Once upon a time there was a
Holden HSV W427
, a 7.0-litre version of the old Vauxhall VXR8/ Holden GTS tuned by Walkinshaw. Autocar rather liked it, and now we have its successor: the W507.
Can we just have it grey please?
Based on the current Gen-F HSV GTS (
Vauxhall VXR8 GTS
over here), that name doesn't relate to cubic inches as previously. It's power. In kilowatts. And 507 kilowatts is 689.3hp, so call it 690 or as near as makes no difference seven hundred horsepower. Oh, and 627lb ft. This needs to race the Charger Hellcat and soon.
The Walkinshaw mods comprise a new intake, exhaust, ceramic-coated headers and cats, a pulley upgrade for the supercharger and an ECU remap. Those absurd figures represent gains of 105hp and 81lb ft over the already pretty potent standard car.
In Australia the W507 kit costs 7,990 dollars (£4,200) and includes W507 badging, a certificate of authenticity, and 'a balance of new vehicle driveline warranty'.
Stopping for tyres presumably
The package in fact went through final testing recently with existing owners to ensure refinement and driveability was as required. Certainly looks that way... Still need convincing? Walkinshaw general manager says it "feels incredibly powerful, even more than the 507kW indicated".
Perhaps best of all, the W507 package can be fitted to the Maloo Ute if desired. Walkinshaw will be fitting 200 Australian cars with the upgrades and expects all of them to be fitted by the end of February. Seems a little pessimistic!