1990 HSV VN Commodore Group A SS Sedan (No. 073)

Description

Replacing the infamous ‘Walkinshaw’ model with a new Group A SS in 1990, Holden Special Vehicle' (HSV) took the all-new VN Commodore as its base and created a high performance sports sedan, again with the intention of homologating the car for Group A touring car racing. Along with a highly developed version of the 5.0-litre V8, HSV installed the ZF six-speed manual transmission sourced from the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, resulting in excellent performance. Starting with a stronger four bolt main block, the V8 used twin throttle body fuel injection and was fitted with special pistons, rods and crank, developing a conservative 215 kW with the emphasis being on both reliability and durability for racing. The Group A SS was capable of sprinting from 0-100 km/h in just 6.5 seconds and could do the quarter mile in 14.5 seconds, figures few European sports saloons could match at the time. The Group A rode on special 17-inch alloy wheels and 235/45/ZR17 rubber (a first for an Australian car) and featured a full body kit with front spoiler, side skirts and rear deck lid, while the brakes and suspension were also beefed up. Although 500 examples were to have been made, just 302 cars were completed due to a change in the touring car homologation rules, and the VN would become the last Group A model made by HSV as a result. All were painted in Durif Red (maroon) with grey cloth upholstery on newly designed sports bucket seats and the rest of the interior. With its low production run and the boom in Australian muscle car prices, interest in the VN Group A Commodore has soared in recent years and with relatively few unmodified, original examples around, finding a good car for sale is becoming increasingly difficult.