The Australian Family Wagon With A Corvette Engine And A Stick Shift
Think fast wagons, and all those European Audis, AMGs, and M-models with supercar levels of performance will probably come to mind. Think muscle cars, and it’s likely the United States of America will be what most people will think of, starting in the ’60s with cars like the Pontiac GTO.
But when it comes to mixing up the two and throwing in plenty of spice, it is neither continent that does it best. That would be Australia, a purveyor of fine, affordable, and downright bonkers, load luggers. If you absolutely have to get across the outback with the whole family and your Cavapoo at ridiculous speeds, Australia (up until recently, at least) had you covered.
Holden Is No Stranger To Fast Cars
If you haven’t been to Australia, you’d be forgiven for not really knowing what Holden is. If you have been to Australia you will see these cars literally everywhere. Imagine if boring European sedans had been at a bachelor party with a bunch of outrageously over-the-top muscle cars, and came home wearing neon body paint and listening to AC/DC, and you kind of get the picture.
Holden started in 1856 as a saddlemaker but was bought out by General Motors in 1931. From then on, it churned out domestic models, such as the Monaro and the Commodore, which often used the best of GM’s engineering from around the world. Holden’s first proper fast wagon arrived in 1965 with the HD, and before long, customers could spec a 308 ci (5.0-liter) V8 that expanded on and later replaced the 307 ci engine option in Holden’s HT family grocery getter. By the time Holden launched the VE in 2008, it was available with a 6.0-liter V8.
The Commodore Sportwagon Is A Forgotten Corvette Grocery Getter
Go back to 2006 and things couldn’t be looking better for Holden. The VE Commodore was launched, a sedan designed and engineered from the ground up in Australia. The Zeta rear-wheel-drive architecture would not just go on to underpin the Chevrolet Camaro, but the Commodore would be rebadged as the Pontiac G8 (and the wild GXP) in America and the Vauxhall VXR8 in Britain. Australia, with its population of around 28 million, was suddenly ruling the world (in the affordable V8 section at least).
Not content with bossing the coupe and sedan market, Holden then released the VE Sportwagon SS. Despite being a wagon to stick the partner, kids, dog, and barbecue in, this thing also came fitted with a 6.0-liter L98 V8 from GM’s Gen IV Small Block engine family, and later a 6.0-liter L77. That meant 362 hp (270 kilowatts) and 391 lb-ft on tap, not to mention the Tremec T56 manual. But for people who really wanted Mad Max-style muscle, there was one model to seek out. That was the HSV Tourer R8, which came fitted with a 6.2-liter LS3 shared with the Chevrolet Corvette.
The HSV Tourer R8 Was A Modern Muscle Car For The Whole Family
The E-Series HSV Clubsport Tourer R8 is every inch a modern muscle wagon. That 6.2-liter LS3 produces 425 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque, making it one of the most powerful wagons produced anywhere in the world. A Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual was standard in the car, with the six-speed auto around $1,700 on top of the roughly $45,820 sticker price when new. The R8 Tourer has AP Racing-developed 365mm brakes on the front and 350mm at the rear, with grooved and ventilated rotors and HSV-specific four-piston front calipers.
The wagon is a useful 30% stiffer than the sedan, although it is 200 lbs heavier in manual form. The towing capacity is rated at around 3,500 lbs, and there are 2,000 liters of cargo space with the seats down. For anyone who had finally given up on having a big, brawny V8 when their family and parenting duties arrived, HSV (Holden Special Vehicles) had the answer.
These Commodore Wagons Were Bargain AMG Fighters
One of the closest models to the Tourer R8, at least when it comes to engine and output, is the 2007 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Wagon (S211). The Benz’s 6.2-liter V8 pumps out 507 hp and 565 lb-ft, but here’s the rub: the German car cost almost twice the price of the HSV when new, coming in at $88,775. But that doesn’t mean the Merc is twice as fast. The Holden can hit 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, while the E63 is only marginally in front at 4.0 seconds. Where the German car falls short, if you are a fan of stick shifts, is the fact that it comes with a 7-speed automatic with manumatic shifting.
The Holden Super Wagon Could Be Turned Up To 11
Holden wasn’t going to let Mercedes take that one. For 2015, HSV shoehorned a supercharged 6.2-liter LSA unit into ClubSport R8. This unit pushes out 550 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque. Throw in options like the AP Racing 6-piston brake package with 2-piece front and rear rotors and 20″ x 9″ SV Rimfire forged alloy front wheels, and you have a very serious sedan and wagon offering. The sprint to 60 mph takes around 4.6 seconds.
Here’s where it gets a little tricky, however. Many sources say that the Tourer version wasn’t offered with a manual gearbox, although HSV says on its website that the “ClubSport R8 Tourer LSA features a Tremec TR-6060 (MG9 spec.) 6-speed manual transmission as standard and is also available with the optional 6L90E 6-speed automatic transmission with Active Select and paddle shifters which enable manual-like gear changes”.
These Hot Holden And HSV Wagons Are The Only Ones Of Their Kind On The Market
The idea of using a big brawny muscle car V8 in a fairly compact wagon is pretty unique for Holden and HSV. The cars could only come from a country where open roads and long distances often require a car that can both carry a lot of gear and travel at a decent pace (all legal, of course). Manual versions appear to be extremely rare compared to autos in Holden and HSV wagons, but there are a few about. In Australia, a manual Holden Commodore SS V from 2009 will cost the equivalent of $15,000. At Carsales.com.au, there is currently just one of the rare HSV ClubSport R8 Tourers with a manual gearbox for sale. This car has less than 70,000 miles on the clock and is from 2012. The price? $42,000 (USD).
Holden Sadly Disappeared Not Long After
But there won’t be any more of these wacky V8 wagons coming from Holden in the future. GM closed the iconic Australian automotive brand on December 31, 2020, ending a 164-year history. Changing consumer preferences and high production costs were blamed for the closure. It was a stark contrast to just a decade before, when Holden and HSV seemed to be at the forefront of the second muscle car era, lending their particular brand of space, value for money, and V8 power to models around the world. With EVs reshaping the American performance car market, if Holden ever wanted to come back with a roaring eight-cylinder wagon any time soon, it would have our attention.
Sources: Carsales.com.au; Automobile-catalog.com
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