Phil Rizzo
Car: VL Walkinshaw Hometown: Brisbane, Queensland
What is it? “The car is a 1988 Group A SS VL Walkinshaw Commodore. This car is number 193 of the rst 500 built, which was then followed by another 250 making a total build of 750. The car was built on Friday, 17 May, 1988 and is believed to have been sold by Hamilton Holden in South Australia. The car is painted in Panorama silver and has the upper market Calais interior as standard equipment. The car features the rst twin-bodied fuel-injected Holden 304 cubic inch V8. It has a ve-speed gearbox, powersteering, power-windows, central locking, alarm, air-conditioning, Momo steering wheel and Australian-designed sports front seats. My car also features a dealer tted sunroof – not bad for a car homologated for racing! The car has undergone a 16 month on-and-off sympathetic restoration. The car was really good when I bought it and really only needed a tidy up and interior work. When I bought the car it had undergone an engine rebuild with a lumpier cam. Apart from that modi cation the car is as per factory speci cations.”
When did you buy it?
“I bought the car on 26 August, 2015. At the time I had just been given access to my Super and I decided to buy an Aussie muscle car. I was actually looking at a VS HSV GTSR and the seller said he also had a Walky for sale. He showed it to me and I just had to have it. The car had been unregistered for over two years but was still driven around the block to keep it running.”
What do you know about its life?
“The gentleman I bought the Walky from was the third owner. He told me the car had been restored some 18 years ago in Melbourne just before he bought it. During its life with its third owner the car stayed relatively original apart from trying different styles and sizes of rims over its life time. When I bought the car it had just had its original rims refurbished and re tted. The car was well maintained and mainly used for cruising but it did a few track days with the HSV owners club. After I bought the car it underwent a full system check which resulted in a refresh of all the uids, new injectors, fuel pumps, fuel lines, ignition leads, distributor cap, ignition module and lters.”
How does it go?
“The car runs really well. You de nitely notice the cam and on a recent dyno run it was giving 175kW at the rear wheels. I know that with a little tuning it would develop a lot more as it still has the original Delco engine management system including the rev limiter. It is really nice car to drive, very economical for a V8 and light on the steering. The clutch is a little heavy but that’s all part of the experience. The car really comes into its own at around 3000rpm. The biggest challenge of owning this car is trying to get it on to a hoist. Because of its low side skirts some tedious manoeuvring is required. My mechanic now has special adaptor pads that make the exercise a little easier.”
Anything you would like to add?
“I have always been a Chrysler and Ford guy but I have to say that I really love the Walky. It turns heads everywhere I go. I always get asked the same question: Is it a real one? My answer is always a resounding, ‘Sure is mate!’”