LS1 Double Take

Car One - The Detailed VX SS

Check it out. This ex-police Holden VX SS Commodore – owned by Peter X of Sydney - is one of the most detailed you'll ever see.

Peter is a person who's big on detail, so it should be no surprise that the first mods to his VX SS were to the sad-looking cloth interior. Up front, a pair of SS ute leather seats were bolted in while the rear seat was trimmed in matching leather. To achieve a high contrast look, Peter also splashed red leather over the door trims and the rear shelf. Even the steering wheel copped the red leather treatment. Look really closely and you might also notice the Calais handbrake and trans selector buttons and HSV scuff plates.

Another big interior feature is the Monaro dash, which has copped a red suede covering. The dashboard houses a high-end Alpine CD stacker head unit, which feeds three boot-mounted Pioneer amps, Pioneer front splits, rear 6 x 9s and a single 12-inch Pioneer sub.

Check out the inside of the boot and you'll see more of Peter's detailing excellence. Those three Pioneer amps are arranged in a visually attractive arrangement and the entire boot is beautifully trimmed. There's even a Holden lion emblem cut into the carpet on the rear of the backrest. A friend of Peter's can be thanked for the boot fit-out.

The next priority after the interior was the LS1 bent-eight engine.

Charlie from Conrod Motorsport (CMS) entered the scene to bore the standard throttle body, modify and recalibrate the airflow meter, and install a CMS high-flow 'adrenalin' pipe (which connects the MAF to the throttle). The restrictive factory exhaust was also upgraded to a 2½ into 3-inch system, which extends back from a pair of HSV Grange cat converters. Heat-coated CAPA 4>1 headers were also bolted to the side of the heads.

Performance is further improved with a CMS mild upgrade camshaft and LS1 Edit retune courtesy of Sam's Performance. Interestingly, CMS has also modified the fuel system and fitted a return line to the fuel tank – this helps lower the fuel temperature entering the engine.

Driving through the stock 4-speed auto trans, Peter's VX SS now makes 305hp at the wheels – well up on the factory 225hp-ish output. Peter tells us he's driven the car more than 40,000km and it hasn't missed a beat.

Of course, the exterior cosmetics couldn't go overlooked.

The ride height has been tweaked using 1½-inch lower King springs teamed with Monroe gas dampers. Peter says the car used to sit even lower, but he was forced to bump it back up slightly due to clearance issues. A Whiteline front suspension tower brace helps tighten up the chassis. The wheels of choice are attractive ROH Furies measuring 18 x 8. These are encrusted in Falken 235/40 rubber.

The body kit is an interesting one.

Manufactured by FibreMaster, the current kit is a copy of the GTS Monaro aero kit. Side skirts, front and rear bar and a rear spoiler complete the package, and Peter has added a GTS sedan rear window spoiler. At the time of our photo shoot, the body kit was only four weeks old - and it replaced a previous aftermarket kit that was beginning to fall apart.

There are body kits and there are body kits...

As you'd expect there are also some subtle body improvements. The chrome-finish door handles are from a Caprice, the headlights and taillights are Monaro and the front and rear disc brakes are HDT slotted jobs. Trick, eh?

Pop the bonnet and you'll see an interesting flame theme on the airbox and HSV rocker covers – done to exacting standards, of course.

It's hardly surprising Peter's VX SS has been used for weddings and has had great success at recent car shows. Peter says there isn't much left to do, except maybe put in a pair of bonnet vents and do a little bit more work inside the cabin.

“I use it as an everyday car,” says Peter, “and whatever I do next can't change that.”

It's a credit to him how he can keep his everyday machine so finely detailed!

Car Two - The Nitrous Sprayed Grange

The HSV Grange is Australia's version of an AMG S-class.

Its stretched wheelbase, leather-lined interior, Blaupunkt premium audio and optional DVD entertainment system and total comfort might spell soft an' cushy, but the tuned LS1 is anything but soft. Delivering 285kW at 5800 rpm (in the WK series) this is one speedy saloon.

Under the bonnet, the WK Grange (released in late '03 and built in limited numbers) scores a redesigned lower section of the airbox with a larger cold air intake and a smoothly contoured MAF pipe. The exhaust system has also been enhanced and the 4>1 extractors are very impressive for a factory effort.

Backing the 285kW LS1 is the 4L65E 4-speed heavy-duty auto originally seen in the Y-series HSV GTS. This strong trannie is great for anyone chasing more power. Retailing at AUD$85,990, the HSV Grange can accelerate to 100 km/h in the high 6s.

But what do you do when you want more performance without any obvious under-bonnet changes?

You turn to nitrous!

Sydney's Conrod Motorsport has fitted a 50hp wet manifold shot of N2O to the post-filter side of the Grange's airbox and has hidden almost all of the associated hardware out of sight. You have to know where to look to see the nitrous solenoid.

Accompanying the speed spray is a mild upgrade camshaft, ported and cc'd heads (which increase the compression ratio to 10.8:1), stainless valves, a CMS 'adrenalin' MAF pipe, aftermarket headers and a twin 2½ inch exhaust system. Like Peter's VX SS, the fuel system has been modified to include a return line and the factory ECU has been remapped.

With these mods, power output swollen to an impressive 318kW at the wheels. Despite the Grange's 1800-odd kilogram kerb mass, this should equate to easy 5 second 0 – 100 km/h acceleration.

Soft? Not this Grange!

Visually, the Grange is a tough yet sophisticated machine straight off the showroom floor. Add dark window tint and lowered suspension and it looks as sensational as, well, this example. The 18 inch wheels, 235/40 Bridgestone Potenzas and body kit are completely standard.

With good looks, oodles of performance and top-level luxury this Grange has it all!

Contact: Conrod Motorsport +61 2 9756 1880