HSV Clubsport
Encyclopedia
The HSV Clubsport is a full-size car
which has been produced by Holden Special Vehicles
in Australia
since 1990. All models have been based on contemporary Holden Commodore
models. The Clubsport has also been sold in the United Kingdom
as the Vauxhall VXR8 since July 2007, and in the Middle East
as the CSV CR8 by Chevrolet Special Vehicles since 2008.
. It was offered as a 4 door sedan with a 180 kW 5.0 L Holden V8 engine.
, making the Clubsport less exclusive and desirable. The VT Clubsport did feature many luxury features, including like a CD player, leather-wrap steering wheel, powered front seats and foglights.
, producing 250 kW. Production ceased in 2000.
s. The improvements due to this included a more flamboyant, unique bodykit and exclusive HSV interior features.
The Z-Series Clubsport is powered by the LS2 engine a 6.0 L, 16-valve pushrod V8 producing 297 kW at 6000 rpm and 530 newton metre at and 4400 rpm. There was the choice of either a Six-speed manual or four-speed auto. Fuel consumption was 15.3 L/100 km. The Z-Series started at $61,850 plus on-road costs for the manual.
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The Original E-Series Clubsport was released in September 2006.
The Clubsport had LED taillights and vertical front fender grilles only found on HSV E-Series models. Cloth trim was standard on Clubsport models with leather being an option.
In September 2008, the Clubsport R8 Tourer was released. The Tourer is a wagon
version of the R8, based on the Holden VE Commodore Sportwagon.
From April 2008, all HSV models use 6.2 L LS3 V8s, instead of the previous LS2. The LS3 powers the HSVs at 317 kW and 550 newton metre.
The range received many cosmetic changes with new front and rear bumpers, twin-nostriled bonnet (from the Pontiac G8
) and a new range of wheel designs. The Series 2 has a very distinctive look set of daytime running lights standard across the E2 range.
New is the intelligent launch controls, competition mode ESC and extended cruise control systems which are all standard for E2 models excluding intelligent launch control which is only available with a manual transmission.
Model changes for the E series 3 are minimal. There is now an option for LPI system (for an extra $5990) allowing the vehicle to run on LPG and unleaded petrol; the LPI system is not available on the ClubSport R8 Tourer. Cosmetic changes include a new spoiler and revised exhaust tips.
HSV E Series 3 models are the first to include the new HSV Enhanced Driver Interface; it has the same interface as the Holden IQ (found in VE Series II Commodores) but with added function. The system allows users to access the car's computer and monitor fuel consumption, stability, g-force and vehicle dynamics. Other functions include data logging options, digital gauge displays, stopwatch, driver and racing options, along with controls for the Grange's Bi-Modal exhaust and Side Blind-Zone Alert. The HSV Enhanced Driver Interface and satellite navigation is standard across the E series 3 range.
in the USA, so performance parts are widely available. The most dramatic warranted upgrade is the £7,000 supercharger
kit, which ups power to 395 kW. Imports to the US were previously sold as Pontiac G8
, with V6, L76 V8
, or an LS3 V8
engine in the GXP trim. The supercharged edition Bathurst VXR8 was reviewed on Top Gear, and its power-lap time was 1 min 26.3 seconds, a similar time to the current BMW M5
.
In July 2010, Autocar
reported that, "VXR8 was quietly dropped from the pricelists several months ago" after stocks ran out. However, a face-lifted version based on the new HSV E3 GTS was released to the UK market in April 2011 at a price of around £49,500, almost £15,000 more than the previous VXR8, but significantly cheaper than most of its rivals, like the Mercedes E63 AMG and BMW M5. Vauxhall is currently offering the 2011 Clubsport to UK customers as a special order model.
Full-size car
A full-size car is a marketing term used in North America for an automobile larger than a mid-size car. In the United States, the EPA uses "large car" to denote full-size cars....
which has been produced by Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles is the officially designated performance vehicle partner of Australian automobile manufacturer Holden. Established in 1987 and based in Clayton, Victoria, the company modifies Holden models such as the Commodore, Caprice and Ute and markets them under the HSV brandname.-...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
since 1990. All models have been based on contemporary Holden Commodore
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
models. The Clubsport has also been sold in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as the Vauxhall VXR8 since July 2007, and in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
as the CSV CR8 by Chevrolet Special Vehicles since 2008.
VN (1990-1991)
The VN Series HSV Clubsport was released in June 1990 and was based on the Holden VN CommodoreHolden VN Commodore
The Holden VN Commodore was the sixth model of the Holden Commodore, a full-size car produced by the Australian automotive marque, Holden. It is essentially made out of an Opel donor body mated to either a Buick V6 or Holden V8, depending on the model, with slight tweaks to the front and rear ends...
. It was offered as a 4 door sedan with a 180 kW 5.0 L Holden V8 engine.
VR (1993-1995)
VS (1995-1997)
VT (1997-2000)
Launched in 1997, the HSV VT Clubsport was much larger and heavier than its predecessors. Critics noted that its engine, a 5.0 L V8 (producing 195 kW), was also available as an option on the Holden Commodore SSHolden VT Commodore
The Holden VT Commodore, Berlina, and Calais are the tenth iteration of the Holden Commodore, a full-size car built by Holden, the Australian subsidiary of General Motors...
, making the Clubsport less exclusive and desirable. The VT Clubsport did feature many luxury features, including like a CD player, leather-wrap steering wheel, powered front seats and foglights.
Series II
The Clubsport VT Series II was released in 1999 to replace the standard Clubsport. It featured a new 5.7 L V8 LS1 Gen III engine, sourced from ChevroletChevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
, producing 250 kW. Production ceased in 2000.
VX (2000-2002)
The VX Clubsport was launched in early 2000 and featured the same V8 engine as the Clubsport VT Series II, but with an increased power output, up by 5 kW to 255 kW. During the development of the VX Clubsport HSV responded to many customers' complaints regarding how Clubsports were difficult to distinguish from standard Holden CommodoreHolden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
s. The improvements due to this included a more flamboyant, unique bodykit and exclusive HSV interior features.
VX Series II
The VX Series II was released in 2001 and discontinued along with the standard VX in 2002.Z Series (2004-2006)
Released in 2004 the Z-Series Clubsport was a minor update over the Y-Series and was mostly cosmetic.The Z-Series Clubsport is powered by the LS2 engine a 6.0 L, 16-valve pushrod V8 producing 297 kW at 6000 rpm and 530 newton metre at and 4400 rpm. There was the choice of either a Six-speed manual or four-speed auto. Fuel consumption was 15.3 L/100 km. The Z-Series started at $61,850 plus on-road costs for the manual.
E Series (2006–present)
The current model E Series Clubsport R8 takes its fundamental body structure from the mainstream Holden VE Commodore. It is also the standard model in the HSV line-up.Series 1
The Clubsport had LED taillights and vertical front fender grilles only found on HSV E-Series models. Cloth trim was standard on Clubsport models with leather being an option.
In September 2008, the Clubsport R8 Tourer was released. The Tourer is a wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
version of the R8, based on the Holden VE Commodore Sportwagon.
Performance
The two Clubsport models were powered by the 307 kW LS2 6.0 L V8 and Tremec T56 six-speed manual gearbox, capable of doing 0–100 km/h in 4.96 seconds with the manual gearbox and 5.04 seconds when fitted with the auto transmission and having a top speed of 175 mph (281.6 km/h).From April 2008, all HSV models use 6.2 L LS3 V8s, instead of the previous LS2. The LS3 powers the HSVs at 317 kW and 550 newton metre.
Series 2
The HSV E Series 2 range was released 2010 and was the most major update since the release of E Series HSVs. Prices on the E2 Clubsport models started at $65,990 for the Clubsport R8 and $66,990 for the Clubsport R8 Tourer.The range received many cosmetic changes with new front and rear bumpers, twin-nostriled bonnet (from the Pontiac G8
Pontiac G8
The Pontiac G8 is a rear-wheel drive sedan that was produced by Holden, the Australian General Motors subsidiary. The G8, a rebadged Holden Commodore, was released in early 2008 for the 2008 model year in the United States, and in 2008 for the 2009 model year in Canada. Production stopped in...
) and a new range of wheel designs. The Series 2 has a very distinctive look set of daytime running lights standard across the E2 range.
Performance
The new engines is the range are the 325 kW 6.2 L LS3 V8 used exclusively by the HSV GTS, with the rest of the E2 range being powered by an LS3 in 317 kW trim. The new engines have also improved fuel economy by 4.2% on the LS3 V8.New is the intelligent launch controls, competition mode ESC and extended cruise control systems which are all standard for E2 models excluding intelligent launch control which is only available with a manual transmission.
Series 3
HSV E Series 3 or E3 will commence sales in 2011.Model changes for the E series 3 are minimal. There is now an option for LPI system (for an extra $5990) allowing the vehicle to run on LPG and unleaded petrol; the LPI system is not available on the ClubSport R8 Tourer. Cosmetic changes include a new spoiler and revised exhaust tips.
HSV E Series 3 models are the first to include the new HSV Enhanced Driver Interface; it has the same interface as the Holden IQ (found in VE Series II Commodores) but with added function. The system allows users to access the car's computer and monitor fuel consumption, stability, g-force and vehicle dynamics. Other functions include data logging options, digital gauge displays, stopwatch, driver and racing options, along with controls for the Grange's Bi-Modal exhaust and Side Blind-Zone Alert. The HSV Enhanced Driver Interface and satellite navigation is standard across the E series 3 range.
Imports to the UK and the US
350 VXR8s per year were scheduled for official importation into the UK, at a price of £35,105. The LS3 V8 is particularly popular among tunersCar tuning
Car tuning is both an industry and a hobby, in which an automobile is modified in order to improve its performance, handling and appearance. As most vehicles leave the factory set up for average driver expectations and average conditions, tuning has become a way to personalize the characteristics...
in the USA, so performance parts are widely available. The most dramatic warranted upgrade is the £7,000 supercharger
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
kit, which ups power to 395 kW. Imports to the US were previously sold as Pontiac G8
Pontiac G8
The Pontiac G8 is a rear-wheel drive sedan that was produced by Holden, the Australian General Motors subsidiary. The G8, a rebadged Holden Commodore, was released in early 2008 for the 2008 model year in the United States, and in 2008 for the 2009 model year in Canada. Production stopped in...
, with V6, L76 V8
GM LS engine
The GM LS engine family is an engine design intended as the only V-8 engine used in General Motors' line of rear-wheel-drive cars and trucks. The LS series was a "clean sheet" design with little in common with the classic Chevrolet small block V8...
, or an LS3 V8
GM LS engine
The GM LS engine family is an engine design intended as the only V-8 engine used in General Motors' line of rear-wheel-drive cars and trucks. The LS series was a "clean sheet" design with little in common with the classic Chevrolet small block V8...
engine in the GXP trim. The supercharged edition Bathurst VXR8 was reviewed on Top Gear, and its power-lap time was 1 min 26.3 seconds, a similar time to the current BMW M5
BMW M5
The first BMW M5, based on the E28 5 Series, made its debut at Amsterdam Motor Show in February 1984. It was the product of demand for an automobile with the carrying capacity of a saloon , but the overall performance of a sports car. It utilized the 535i chassis and an evolution of the engine from...
.
In July 2010, Autocar
Autocar
Autocar is a weekly British automobile magazine published by Haymarket Motoring Publications Ltd. It refers to itself as "The World's oldest car magazine".-History:...
reported that, "VXR8 was quietly dropped from the pricelists several months ago" after stocks ran out. However, a face-lifted version based on the new HSV E3 GTS was released to the UK market in April 2011 at a price of around £49,500, almost £15,000 more than the previous VXR8, but significantly cheaper than most of its rivals, like the Mercedes E63 AMG and BMW M5. Vauxhall is currently offering the 2011 Clubsport to UK customers as a special order model.