Holden GTS-R with a heart of ZR1

Holden has, for many years, manufactured blue-collar muscle cars Down Under that were comparable, if not better, than their American counterparts (many of which were, in fact, re-badged as made-in-Australia). Amongst them, the 2005 and 2006 Pontiac GTO, HSV GTO Monaro, Chevrolet SS, Commodore VF SS, Pontiac G8 and the Holden Commodore VE.

Now, we all know that Holden will be shuttering its factories by 2017, but it is not going out without a bang – the bang being a GTS-R with a Corvette ZR1 engine under its hood. That’s a 6.2-litre LS9 V8 that generates 638hp and an astounding 819Nm (604 lb-ft) torque. Unlike the tamer 6.2-litre LSA supercharged 576hp engine utilized in the HSV GTS, the LS9 has a 20% larger supercharger, titanium con-rods, forged internals, larger intercooler and a race-ready dry-sump lubrication system.