$6.6m Hsv Spending Spree

Sydney Morning Herald

Saturday July 12, 2008

Joshua Gliddon

AUSTRALIAN muscle car enthusiasts have already splashed out $6.6 million on Holden Special Vehicles' coming W427.

HSV says it has sold half its 2008 production run of 90 examples of the latest Commodore that goes on sale in August.

"We have sold 44 [W427s] and have the paperwork signed and delivered," says HSV spokesman Simon Frost. "And there are probably another dozen orders out there that haven't yet come in."

The company plans to build 427 examples of the new car, which has a price tag of $150,000. All are being built to order. The W427 gets its name from the company owner, former race driver Tom Walkinshaw, and its engine size - in cubic inches.

The engine, from the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 sports car, is a 375kW 7.0-litre V8 and the W427 is the fastest Australian production car yet - as well as the most expensive - with a claimed 0-100kmh acceleration time of 4.7 seconds.

HSV's 60 dealers will receive one car each, with the remaining 30 cars allocated according to how many other HSV models the dealer has sold.

The car was designed and built partly to commemorate HSV's 20th anniversary. Its engine and gearbox will be fitted by HSV, rather than by Holden (which is usually what happens with other HSV models) and each car will be finished by hand.

Once the first batch of W427s is sold, a further 180 will be built next year.

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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