There comes a time when further modifications to a car no longer makes sense. When you're 10-second VL-T is cracking its chassis rails, for example, you know there's not much point in fitting that bigger turbocharger. AutoSpeed member, Warwick, recognised when he'd crossed the line of 'no sense' after whacking an exhaust and boost controller to his previous car - a Mazda MX-6 turbo. The '6 was a comfy bit of gear, sure, but its front-end didn't really accept the torque being punched out by the 2.2-litre four - rampant axle tramp and torque steer hindered all efforts to peel away from the line quickly, and generally made things ugly.
"With the MX-6 it got to the stage when I thought - hang on - I should be doing this kind of thing to a rear-drive V8" says Warwick. Warwick confesses to being a V8 man at heart, so - in early 2001 - he ousted the outta control Mazda for the refinement and speed of a HSV Clubsport R8. Although not the rarest car out there, there's no denying the appeal and competence of the VX R8 - it looks horn, sounds sweet, handles and grips brilliantly and the standard 255kW LS1 lets you comfortably stamp some authority in a traffic light tussle. "I loved it from the time I picked it up" says Warwick, "and I haven't look back since."
The option boxes that Warwick ticked include the 6-speed manual 'box, premium brake package, power sunroof, HSV sill plate covers, HSV Performance suspension and Grey Storm paint. The beginning of Warwick's creative riot saw the fitment of GTS pedal covers and some darkness added to the windows.
That was the start of it.
Although the HSV Clubsport's 30kW advantage over the base Holden LS1 comes largely from a revised exhaust, there was plenty of room left to make improvements. Fastened to each of those 2-valve cylinder heads are now heat wrapped 4>1 Pacemaker extractors leading into a 2 ½-inch mandrel exhaust with a special X-pipe. The exhaust - and the rest of the mechanical mods that followed - was fitted and developed by Melbourne's F1 Performance Equipment.
F1 also got stuck into modifying the factory airbox and fitting a K&N panel filter in order to enhance intake airflow. From there on, the restrictive factory airflow meter had its guts ripped out and a larger (4-inch) induction pipe was slipped in between it and the throttle. The throttle itself is now ported and polished - to 80mm - by F1 Performance.
With the LS1 now cranking to the tune of 200kW at the wheels - as certified on F1 Performance's Dyno Dynamics chassis dyno - Warwick says there was a big on-road improvement, but "people caught up too quickly". Not keen on taking the supercharger approach, Warwick put his hand up to be the first customer of F1's to go down the path of a hi-po camshaft and head package. The stockie bump stick - a real hindrance if you're shooting for any more than 300kW - was turfed in favour of a billet shaft delivering around 220 degrees of duration at 50 thou lift and about 560 thou of total lift. Airflow into and out of the combustion chambers has been further enhanced with some intelligent porting and polishing - this also extended to port-matching the intake manifold. While the spanners were laid out throughout the engine bay, the boys also decided to upgrade the valve springs and move to titanium retainers, Crane 1.8:1 roller rockers and pushrods. Adjustment to spark and fuel - which is now provided by a set of 30 pound SVO injectors - was achieved using LS1 Edit software. Interestingly, a water injection system (which squirts into the AFM to throttle pipe) is used to enhance power while also reducing the likelihood of detonation - water is drawn from the factory washer bottle and, although details on the pump and nozzle are fairly guarded, we can tell you that the system is activated by WOT application. Finishing the engine development is a Top Gun lead set and NGK plugs.
Driveline slip is no longer an issue with the recent fitment of a McLeod custom clutch from the 'States. Although saying it's "indestructible" Warwick regularly changes the fluid in the 6-speed 'box. Out back, the diff ratio has been shortened to 3.9:1 - who wants a quiet laidback cruiser type diff?!
With the mechanical makeover now taking a brief intermission, Warwick's wrapt I the results. With 270kW at the back wheels, there are not many street-reg vehicles that can pull away from Warwick on his way to work everyday. In fact, nobody's beaten him to punch-in.
That daily commute is always comfortable onboard a Clubsport - plenty of room to move and great seats. All Warwick's added is a F1 short-shifter and a harness. And, no, this isn't just to add pub-talk cred...
Warwick is a pretty serious circuit racer. Since remedying the standard car's propensity to boil its power steering fluid (by adding a front-mount cooler) Warwick's been causing tension amongst local WRX clubs. With 1 minute 8 around Calder and 1 minute 28 around Sandown, this is a very swift street car. The car isn't run on the track exactly as you see it here, however...
These GTS 19s and 245/35 P-Zero Rossos are way too tasty to risk damage on the track, so Warwick swaps to a set of 17-inch F1 Racing rims clad in sticky 235/45 Dunlop D01Js. And what's that you can see through those rim spokes? That's right - a dirty big set of front anchors.
Warwick slows his 1670kg weapon with 343mm Harrop 48 slot rotors with the standard HSV calipers. A set of EBC Green pads are well suited to street duties, while a heavier duty set of Pagid RS14s perform like magic on the circuit. Of course, standard suspension rarely performs on a racetrack, so Warwick went the whole-hog with Bilstein shocks, Quadrant springs, K-Mac camber kit at the front and rear, F1 front strut brace and Whiteline adjustable front and rear swaybars. Needless to say, handling is dramatically improved.
Visually, Warwick's kept everything pretty much standard. The only things straying from factory are the GTS 19s, VX2 headlights and brushed aluminium grille inserts. Oh, and the red GTS valve covers sure catch your eye when you pop the bonnet to find out why you've just been lunched.
From all accounts, however, the under-bonnet scene is about to change quite massively in the near future. Inspired by the hairy-chest'd monster built to race in the 2002 Bathurst 24 hour race, Warwick has ordered a fresh 427ci (7.0-litre) donk from the 'States. The end is nowhere near in sight for this particular Clubbie!
Contact:
F1 Performance Equipment
+61 3 9894 4228
www.f1performance.com.au
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