HSV’s LS9 monster to be called GTS-R W1

THE most powerful and expensive Holden Commodore ever finally has a name, if a new report is on the money.

According to Motoring.com.au, HSV’s LS9-powered farewell to the locally-made will be called the GTS-R W1.

The GTS-R W1 halo model will sit at the top of HSV’s MY17 Commodore line-up, which is expected to hit roads by the middle of next year.

Starting the range will be the familiar HSV GTS, with an even-hotter GTS-R bridging the gap to the top-of-the-line GTS-R W1.

The W1 will be powered by the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1’s LS9 engine, with a power output in the region of 476kW and a massive peak torque number of 820Nm. The cost? It’s rumoured to be as high as $170,000, which would make the GTS-R W1 the most expensive and powerful Holden Commodore ever made.

Production is expected to be limited to just 250 GTS-R W1s due to limited availability of the LS9 engine. However, the GTS-R will remain available as long as Holden’s Elizabeth plant remains operational, and will sit between the W1 and the $96k, 430kW, 730Nm GTS in terms of performance and price.

Having the LS9 wedged under the bonnet should make the W1 the fastest production vehicle ever made in Australia, with a 0-100km/h sprint of four seconds (and quite possibly less), and a quarter-mile timeslip close to 12-seconds flat.

There will only be a manual transmission available, with the automatic allegedly too costly to integrate with the chassis properly..

The suspension will also be tweaked, with Motoring.com.au reporting Australian company Supashock will supply the GTS-R W1’s dampers. Braking in both the W1 and the GTS-R will be upgraded from the current six-piston 390mm front discs currently available for the GTS.

The previous most-expensive Commodore available was the W427, which was powered by a 7.0-litre LS7, and cost $150,000.