2009 Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst Edition
February 11, 2009 by George Skentzos
In a move that will no doubt cause some controversy here in Australia, Holden (HSV) has released two new special Bathurst edition models into its overseas Vauxhall line-up.
The new Bathurst and Bathurst S Edition models bare an uncanny resemblance to the 40th Anniversary GTS, although also sport a few choice performance upgrades to go with the stripes.
With the addition of a Walkinshaw Performance 122 Supercharger, the 6.2-litre LS3 engine of the Bathurst S develops an enormous 417kW and 715Nm – well clear of our local W427 flagship.
The comprehensively engineered package also includes a large capacity intercooler, high-flow fuel injectors, a separate cold air intake and Walkinshaw-developed ECU map, while the standard manual gearbox is upgraded with a high-torque capacity clutch.
To reign in the extra horsepower on the supercharged model and give the normally-aspirated model some street cred, both Bathurst Edition models also boast a new Walkinshaw Performance brake and suspension package.
This includes a new set of six-piston callipers up front with four-piston down the rear, along with stiffer, height-adjustable springs and Walkinshaw-developed coil-over dampers.
The bespoke damper units have 15 separate valve settings with independent corner adjustment for the owner’s preferred setup.
To visually differentiate the Bathurst Edition models from the normal VXR8, they have received a near identical stripe package as the 40th Anniversary GTS.
Although in addition to this, the new models boast front fog light covers, ‘Bathurst’ badging, a console-mounted badge showing the car’s build number and ‘Walkinshaw Performance’ tread plates.
Finally, as a true track day prospect the Bathurst models also feature an optional Bi-Modal Exhaust system which offers two noise settings: ‘Street’, with an upper limit of 92dbA, or ‘Optimum’, which releases the LS3 V8’s full 102dbA.
The twin two-and-a-half inch stainless steel system also unlocks a further 7kW from the big V8 and adds a touch of class with unique chrome tail-pipe finishers.
In the UK, the standard Bathurst Edition is priced at around AUD$84,000 while the Bathurst S Edition comes in at AUD$99,500.
With such a large price gap in the Australian HSV line-up between the GTS and W427, it’s difficult to understand why Australians weren’t offered a similar package with the 40th Anniversary GTS.
Print it: 
That’s it! I’m moving to Blighty…
“With such a large price gap in the Australian HSV line-up between the GTS and W427, it’s difficult to understand why Australians weren’t offered a similar package with the 40th Anniversary GTS.”
I’d say it’s simple to understand. The Bathurst S trumps the W427 in almost every way. Styling (obviously subjective), Power, Handling, Price and even the W427’s best feature, Exclusivity. After all HSV only made 100 40th Anniversary GTS’ for us here….
I think you’re right Brett.
Although after seeing two W427s at Top Gear Live I’ve changed my mind about the styling!
Love the number plates! Imagine Clarkson’s (read: tossers) review to this one..
Holdens W427 flagship was alway’s a rip off, this exported bathurst range will hurt true Holden fans even more deeply, the VE shape is looking dated and boring, also whats with black stripes on the left side of the bonnet, a three year old would have more imagination, is it Holdens (Vauxall) new signature for Try Hard Excellence.
not anymore
Actually, this car IS available in Australia. All of the upgrades on this car are straight out of the Walkinshaw Performance catalogue and can be ordered on your brand new HSV directly through HSV dealers.
Research car advice….
I almost misread Bathurst as Bratwurst. Hmm.. it does look like a big ***ing bratwurst.
Richo, this car is NOT available in Australia, no matter how pedantic you want to be about it.
umm, why is there a pic of a Rav4 v6?
“fords are better value than holden”
“are not”
“yes they are”
“Holdens rule, you bunch of ford loving w…kers”
ho hum, just my prediction for what the bulk of the next 50 comments will be that get posted to this article.
Really Richo? So its optioned up to these specks from Walky?I take it HSV wouldn’t warrant the car though?
I like this much better than the W427 ,although the eyelashes over the fog lights look wrong!
‘GIVE ME A FORD ANYDAY” I think the stripes on the right hand side are suppose to represent those that were on the early Bathurst Monaro’s .
“‘Walkinshaw Performance’ tread plates.” ??? Are these scuff plates ?
Would love to hear one full noise through that 2 1/2 inch system!
Aussies once again ripped off
any 0-100 times?
Richo Says:
February 11th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Actually, this car IS available in Australia. All of the upgrades on this car are straight out of the Walkinshaw Performance catalogue and can be ordered on your brand new HSV directly through HSV dealers.
Research car advice…
- You can’t buy the bi-modal exhaust system from WP.
Hmmm…
It’s a slap in the face that cars like this are not offered by HSV in Oz.
This thing will be an absolute weapon, like the last Monaro in UK that was supercharged.
ALLAN,
true,but they are still available elsewhere.type ve into youtube,shouldn’t take long…
BM,
At full noise i am sure it would make lots of knee’s quiver. Its a shame to here HSV and FPV are falling out of favour. I have a FPV dealer in the same group and i often help out with the odd yard change, maybe i escape for a quick squirt up the road every now and again, you know, blow out the cobb webbs and that :)
I’m with you Richo, walk into your local Walkinshaw Performance shop and all these add ons are available.
Also Allan D, knowing a few guys that work at WP the Bi-Modal exhaust is available you just have to ask the right person.
To Vauxhall is this supposed to be some sort of a reverse of the Astra VXR Nurburgring edition that we get in Australia?
Also to cast everyones minds back to the Monaro VXR that came as a Monaro VXR500 which was supercharged, also it was almost exactly the same price as the NA version. So the Pom’s supercharging our export HSV’s is nothing new!
hahaha I think we use to call it carby dust in the old days Salesman! They are fun cars to drive still , this would be superb ! Yeah their raw horsepower compared to the sophisticated Euro stuff,but thats what make them fun to drive.
Even at this price I think its cheap horsepower in a drivable package.So the rest of the drive train is the same? Stock !
I read today that G-Power have just made twin supercharger kit for the current M5 ,the 559 kW kit will set you back around USD$72,000. Walkys upgrade costs what? Anyone know ?
the supercharger from WP costs $15,500 + $2100 for exhaust.
BM, there is an article on the Walkinshaw website about a WP470 which is a clubby given some extra equipment with 470kw/770nm not 415kw like the Bathurst S.
The supercharger set-up is $15,500, plus $2100 for the exhaust. 30mm lower WP suspension worth $690 and some wheels and tyres for some grip and its not all that expensive.
Here’s a link http://www.walkinshawperforman.....asp?ID=330
And I don’t work for WP or anything like that just came across this article when looking for go fast bits for my SS.
Ok what HSV need is a new restyled front bar. The current front bar is looking extremely dated. Some new rims, their rims are getting worse with each model. Better sounding exhaust options, hardly sounds like a V8 anymore let alone a 6.2 litre. Have you heard how loud a stock C63 is? If Merc can get away with HSV should find away to make their V8’s sound louder. They also need to use some light weight materials and drop some weight out of these cars. They are way too heavy. They need to provide their cars with better seats and more padding, not the flat cheap stuff that’s in them now. It’s a performance brand give us performance bits! Finally 317Kw and 550Nm out of a 6.2 litre V8 in 2009 is just not good enough and not going to cut it anymore. Every HSV should be well into the 12 sec 1/4 and 4 second mark for the 0-100 without fail day in day out tested by any mag. They need to pull the finger out and take these things to 600+Nm and 350Kw of power. Don’t increase the price if anything reduce it a little.
All this will put HSV up there again and rejuvenate the brand. Now if only they have the balls to do it.
Thanks Mick and Dlr1,thats pretty good bolt performance,especially the exhaust. Got to agree thats not expensive.
If Im seen on this thread much longer everyone will think Ive absconded to the darkside …hahaha
Custom made 3 inch for my Coupe cost $1800 15 years ago ,is the exhuast local or made to order in Asia,they make some pretty good stuff there.
Anti-Spam ,do you remember the days of the horsepower wars ,way back in the 1970s ! HSV and FPV are more than able to give you more grunt,and cheap too,you only have to see how many small tweaks you have to make to take off a second down the quarter . Why dont they ? I dont think either of them want to go back to the war that forced the stoppage of the phase 4!
Why do the poms get to have all the fun? Wheres the Aussie version?
Allan D – You can only not get the exhaust because of our local ADR rules that restrict noise more heavily then in the UK.
Bav Missile – yep, HSV honour the warranty unless its a failure of the aftermarket product, in which case walkinshaw covers it. Either way the car is fully warrantied.
George – you just can! No matter how padentic YOU want to be about it. Both Wheels and Motor have done features of a local HSV optioned up almost identically to this, just without the badge and the exhaust as stated above and have explained how you can order this car through the HSV dealer network. Remember of ofcourse that Tom Walkinshaw owns both HSV and walkinshaw performance…..
So no you can’t order a “Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst edition” but you CAN order a HSV R8 with the exact same supercharger, suspension and brakes modifications directly through a HSV dealer with full warranty. Whats so difficult about putting that in your article rather then trying to stir up a bit of anti-holden/hsv sentiment? Oh thats right… website hits
oh and George the reason Holden don’t want HSV to offer the package as standard on any specific HSV model is because Holden don’t want the negative image of such a car, remember the supercar scare? Also it would steal the sales of the W427, obviously, so HSV just isn’t allowed to publically advocate the model. But you most definetly CAN get a car exactly the same through a HSV dealer, so don’t try and tell me that you can’t get this car in Australia! As I said, the only reason you didn’t put all of this in your article is because either A you just didn’t know about it or B exactly as i said before, stir-up some anti-holden sentiment for website hits… thats fairly well up car advice’s ally of tricks isn’t it?
Richo, the reason why I omitted it from the article is that while these parts are available as options by HSV the new car warranty is NOT guaranteed.
WP parts are no different from any other aftermarket performance shop in regards to warranty.
As a production model, an equivalent Bathurst S in the Australian HSV line-up would be completely covered under a new car warranty.
The only reason they are even offered through HSV is because they are owned by the same individual.
This is a direct quote from the Walkinshaw website:
“Please note that your vehicle manufacturer’s warranty may be voided by the fitment of our products.”
I would prefer if you did some research rather than blindly insulting the credibilty of the article.
So much for that “Holden means a great deal to Australia” propaganda campaign. Obviously, we’re so important that Holden sees fit to sell us an inferior car (W427) for $50k more.
From memory FPV didnt warrant after market stuff IF fitted by
any other than a FPV workshop ! I would think the same would apply to HSV/WALKY stuff.
Many a time my ex would throw his cold air intake,under drive pulleys and the chip out of the BA GT when it came to taking the car in for warranty,yet the wanker down the road in his Black GTP that had 10k of after market mods added by a FPV dealer are warranted!
I think thats what Walky are saying on their products being fitted.
George – Richo is right the car which all the Walkinshaw Perfromance parts have been added on to inorder to create the Bathurst Edition is available in Australia because when you look at it the car is essentially a Clubsport which is already sold in the UK as the VX-R8.
If ou were or are fortunate enough to visit your local HSV dealership you too could order a VE Clubsport then have it sent [next door] to Walkinshaw Performance to have the supercharger bolted on the suspension and brake upgrades the new exhaust and even the customised interior. so that you will end up with a car the same as the one in the article.
As for the warranty of your new HSV bbeing voided; In an article that appeard in Motor [last year sometime] about a Atomic Green GTS which had a number of WP go fast bits on it; Chris Harding from HSV has said that if the enhancements are done when the customer places his/her order the warranty will remain intact. However; if you took your Commodore to the Walkinshaw workshop to have similar improvements made the Warranty would be voided
I gotta agree with George in that you cant get this vehicle here.
even if you could get every part fitted, and even if you could still keep HSV’s warranty, its still not going to be plated as being a bathurst model.
its no different to why an executive commodore with a heap of WP mods is still not a HSV.
The HSVW427 and the Bathurst Edition cllubsport are completely differnet cars.
The W427 is HSVs version of an out and out race car for designed for the road… Similar to the Lexus AS-IF for example .. and just like the AS-IF; the W-427 has a premium price tag.
Whereas the Bathurst Edition VX-R8 is a Clubsport with a number of Walkinshaw Performance parts added onto it – like the IS250 Sport is as it has a number of TRD go fast bits on it.. and both the Clubbie and the Lexus can have the parts retro fitted to an existing model yet it will void the warranty if not done when the order is placed.
I don’t see the big deal, if you want that car, go buy a clubsport for about 55k (yes they are that cheap), head over to walkinshaw performance, tick all the boxes, and get one for under 100k, with a full factory warranty.
I just want the grunt and under warranty! At that price its still a bargain,who cares about the badge!
Wheelnut, from Walkinshaw themselves on the LS1 Forum:
Hi,
At this stage that is incorrect, we have our own 12 month warranty only.
There is no agreement for any factory style warranty through WP.
AL
That comment was in response to another user saying that HSV would offer a factory warranty on WP modified vehicles.
Believe me having been previously interested in WP parts myself there is no guaranteed factory warranty.
At best apparently HSV will ignore some minor bolt-on mods and honour the factory warranty but there is no guarantee, and WP obviously have their own parts warranty obligations.
Andrew M: I doubt many Poms would know what or where Bathurst is.. they would be better of calling it the Manchester United edition.
The difference between this car and an Executive with an After-market HSV bodykit is that this is actually a genuine HSV so it still has the cred that the HSV have established.. the other thing is that the work on this car is certified and some of it is done by the blokes who work or have worked on the HRT cars guys who know what they are doing and not Your cuzin Jimmy
Either way… Personally I’d go for thew W-427
George: Regardless as to whether or not it voids the warranty you are yet to admit that anyone who orders a new VE Clubsport or even a Maloo can elect to have the car sent to Walkinshaw Performance to have similar options fitted or modifications made to their car
Otherwise theres Starr Performance; CAPA not to mention CSV who would be more than happy to help you build a Car based on an HSV with as much power as this car if not more
So yet again the fact remains this car or a car like this is available in Australia through HSV.. or someone else
In some country this car was called collector’s car.
And car company put premium price tag and sale limited numbers…But they could not sale all of them.
Some says “It’s ripped off.”
Wheelnut, in my first response to Richo I acknowledged these options were indeed available.
The fact remains that a new car buyer CANNOT purchase a Bathurst S or a new car equivalent here in Australia as there is no guarantee it will retain a full factory warranty.
As such there was no reason to include aftermarket performance parts in an article related to a production car intended for new car buyers.
For —ks sake, just buy an FG F6……game over !!
Just gos to show for half the money of a w427 you can go a lot quicker and save a fortune while having fun
To say that no one in Australia can buy a car like this as there is no guarantee that they will retain the full factory warranty is like saying no one in Australia can go sky diving as their is no guarantee the parachute will open.. or that no one in Australia can go on a plane because there is no guarantee that it won’t crash.
Given that the guys at Clayton WP HSV/HRT are experts at this sort of work as they specialise in working on HSVs there’s less chance of a mechanical failure such as a piston becoming detached from the conrod or the supercharger catching fire than there would be if the work was done by your average grease monkey
Ok Im confused,the one going to the UK is warranted ? But the same car here optioned up with Walky stuff isnt? Go figure?
I’m not sure but I seem to recall that the supercharger and all the work that was done to the Supercharged Monaro in the UK was actually done by TWR in the UK as WP wasn’t around back then and Vauxhall wanted something special to add to their perfromance car range
Quote [Give Me A Ford Anyday[: ” what’s with black stripes on the left side of the bonnet? a three year old would have more imagination”
The stupid decals that are emblazonned right across the bonnet of the new FPV range look just as tacky!
At least the Stripes on the HSV have a link back to Holdens racing heritage with the old HK GTS Monaros
Oh that looks nice but will they ever sell any here. I’ve only ever seen 1 VRX in stock form. Having said that, I’d rather be able to drive this in the UK than 100kmh Aussieland. I might have pulled 210Khm on the way up north yesterday in the Vectra 1.9CDTi… Soooo fast.
George – you accuse ME of being pedantic, but read over your last few posts, your ducking and weaving the point like a seasoned polition.
Fact is, you SHOULD have mentioned in your article that a car of identical specification, just without a stupid little badge, can infact be ordered not just in Australia, but directly through the HSV dealer network and fitted by the company before you take delivery.
The reason you didn’t was because you wanted to instigate a negative holden/hsv response in the comments to boost your hit counts to make more money. You can deny this all you like, but we are not idiots! Fact is we don’t mind because we like the entertainment the site provides and if money helps it happen then all the power to you, but don’t treat us like idiots and spend all your time coming on here to try and defend yourself because you come accross poorly when you do it and loose a lot more credibility then my little comments ever could
IMO stripes on side of that bonnet looks (Gay) out of proportion, The FPV range include better quality, character and a heap more class, something HSV seem to disregard, also the entire Holden (rebadge) line up is no match with any Ford currently on our roads, so you can cry all day, no one will listen.
just like no one is listening to you