Farewell To The Aussie Muscle Car

In typical Melbourne fashion it was raining when I picked up the car – not heavily but consistently – and had been for the 24 hours prior. Clutched in my palm was the key to a vehicle that makes the bold claim of being Australia’s most powerful production car. Ever.

Dropping myself into the driver’s seat, thoughts of being ‘that guy’ who puts the press car through someone’s front yard fence plagued my mind, so I busied myself with the in-car electronics to delay the inevitable, but the Bluetooth wouldn’t accept either of my phones. Damn. Wiggle the too-far-away gear stick to ensure it’s in neutral and press the starter button; the starter motor whirls before VVVWOAR – the HSV GTS clears its throat and once again I’m wondering why I thought this was a good idea.

The vehicle that HSV (Holden Special Vehicles) has created is an undeniably fitting modern-day interpretation of the Australian muscle car. As per the formula, the base car is a relatively pedestrian large Australian sedan which has then been taken, pulled apart and reassembled with a host of new parts to boost performance to new levels.

Indeed it is HSV’s bread and butter; turning run-of-the-mill Holdens into something that the average Aussie bloke can be equally proud to roll onto the drag strip as park in front of the pub. The approach hasn’t changed much since 1987 either: add some cosmetic enhancements, a spruced up interior and most importantly a hot V8 under the bonnet.

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