THE BATTLE WHINES ON

MUSTANG RTR VERSUS HSV GTSR

IT’S A BATTLE AS OLD AS TIME, ONE OF SUCH EPIC PROPORTIONS THAT BLUE AND RED BLOOD BATHES THE STREETS OF WESTERN SUBURBS RIGHT ACROSS AUSSIE AND NEW ZEALAND. IT’S BLACK OR WHITE, UP OR DOWN, MARMITE OR VEGEMITE. IT’S FORD V. HOLDEN, BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT. WE DECIDED TO LINE UP TWO HIGHLY TUNED VERSIONS OF THE TOUGHEST NEW MUSCLE CARS TO COME FROM THE ICONIC BRANDS, AND THERE WAS SUPERCHARGER WHINE COMING FROM EVERY ANGLE

For many moons, this and many other magazines have taken the Commodore and Falcon head to head. From the most basic repmobiles right up to the most powerful HSVs and FPVs and homebuilt monsters known to the Antipodes. But, with the demise of the Aussie manufacturing industry, the great Aussie battlers have had to look elsewhere for development. This means that we’re now looking down the barrel of fourcylinder, German-built Commodores based on the Opel Insignia. Don’t get me wrong, this is about as bad as it gets. And even if you opt for the 3.6-litre V6 engine, you’ll probably not be too disappointed by the 315hp engine and all-wheeldrive (AWD) drivetrain, but it ain’t going to blow your socks off. Ford is taking a different approach to the winding up of its Broadmeadows and Geelong plants. The ‘Falcon’ name is being retired, and the hierarchy at the home of the Blue Oval has decided that Falcon buyers can be split into three camps: the bogans — they can buy the Mustang; the families — they can buy one of the hundreds of SUVs that Ford has on offer; and the fleet buyer — they can jump into the not entirely awful Mondeo. So, while things are changing in the day-to-day business of selling more cars to more people, there’s still hope for those who are interested in doing whatever it takes to optimise power at any cost. These folks aren’t fussed about where their inspiration comes from; they have one goal in mind: performance. The two cars we have put together here on these pages are proof that we have little to fear, as partnerships between manufacturers, international performance houses and Kiwi workshops will ensure that there’s plenty of fun still to be had. At the forefront of this crusade for power are RTR for Ford and Walkinshaw for Holden. These two cars have left our jaws on the floor. Not lacking in power, poise, or noise, this battle of the titans is more than just a numbers game.