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HSV GTS-R W1 final editions spied – last ute and sedan models spotted in Victoria

CarAdvice has been sent new images of the final ever HSV versions of the Holden Commodore and Holden Ute – the vehicles you see here are the HSV GTS-R W1 sedan and HSV GTS-R W1 ute.


That's what we think they are, anyway: these spy images were allegedly taken outside HSV's head office in Clayton, Victoria according to the source that sent them to us, and with grainy image quality and the badges taped over, it's hard to tell if these are the real deal... But we think they are. They were snapped by Street N Strip Auto Images.

It's our first glimpse of the new, and last, HSV models based on the locally-made Commodore and Ute, as the performance tuning company plans to go out with a bang before Holden shuts down its local production facilities on October 20, 2017.

And what a bang it will be: it is expected that the HSV GTS-R W1 models will be powered by a LS9 6.2-litre V8 supercharged engine pulled from the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, with a stonking 476kW of power and 820Nm of torque. That would make it the most powerful HSV, and the most powerful Commodore, ever. If you're wondering what W1 stands for, its to denote the fact that these cars will be built at the Walkinshaw-owned HSV headquarters where these images were snapped.

That much performance won't come cheap, though: there are rumours and scuttlebutt that these final W1 models may be priced at the atmospherically high end – we're talking $170,000, apparently – but that's yet to be confirmed. You'd expect that sort of price would bring with it some exclusivity, and it will, as the rumour-mill says that just 250 units will be the total production run.

Can't quite stretch that far? HSV is said to be working on a slightly less manic model, simply known as the GTS-R, which will miss out on the Corvette engine and instead get a less powerful engine. Details on that are still to be confirmed.

These images don't give a lot away about what to expect in terms of styling, either. Sure, there's a new rear bumper with new exhaust flange surrounds, a new lower body kit in black, new wheels and, we think, a more aggressive front bumper design with a sharp lower splitter. And check out the size of the brakes on both the ute and the car – as well as huge power, there'll be big stopping power as well. We're keen to see what it looks like when HSV reveals the car – and the ute – in the coming weeks.

The new model is expected to be on sale in the second quarter of this year. We await final confirmation and full pricing and specs of the HSV GTS-R and HSV GTS-R W1 models.

The highest-priced HSV to date was the HSV W427, which retailed at $155,500 – so the brand has history in asking big bucks for its cars. That car had a capped production run of 200 units, but reports suggest HSV actually only sold 138 examples.

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