2007 VE ClubSport R8 with Walkinshaw TOMCAT exhaust
July 7, 2007 by Alborz Fallah
“Not that we needed any more road presence than the “Ignition” coloured ClubSport R8, but now we had one of the best sounds in the automotive world, courtesy of Walkinshaw Performance”
When we got the word from HSV that we could have take a ClubSport R8 fitted with a louder exhaust system together with GM’s 6-speed manual tranny for a few days, we dropped what we were doing and left immediately.
When HSV is not enough, Walkinshaw performance can sort you out with a lolly shop full of go fast goodies for any Holden or HSV model. Just listen to the sound:
HSV’s “Ignition” paint job is loud, but nowhere near as loud as the TOMCAT exhaust system fitted by the Walkinshaw tuning shop.
It’s a 2 ½ inch stainless Steel system running from the catalytic converter through to the twin oval chrome tipped pipes as per the photo below.
It’s not so much the twin oval pipes; in fact, the standard R8 four-pipe ‘look’ is by far the pick. The problem is, if you like your V8 sound served loud, you have to wait until you are spinning the engine at around 5000-6000rpm before that glorious V8 Supercar-like roar kicks in.
All that changes with a $1695 TOMCAT exhaust system on board. From the moment you fire up this car and blip the throttle, there’s a noticeable increase in the ‘base’ of the V8. This is surely what a high-powered HSV was meant to sound like.
Engage 1st gear and give it a bit, and before you are through with second, you’ll be doing 110km/h. Three-hundred and twelve kilowatts (they reckon its good for an extra 5kW) is a shed load of power and you can now hear it, in full surround sound.
The T-56 TREMEC gearbox is nice and meaty, and the six-speed shifter has a great look and feel. Shifts are precise, with well-placed ratios and a superb clutch action, that allows for easy hill starts.
Incidentally, this transmission is used in a host of four-wheel rockets including the Dodge Viper, Corvette Z06 and the Aston Martin Vanquish, so the R8 ClubSport is in good hands.
While the six-speed auto box is suburban friendly, the manual option, combined with the Walkinshaw exhaust, is by far the more exciting drive. By Anthony Crawford
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Primo!
Love the name TOMCAT!
Rear wing has to go, more stealth please
O/A
Its nicer than the last model but the 2008 Falcon styling beats the Holden hands down. Ford have a winner
haha yeh thats a good one rod i love there new platic f6 and the other shit. comparing the ‘new’ falcon to this beast is just plain fukin stupid, its a brand new design with a lot more new engineering a lot more then what u could say about the falcon ist just basicly a face lift ba/bf which was a shit performance car itself. cant wait for the series 2 ve as theres talk of hsv supercharging.
Walkingstick Commondore……………Just like HSV not owned by Holden…What is Holden doing for you???
FPV is 51% owned by Ford so at lest we have an argument!
I have a walkinshaw/hm headers full exhaust system on a 6 speed auto and its sounds like Sh*#t. whilst I did get resonable power gains with an edit and exhaust I was dissapointed in the walkinshaw?hm headers system which promised so much and delivered a drone and blah sound! Yes Hm Headers make the walkinshaw system for them and dont bother taking issue with Hm headers as they have in my experience never really bothered about aftermarket customer service.
WOW and I still don’t want one, well if someone gave me one yes and I would sell it a.s.a.p.
BAVARIAN MISILE IN THE USA, fpv is actually owned by tom walkinshaw at 51% of the market, so get your facts right. you making yourself sound like a little boy. and im starting to think you look like one!
Tom Walkinshaw dont own FPV. 1991 Tickford engineering who are Prodrive now own the FPV range along with Ford. The Ford Australia/Tickford partnership produced the original Falcon XR6 and XR8 models. I was at the test track to see the launch of the XRs back then. Back then the XR6 a non turbo was a V8 beater. I hate to have walkingshaw in control of a car company.
Yay! Cheap cars…
/me has fun!
Well, well aren’t forums fun they really bring out the colours red or blue!!
I have 2007 VE clubby and it’s going to Walky in about two months time for attention can’t wait, very happy with the car but agree with Ottoau looks good without the rear wing!! Happy chasing fords
geez i’d take one of them over a gto anyday!!
^Who wouldn’t?
got a 20th anniversary ve suppercharged with a walki 2.1/2,
dont bother!needs a 3…..to the power20
Again dont either bother with the walkinshaw exhaust. I was really excited to have one fitted and to be let down BIGTIME with Walkinshaws drone and NON attention to serious issues raised by customers. I have since found a free flowing 3″ system with NO drone producing more kw and very sweet sounding. Again Hm headers make all the walkinshaw system which are mass produced to a very low quality with very little packing in the boxes and a bad design allowing excessive Drone at that sweet spot of 60km 80km and 110km. they all sound good when you drive em round flat out but the real test is normal driving conditions and thats when things have to made right, Sadly walkinshaw IMO doesnt come close.
I have to disagree with a few of the comments above.
The early systems made for Walkinshaw by HM/Perry did have issues. They have never denied that. However, to their credit, they re-developed the system and re-released it. To date, there have been no more issues with drone, and it continues to be a great performing and sounding system.
The quality of the systems is fantastic and fit perfectly the first time with no modifications. (Unlike many other systems available at the moment)
Just my personal opinion, based on my information and experiences.