Holden's LS1 is King. But, be warned, the King has two very different faces...
The Golden Child
The awesome new Holden Clubsport R8 - it's a car that could only be classed as R-rated. Because how else could something so wild and deadly be safely entrusted to the young and inexperienced?
Yes, Holden's new mass-produced 250kW monster is a very significant car, because never before has so much power been entrusted to the average Joe. After all, 250kW is a lot. 'Til not so long ago, the most power you could ask of a standard Commodore - even the grunter Group A - was "only" 225kW at the flywheel. However, the VT model - in particularly the HSV-enhanced ones - often matches or pushes that figure through the roof.
A big thanks goes out to the Chev LS1!
But there are always people amongst us with that gotta-make-it-faster bug lurking inside them. You have to be born with it. Movie director Chris Sheen is one such person that wasn't sent over the moon with the General's 250kW worth of R8 - so he set off for a walk down the Parker Performance semi-aftermarket route. We say "semi-aftermarket" because while the mods fitted here are post-factory, they carry their own Glen Parker honoured warranty - which runs in parallel to the factory Holden warranty. That means there's no risk.
The mod list includes an early GMS airflow meter (which has no internal foils for enhanced flow), a Parker cold air intake (complete with the fibreglass snorkel and air deflector plate) and a King Dragon air filter. Interestingly, some additional power was also coaxed with ULX110 engine oil.
Glen Parker tells the exhaust uses 4>2>1 Pacemaker headers, together with "someone else's" twin 2½ inch pipes with standard cats and hi-flow mufflers - no resos are fitted. "Louder is better" is the motto here! An aftermarket throttle body had also been fitted before the car arrived at Parker Performance.
So what's the kilowatt total now you ask? Parker say that they saw 232 at the rear wheels m'boy - yeow! And yet to come is a re-programmed ECU, which Glen will source from the 'States. It's said this will be good for probably 20kW or more on its own! Look out.
That pumped up power output is put through a 6-speed 'box and back to a factory LSD independent rear end. The handling department is virtually foolproof too, with Koni adjustable shocks, 30mm lower King springs and a 30mm front swaybar. Glen says this package is a good one and makes the car feel much more direct. Oversteer is there depending on how far down the throttle is...
Braking is via HSV anchors, which use 330mm discs with Harrop 4-piston calipers at the front and smaller single potters rear. The body and interior are completely stock. Which is a good thing - coz if you don't like the look of a shining gold R8 you must have 0/0 vision!
Black Suit and Tie
If you desire style and sophistication - mixed with some hushed V8 muscle - the top-line Holden Caprice is an immediate standout. They simply ooze class. The fact that these lengthened Holdens are used for parliamentary duties and are often recruited as rental limousines says it all, really. However, in both cases it's only those neatly groomed and capped chauffeurs that get to drive them. Those bastards. The average person is more often than not relegated to the back seat - where there's plenty of space to fold out this month's Financial Review...
But one person who isn't about to let some other bugger slip behind the leather-bound wheel is Mike Lodge. He enjoys sitting in the action seat far too much to let someone else grab it. And with the current 220kW 5.7-litre Gen 3 engine ticking over under the bonnet, that's not gonna give anyone a heart attack. What better way to purge work related stress than to open up the throttle of a Chevy eight?
Knowing that the LS1 has been very much strangled for fitment in the Holden body, Parker Performance set about making things right. This included installing a Parker airflow meter, a King Dragon air filter and a ported 1100 cfm throttle body. The next step - the exhaust - required a little more development. Since everyone agreed it wouldn't be appropriate to ruin the Caprice's whisper quiet nature, the aim was to improve performance without overly compromising occupant comfort. After all, you don't buy a 70-plus thousand dollar Caprice only to undo all the effort that has gone into noise and vibration suppression. The answer was a tricky one.
The final formula consists of heat-coated header pipes, 2½-inch symmetrical twin pipes (one on each side of the car) with hi-flow Super Cats and Parker's own polished stainless mufflers and rear resonators. Towards the rear of the car clearance got very tight. And to fit those twin outlets, part of the rear bumper had to be reshaped and some structural modifications also had to be performed. The many hours that went into constructing the system have certainly paid off though. As Glen says, "it doesn't sound like a vacuum cleaner at high revs anymore." And we can vouch for sweet, rhythmic beat pulses from each pipe.
That kind of subtle touch encapsulates the whole theme of this vehicle. Sophisticated power without being overt. The rest of the car is 100% stealth - not the Parker variety of Stealth, what we mean is it's completely covert.
You'd never pick the 82 degree C thermostat (which Glens says helps achieve optimum available horsepower) or the colour-coded engine cover. It even retains the factory 16-inch alloy wheels and Bridgestone Turanza 225/55 rubber! And having travelled less than 10,000 kilometres, these too are original factory fitment. Although probably not for long - it all depends how much pressure there is between 9 and 5...
Note that one matter that's recently been seen to is the air intake track. Since our photos, a Parker fibreglass scoop and air deflector plate (like in the Golden Child) is fitted to the factory airbox. So while you mightn't have thought twice about this Caprice, you'll be in for a severe arse whippin' if you've pedalling anything slower than a gun Subaru or a 250-plus kilowatt Ford or Holden V8.
Now that's narrowing down the opposition...
Contact:
Parker Performance
+61 7 5564 7066
Parker Performance
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