 2153A future star of the series. He has dragged Dick Johnson's famous team back from the brink with a round win at Eastern Creek and consistent pace the rest of the year. A serious contender for the win if he brings his A-game. 7. James Courtney, Stone Brothers Racing (Ford), 2136Still something of an enigma of the sport. No-one doubts his speed but he had been unable to translate that into regular wins. SBR isn't the same unit it was during its title-winning days but still has the potential. 8. Rick Kelly, HSV Dealer Team, 2046The former champion has endured a difficult season trying to lead a re-structured Dealer Team. With several key members of the team moving to HRT (including Tander) the team has slipped off the pace. Still Kelly's speed and consistency has kept in touch. 9. Russell Ingall, Supercheap Auto Racing (Holden), 1908One of the biggest surprises of the year. The Enforcer has been rejuvenated with his return to Holden. The 2005 champion has unlocked the potential of the Paul Morris-owned team and turned it into a serious player. 10. Steven Johnson, Dick Johnson Racing (Ford), 1837Despite being over-shadowed by Davison Junior Johnson has still shown plenty of ability this year. Although he hasn't looked like winning a race he has been able to put his experience to good use to stay consistent. 

As I watched the television screen and saw one of the Team Vodafone Falcons slap the wall I was thinking the worst. I wondering how bad the car was, if it would upset our race plans, and if Jamie was ok. The problem was I couldn't see the number and I was thinking the worst. Then I realized it was the second car, with Fabrizio Giovanardi, and it was a big relief. At the same time, I felt sad for Fabrizio. Before qualifying I tried to spend a bit of time with both our team mates to give them an idea on where to carry more speed, how to use the brakes a bit less and let the car do more work to improve their speed. Over Skyline was an area we had talked about. So . . . hmmm, I'm not sure how I feel about what went wrong. Actually, Fabrizio and Marc Hynes have had a bad run all week, interrrupted with some mechanical issues with their car. And they managed to hit a bird yesterday in practice which made a big mess of the windscreen. For us, it was a great result in qualifying. Jamie is happy with the car, he's only doing minimal laps, and still coming out third shows we're on track and that makes us feel pretty confident. I think the top-10 shootout later today is going to be really interesting. We haven't had one of the old-style one-lap efforts for a long time and that could shake things up a bit. For Jamie it will be great experience. I know I always enjoyed the challenge of the Top 10 runs. But he 's been arond long enough to know that pole position around Bathurst is not the ultimate objective. Actually, I'll be happy if he finishes up sixth. That's where we started the last two years and it's worked out pretty well for us. If we are in the top two rows I'll be happy but it really doesn't matter so long as we do the top 10 with a complete, straight car after qualifying. Then we can get on to changing the car to race spec for Sunday. I only did eight or nine laps yesterday but I'm comfortable in the car. It's responding well. I got into a rhythm fairly quickly and the car is not doing anything ugly or surprising anywhere. It flows well across the top of the mountain which is important. That's where I get great confidence. Looking at the qualifying times, I'm not really surprised. Frosty was quick last year and I expected him to be quick again, and he got to the top at the end. Murphy and Richards have done a great job. They are probably a little stronger than we expected. The surprising one is Tander because he was quick in the morning but then didn't have the pace at the end of qualifying. I'm sure he would have wanted to be number one. Looking at how things stand, we expected six or eight good car-and- driver combinations this year and that's what we've got. There are probably four to six cars that are potential winners and another eight or 10 which could get onto the podium on Sunday. For me, the plan today is much the same as it's been all week. I'll be up early for the track walk and then we've got a one-hour practice. I'll do the first half and then hand over to Jamie so he can get ready for the shootout.  

Holden Special Vehicles has launched two new models, revealing the ClubSport R8 Tourer and W427 Showcar to the Sydney audience. But there are also a couple of milestones for the brand, celebrating 20 years of the brand and 40 years of the first Australian Gran Turismo Sportivo (GTS).First appearing on a HK Monaro in 1968, the GTS nameplate has been part of the HSV lexicon since its return to the market in 1992 in the form of the 200kW VP GTS and has since been the hero car-line for the high performance car company.To commemorate 40 years of GTS, just 100 specially released models will be built, with black heritage stripes, tyre pressure monitors and a commemorative '40 years of GTS' logo embedded on the headrest, brake calliper, sill plate and rear panel.Priced from $80,170, the 40 years of GTS is only available in Sting Red and Heron White.Meanwhile a new Senator Signature SV08 introduces a new Tremec TR6060 manual gearbox to the range, which will become standard across the HSV line-up later this month.Twenty years on from the SV88, Holden Special Vehicles has released a limited run of 50 HSV Senator Signature SV08s.The luxury SV08 receives exclusive lower paint-outs, sill plates and additional chrome accenting on the side mirrors and door handles, along with 20-inch alloys.  Available in Nitrate (Silver), Sting Red and Voodoo (Blue), production is limited to 20 manual and 30 automatic versions priced from $82,700.HSV has also got its hands on the Holden Sportwagon and created the ClubSport R8 Tourer, HSV’s first wagon since the all-wheel drive 2003 Avalanche.Powered by HSV’s LS3 engine producing 317kW and 550Nm, the manual R8 Tourer is priced from $65,990 which is a $1000 premium over the ClubSport sedan.HSV has also brought to Sydney the W427 showcar finished in the same Panorama Silver as the original Group A SS VL Commodore, aka Walkinshaw. The modern day Walkinshaw 427 is powered by a 7.0-litre V8 engine with 500hp, that’s hand built at  GM’s Performance Build Centre in Detroit. The W427 retails for $155,500.

Holden Special Vehicles has launched two new models, revealing the ClubSport R8 Tourer and W427 Showcar to the Sydney audience. But there are also a couple of milestones for the brand, celebrating 20

But it happens more in expensive machinery and the number of times is largely proportional to the vehicle's price tag.Being let into traffic is a rare experience in top-end luxury and sports cars (yes, I can hear the violins ... thanks), but it's not an issue in an $80,000 car if it has humble origins.For better or worse, the HSV GTS is a Commodore. With the VE as a starting point that's much less of a sneer than it might have once been, but it makes a difference to those in traffic around you.Getting behind the wheel of a Holden Special Vehicle has always prompted a couple of expectations — but other drivers don't seem to hate your guts. The first is there's unlikely to be a shortage of power and torque, and the second is that if it's a manual, swapping cogs is not going to be the nicest change ever experienced with a gear lever.It has improved, it must be said, but other high-performance carmakers have toiled with this particular transmission and then headed elsewhere within the Tremec catalogue.The T56 six-speed manual has been a faithful servant to Holden and HSV, improving in shift quality and feel with every update, but its time seems passed. Luckily for the driver, there's only a need to make two or three shifts, with 317kW at 6000rpm and 550Nm (arriving 200rpm later at 4600rpm) on offer.First would only be needed for a hill start on a serious incline and sixth is still a long-legged cruise gear. The engine doesn't really quibble about what gear the car's in, it just goes, now with a little more force than before. Mind you, adding an extra 10kW once you're over the 300kW hurdle is like pouring a jerry can of petrol on to a fire.The 6.2-litre LS3 power plant — which is donated by Corvette — feels like the torque curve is a little broader than the outgoing LS2 engine, which helps with flexibility in traffic.Starting off in second and heading for fourth or even fifth is not beyond the realms of possibility; anything to keep fuel use down, as the trip computer displays figures around 18 litres per 100km if you've had any fun.The other thing that sets the GTS apart from its HSV kin is its wheels: big, chunky 20-inch alloys with 35 front and 30 rear-profile tyres, which, thanks to the magnetic ride control system, don't detract from the comfort of the GTS over the bumps. The other thing the 20s allow for is big brakes, which are welcome when hauling 1845kg of Australian muscle car back to a standstill. The GTS has 365mm front and 350mm rear ventilated and grooved discs, gripped by four-piston calipers.HSV claims the system brings the GTS to a halt from 100km/h in 36m. If the stoppers don't work in time and events take a turn for the worse, the car's electronic safety systems (which assess a wide range of inputs 30 times a second) will use anti-lock braking, stability control, and dual front, side and curtain airbags to help reduce the damage. In the wet, the stability control is a welcome assistant, as the outputs can overcome the rear end, as you'd expect, but such is the nature of the beast any shenanigans are largely controllable. In the dry, there's plenty of grip and the GTS shrinks in perceived size, stressing the Bridgestones less than previous HSVs and showing poise and pace beyond its considerable mass.The sales of specialist V8s hasn't slowed much in the face of higher fuel prices. The sweet scream of this V8 at full noise has its appeal, but such fun comes with an 18 litres-per-100km price.Such thirst can be tempered with less frenetic use of the throttle and more torque-driven cruising, but it's still a buying consideration. But V8 lovers are a faithful breed and there's much for them to love with this new powerplant.

The all-white Astra VXR is called the Nurburgring, after the track where it was developed, and comes with a bunch of body bits including white-painted alloys, dark-tinted windows, carbon fibre effect mirrors and B-Pillars, chequered flag body graphics and an interior upgrade including more carbon fibre pieces and a limited-edition build plate. It has the same mechanical package as the regular VXR, with a 177kW turbo engine, six-speed manual gearbox and front-wheel drive, and is priced at $44,990.Globally there will be only 835 cars, reflecting the Nurburgring's 8 minute 35 second lap at the track.Scott Grant says its arrival shows HSV is looking to become more than just V8 Commodores.“For the last two years we've done roughly 200 VXRs a year. We're just starting to spread our wings and talk to a different type of customer,” he said. “I think we're going to need a bit more of that.”In 2007, 81 per cent of VXR buyers did not own or had even driven an HSV. And 68 per cent of them were women.“That hot hatch area is really strong. We want to supplement the loss of demand for some other products, perhaps with four cylinders from overseas, to balance the brand,” he said. 

Holden Special Vehicles announced today that chief executive officer Scott Grant has resigned “effective immediately … to pursue other career opportunities”.

THE next car from Holden Special Vehicles will be a wagon. The coming HSV Tourer is claimed to have better acceleration and a better overallbalance than the car's bestseller, the R8 ClubSport.“It is marginally quicker than the sedan,” HSV managing director Scott Grant says.“You lose nothing in the drive. It's for people who still want the driving characteristic of a HSV, but need the versatility and load-carrying ability of the wagon.”Grant reveals there was internal conflict over the Tourer, and whether HSV should produce a wagon after the relative failure of the last mainstream model in 1998 with the VT and all-wheel-drive Avalanche in 2003.“We've had mixed results, and there was a big debate about whether we would do it. The major positive aspect of the program came when we saw the shape of the Holden wagon. It's something we can really work with.”The HSV Tourer will be on the road in September and, like the Holden Sportwagon, will have a $1000 price premium over the equivalent sedan. That means $65,990 with the same specification as the ClubSport, and leather and 20-inch wheels as options.The Tourer plan comes as HSV looks to protect its future in the face of falling demand for locally made cars and the impact of rising fuel prices on V8 engine sales globally.“We sell about 4000 cars in Australia. With environmental pressures, gas prices and the rest, it will drop to about 3000 a year,” Grant says. “Demand might soften, but it won't ever go away. There is a heartland demand for rear-wheel-drive V8s in this country.” 

The obvious and easy way is with the best set of numbers in Australian motoring.That means 427 cubic inches, 375 kiloWatts, 620 Newton-metres, 250km/h, and 4.7 seconds for a 0-100km/h blast.The thumping combination qualifies the car as Australia's first genuine supercar — at least since the GTHO Falcon and Torana A9X from the 1970s — with performance to punish a Porsche and frighten a Ferrari.But there is no way to escape the biggest number of all — $155,500.That is a powerful pile of cash for a Commodore, even one which now qualifies comfortably as the top dog in Australian motoring.There has never been a Commodore as costly or as quick as the W427, which has picked up the seven-litre V8 engine from America's king-of-the-hill Corvette as part of a final 20th birthday celebration by Holden Special Vehicles. The rest of the package is just as impressive, from 20-inch alloys and brilliant Brembo brakes to re-calibrated electronic dampers and even an active exhaust with big-bore three-inch pipes.The body bits are also new, including a carbon fibre blade across the boot, but the cabin is strangely subdued and lets the car down badly. It does not even have a build plate to remind the driver that they have made the right choice in splashing their $155k on the commemorative Commodore.And the top dog also has a thirst — officially 17.1 litres/100km — which will make it costly to run.Still, 90 people have already made their decision on the W427 and will get a car sometime between now and the end of the year. Another 110 were originally expected to follow, but HSV is not sure where demand will settle and only plans to limit production at 427 cars — if it can eventually move that many."We can build as many or as few as the market genuinely wants. We are literally only building cars against a confirmed customer order," says Scott Grant, managing director of Holden Special Vehicles.He reacts sharply to any complaints about the car, and particularly its price.“We reject that it's a Commodore, to start with. When you drive the car it's quite a different proposition,” he says.“For that price tag it's a good value proposition. It's a hell of a lot of car for that money.”But the same money, or less, will also buy a BMW M3 or Mercedes C63 and those are pedigreed performance cars from two of the world's top brands.The story of the W427 began more than two years ago when HSV management was planning the 20th birthday party for the hot Holden shop. The idea was to create a car with as much — or more — impact than the very first 'batmobile' HSV VL Commodore in 1988.“This is the car that HSV has always wanted to build,” says Grant bluntly.Planning quickly zeroed-in on the Corvette in the USA, and its monster LS7 motor, with the same top-dog approach to every component and the ultimate result.“The development program has been very extensive. It's got every safety system we could throw at it. This car had to have HSV's best-ever braking package . . . it had to have the best handling,” says engineering boss Joel Stoddart.And W427? The name is a nod to HSV boss Tom Walkinshaw and the capacity of the 7-litre V8 in old-fashioned cubic inches.The price was originally forecast in the $125,000 range when the car was previewed at the Melbourne Motor Show in March, but has blown out after final costings — partly because of a luxury car tax hike — to the final figure at $155,500.“A lot of money has been spent in specific performance parts, but also in the engineering and testing. That's what makes the W427 unique and iconic,” says Grant.So the W427 has a full three-year, 100,000km warranty and each will be virtually hand-built in a special section of the HSV factory at Clayton in Melbourne. Owners will be invited to watch their car being assembled. DRIVING:“Mate, it wasn't too long ago that a V8 Supercar went like this,” says Mark Skaife as we thunder towards turn one at Calder Park raceway.The speedo needle is twisting rapidly towards 200km/h — from a standing start at the bottom end of the pitlane — and Holden's big man waits way, way late before stomping the brakes and hustling the car into the first tight right-hander. The W427 just stops, turns, then erupts again.It proves in a handful of seconds that it is a new benchmark for Aussie muscle, not just in the engine room but also in brakes which do a fantastic job and suspension which can put 375 kiloWatts onto the road.Skaife makes a difference, but the W427 is supercar fast. It's not as nimble as a pedigreed Euro like the M3, that's for certain, but it more than compensates with brash and brutal brilliance.Rain clouds are closing fast on Calder so there is too little time for me to push right to the limits, but the W427 is surprisingly easy to punt along very, very quickly. The engine is absolutely brilliant, pulling like a locomotive to the 7000 redline, and the brakes are easilly the best on anything which has ever worn an HSV badge. Thankfully.The gearshift is also nicely light and direct — the best in any hot Commodore in memory, including the original Brock-mobiles — and the steering is direct and responsive. The car rides tight with good body control.On the track, the W427 is brutally quick but could cope with more race-style suspension control in the MRC dampers. It also triggers the traction control too early and there would be more cornering grip and drive with better support for the body.Out on the road the W427 is surprisingly docile. It thunders at start-up but the idle is quiet and it will easily pull away in fourth grear.The real worry is drifting past the speed limit without doing anything more than tickling the gas pedal. The lungs are so big in the 7-litre that it always seems to have plenty in reserve.The gearbox is a delight in traffic, the brakes are great and — despite some crash-through at the back over bumps — the suspension control is good.The car is clearly held back at the top end, almost reaching its 250km/h limiter at Calder, and HSV insiders believe it would probably run to 300-plus in the right conditions. They are also talking about tackling the Nurburgring in Germany to measure their big banger against the world's best.But, any way you want to go, the W427 already sets a new benchmark for Aussie muscle.Even so, the cabin is a major letdown and barely different from an SS Commodore. Where are the W427 logos, and the build plate, and something different in either colouring or stitching or equipment or seat shape? It needs more to be truly memorable.The fuel consumption could also set a new benchmark, for the wrong reasons.Neither shortcoming is likely to have the slightest effect on people who want to park a W427 in their garage, either as a piece of collectable automotive indulgence or for some great days of muscle car mania.The top dog is best in show and we cannot help loving it. And counting the days to another romp . . . BREAK-OUT:Creating the W427 took more than just an engine transplant from the Chevrolet Corvette.The heart of the car arrives in a crate from Detroit — engines are shipped across the Pacific, 20 at a time — but the real work is in the installation and adaptation from the HSV GTS.For a start, the radiator is tilted back to clear a straight path for the air intake to the motor. And the engine room is re-organised to make space for an oil catch tank, an essential piece of the engine's dry-sump lubrication system.The transmission is a new six-speeder, the TR6060, with the same ratios as the existing HSV manual but with wider gears and bigger input shafts. A lot of work has also gone into the operation of the clutch and clutch pedal and there is a beefier limited-slip differential.The suspension is set 30 per cent stiffer than the GTS, sits 20 millimetres lower and is fitted with stiffer rear-suspension bushes. The calibration of the Magnetic Ride Suspension system is new.The brakes are six-piston Brembo units on the front and have 50 per cent greater pad area, as well as pads with more bite.The exhaust is a marvel, starting with ceramic-coated extractors feeding three-inch pipes and active bi-modal rear mufflers. The system is tuned to bark at start-up, run quieter from idle and in traffic, but turn noisy and nasty again at full throttle.In the end it takes 165 unique parts to create the W427, as well as an estimated three days of hand assembly in the final finishing bays created for the car at HSV headquarters in Clayton.Related Stories:HSV W427: video test driveHSV W427: in detail

Click on the photo gallery link for more photos...