126 WheelsMag.com.au
Rarer than a Ferrari
Yep, you read that correctly. HSV only sells about 150 Clubsport
wagons each year, fewer than the 167 cars Ferrari moved in 2015.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I pulled up next to another R8 Tourer
on a freeway on-ramp in Melbourne. His was black, which made it lookeven more sinister, and he’d optioned the ‘Red Hot’ leather trim that
adds red accents into the top of the heavily bolstered seats. He
seemed to appreciate the spec of my Clubby, too, and we gave each
other a respectful nod as we accelerated away from the lights.ara
IT’S 2001, I’ve just finished playing a
game of high-school cricket, and one
of the defining moments in my love
affair with cars is about to happen.
As I slide my gear into my bag,
a member of the opposite team is
collected by his dad in a brand new
HSV Clubsport. It’s a white VX, it’s
immaculate, and as they cruise
slowly past at a pace guaranteed to
attract as many eyeballs as possible
from the watching crowd, the kid
rolls down the passenger window
and plants his elbow firmly on the
sill. In that moment, it is the coolest
car in the world.
I should point out here that I grew
up in Bathurst, at the foot of Mount
Panorama, and had such an affinity
for fast Holdens that I painted my
BMX bike red and plastered it with
Mark Skaife stickers.
Anyway, you can appreciate why
collecting my new HSV Clubsport
R8 LSA long-termer was so exciting.
Mine’s a wagon, and first impressions
of the home-grown steed that will
fill my driveway for the next four
months are brilliant.
HSV has given the Clubsport a
visual overhaul for the Gen-F2 series,
and the addition of matte-black
inserts in the front bar, side skirts
and bonnet, plus a new design for the
machined 20-inch wheels (255/35R20
up front and 275/35R20 out back), has
turned the aggression up to 11.
If there’s a visual disappointment,
it’s at the rear, which remains
unchanged in wagon spec – HSV says
that Tourer volumes are so small it
didn’t justify the investment – and it
looks a little Plain Jane compared to
the rest of the Clubsport’s pumped-
up physique.
Still, that letdown is quickly
forgotten when you prod the start
button. Under that vented bonnet
lies the same 6.2-litre supercharged
V8 as HSV’s flagship GTS, only in alesser 400kW/671Nm tune.
It barks into life, and with
Sport mode engaged on the
selector dial, settles into a
loud and lumpy idle that
rocks the car.
Normally I like to break
in a new long-termer over a
series of short trips (usually to
and from work) where I learn
the ins and outs of its character over
a period of weeks, but this time is
different. With a few days of annual
leave approved and a beach cabin
booked on the NSW coast, the wife
and I throw the fishing rods in the
895-litre boot (the Clubsport sedan
has 496L) and head north.
It takes less than an hour for the
HSV to work its way under my skin.
It’s roomy, sublimely comfortable,
and in top gear on the Hume freeway,
with the big blown eight ticking
over at little more than 1200rpm, an
effortless cruiser. It’s not even that
thirsty for a car with this level of
performance, with long stretches of
flat freeway returning a fuel reading
in the low 11s.
The one thing I can’t get on board
with so far is the sound. Sure it’s
mean on start-up, but the Clubby’s
audible package is bit of a letdown
low in the rev range, where it’s
too quiet and lacks character. This
changes drastically above 4200rpm,
where flaps in the exhaust open
with a loud metallic snap and the big
bent-eight lets loose with a bellow,
yet even here the note isn’t what I
was expecting. A Holden VFII SS-V
Redline, which costs $30K less,
sounds better.
Still, it’s clear the rest of the
Clubby’s package is living up to the
memory I have of that white VX.
Except mine’s even cooler because
it’s supercharged. And it’s a wagon,
and fast wagons are awesome.
ALEX INWOODA teenage fantasy becomes reality
Living the dream
NEW
ARRIVALTHE POWER TO
IMPRESS
Wow, that really is a
supercharged 6.2-litre
V8 – in a wagon!