The $80,000 Secret Holden Colorado V8 that almost went into production: The HSV SportsCat super ute was months away from the showroom floor, beating out the rumored Ford Ranger Raptor V8.
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The $80,000 Secret Holden Colorado V8 that almost went into production: The HSV SportsCat super ute was months away from the showroom floor, beating out the rumored Ford Ranger Raptor V8.

26.05.2022 /
The $80,000 Secret Holden Colorado V8 that almost went into production: The HSV SportsCat super ute was months away from the showroom floor, beating out the rumored Ford Ranger Raptor V8.

Shortly before the HSV SportsCat V8 was due to enter production, GM took the Holden brand offline.

Flash back to January 2020, and rumors about the potential development of a factory-approved dual-cab Ford Ranger Raptor V8 have intensified. Little did we know that HSV was actually on the same path at the time with the SportsCat V8 based in Holden, Colorado. In fact, there were only a few months left before the release.

Of course, a month later, General Motors (GM) not only announced it was cutting the Holden brand in Australia and New Zealand, but also the sale of the Colorado plant in Rayong, Thailand to Great Wall Motors (GWM). And with it went the chances of launching SportsCat V8 production.

Yes, parent company HSV Walkinshaw Group first publicly announced its plans to sell the SportsCat V8, noting that they are so advanced that final approval from GM came shortly before Holden's end of production was announced.

But the SportsCat V8 wasn't the only Colorado V8 HSV developed, as under a previous secret program a couple of years prior, the company had imported a ZR2 sample from the non-North American Chevrolet Colorado and completed a major engine upgrade.

Like SportsCat and its standard 2.8-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engine, HSV took the Colorado ZR2 and its factory 3.6-liter naturally aspirated petrol V6 and replaced it with sixth-generation Chevrolet's 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V1 LT8. Camaro 2SS sports car.

The $80,000 Secret Holden Colorado V8 that almost went into production: The HSV SportsCat super ute was months away from the showroom floor, beating out the rumored Ford Ranger Raptor V8. The Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 V8 was on its way to being more than just a prototype.

The standard six-speed 2L6 torque converter automatic transmission from the SportsCat and Colorado ZR50 was also replaced by the 10-speed 10L90 and eight-speed 8L90 from the third-generation Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup and Camaro 2SS, respectively.

For the Colorado ZR2 V8, the all-wheel drive system (including a low gear transfer case) remained functional along with locking front and rear differentials, while the suspension was unchanged, although a switchable version of the rear anti-roll bar was added. later in development.

However, the Camaro 2SS also donated its four-piston Brembo brake calipers to the Colorado ZR2 V8, while SportsCat received its 18-inch alloy wheels and mud tires.

While the plan for the SportsCat V8 was to have it imported as the Holden Colorado from Thailand and then retrofitted at the Walkinshaw Group facility in Clayton South, Victoria alongside the regular SportsCat, what would become of the Colorado ZR2 V8 was less clear. .

HSV has discussed with GM to either complete the engineering so the Colorado ZR2 V8 can be offered in North America, or possibly also "remanufacture" it for right-hand drive sales in Australia and New Zealand, whether locally or overseas.

The $80,000 Secret Holden Colorado V8 that almost went into production: The HSV SportsCat super ute was months away from the showroom floor, beating out the rumored Ford Ranger Raptor V8. HSV SportsCat V8

Speaking to Cars Guide and other media last week, a spokesman for the Walkinshaw Group said, “There were programs that we wanted to end.

“And they are probably now more of a stillborn program that we are probably not going to end now due to the GM shutdown (Holden in Australia and New Zealand).

"But that was definitely something we were going to worry about as we moved into production."

Walkinshaw Group General Manager Rick Percold announced this. Cars Guide feedback from HSV customers prompted the development of the SportsCat V8.

“We used to be in the V8 engine business (during the Holden Commodore days), so the end user was like, 'Can we get something that has a V8 engine in it?' he said.

The $80,000 Secret Holden Colorado V8 that almost went into production: The HSV SportsCat super ute was months away from the showroom floor, beating out the rumored Ford Ranger Raptor V8. Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 V8

“I think it would be a great market. It's just very unfortunate and I think a very unfortunate time for us, because we spent a lot of time in the research and development phase of this car to get it right, to set it up right, so that Holden unfortunately got shut down here in Australia. ".

Mr. Perchold added that HSV is considering the SportsCat V79,000 MSRP in the range of $83,000 to $8, signifying a premium of at least $10,000 over the regular flagship SportsCat SV with an originally planned production run of $1000-2500 units.

In any case, the significance of the SportsCat V8 in particular is underlined by a mounting plate under the hood of its only completed prototype, which reads "Last True HSV". And to really make the point, it's finished in the same Panorama Silver as the iconic VL Walkinshaw of the late 1980s.

Interestingly, Mr. Perchold said the left-hand drive Colorado ZR2 V8 "potentially" helps GMSV's business case by introducing a right-hand drive Chevrolet Colorado that has been redesigned by the Walkinshaw Group to sit under its fourth-generation Silverado lineup.

“Essentially, [the Colorado ZR2 V8] just demonstrates what we are capable of, no matter what main vehicle it is in, that we can produce something like that,” he said.

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