HARROP HSV GEN-F CLUBSPORT

Aussie tuning legends Harrop Engineering know all about muscle cars, having been around since before the first muscle car era, back in the 1960s. They have become a go-to resource for quad-rotor positive displacement superchargers, even fitting factory Lotus cars, and their latest demo car shows off this know-how perfectly.

While HSV offer a factory supercharged four-door VF option in the $92,000 GTS, Harrop have gone above and beyond using a more basic, naturally aspirated Clubsport R8… before making it absolutely mental. The stock Clubsport makes 435hp, the GTS makes 580hp and Harrop's bad boy churns out an epic 680hp!

What is amazing is how the Harrop engineers have managed to take HSV's base car and merely fettle it to build this monster. Years ago that power output would have required a ground-up rebuild and a full race-only motor that would have been a pig to drive on the street and totally illegal.

This Gen-F shows just how far we've come - it's got all its original emissions equipment, drives sweetly on the street and even maintains all creature comforts like dual-zone air conditioning, ABS, traction control, cruise control, power windows and all.

The standard 6.2-litre LS3 V8 has been fitted with one of Harrop's four-lobe Eaton HTV2300 superchargers, a sizeable 400cc upgrade over the Eaton HTV1900 unit that HSV put on their GTS (which uses a 6.2L LSA, a very similar base motor to the LS3). There's a Harrop cold-air intake that draws fresh oxygen from over the radiator rather than through a side-mounted airbox like a factory HSV.

The increased lung-size has been matched to a full "Carbon" three-inch bi-modal exhaust of their own design and a reflashed ECU to match the tune to the engine's newfound abilities. Although many would question how a standard naturally aspirated engine could handle a 50% power increase, the beauty of the LS3 V8 is that, with careful tuning and selection of the right specification parts, you can have a bunch more power without sacrificing reliability.

Harrop have almost six decades worth of experience in building horsepower so they certainly have the runs on the board when it comes to putting together monsters like the Clubsport. They didn't stop with the ECU tune, blower and exhaust, though - an external oil cooler also helps keep engine oil temp under control, safeguarding the bottom-end.

Despite pumping out a breath under 700 horsepower (100 more than a V8 Supercar!) the Harrop Clubby is surprisingly friendly to drive, even on wet, greasy Melbourne roads. The massive 2.3lt supercharger spreads the thundering amount of torque right across the RPM range for a rich, sumptuous spread of tyre-burning torque.

The clutch action is slick and light, as with all F-Gen Holdens, though the gearshift of the Tremec 6060 six-speed has been improved thanks to a Harrop-designed short-shifter. Such a massive hike in power calls for serious brake upgrades and the Clubby scored big in this area, with Harrop's Titanium Ultimate six-piston front calipers and four-piston rears replacing the prior four and two-piston set-up. They're matched to 381mm (front) and 356mm (rear) rotors and Ferodo DS3000 and DS2500 brake pads for excellent bite and feel.

While the F-Gen HSVs handle well from the factory, the Sting Red sedan has been equipped with German KW coilovers set-up for Harrop and Aussie Whiteline swaybars, eradicating roll or any sogginess in the suspension. In the back-end, Harrop fitted a Tru-Trac limited-slip diff which works overtime to tame the 680hp.

The aesthetic package is rounded out with Forgeline VX3C 20-inch wheels, measuring 9-inches wide in the front and 10-inches wide out in the rear. They're wider than the HSV originals and have been wrapped in grippy Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber, measuring 255/35 and 275/30 front and rear, respectively.

The wheel and tyre package round out a well-considered suite of modifications. While the power figure is the headline, every other facet of the car has been upgraded to suit leaving nothing out of balance. This is the reason the Clubsport is at home on rough single-lane roads as it is on wide, smooth freeways - because 59 years of tuning locally made cars has given Harrop the ultimate knowledge on setting up killer streeters.

Packages like this Clubsport show how the Australian aftermarket provides an alternative to car enthusiasts who don't want to simply drive a factory standard car. Don't want to drive a supercharged mega-horsepower HSV just like all the others in the carpark? Get in touch with Harrop and prepare yourself for one bad-ass mother.

Go to: www.harrop.com.au to find out more.

Harrop Engineering 2013 HSV Gen-F Clubsport R8 - basic specification

Powertrain
Engine Capacity: Standard Factory LS3
Power: 680HP
Supercharger: Harrop FDFI HTV2300
Exhaust: Harrop 3-inch Bi Modal 'Carbon Edition' Spec
Shifter: Harrop Short
Diff: Harrop Truetrac
Oil Cooler: Harrop Performance Oil Cooler

Suspension
Shocks: Harrop by KW Coilovers
Roll Bars: Whiteline
Wheels: Forgeline VX3C 20x9 F & 20x10 R
Tyres: Michelin Pilot Super Sport - F 255/35 ZR20 R 275/30 ZR20

Brakes
Discs: Harrop 'Titanium' Ultimate - 6 Piston 381mm Front Bobbin Drive, 4 Piston 356mm Rear
Pads: Ferodo DS3000(F) & DS2500(R)