GM has spent decades building a reputation for performance in the Land Down Under with its Holden brand, but come 2017 it plans to end domestic production of vehicles in Australia citing high labor costs and a shrinking market. Yet the automotive giant isn’t totally abandoning Oz, and it’s not ending production of its most popular and recognizable vehicle without a proper sendoff.
Holden Special Vehicles, or HSV, has been the semi-official tuning house for Holden products for the past 25 years, and in celebration of a quarter-century of high-performance Aussie muscle, the tuner has unveiled a 25th anniversary edition of its Commodore ClubSport R8. While the four-door, rear-drive Commodore may not be long for this world, 100 lucky buyers will be able to own the pinnacle of Australian automotive performance. This is as close to an Australian supercar as there’s ever been. With pricing starting at $73,000AU/$54,000, it certainly has supercar-like pricing.
While the first ClubSport R8 made due with a 5.0 liter V8 producing just 241 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, a quarter-century of performance improvements means the 6.2 liter LS3 V8 can now churn out 455 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. Yet you get so much more than just additional horsepower, with the ClubSport R8 offering an excellent infotainment center, AP Racing sports seats, four-piston brakes, and the option of automatic or manual transmissions. HSV has also added 20-inch custom wheels, a custom rear spoiler, shadow chrome exhaust tips, special badging, and even a unique welcome screen on the infotainment center.
The 25th anniversary edition HSV ClubSport R8 is among the last of its kind, as GM plans to halt its Australian manufacturing operations no later than 2017. While the Commodore name is likely to live on in an imported vehicle, a V8 engine is no longer expected to be offered.
In other words, enjoy it while you can.