R8, GTS and Senator lead E-Series charge

Comprising the R8 ClubSport, GTS and Senator Signature, the E-Series is the most expensive and extensive model development project ever undertaken by the company. Indeed, according to new HSV boss Phil Harding, the cost of the four-year engineering, validation and production development for the new three-car range was "more than VT, VY and VZ programs put together".

The range kicks of with the R8 ClubSport priced at $62,890 with a manual gearbox. Add $2000 for auto. The GTS and Senator Signature are the headliners starting at $74,990 ($76,990 for auto) and $76,990 for the auto-only Senator.

ClubSport and Grange are "resting" HSV says. Watch this space...

Your E-Series cash buys interiors that are differentiated from the standard VE SS V and Calais V thanks to new dash configurations, unique seats (including a re-profiled two-bucket-style, but still three-person rear seat) and a three-pack of ancillary gauges to top off the centre stack of the dash. There are also special instrument faces and unique lighting arrangements.

The GTS and Senator Signature get leather with suede-style insets as standard equipment. The R8 features cloth as standard with leather an option.

Outside the cars are set apart from their Holden-badged cousins more clearly than ever. As shown in the spy shots published here at CarPoint last week, the cars get unique rear lamp and spoiler treatments as well those signature vented front guards.

The rear lamps are lower and body-coloured lamp-caps help to visually widen the rear stance of the E-Series cars.

Up front the R8 and GTS get stacked twin under-bumper driving and fog projector lamps and a more aggressive front splitter. The trademark twin nostril HSV grille remains with race-style black leading edge trim on the GTS.

Expect this bi-element grille to become a stronger part of the company's overall vehicle DNA going forward.

The Senator's front treatment is reminiscent of the Coupe 4. There's a cleaner, more understated mesh grille with a bold chrome frame. At the rear, a deck lid spoiler finishes off the car. Something the Calais V lacked.

The new cars share a revised version of the LS2 Gen IV 6.0-litre V8 engine which debuted in the HSV VZ range last year. It seems HSV is saving the much-rumoured larger capacity LS2 engine for another time or model.

Boasting new engine calibrations and a set of tubular, equal-length headers (as tipped by CarPoint), the engine produces a health 307kW at 6000 rpm. Peak torque is a F6 Typhoon-matching 550Nm, albeit at 4400rpm.

Like its VE cousins, two gearboxes are offered: the new Corvette-sourced GM six-speed auto or the improved M10 manual six-speeder.

Also Corvette sourced and the E-Series' ace-in-the-hole is the much-vaunted Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) suspension. This system is standard equipment on the GTS and Senator Signature. It is not offered as an option on the R8.

MRC uses a magnetic field to alter the viscosity of a special magnetorheologic fluid inside the shock absorber. By varying the fluid's flow characteristics in the space of 6.25 milliseconds, it is possible to alter the compression and rebound damping characteristics throughout the stroke of the shock absorbers allowing almost infinite suspension adjustment. And it's not just over bumps that it makes a difference -- the system is smart enough to be able to configure for optimum braking and accelerative traction and stability.

MRC has previously only been fitted to one other GM product -- the Chevrolet Corvette. More recently it has been used on Ferrari's flagship 599 GTB Fiorano and Audi's all-new TT coupe.

Designed and manufactured by Delphi in the USA in conjunction with local suspension component supplier Monroe, the system has been re-engineered for the E-Series range and features unique calibration and algorithms for HSV's two top-of-the-range E-Series models.

Requiring extensive and expensive calibration and validation, this part of the E-Series program alone cost more than the company spent on its VZ program, boss Harding admitted.

Two different MRC calibrations are offered across the GTS and Senator Signature. In the case of the latter the default setting is what HSV terms 'Luxury,' however, at the push of a dash-mounted button, the driver can opt for a 'Performance' setting. In the case of the GTS, the 'Performance' setting is the default with the uprated setting termed 'Track'. According to HSV this setting approximates to the settings of the recent limited-run VZ ClubSport DTS. Pretty sharp in other words!

MRC is not the only recalibration HSV has undertaken. All the dynamic safety aids fitted to the E-Series cars have been modified from standard VE settings for their role in HSV product. The company has tweaked the standard Commodore's ESP system to better suit the more sporting drivers that typically purchase HSV product. The traction control and ABS anti lock braking systems have also come in for modification. The V8's fly-by-wire throttle is also sharper on the HSV cars for better launch feel.

The E-Series get new AP Racing four-piston brakes as standard with 365mm front rotors. The rear brakes can now be larger (now 350mm) and do more work thanks to the car's better weight distribution.

Each E-Series models boast 275 section rear rubber -- 19-inch diameter in the case of the R8 and Senator Signature, 20-inch for the GTS. The special-developed Bridgestone RE050A rubber is stretched over 9.5-inch wide rear rims. Up front the 8.0-inch rims get 245 section hoops.

For the record, the spares are full-size alloys -- one that matches the front tyre in all cases.

The final product of the E-Series program is due to be tested by the Australian motoring media as you read this. Meantime, HSV's quietly claiming the E-Series is the fastest accelerating Australian production car ever.

Though independent testing is yet to confirm the fact, HSV expects sub-5.0sec 0-100km/h acceleration times for manual E-Series models. Expect very low 13sec quarter miles for these cars too -- placing them among the fastest four-door sedans in the world.

CarPoint will bring you more about the new HSV E-Series range tomorrow, including model by model details and our first drive impressions.

The first E-Series models hit the showrooms of HSV's 53 dealers across the country later this week.