Holden Special Vehicles, the performance unit from GM's Australian-owned subsidiary Holden, has officially unveiled its E-Series 2 lineup, showcasing its first major mechanical and styling update for the VE Commodore-based range of sports sedans. Recognize that twin-nostriled bonnet? You should. It's borrowed directly from the Pontiac G8. Basically, this lineup is what a performance lineup for GM's recently-killed Pontiac brand could have looked like.

Given our love of what could have been real "driving excitement," we've taken four of the new models and put together what could have been a real performance-based Pontiac brand for GM here in the United States. Welcome to the Cars of Future Past.

NAME: HSV Clubsport R8
FEATURES:
• All new front and rear design encompassing performance bonnet scoops and ‘shockwave' inspired theme.
• 317kW LS3 V8 engine.
• Competition Mode ESC
• Extended Cruise Control
• Launch Control (manual vehicles only).
• Four piston front and rear brakes.
• All new E2 Sports 19 inch wheels
• Sports cloth seating as standard.
• SV Enhanced options include Performance suspension, bi-modal exhaust,
• Sports leather seats and 20 inch wheels.
WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN: An up-powered, Corvette-engined Pontiac G8 GT

NAME: HSV GTS
FEATURES:
• All new front and rear appearance encompassing performance bonnet scoops and ‘shockwave' inspired theme.
• Upgraded 325kW LS3 V8 engine.
• Hi-flow intermediate exhaust with bi-modal mufflers.
• Competition Mode ESC.
• Extended Cruise Control.
• Launch Control (manual vehicles only).
• Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) Performance suspension, stiffer and recalibrated.
• Four piston front and rear brakes. All new E2 Performance 20 inch wheels.
• Performance leather seats.
• SV Enhanced options include six-piston front brake callipers, finished in SV Enhance yellow with black HSV insignia and four-piston rears with unique wheel accenting.
WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN: Pontiac G8 GXP

NAME: HSV Clubsport R8 Tourer
FEATURES:
• All new front appearance encompassing performance bonnet scoops and ‘shockwave' inspired theme
• 317kW LS3 V8 engine
• Competition Mode ESC.
• Extended Cruise Control.
• Launch Control (manual vehicles only).
• Four piston front and rear brakes.
• All new E2 Sports 19 inch wheels.
• Sports cloth seats as standard.
• SV Enhanced options include bi-modal exhaust, Sports leather seats and 20 inch wheels.
WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN: Pontiac G8 GT Wagon

NAME: HSV Maloo R8
FEATURES:
• All new front appearance encompassing performance bonnet scoops and ‘shockwave' inspired theme.
317kW LS3 V8 engine.
• Competition Mode ESC.
• Extended Cruise Control.
• Launch Control (manual vehicles only).
• All new E2 Sports 19 inch wheels.
• Sports cloth seats as standard.
• Driver & passenger front airbags now include front, seat side & curtain side airbags.
• Addition of dual 8" subwoofers located in the rear cabin quarter trims. Audio output 170W.
• SV Enhanced options include bi-modal exhaust, Sports leather seats and 20 inch wheels.
WHAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN: Pontiac G8 "El Camino" ST

New LS3 engine to power HSV from April

Holden Special Vehicles today announced a running change to its award winning E-Series and WM Grange vehicles, with the new GM LS3 engine to be fitted across the range for cars on-sale from April.

The upgrade will see the ClubSport R8, GTS, Senator Signature, Maloo R8 and WM Granges power output rise to 317kW.

Managing Director Scott Grant said the new engine was a welcome upgrade to the range of vehicles from Australias luxury and performance car maker.

We know our customers want the latest and greatest technology in their cars, Scott Grant said.

The General Motors LS3 engine continues the HSV tradition of scouring the world for technological advancements to enhance the driving experience.

It is built by General Motors Powertrain in North America and is available in the current Chevrolet Corvette. It will also be the engine used in the new Pontiac GXP, to be built by Holden in Elizabeth from the end of 2008 and exported to the United States.

The HSV LS3 engine has a capacity of 6.2 litres, producing 317kW of power at 6000rpm and 550NM of torque at 4600 rpm, as fitted to the HSV range.

Despite the power output increase, the new engine will deliver a slight improvement in fuel economy for Maloo R8 and WM Grange, while the short wheel base models return figures of 14.5 litres per 100km, as opposed to 14.4ltr/100km for E-Series LS2, in automatic mode.

Production of the new LS3 range begins this month and is available in dealerships from April. Vauxhall s VXR8 and the CSV R8, sold in the United Kingdom and Middle East respectively, will also receive the LS3 engine in 2008. New Zealand launches the LS3 engine with a limited edition Murph pack themed ClubSport R8 and Maloo R8.

HSV have released a new colour palette to coincide with the engine upgrade and for the first time WM Grange and Senator Signature will be available in Red Hot. Automatic transmission coolers are standard across the upgraded range. HSV will also introduce a new 20 inch wheel option across its fleet, including Grange, Senator Signature and ClubSport R8.

The wheel is a $2500 option for those customers and a no-cost option for GTS and Maloo R8 performance pack purchasers. The running changes have also resulted in a new pricing schedule with average price increases of between 1.3% and 2.8%.