Ex-police Holden Commodore VT scores an LSA

As far as choices for engine swaps go, anything with ‘LS’ in its moniker is usually near the top of the list alongside the mighty Barra or the 2JZ.

And if you’re going to put an LS in a ‘90s Commodore, who better than an ex-Holden engineer?

MKAL Automotive in Melbourne is owned and run by Steve Kalfat, who is exactly that. After leaving Holden he’s continued playing with LS motors, and will LS swap just about anything.

One of his recent projects, an ex-police Series 1 VT Commodore, is now out there with an extra few kilowatts thanks to its new LSA donk. By the time it left MKAL, the 388rwkW VT was a true sleeper, with steel wheels and all. Just a bit more powerful than the original 5.0.

Kalfat says he did more than just swap out the engine, so the thing became a bit of a mash-up of Commodore pieces. The engine and six-speed ‘box came from a VF1 GTS, and the steering system was nicked from a VE to keep it hydraulic.

Plenty of VZ parts made their way into the sleeper, too. The suspension, diff, widened 15-inch steelies and even the sump were all VZ originals. Once it had been sent off for paint a couple of months had passed, but to get everything right (and to get ADR compliance), Kalfat reckons it was worth the time for his customer’s sake.

“If it can’t be properly engineered and complied when it rolls out of my shop, I’m not interested in doing it.”

You can find MKAL on Facebook, where some of the LS magic is shared.