MOTOR

or legality was stamped out faster than a
high-speed haka.
Designed to run a one-make racing
series, the GTS/R was every inch a
true race car, from its full roll-cage to
its competition-spec fuel cell. For the
GTS/R, HSV was free to turn every
nut, bolt and cog toward the relentless
pursuit of speed, without any limit or
regulation.
In HSV’s skunkworks,
engineers tore the 6.2-
litre LS2 to pieces,
rebuilding the
muscular V8
into a race-
ready, 335kW
and 605Nm
powerhouse.
Forged
pistons,
roller
rockers
and billet
connecting
rods made it
almost invincible;
a mercilessly
aggressive camshaft and
straight-through exhaust made
it almost impossible to ignore. The HSV
hooligans opted for side-exiting, flame-
spitting exhausts, just to be on the safe
side, in case anyone accused them of a
modicum of restraint.
Unfortunately, it was all for nought.
The one-make racing series for which
the GTS/R was developed never got
past the drawing board, despite initial
interest from Malaysia and the Middle
East. It didn’t fit in any CAMS-approved

race category either, delivering a thin-

lipped kiss of death to the raucous racer.

Like its HRT 427 forebear, the GTS/R

became another bittersweet example of

all that could have been.

These wild concepts only make up the

tip of a ship-breaking iceberg. While it

is true that the Australian muscle was

built on American pillars, since then,

big, naturally-aspirated V8s have been

our game, and we have played

it better than anyone.

The GT-HO Phase

IV, HRT 427 and

GTS/R are proof

positive, but

so are the

Australian

production

muscle

cars that

carried these

extravagant,

extreme and

extraordinary

concepts on

their brawny, little

shoulders.

We have carved out

a 50-year back catalogue of

soulful, earnest NA engines, each of

them produced on a shoestring budget

and each capable of competing on the

world stage.

It’s easy to dismiss Aussie performance

cars as a triumph of size and sound

over panache and technology, but these

Aussie brutes give nothing away. In raw

performance or raw character, they can

stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best

natural aspiration has to offer.M

5 ANGRIEST

AUSSIE ATMOS

HRT 427 7.0-LITRE V8: The daddy of all

Australian naturally-aspirated engines.

Devastating power was enough to win

endurance races and embarrass big names.

GTS/R 6.2-LITRE V8: Beautiful, old-school

tuning the way it should be: make it strong,

let it breathe and send it out to burn rubber

and bruise egos.

CALLAWAY C4B: Err, okay, it’s not really

an Aussie engine, but it was made just for

Australia and powered one of the most

revered HSVs ever: the 300kW VX GTS.

Modifying heads, valvetrain, ECU and more,

Callaway took the 212kW LS1 to 300kW.

GT-HO 5.8-LITRE V8: If Australia hadn’t

devolved into Chicken Little, Ford could

have delivered Australia’s fi rst 300kW

production car in the Phase IV more than

40 years ago. It wouldn’t be until 1999 in

the Callaway-tuned HSV GTS that those

numbers would be reached again.

VALIANT CHARGER 4.3-LITRE

STRAIGHT-SIX HEMI: Chrysler’s straight-

six started off as a 3.5-litre six with a

then-respectable 100kW. Enter Chrysler

Australia and all of a sudden it had grown

to 4.3, which was all very reasonable, but

power had jumped to a whopping 225kW.

The GTS/R’s LS2

was given a full race

setup, scoring a

baffled sump, race

fuel cell, close-ratio

gearbox and oil

coolers.

1

2

3

4

5

We have

carved

out a 50-

year back

catalogue

of soulful

engines

d motorofficial f motor_mag^95