Price: $92,280 (as tested)
Engine: 6.2-litre eight-cylinder supercharged petrol
Output: 497kW / 955Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Wheels / Tyres: 20-inch / 275/35
Fuel / CO2: 16.0L/100km (as tested) / N/A
Safety: Six airbags / Five-star ANCAP
About as subtle as the punch in the chops, the Walkinshaw W497 is not your average Holden sedan. It's the most powerful car this scribe has ever tested, propelled by a heavily modified LS3 6.2-litre V8 that gifts the car the sort of thrust usually only experienced with a jet engine at full howl.
This mean machine could well be the heavyweight champion of the Australian large car world.
What Victorian-based Holden hot shop Walkinshaw Performance has developed is impressive. The car belts out 497kW and 955Nm, making it the most powerful vehicle Walkinshaw has ever built.
It's not quite up there with the million-dollar Bugatti Veyron -- that car's 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 banging out 1500Nm -- but when you consider the W497 is priced at less than $100,000 and dumps almost a tonne of Newtons on the rear axle, this 'Walkie' really gets people talking.
Phenomenally quick, the Walkinshaw can be a handful, particularly in the wet, stepping sideways and/or arguing with the stability control when anything more than a quarter throttle is applied. Nail the throttle to the floor in anything but perfect conditions, and you better be wearing brown grundies...
And have lots of points on your licence.
By the same token, the power delivery characteristics are not as ultra-brutal from standstill as the power figures suggest. For all its aggression the W497 retains a certain level of civility, thanks to a carefully measured low-rev output, and as such it is a more relaxed commuter than the twin-turbo BMW M5.
Engine: 6.2-litre eight-cylinder supercharged petrol
Output: 497kW / 955Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Wheels / Tyres: 20-inch / 275/35
Fuel / CO2: 16.0L/100km (as tested) / N/A
Safety: Six airbags / Five-star ANCAP
About as subtle as the punch in the chops, the Walkinshaw W497 is not your average Holden sedan. It's the most powerful car this scribe has ever tested, propelled by a heavily modified LS3 6.2-litre V8 that gifts the car the sort of thrust usually only experienced with a jet engine at full howl.
This mean machine could well be the heavyweight champion of the Australian large car world.
What Victorian-based Holden hot shop Walkinshaw Performance has developed is impressive. The car belts out 497kW and 955Nm, making it the most powerful vehicle Walkinshaw has ever built.
It's not quite up there with the million-dollar Bugatti Veyron -- that car's 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 banging out 1500Nm -- but when you consider the W497 is priced at less than $100,000 and dumps almost a tonne of Newtons on the rear axle, this 'Walkie' really gets people talking.
Phenomenally quick, the Walkinshaw can be a handful, particularly in the wet, stepping sideways and/or arguing with the stability control when anything more than a quarter throttle is applied. Nail the throttle to the floor in anything but perfect conditions, and you better be wearing brown grundies...
And have lots of points on your licence.
By the same token, the power delivery characteristics are not as ultra-brutal from standstill as the power figures suggest. For all its aggression the W497 retains a certain level of civility, thanks to a carefully measured low-rev output, and as such it is a more relaxed commuter than the twin-turbo BMW M5.
Although they're not direct rivals, both are force-fed V8s that turn heads, and I have to say the Walkinshaw is a more pleasant and relaxed cruiser at nominal speeds. The accelerator pedal has better modulation and the transmission is less snappy than the $200,000-plus BMW, which makes the daily commute smoother.
The car's bassy, rumbling exhaust note doesn't need any amplification from the stereo system either, an emotive warble at idle. Open the taps and it snarls and crackles like an angry dragon. It's not an unpleasant or raucous noise, rather the opposite -- a sonorous, measured rhythm that grows in intensity and volume as the revs rise. And it should be noted that unlike some modified Holdens, there was no headache-inducing drone from the exhaust at highway speeds.
With more mumbo than Walkinshaw's racecar -- the Supercheap Auto V8 Supercar -- the W497 accelerates, to quote Meatloaf, like a bat out of hell. Based on a Gen-F HSV ClubSport R8 (from $73,290 plus ORCs), the W497 upgrade kit costs $18,990 and heralds a number of engine tweaks, the most notable of which is an Eaton Twin Vortice 2300 series supercharger.
In combination with a water-to-air intercooler, high-flow injectors, 12-inch intake runners and loads of bespoke plumbing, such as custom-moulded heater and intercooler hoses, the 6.2-litre Chevy engine is transformed from a beast to a monster.
Other additions include a self-contained oil system to further aid cooling and a free-flowing custom exhaust system. The latter is a stainless steel jobbie, complete with high-flow catalytic converters and ceramic-coated headers.
These changes boost the ClubSport's 325kW and 550Nm output to a ballistic 497kW at 5560rpm and 955Nm at 3690rpm. Pop the bonnet and it all looks very neat and tidy too, though tucking the supercharger out of sight is a shame. I want to show off the blower!
As mentioned, the Walkinshaw is a real pussycat around town, purring quietly and remaining level-headed at slow speeds. Quite comfortable in the role of daily driver or even family transport, the Walkinshaw W497 retains all the best bits of its Holden and HSV donor cars -- large comfy seats, huge boot and heaps of gadgets, including the always impressive Pandora free music streaming system.
But the W497's prime reason for being is straight line speed. And in this respect it's overqualified.
The Walkinshaw-tuned car has stratospheric levels of acceleration, and even when it's not attaining 100 per cent traction, it still charges forward with profound rapidity. Using our V-Box data collector the best 0-100km/h acceleration time managed was 4.5 seconds in damp conditions. That's not slow.
In fact that's faster than some vehicles of twice the price.
If conditions were ideal, the supersonic Walkinshaw would probably manage 0-100km/h times of 4.3 seconds, possibly a tenth faster, as every run we performed involved wheelspin. A manual transmission might make for even quicker times again...
But where the car really starts to melt the brain is roll-on acceleration. At full noise, mid-gear, the W497 builds up an incredible amount of steam, and by about 65 or 70km/h when grip is assured, occupants are pinned into their seats as the full force of the engines energy output manifests in G-forces. It's almost a little crazy, but so utterly compelling at the same time.
Yep, the W497 is off the scale. So fast it'll make your cerebellum ache. But for all its machismo it's still an easy car to drive, which speaks volumes for the way in which Walkinshaw has tuned the engine. The six-speed automatic transmission has been left untouched, and there were a few times when I wished it would have dropped another cog when asking for acceleration. There's always the sport shift mode I guess.
Ride and handling is almost identical to the HSV donor car which is a boon, so you get decent ride comfort matched with sharp turn-in, good body control mid-corner (assuming you don't mash the throttle) and clear feedback through the wheel.
Is it worth the $18,990? It will depend on the customer. Some will see it as too pricey, but for some it will be a deal too good to refuse. At a final cost of $92,280 it's about the same price as an HSV GTS, only with a lot more thump.
Walkinshaw also offer upgraded brake and suspension packages, and owners of the 6.0-litre V8 (found in the Commodore SS and SS-V) can also get a kit for the same price, but it 'only' makes 457kW/780Nm. We had a short drive in the Commodore-based W457 which struggled for grip on its narrower 245/40 R19 rear tyres, the HSV-based W497's 275/35 R20s providing better grounding.
Walkinshaw is on a roll with its VF bolt-on kits, the previously-tested W310 upgrade for Commodores already sold out, with 160 customers already taking delivery and the company working feverishly to get more parts.
With more mumbo than Walkinshaw's racecar -- the Supercheap Auto V8 Supercar -- the W497 accelerates, to quote Meatloaf, like a bat out of hell. Based on a Gen-F HSV ClubSport R8 (from $73,290 plus ORCs), the W497 upgrade kit costs $18,990 and heralds a number of engine tweaks, the most notable of which is an Eaton Twin Vortice 2300 series supercharger.
In combination with a water-to-air intercooler, high-flow injectors, 12-inch intake runners and loads of bespoke plumbing, such as custom-moulded heater and intercooler hoses, the 6.2-litre Chevy engine is transformed from a beast to a monster.
Other additions include a self-contained oil system to further aid cooling and a free-flowing custom exhaust system. The latter is a stainless steel jobbie, complete with high-flow catalytic converters and ceramic-coated headers.
These changes boost the ClubSport's 325kW and 550Nm output to a ballistic 497kW at 5560rpm and 955Nm at 3690rpm. Pop the bonnet and it all looks very neat and tidy too, though tucking the supercharger out of sight is a shame. I want to show off the blower!
As mentioned, the Walkinshaw is a real pussycat around town, purring quietly and remaining level-headed at slow speeds. Quite comfortable in the role of daily driver or even family transport, the Walkinshaw W497 retains all the best bits of its Holden and HSV donor cars -- large comfy seats, huge boot and heaps of gadgets, including the always impressive Pandora free music streaming system.
But the W497's prime reason for being is straight line speed. And in this respect it's overqualified.
The Walkinshaw-tuned car has stratospheric levels of acceleration, and even when it's not attaining 100 per cent traction, it still charges forward with profound rapidity. Using our V-Box data collector the best 0-100km/h acceleration time managed was 4.5 seconds in damp conditions. That's not slow.
In fact that's faster than some vehicles of twice the price.
If conditions were ideal, the supersonic Walkinshaw would probably manage 0-100km/h times of 4.3 seconds, possibly a tenth faster, as every run we performed involved wheelspin. A manual transmission might make for even quicker times again...
But where the car really starts to melt the brain is roll-on acceleration. At full noise, mid-gear, the W497 builds up an incredible amount of steam, and by about 65 or 70km/h when grip is assured, occupants are pinned into their seats as the full force of the engines energy output manifests in G-forces. It's almost a little crazy, but so utterly compelling at the same time.
Yep, the W497 is off the scale. So fast it'll make your cerebellum ache. But for all its machismo it's still an easy car to drive, which speaks volumes for the way in which Walkinshaw has tuned the engine. The six-speed automatic transmission has been left untouched, and there were a few times when I wished it would have dropped another cog when asking for acceleration. There's always the sport shift mode I guess.
Ride and handling is almost identical to the HSV donor car which is a boon, so you get decent ride comfort matched with sharp turn-in, good body control mid-corner (assuming you don't mash the throttle) and clear feedback through the wheel.
Is it worth the $18,990? It will depend on the customer. Some will see it as too pricey, but for some it will be a deal too good to refuse. At a final cost of $92,280 it's about the same price as an HSV GTS, only with a lot more thump.
Walkinshaw also offer upgraded brake and suspension packages, and owners of the 6.0-litre V8 (found in the Commodore SS and SS-V) can also get a kit for the same price, but it 'only' makes 457kW/780Nm. We had a short drive in the Commodore-based W457 which struggled for grip on its narrower 245/40 R19 rear tyres, the HSV-based W497's 275/35 R20s providing better grounding.
Walkinshaw is on a roll with its VF bolt-on kits, the previously-tested W310 upgrade for Commodores already sold out, with 160 customers already taking delivery and the company working feverishly to get more parts.
Around half a dozen of these mind-melting supercharged kits have been ordered and part of the appeal of these kits is a full driveline warranty "for the balance of the manufacturer’s new vehicle warranty for eligible vehicles" says Walkinshaw Performance.
It's not every day you get handed the keys to a car that outputs almost 1000Nm, and rarely if ever is it an Australian car. But Holden hot-shop Walkinshaw has delivered one of the most extreme sports sedans we've ever tested.
Realistically no one really needs this kind of power, but it's an addictive recipe that's been smoothly integrated, so much so I didn't want to give the keys back.
When the original HSV GTS was released in 1992, it's belted out 200kW. Around 20 years later and the HSV GTS cranks out 430kW. But as of now, there's a new king of the hill, Walkinshaw's ferocious W497.
