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Supercharged V8 set for HSV
TOBY HAGON
February 19, 2011

HSV's mooted new supercharged V8 engine appears to have broken cover overseas - about two years before it's likely to arrive in dealerships to give the V8 specialist a significant power boost.

The new engine tipped to be fitted to HSV's new range by 2013 is expected to be based on the engine in the wild Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that was unveiled at the Chicago motor show.

With 410kW of power the new supercharged 6.2-litre V8 delivers 26 per cent more power (85kW) than HSV's most powerful cars on sale, the GTS and Grange, and almost 10 per cent more than the most powerful Australian-made car ever, HSV's limited edition W427.

HSV is not giving any hints as to whether this is the engine slated for a future HSV range - "we don't talk about future product" - but given the correlations between the two, which share the same underpinnings, it seems logical.
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The news comes as the son of the HSV founder, the late Tom Walkinshaw, visited Australia to take his new position on the board of the Walkinshaw family trust-owned Premoso Pty Ltd that controls HSV.

HSV general manager of marketing and communications Tim Jackson says he expects Walkinshaw junior to be "a regular visitor".

"It's logical he becomes involved," says Jackson.

HSV could be a big change of pace for Walkinshaw, who operates as a DJ and is believed to have been keeping people in Ibiza on the dancefloor recently.

In an interview in a UK newspaper in December Ryan said he wanted to take part in the family business, while not letting go of DJ-ing.

"I'll definitely concentrate on all the [family] business, and maybe in the evenings sit in the studio and make a bit of music," he was reported as saying.

HSV long led the power wars with arch rival Ford Performance Vehicles, but a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 added last year has given Ford the edge, with 335kW - 10kW more than HSV. The 6.2-litre supercharged V8 would give HSV a clear lead, although it's believed the version reserved for Commodore-based HSVs would likely have less power than the 410kW available overseas.

Ford is also reportedly working on a higher-performance variant of its supercharged V8.