2017 HSV GTSR WALKINSHAW W557

THE CAR

Clarke Hopkins is a name that will be familiar to a number of readers. Clarke has owned and built a number of cars, with his Central Muscle Cars (CMC) Torana and previous VF HSV having graced the pages of this magazine over the last few years. Clarke is a Holden man through and through, and, when he got word that Commodore would be moving operations, he thought that he’d better get his hands one of the of the final real-deal Aussie builds. Of course, leaving it stock was never an option; instead, he’d take the best Australia had to offer and would make it better. The 2017 HSV GTSR had the W557 Walkinshaw package added by Eastern Automotive Performance Centre, which took the standard LSA-powered GTSR straight from the showroom floor at Schofields and started work on putting the car together for Clarke. Walkinshaw has a long history with Holden and prides itself on breathing even more life into the best Holden and Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) have to offer. In this case, the result is a bit more than the Walkinshaw 557 package specification list might suggest. While Walkinshaw did well with its initial W310 and W347 kits, there was soon demand for more — more power, more grip, more noise. There were several

more numbers after the W347, with the culmination being the W557. The W557 took what was already a monster of a W507 and added a Walkinshaw Performance Products (WPP)–spec camshaft, high-flow injectors, and associated componentry. In addition, the package makes use of the WPP supercharger-pulley upgrade, WPP dual-active cat-back exhaust, WPP ceramiccoated headers, high-flow catalytic converters, and WPP cold-air intake. All of this meant that Walkinshaw was able to push the envelope of what was thought capable of the once-humble Commodore shell. The result? Well, the standard numbers would have you believe that the W557 puts out — you guessed it — 557kW (747hp) coupled with 930Nm (686lb·ft) of torque. This is more than the Ferrari F12, more than a Lamborghini Aventador S, more than a V8 Supercar, and that is plenty … But, once Clarke was in a room with Paul Manuell and Stephen Reid from Eastern Automotive, they all worked together on putting together a plan for even more power. Clarke managed to get all the standard benefits of the Walkinshaw 557 kit plus a bit of Eastern Auto ‘secret sauce’. As the peak torque figure from an Eastern Automotive dyno run of more than 886lb·ft and 805-plus horsepower at the flywheel would suggest, Eastern Automotive has its sauce recipe pretty well mastered.

THE DRIVE

When we jump into Clarke’s W557 as slightly nervous passengers, our palms have only recently stopped sweating from our time in the RTR. Although not that keen on a left-hand-seat run, when Clarke starts the HSV up, we know that we have to feel what this machine is capable of doing. The feeling of speed in the car is almost indescribable. Forget what you’ve ever experienced in a road car, let alone one with four doors and a good tow rating. As the supercharger screams over the top of the demonic V8 sound, you’re pushed back into your seat and begin to wonder at what point you’ll take off. This thing is immense. Much like the Mustang, the Commodore road car has never been known as a corner-eater. This W557 throws all of those misconceptions out the window, as the haunches seem to tighten in the bends and endless power meets endless grip for a face-warping drive through the same back roads that the Mustang had been given a workout on earlier.

EENY, MEENY, MINEY, MO

Once Clarke has made sure we are completely aware of the capabilities of the 557, we head home. This gives us some time to ponder these two cars and consider which one you’d want parked in the garage if given the choice. These two cars are the loudest, most powerful, and probably best offerings from either of these manufacturers in this clash of titans — well, ones that come complete with full warranties, at least. While our fingers are crossed and our eyes are peeled for the return of the Falcon, and we are sad to see the end of an Aussie-built icon, the future seems bright based on what RTR, CTB, Walkinshaw Performance and Eastern Automotive are coming up with. The gains made on the ‘standard’ — alreadyimpressive — HSV and Walkinshaw offerings by the team at Eastern Automotive mean that the GTSR took out the demon of the day. But, as we climb back into the Mustang to head back to CTB, we can’t help but smile being back behind the wheel of old mate Muzz. Until next time, boys.

THESE TWO CARS ARE THE LOUDEST, MOST POWERFUL, AND PROBABLY BEST OFFERINGS FROM EITHER MANUFACTURER