The HSV VL SS Group A SV is a 4-door sedan from Holden, built from 1988, in the age of turbocharging and the first electronic engine management. Under the bonnet: 5.0 liter Holden 304.
The story
The Holden Commodore (VL) SS Group A SV was a limited run homologation special car produced by Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) for Group A racing. It was unveiled at the 1987 Sydney Motor Show. It was the first model produced by HSV. Based on the Holden Commodore VL built at the Holden Elizabeth Plant, it was only produced with 'Panorama Silver' paintwork. It had a 5.0-litre Holden V8 engine producing 180 kW (241 hp) and 380 N⋅m (280 lb⋅ft) of torque.
It was only available with a five-speed manual transmission, a 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) acceleration of 6.7 seconds, and quarter mile (402 metres) time of 14.9 seconds, and had a large rear spoiler. It was the first V8 model to use fuel injection. Wind tunnel testing for the car was conducted in England by Tom Walkinshaw Racing. The original production run of 500 was increased to 750 due to demand. News of the Holden Commodore VN release caused demand for the additional 250 units to slow.
What is underneath
Power comes from 5.0 liter Holden 304. It shifts through a 5-Speed BorgWarner BT5G manual. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Its family tree is legible: it took over from the HDT VL SS Group A; its successor was the HSV VN SS Group A; assembly was at Notting Hill, Victoria. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Subaru Legacy, the Ferrari F40, the BMW 5 Series — show what else the money bought that year. Nearby in the Holden catalogue sit the Holden 48-215 and the Holden Adventra.
What it costs now
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the HSV VL SS Group A SV has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.