Brushed Boldness

Joseph Portelli. Remember that name.

Why?

Well, just like the world’s greatest artists, Joseph can take a blank canvas – in this case, his HSV VP Clubsport – and turn it into something amazing. Just give him an airbrush and a quiet spot in a spray booth and let the creativity unwind.

Not surprisingly, Joseph is a painter/detailer by trade - his Melbourne business (J.P.S.) specialises in those time consuming type jobs. But the paint job on this Clubsport was different to any other job. After a family member was tragically killed in a car accident, Joseph let his emotion pour through the nozzle of his trusty spray gun. The theme, as you can see, is based on tombstones and death.

Joseph says the airbrushing took about 3 hours of work each day for 3 months – it would’ve been quicker if the picture hadn’t kept changing and evolving as he went along. If you can tear your eyes off the airbrushing you might also notice the 17 inch Senator rims (there’s usually a full set of four fitted for street duties), window tint, chromed door handles and clear lens side indicators. Oh, and there’s the odd sticker here an’ there!

And there’s more to this Clubsport than its detailed exterior.

When new, the 5.0 litre VP Clubbie came with a high-flow air intake and exhaust to help achieve an 185kW output. This gave low 15 second quarter mile performance outa the box – not bad for a fairly conservative set-up. But after six years of ownership, Joseph hasn’t been able to resist the urge to get things moving along a bit faster...

Experienced Holden V8 tuners will tell you the fuel-injected 5.0 V8 is a massive improvement over the carby versions, but the garden variety intake manifold is almost useless for making big power. The small diameter, relatively long manifold runners give great bottom-end torque but causes considerable high rpm restriction.

That’s where the SS Group A intake manifold comes in.

Joseph’s car currently uses a VN Group A twin-throttle induction set-up (which is slightly different to the original VL Group A’s) drawing through the associated Group A airbox. Note that the Group A plenum chamber sits much higher than the standard manifold. Group A Commodores get around this problem with a subtle bonnet bulge, but Joseph is happy to have a small hole in the bonnet that allows the induction set-up to stand proud.

The original Clubsport camshaft (which is very conservative due to the limitation of the standard intake manifold) was also removed to make way for a much more aggressive item. There’s no mistaking this machine as a stocker...

The tweaked 5.0 bellows through a twin 2½ inch stainless exhaust running high-flow cats and straight-through mufflers. Interestingly, the standard management system copes well with the change in engine characteristics – a remap and ‘215kW’ injectors are all that’s been needed.

Power? Well, this vehicle won’t win many dyno shoot-outs but with 205kW at the wheels (on a Dyno Dynamics chassis dyno) you’re talking an approximate 55 percent gain over standard. That’s handy. Note that the bottom-end has been refreshed but remains stock – Joseph over-revved the original engine during a Christmas break-up!

Another casualty of use has been the stock manual gearbox. This has recently been replaced with a later VT SS 5-speed, which is lasting fine. Surprisingly, an OE clutch has served well despite fitment of a 4.11:1 mini-spool diff and a pair of massive slicks for drag racing.

The importance of a relatively lightweight body is highlighted when, with a modest 205kW at wheels, the VP Clubsport has run a 13.5 second quarter mile. And, according to Joseph, that was with tyre smoke coming out the rear guards mid track! No, it wasn’t tyre smoke from a loss of traction – it was tyre smoke coz the too-wide slicks started rubbing the bodywork! Oops.

This overkill in the rear-end is all in anticipation of some big engine mods – you see, Joseph plans to fit either twin-turbos or a supercharger...

But, getting back to the current, the interior of Joseph’s VP has already been addressed. Take a stock Clubsport interior, swap the front and rear seats for Senator jobs, install a half roll cage, AutoMeter monster tacho and shift light and you’re pretty well done. Fuel pressure, oil pressure and water temperature can also be monitored by AutoMeter gauges mounted (in polished cups) on the bonnet. Oh, and the sound system has been updated with a Pioneer head unit feeding dual Alpine V12 amps, a pair of Rockford 12 inch subs and front and rear splits.

So that’s the car as it stands – creatively airbrushed and intelligently modified for extra power. Sure, 205kW at-the-treads at mid 13 second performance might be pretty conservative these days - but that’s a situation that’ll soon change. Stay tuned!

Contacts: G-Tech Performance +61 3 9305 2888 www.gtech.com.au J.P.S. 0431 696 655