HSV W427 – 200 vehicle build cap
December 17, 2008 by Paul Maric
Holden Special Vehicles has today confirmed that it will cap the production of the HSV W427 at 200 vehicles – the final number will be determined when last orders are taken in June next year – and will eventually build another super-Commodore.
The $155,000 HSV is the most expensive HSV ever. Packing a 7.0-litre LS7 V8 engine, HSV claims it sprints from 0-100km/h in the mid four-second barrier, making it an ultra-fast Aussie hauler.
HSV Managing Director, Phil Harding said “The W427 program has been a great success, ahead of target and ahead of plan.”
The final W427 will roll off the production line in the latter part of 2009, prompting HSV to remind potential purchasers to place orders quickly for this very limited edition HSV.
“Existing W427 customers have told us they want to keep their purchase as exclusive as possible and some potential customers have asked us for clarification on exactly how many W427 Supercars we intend to build,” Mr Harding said.
“The confirmation of a total build number of 200 does this,” he added.
However, some customers may never know what it is like to really use their purchase as they are reputed to have put their purchase straight into storage.
“There’s a few I know of that have just been garaged,” Mr Harding said. “One customer has bought two – one to drive and one to keep.”
Mr Harding also told CarAdvice that the W427 program had been a complete success and as such would probably be repeated by HSV in the future.
“Although I don’t expect we will do anything similar inside three to five years,” he added.
HSV says 96 cars have so far been built and about another 40 orders, the car is only confirmed for construction when a retail customer places a confirmed order, are on hand, which leaves about 60 places in the order book for the remaining cars.
So if you’re intending on sinking $155,000 into a HSV, join the queue quickly!
Print it: 
Well then what can we say Devil666, you obviously don’t know a good car when you own one. I have driven both of those cars and there is no other way to say it other than you are so wrong! The Calais? Handling better than a CLK500? I am actually laughing! What Elitist should have said a that only people with no taste go from European to Australian. You cannot compare a taxi to a Mercedes-Benz coupe. And Wheels magazine is hardly a reputable source, not to mention their obvious bias toward Holden.
i do think it would be fun to drive but the car is over priced.
as for This is the greatest car on the planet. you got to be kidding
Cant really compare the W427 to the GTR – the GTR has no geniune back seat. Really though, the W427 is lacklustre compared to euro competitors (and the bigger lexus, for that matter). It looks good, but not beautiful, its interior is tacky and gauche, and really it is just not that fast. It has little class. It is a pretty quick sedan with a huge engine. Holden boys will love it to death, and good on them. They will be carrying on about them for 20 years, so there will always be some market for them as a curiosity, if anything, and it will fuel many discussions at the BBQ (and probably on this site)…
Devil666
That “Boss” produces virtually the same power and more torque as ya where H.S.V needs 6.2 Litre where the F.P.V
only needs 5.4 Litre to do the same.
As for the Z-R1 Nurbs’ time was more to do with the Vette’s -
“light weight” &
“HUGE engine capacity”
NOT engine efficiency
Would be suprised if any of the mentioned manufacturers have sold as many vehicles (performanced based) as HSV in the past two years. FPV certainaly hasn’t.
One thing people always forget is track times, whether it be 1/4 mile, philip island or even nurburgring don’t necessarily equal driving pleasure, or the smile a car puts on your face after driving it.
Now I know no one commenting here has driven a W427, so I find it a bit rough listening to people bag the car. I’m no holden fan, but good on them for having a go.
anti spam word = datsun : )
Alex – Have you seen what make of car is used in Europe as taxis?
devil666
if the f6 had bigger wheels and tyres it could keep up with the W427 or if you willing to spend a few hundered on a flash tune it will destroy it 155k is to much for a commadore or new falcon.
the w427’s biggest problem is it don’t fell like 155k inside it fells like a commodore.
Escort Ghia hahahahahahah what a great car they were too !! If my grandmother had balls !! if if if if but it hasnt and it doesnt !! (the F6 that is)
Too true AKP – Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda!
Quote [Escort Ghia] : the W-427’s biggest problem is it don’t feel like 155k inside it feels like a commodore.
could that be because the W427 is derived from a Commodore.
I mean that’s like saying the inside of the IS-F feels like a Camry.
Inorder to keep the price of their cars relatively competitive with other Luxury Performance Sports Sedans manufacturers including HSV base their cars on a tried and tested car such as the Commodore and then simply make a range of enhancments and improvements
Very few Sports cars such as those people have compared the W-427 to are hand-built from the ground up on a completely seperate platform [to other cars in the range] with all unique parts or features etc
If they did you’d be looking at closer to $1-1.5m not $100-150k
akp
you can say what you want but the truth is my escort is more comfortabel than my old man calis and its faster dose the 1/4 in 4.38 and its only a normaly asperated 2.0,
has never broken down sounds better than and new car and handles like one and only cost just over 5,500 might i ask what you drive (could use some work on the brakes.).
If the are so bad why would people still choose to race these in rallys over anyo ther car they still win.
Escort, sorry to knock your pride and joy but i was an apprentice at Ford during the Escort period and still have nightmares. More comfortable than a Calais? Doesnt the Calais have climate control, power steering, elec seats, and even intermitant wipers? I am guessing the 1/4 in 4.38 is a typo. I drive a VE SSV AND LOVE IT.
An escort wouldn’t pull a 4.38 falling off a cliff.
Gentlemen don’t care about Quarter mile speeds as on Fridays they choose to take out women to dinner rather than spend it eating “hot chips” out of a bucket at Calder park.
Escort Ghia: with a 1/4 mile time of 4.38… If I was you I’d have another look at your car again … That’s not an Escort youve got thats Victor Brays Top Fuel Door Slammer 57 Chev you’ve got in your garage
Because the only way an Escort could reach anywhere near that time is with wind assistance of over $100Km/h
climate control, power steering, elec seats, and even intermitant wipers are unessasery in a car that gets driven on weekends i drive a dule fule VK Calais 5.0L everyday.
As for power steering if you have every driven an escort you would know they don’t need power steering there like a gokart to drive and no 4.38 is not a typo a few mods on the 2.0L OHC engine which has 70KW, 93BHP standared my pumps out 151kw or 203bhp and ways just over 900kg make it very quick.
yes i ment 14.38
The ‘M’ cars Wheelnut are built on a different line etc from the normal cooking 3 series. In fact if you do your research ‘M’ division make more modifications to the donor car than HSV do to theirs. I am not taking away from what HSV do as they do a good job with the base car, but they hardly change the base structure of a Commodore as much as what BMW do for the M3. Sure HSV fit wilder guards and the extremely good MRC shock absorbers, but they still use the same suspension mounting points etc. They just re-tune it to suit their application. The BMW M3 on the other hand has completely different suspension mounting points/arms/geometries than the cooking 3. There are also many more changes under the skin. It may look like a beefed up 3 series coupe, but underneath the skin it is a completely different car. As good as what it is, the W427 is still a $35,000 Commodore underneath with some well sorted add-ons. I am sure the W427 is an excellent car that has some advantage over some of the Euros, but at the end of the day, it is STILL a $155k Commodore with the cabin plastics etc that go with a $35k fleet car (however a lot of the BMW interior plastics these days aren’t much better!!!) By the way, I am not a Holden, Ford or Toyota fan. They all make good and bad cars!!! ;-)
The problem with this car is that Holden/holden fans say that this will be a classic (thus the high price).
Correct me if i’m wrong, but isn’t a classic car called “classic” if it has acheived something in its lifetime? Something like crushing the competition in the track (touring car), an icon that would pulverise in the look and comfort department, etc etc….
I don’t see anything like that relating to the W427. All it is is a limited edition, and that’s not worth $155k if it doesn’t achieve something special that the competitor ($155k or above) cannot achieve.
I believe that the R35 GT-R “SHOULD” have been a limited edition…now that car has achieved something….and would be a car to be remembered as the supercar killer.
let’s get back to talking about the escort!
Yeah, i hear they are as quick as a top fueler, and more comfortable too !!
Its not just Holden Fans that belive the W-427 will become a “Classic Collectable” in the Future – several Motoring Journalists say it will too.. Journalists who have driven more [performance] cars than you or I let alone most Holden fans ever will.
Inorder to be considered a classic a car doesn’t necessarily have to have achieved a crushing victory on the track.. it can also be considered a classic because of its sheer performance; its design [the way it looks], its technological or engineering brilliance etc, or because it set a particular benchmark..
Which the The W-427 did as its the fastest production car ever built in Australia.. Therefore; it qualifies
BC and AKP grow up so i missed out on the 1 wow.
As for the VE SSV greate car but i would rather be seen in the escort becouse it is already a consider a classic something your VE SSV will never be.
A CarAdvice forum turning into a childish slanging match? Who would have guessed.
Don’t cry kiddies, none of you even own a car anything like this.
W427 v’s GT-R?
None of you will every own either… so why compare?
Oh, and I hear Nissan have removed the launch control cause they are sick of replacing dead gearboxes at US30k a pop.
Wheelnut “that” 57 Chev Drag Car of Victor Bray
runs a Chrysler v8 not a Super Chev v8
LOL@kids you must be psycic, how would you know who owns what on this forum. Whats next weeks lotto numbers???
Wheelnut Says:
December 18th, 2008 at 11:17 am
“Inorder to keep the price of their cars relatively competitive with other Luxury Performance Sports Sedans manufacturers including HSV base their cars on a tried and tested car such as the Commodore and then simply make a range of enhancments and improvements”
I wouldn’t call the W427 luxury mate – a $50K Accord hs more luxury appointments. Problem is for a $155K car the W427 is a vehicle with features comparable to a $40K car, not $150K.
LOL@Kids. I currently drive a White 40th Anniversary VE GTS and am picking up a W427 on the 5th of Jan. Care to share any more words of wisdom with the viewers.
I agree this will be a collectible but will take a while to appreciate beyond the asking price.
Nice car but probably overpriced as are the other cars mentioned.
is-f LOL.
To all Holden/HSV fans – An article in the Jan09 issue of Motor says HSV are looking at adding intercooled Turbo Diesel to their line up.
At the moment there are a couple of “mules” driving around powered by a 3.0 litre inline 6 cylinder diesel from BMW.. The other option though is BMWs 4.4 litre V8 diesel which produces more power than the W427
Which means if the plan goes ahead you could be either an Aussie Bogan or a Bavarian Bogan.
Schah – I know but Victors 57 Chev is probably one of Australias most well known dragsters. His son Ben Bray has a Holden Ute with a 2500hp V8 in it but it ain’t a Holden V8 – I think its a Keith Black “Special”
427 recalls and trips back to the dealership, this is an overpriced COMMON BOMBODORE…
Yes BC, I do know there are lot of Mercedes-Benz’ as taxis in Europe, but they are not coupes, and they are certainly not CLK500s.
I don’t think this will ever be more valuable than it is new. Apart from anything, it would take fifty years to be valuable and I don’t think petrol will be available for cars by then, and if it is, it will probably be rationed to amounts too small to ever let this car stretch it’s legs. Not to mention the fact that $155,000 isn’t that much money and they can’t shift 427 new ones, what makes anybody think they will be able to shift old “classics” at say, $300,000? $400,000? in another forty or fifty years? And of course from time passing and money changing, it would have to be more like $1,000,000 by then and I don’t think anybody would pay that and rightly so – it’s a Holden!
Quote [Pablo = from the Topic to do with TRDs being axed]
I can’t imagine HSV not building 427 of the W427 model due to their customers telling them they want exclusivity.
Car Advice reported back in July that they will build less than 427 “if there is an unlikely lack of demand.”
Times are tough & HSV have realised if they keep building these things they will eventually have to discount them to get them shifted – not something that will be done on a collectable car.
Pablo – that is the situation at the moment yes times are aboit tough and sales are down across the board.
However; Unlike TRD which is ceasing production of their cars HSV will continue.
Therefore; if things pick up they will be able to re-introduce the W-427 and make the remaining 227 cars
Anyway in the past car companies/dealers have done various things including reduce prices inorder to shift slow moving stock.. and in a number of ases those cars have become classic collectables – the XC Cobra for example.
Unfortunatley though its Highly unlikely the TRD will become a Collectable held in the same esteem as the Cobra