Holden Could Get the C6 Corvette ZR1’s LS9 for its Commodore Flagship

The Corvette ZR1 may live on in the Land Down Under – or at least its legendary powerplant.

While production of the C6 Corvette ZR1 came to a close at the end of the 2013 model year, General Motors reportedly has a limited supply of its 638-horsepower engines that could still end up under the hood of the final Commodore flagship.

GM announced in 2013 that it would be phasing out production of Holden vehicles in Australia in 2017.

While the news hit the Aussies hard, insiders say there could be a farewell present of sorts if the powerful LS9 ZR1 engines do indeed wind up under the hood of what would be the ultimate Australian muscle car.

With only about 200 of the engines still around, though, buyers would definitely have to stand in line to get one of the limited-production cars that insiders believe would be named the HSV GTS-R, a name last used in 1996.

The engine, which produces 476kW at 6500 rpm and 819 Nm at 3800 rpm, would be the most powerful ever sold in an Australian-made car, by a large margin over Ford’s final 351kW FPV GT-F.

The LS9 is fundamentally similar to the current HSV 430kW engine but features several key performance-enhancing features such as a 20 percent larger supercharger, titanium con-rods, forged internals, and larger intercooler along with a dry sump system that prevents oil starvation for the engine.

Rumor also has it that the Holden vehicle could get the big Brembo carbon ceramic brakes that were used on the ZR1, too.

Source:
drive.com.au

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