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Written by TopGear.com
Without any further ado, here it is a Vauxhall VXR8 with the engine from a Corvette ZR1. Which should be an interesting combination.The HSV GTS essentially a Vauxhall VXR8 GTS before it"s exported to the northern hemisphere was the previous high-water mark in the HSV range. And, with a 6.2-litre, 576bhp V8 wrapped in a friendly and forgiving Australian performance saloon chassis, it was a very good thing.But, as HSV thinking goes, less isn"t more. More is more. Meet the HSV GTSR W1, a send-off to high-powered rear-driven Holdens. If you need reminding, Holden"s Australian factory is closing and from later this year, Holden-badged saloons will be front-drivers from the wider General Motors empire. Boo.What a send-off, though. Unlike the supercharged 6.2-litre V8 on offer in the HSV GTS, the GTSR W1 gets well, a 6.2-litre V8. But it"s a 635bhp unit shared with the Corvette ZR1. Oh yes.The regular GTS gets what"s called an LSA" V8, but the GTSR W1 uses an LS9", which uses the same basic architecture as the LSA, but with special silicon-rich pistons, high-lift titanium intake valves, high-lift, sodium-filled exhaust valves, a higher compression ratio and a larger supercharger. It"s also dry-sumped, in the great race car tradition. So, quite a bit of tweaking there.And if all this has you scratching your head, they"re all bits that make the engine stronger, able to breathe better, and able to spin more freely. There"s a higher compression ratio for a bigger bang, and a bigger supercharger for more air and an even bigger bang. The dry sump stops a phenomenon known as oil starvation which is exactly what it sounds like under hard cornering, preventing the biggest bang of all, and a large repair bill.
Date written: 1 Feb 2017
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 6599
Without any further ado, here it is a Vauxhall VXR8 with the engine from a Corvette ZR1. Which should be an interesting combination.The HSV GTS essentially a Vauxhall VXR8 GTS before it"s exported to the northern hemisphere was the previous high-water mark in the HSV range. And, with a 6.2-litre, 576bhp V8 wrapped in a friendly and forgiving Australian performance saloon chassis, it was a very good thing.But, as HSV thinking goes, less isn"t more. More is more. Meet the HSV GTSR W1, a send-off to high-powered rear-driven Holdens. If you need reminding, Holden"s Australian factory is closing and from later this year, Holden-badged saloons will be front-drivers from the wider General Motors empire. Boo.What a send-off, though. Unlike the supercharged 6.2-litre V8 on offer in the HSV GTS, the GTSR W1 gets well, a 6.2-litre V8. But it"s a 635bhp unit shared with the Corvette ZR1. Oh yes.The regular GTS gets what"s called an LSA" V8, but the GTSR W1 uses an LS9", which uses the same basic architecture as the LSA, but with special silicon-rich pistons, high-lift titanium intake valves, high-lift, sodium-filled exhaust valves, a higher compression ratio and a larger supercharger. It"s also dry-sumped, in the great race car tradition. So, quite a bit of tweaking there.And if all this has you scratching your head, they"re all bits that make the engine stronger, able to breathe better, and able to spin more freely. There"s a higher compression ratio for a bigger bang, and a bigger supercharger for more air and an even bigger bang. The dry sump stops a phenomenon known as oil starvation which is exactly what it sounds like under hard cornering, preventing the biggest bang of all, and a large repair bill.
Date written: 1 Feb 2017
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 6599
