HSV CLUBSPORT
SOMEONE SUGGESTED A CAR THAT COULD BE USED AS REGULAR TRANSPORT AND FLUNG AROUND RACETRACKS ON WEEKENDS
In 1990 with Australia plunging towards recession and interest rates topping 20 per cent, selling Commodores with wings and things was awfully tough.
HSV at the time had more ideas for marketing cars than the proverbial dog had fleas and virtually none of them was working. Then midway through 1990 someone suggested a car that could be used as regular transport but also flung around racetracks on weekends. HSV called it Clubsport.
The VN version was a cut-price, stripped out replacement for the slow-selling SV89; still with 180kW and taut FE2 suspension but priced at around $33,000. At the time, a VN Commodore SS with 165kW cost $3000 less, but HSV was on the right track and would build 350 of the inaugural Clubsport.
Further updates using Australian engines followed until 1999 when the decision was made to fit VTII versions with a US-sourced LS1, 5.7-litre alloy V8. In local form the engine produced 250kW, with dribbles of extra power unleashed at every model change. Sitting behind the new engine was a six-speed manual transmission, with four-speed automatic an option.
Pricing remained critical to the Clubsport’s success and HSV with the VTII was intent on offering a package that it could deliver (prior to on-roads) for $55,000. Those wanting to spend more on their Clubbie could specify the premium brake package, leather trim or a $4500 SatNav system.
Above the basic car sat another variant for HSV; the R8. It cost almost $5000 more than the entry-level Clubbie but came with uprated shock absorbers and thicker anti-roll bars, bigger brakes, 18-inch wheels and improved seats.
Within a year of the 5.7-litre engine’s arrival a revamped VX was announced. It brought a 5kW boost to power output and dual airbags. A VXII version then added standard 18-inch wheels to address complaints about inadequate rubber.
Late in the VX model’s run, a 15th Anniversary version was produced. Just 105 were supplied in Clubsport trim and 45 as R8s.
HSV devotees reportedly complained that their cars were too close in appearance to the SS Commodore, so when HSV’s Y Series appeared in late-2002 it brought a unique range of colours and body embellishment.
Power climbed yet again by 5kW, and it would take the September 2003 arrival of a YII model before the 5.7-litre motor reached 285kW.
Switching in 2005 from 5.7 to 6.0 litres brought the Z Series Clubbie a luxuriant 297kW and 0-100km/h in six seconds. Basic cars cost $61,850 and, not surprisingly, HSV was able to sell a couple of thousand before the all-new E Series arrived.
Setting out to buy a collectible Clubsport from this age range isn’t as easy as it may seem. Not many of these cars seem to have been bought by people who immediately buried them in a dark garage with future value in mind.
Most looked at these Clubbies and saw a car with loads of Chev-supplied grunt plus terrific Aussie chassis engineering and just wanted to drive them. Accordingly, the klicks would accumulate, values declined and stayed there until very recently when the money available began to increase.