HSV GTS-R revs up

FPV is no more and Ford has already shifted its focus away from the Falcon – with the exception of next year's XR Sprint specials – but HSV still has a few tricks up its sleeve, led by a brutal new limited-edition bruiser that will dust off the GTS-R nameplate.

HSV won't comment on the prospect of a gung-ho, take-no-prisoners king-of-the-V8s superhero car, but it's come to light that the Holden Commodore tuning specialist registered the 'GTS-R' trademark this month, December, for vehicular and merchandise purposes.

What does this mean? Nothing yet, but it fans the flames around rumours of a reborn HSV GTS-R – a name last seen in 1996 on the VS Commodore.

Indeed, 2016 would mark the 20th anniversary of the GTS-R model and would be a fitting finale for HSV's rear-drive Commodore tuning portfolio, which will likely wrap up in late 2017 when Holden ceases Commodore production in South Australia.

One potential is for HSV to further fettle the GTS's 6.2-litre supercharged V8, dubbed the LSA, to develop more power and torque than the current 430kW and 740Nm.

Walkinshaw, which is owned by the same company as HSV, currently tunes Chevrolet's LS3 V8 to 547kW and 880Nm in the monstrous W547, although it's unlikely HSV would boost the LSA to 500kW, or more.

Either way, it will likely be the most powerful production car HSV has ever built.

Less than 100 units of the 1996 GTS-R were built and it was offered in just one colour – yellow. Such a strategy could be employed to ensure exclusivity if the new GTS-R gets the green light, but based on the popularity of the HSV Maloo GTS, also a limited build model, the asking price for the HSV heavy-hitter would almost certainly reach six figures.

Watch this space.