The Big Kahuna

wheels magazine
Jonathan Hawley

Despite being Australia’s biggest selling car since Methuselah was in nappies, the Holden Commodore comes in for a fair beating from some quarters. It might not be a byword for motoring mediocrity in the way a Magna was or a Camry is, but the Conformadore – or Dunnydoor, or Bombadore – is not a car to which many private purchasers aspire. Not like other tech-fashion items such as an iPhone or BMW 3 Series, anyway.

Which is why, when I told a few people I was driving the HSV W427 for the story in this month’s Wheels magazine, the most common question wasn’t how fast it went. Nor was I initially grilled on the noise that 375kW of 7.0-litre V8 pumps out, or how it gripped or even whether it would pull chicks.

The Big Kahuna, apparently, is: How could HSV possibly ask $155,000 for a car that is essentially still a Commodore? Facing the same incredulity that is normally reserved when people consider the $100 New York gourmet hamburger I can only prepare them to be massively let down if uninformed cynicism was expected. Despite all expectations, the world’s most expensive Commodore is worth every dollar spent on it. And here’s why.

Yes, it goes hard. It isn’t just the raw performance figures either, although the 0-100km/h time of 4.7 seconds and a standing 400 metres in 12.8 we clocked make it Australia’s fastest production car. It’s the sheer animal magnetism of the engine, its ability to deliver an instant and devastating glut of acceleration on demand. There’s the torque you’d expect from all those cubic inches, but also an unholy ability to rev to 7000rpm and produce big power all the way.

Okay, the two tyres responsible for channelling power to the blacktop struggle at times. I drove it on a wet handling loop at Holden’s proving ground and found that caution was needed. Opening the throttle all the way was like poking a very big cobra with a very short stick.

But doesn’t the same go for any supercar in which the intimidation factor is part of the appeal?
The thing is, Holden’s stability control, which has been tweaked again by HSV, works well in the W427, indicating it’s not all brawn and no brains.

The same goes for the much bigger brakes, the stronger gearbox and even the stiffer suspension that manages to provide a much better ride than, say, a Mercedes C63 AMG.And you know what? The W427 looks stunning on the road.

Designer Julian Quincey fended off temptations to stick an even bigger wing on the back, and the car’s combination of brutal design cues - like the big, black maw at the front – with a degree of restraint works, and works well.This is much more than just an engine transplant. This is a car Toyota or, it seems, Ford could never hope to build.

Don’t think of it as being more expensive than a C63, think of it as being cheaper than an M5 or an E63 AMG. And possibly, just as good.