Holden Special Vehicles: Holden’s performance division, 1987–2020

Holden Special Vehicles, usually shortened to HSV, was the performance division of the Australian car brand Holden. Based in Clayton, Victoria, it was established in 1987 as a joint venture between Holden and Tom Walkinshaw Racing and shut down in 2020, with General Motors Specialty Vehicles as its successor.

Holden Special Vehicles at a glance

History of the Holden Special Vehicles

A joint venture

In 1987 Holden and Tom Walkinshaw Racing established the joint venture Holden Special Vehicles. It replaced the Holden Dealer Team, after Holden severed ties with HDT and Peter Brock over the controversy surrounding the Energy Polarizer. HSV began building cars that July at a facility in Notting Hill, Victoria, and moved in December 1994 to a plant in Clayton previously used by Nissan Motor Australia. In 2018 the Walkinshaw Automotive Group, HSV included, moved to another facility, also in Clayton.

HSV modified Holden models for domestic and export sale: the standard-wheelbase Commodore, the long-wheelbase Caprice and Statesman, and the commercial Ute, all imported from Holden’s Elizabeth plant. It also modified other non-Holden cars in the General Motors range in low volumes.

The first cars

The first car developed by HSV was the Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV of 1988, badged and sold by Holden for Group A touring car racing homologation, and it went on to win the 1990 Bathurst 1000. The first car to carry HSV’s own badge was the SV88.

The nameplates

The Clubsport, a full-size sports sedan, was the brand’s highest volume seller from its introduction in 1990 and its entry-level model except between 1995 and 1998, when the Manta range filled that role; a higher specification called the R8 arrived in 1999. The GTS was the most powerful offering, from the VP series of 1992 through to the VF, with no Z Series version. The Maloo performance utility, whose name means “thunder” in an Aboriginal language, was produced from 1990; in June 2006 a production Z Series Maloo R8 set a record for the world’s fastest production pickup at 271 km/h. The Grange was the luxury flagship, based on the Statesman and Caprice twins and replacing the HSV Statesman and Caprice models from 1997. The Coupé of 2001 to 2006 was based on the Monaro, with GTO and GTS models and, from 2004, the all-wheel drive Coupé4. The Avalanche of 2003 to 2005 was an all-wheel drive crossover SUV based on the Adventra, with a dual-cab XUV version derived from the Crewman Cross8.

Exports and the end

HSV exported models to New Zealand and Singapore without rebranding; in the United Kingdom they were sold as the Vauxhall VXR8 and in the Middle East as the Chevrolet Special Vehicles CR8. HSV ceased production of the Caprice-based Grange in 2016 and of its Commodore-based models in 2017. In mid-2018 it began converting left-hand drive Chevrolet Camaro 2SS coupés and Silverado 2500HD pickups to right-hand drive to GM factory standards, sold with a factory warranty through the HSV-Holden dealer network, raising staff numbers from 130 to 150. On 18 August 2020 General Motors announced the closure of HSV and its replacement by General Motors Specialty Vehicles, which began importing and distributing the Silverado in Australasia from November 2020.

Design and features

• Holden-based range: every core HSV model started as a Commodore, Caprice, Statesman or Ute.
• Racing link: the first car was built for Group A homologation and won Bathurst in 1990.
• Own nameplates: Clubsport, GTS, Maloo, Grange, Coupé and Avalanche.
• Exports under other badges: Vauxhall VXR8 in Britain, CSV CR8 in the Middle East.
• Right-hand drive conversions: Camaro and Silverado work from 2018.

Holden Special Vehicles versions

• Clubsport (from 1990): the volume-selling sports sedan, R8 from 1999.
• GTS (from 1992): the most powerful HSV model.
• Maloo (from 1990): performance utility based on the Holden Ute.
• Grange (1997–2016): luxury sedan based on the Statesman and Caprice.
• Coupé (2001–2006): Monaro-based grand tourer, Coupé4 from 2004.
• Avalanche (2003–2005): all-wheel drive crossover and XUV.

HSV worked from the Holden Commodore, the Caprice and the Holden Ute; its fastest model has its own page. More cars are in the Holden collection.

Video: Top Gear Australia – Holden Special Vehicles HSV W427

Video by AusCommmodore on YouTube.

Sources

• Holden Special Vehicles, English Wikipedia: history, nameplates, exports, closure