Race Sport SS Commodore RS400 T & RS350 2010 Review

Race Sport SS Commodore RS400 T & RS350

Road Test

Price Guide (drive-away): $49,990 ute / $69,990 sedan
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): see below
Crash rating: five-star
Fuel: 98 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 13.6 ute / 15.8 sedan
CO2 emissions (g/km): not given
Also consider: HSV Maloo R8, HSV ClubSport R8

Okay, to clarify there is an asterisk on the terms and conditions, Holden backs everything but the mods and Patterson Cheney covers the rest. But the deal is available nationwide, with a phone call to Melbourne all that's needed should the sheets hit the fan, though to date, and more than 300 happy customers down the track, Race Sport haven't had a single claim.

The group then went on to build cars with the likes of Peter Brock, Phil Brock and Colin Bond (to name a few) through the 1970s, their Toranas taking several Touring Car Championships and Bathurst podium finishes. More recently, Patterson Cheney has also worked with Kelly Racing in the V8 Supercar Championship (2006).

Hand in racing glove with that long Holden lineage, the Patterson Cheney group has since 2008 offered its Race Sport modified V8 Commodores with an exciting range of handling and performance packages (and performance accessories) aimed squarely at those wanting a little more muscle from their factory-spec VE-series Commie.

Developed at significant cost (somewhere in the vicinity of a quarter of a million dollars, the dealer claims), the first of our road test vehicles brings an impressive 48 per cent power increase over the standard L98 6.0-litre V8 Commodore SS (which develops 270kW/530Nm).

Dubbed RS 400 T (Race Sport 400kW Track package), the otherwise standard-looking Commodore SS hides a significant level of bolstering beneath its factory skin. Valve train and camshaft upgrades plus extensive exhaust and intake system work give the engine its brawny 400kW/760Nm output; while underneath, bigger brakes, a tougher differential, progressive rate springs and Bilstein shocks complete the package.

A couple of clutch offerings are also available, depending on just how much pain you plan on dishing out. Our test vehicle was optioned with the heavy-duty race/road clutch with billet lightened steel flywheel – good for fattening up the left leg. If you plan on sticking to the street, a lighter, road-going version is available.

For serious track-day warriors, Race Sport also offers optional engine oil cooler kits, differential oil cooler kits, even larger six-pot brakes (with braided lines), oil catch can, billet quick shifter and 3.70:1 differential upgrade. You can also increase performance to 427kW... If you're brave.

Pottering through the morning's stop-start traffic the heavy-duty clutch comes as a rude shock to a left leg accustom to featherweight factory jobs. Just as well it still manages to offer a surprising level of feel, and is quick to respond to faster changes.

With each gear change comes a scintillating crack from the quad pipes, that real V8 burble on downshift not too far removed from that heard at a round of the V8 Supercars. Under (heavy) acceleration the ruckus is palpable. You can hear why this car is best suited to track work.

Finally finding some open road, it's quickly evident that the RS 400 T will likely be at home on the racetrack. Handling is excellent and the Tru-Trac diff delivers encouraging levels of drive.

The ride too is astonishingly well resolved. I'd almost say compliant. And with our black beast running standard 18-inch alloys, the added side wall profile worked well in assisting to iron out nasty mid-corner lumps and bumps, helping both drive and grip.

While the L98 is happy to find the top of the tacho too, midrange power delivery is nothing short of sportscar quick. The RS 400 T claims performance figures on par with Porsche's 997 GT3, a car almost four-times the price.

Patterson Cheney's own tests of the RS 400 T have resulted in some pretty impressive acceleration times, the obligatory 0-100km/h sprint done and dusted in just 4.77 seconds while the quarter-mile run is finished in 12.72 seconds.

Stand on the stoppers and you're certain to check the inertia lock on the seatbelts, the Harrop four-pot callipers grab large-diameter slotted discs and deliver strong stopping and consistent feel time after time. These are a noticeable departure from the marshmallow-soft pedal found after a few hard stops on the regular SS.

If there had to be a downside to the RS 400 T, we could say it's a touch noisy on the freeway, even if Race Sport has done a terrific job at getting a (almost) 'drone-free' tune from the pipes. Otherwise, the package is a pearler, and in the scheme of things a bargain -- especially if you like your profile low and your adrenalin charged.

The RS350 pounds out a satisfying 350kW and 660Nm. It's RaceSport's most popular model. We tested its ute guise, based on an SS model, and to call it an enjoyable driving experience would be an understatement.

On the flipside of the firm ride is much better body control, with reduced pitching and roll when braking and cornering. We drove it to and from work for a week and even during the commuter drive the firm ride wasn't unbearable. Indeed, the only major changes to the vehicle are underneath the skin, so driving the vehicle during the daily routine was not a problem. It exhibits the same predictable road manners of its donor car and the steering, though light, is responsive.

The one aspect that gives the Race Sport away is the sound - it's appreciably louder than a stock Maloo, let alone an SS ute, thanks to hand built and welded 2.5-inch exhaust system. There's also a cold air intake system and K&N low restriction air filter to improve the engine's breathing, which together with a special ECU tune results in not only 350kW/660Nm, but also a very sonorous exhaust burble.

On top of the snarling V8 as you bury the accelerator pedal, the RS ute delivers a satisfying pop-pop backfire on the overrun. This is a feature that is actually programmed into the ECU. Thus far only one customer has asked for the 'backfire' to be removed.

Before we even got to test the ute's dynamic capabilities, the RS ute proved to be an absolute fireball off the mark. The claimed figures are 5.0 seconds flat for the 0 to 100km/h dash, and 13.01 seconds for the quarter mile sprint. Pretty quick for a $50k car...

Though it doesn't have the instant surge of a supercharged V8 or a turbo inline six, there's something very pleasing about feeling maximum thrust higher in the rev range. And that sound...

As well as standing-start punch, mid-gear roll on acceleration is strong.

We recorded a fuel consumption figure of 13.6L/100km after a seven day test, which involved driving it to and from work four times, a highway cruise from Melbourne to Geelong and blast through the Dandenong hills in Victoria. Not a bad figure, all things considered.

Thrown into a corner and the Race Sport Holden SS ute feels far more planted than its donor car, the aftermarket suspension earning its keep. Mid-corner ruts and bumps don't upset the cars attitude too much and getting the power down feels more progressive than the stock ute.

Initial turn-in is crisp and decisive, the car's nose pointing exactly where you want it for the most part, with the rear end tracking loyally. It is possible (read: easy) to kick the tail out through a corner, but it doesn't always feel predictable in this respect.

Without a doubt it's a more accomplished corner carver than the Holden SS ute, though rougher roads and this RS Ute do not mix. Another minor gripe are the brakes, which could use a little more bite (being the same offered on the regular SS) to match the hike in power.