1990 Holden VN Commodore GRP A SS Sedan (No.124)

Description

Unveiled in 1988, Holden's all new second generation Commodore was regarded as a big step forward in every department. Based on its European counterpart, Opel's Omega, the latest Commodore boasted an aerodynamic new body that was bigger inside and out. Two fuel injected engines, the 3.8-litre V6 and 5.0-litre V8, were introduced and Holden sourced new transmissions to go with them, offering buyers the choice of the Australian-made Borg-Warner T5 manual or American Turbo Hydra-Matic auto with overdrive. The VN saw the SS adopted as a regular production model in the Commodore line-up and it would be another two years before Holden's Special Vehicles division developed a full-house Group A version, using a highly tuned 5.0-litre V8 and ZF six-speed manual transmission sourced from the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1. Starting with a stronger four bolt main block, the V8 used twin throttle body fuel injection and special pistons, rods and crank. Developing a conservative 215 kW, the emphasis for the latest HSV weapon on reliability and durability for racing. The Group A SS was a seriously quick car, capable of sprinting from 0-100 km/h in just 6.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time in 14.5 seconds, numbers few European sports saloons of the era could match. The Group A rode on special 17-inch alloy wheels and 235/45/ZR17 rubber (a first for an Australian car), the brakes and suspension were beefed up and its styling enhanced with a body kit consisting of a front spoiler, side skirts and rear deck lid. All were painted Durif Red (actually a maroon colour) with the redesigned sports seats upholstered in grey cloth. Although a production run of 500 was planned, just 302 cars were completed due to a change in the rules and the VN has a special significance as HSV's last Group A homologation special. On the track, Peter Brock returned to the Holden camp to co-drive with Larry Perkins but both the Brock Mobil and Holden Racing Teams were outclassed by Nissan's technologically superior R32 Skyline in the Australian Touring Car Championships for 1991-1992. The recent boom in Australian muscle car prices has seen interest in the VN Group A Commodore soaring and with relatively few unmodified, original examples still on the road finding a good car for sale is becoming increasingly difficult.