HSV makes last Aussie V8 muscle car
GTSR Three decades of Aussie muscle car-manufacture have drawn to a close: Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) has completed build of its last-ever Australian Commodore-based vehicle, a GTSR W1 finished in a colour called Light My Fire.
The car, build number 275/275, has been officially certified as HSV’s last Commodore and will be retained by the company for posterity, although total build of the GTSR W1 actually totals 298. The extra 23 cars are a New Zealand allocation.
‘‘For all at HSV, this is a time for great reflection on what the company has been able to achieve to date,’’ says managing director Tim Jackson.
‘‘Any success we’ve enjoyed has been directly attributable to our passionate staff, our dedicated dealer body and of course our loyal fans who have helped build this brand through its 30-year history.’’
To the end of 2017, HSV has built 90,114 vehicles, the majority of them Commodore-based variants.
The short-term future for HSV belongs to pickup trucks: the company has already revealed a new range of models for 2018, including the Colorado SportsCat, a heavily modified version of Holden’s one-tonne pickup truck, and a ‘‘remanufactured’’ righthand drive version of the USmarket Silverado truck.
Unlike the Colorado SportsCat, Silverado will not not be called an HSV: it will retain its Chevrolet branding.
HSV will also remanufacture and market a right-hand drive version of the Camaro sports car, also badged as a Chevrolet.