Legendary Aussie Engines

The power race for Australian manufacturers truly commenced with the 1967 introduction of the V8-powered XR GT Falcon and has been raging ever since. And even if the modern FPV or HSV products lag the last degree of build quality and handling finesse when compared to the equivalent (and let’s not forget far more expensive) Germans, one thing they are not short of is power.

Motoring looks at five generations of Australian-bred muscle motors that helped build our country’s high-performance tradition.

The VH R/T Charger range was designed to appeal to those with a sportier driving orientation, people who were otherwise looking towards the Ford Falcon GT-HOs and Holden Torana GTR XU-1s of the time. The base R/T engine was the 163kW (gross), two-barrel carburetted version of the overhead-valve 265cu in (or 4343cc in modern measurement) in-line six found in the Pacer sedan. From there the buyer had a choice of two ‘Six Pack’ motors, in this case referring to the number of carburettor throats rather than cylinder count. Either specification received three two-barrel 45mm side draft Weber carburettors with option E37, known as the Street Six Pack, producing 185kW and a substantial 415Nm. But it was option E38 -- essentially a Series Production race motor -- that really garnered attention. Compression was raised from 9.7:1 to 10.0:1 and a hotter camshaft was fitted to liberate 209kW and 431Nm.

The development for this uniquely Australian engine package came about when the Chrysler Corporation’s preferred use of a Carter four-barrel did not produce the power required to be competitive in racing trim. At the time, Weber’s reputation was legendary, its carburettors seen as the ultimate in fuelling for high performance motors. With that in mind Chrysler sent their Race Program Manager, John Ellis, over to Italy with an E38-equipped VG Pacer. He stayed on for the best part of four months, fine-tuning the carburettors with Weber’s engineers to ensure their delivery not only produced power, but relative flexibility and reliability. 

In the E38, Chrysler Australia appeared to have the hardware required to take it to the factory Ford and Holden teams in the Series Production series. Though initial results were encouraging -- Doug Chivas won outright on the E38’s debut at Oran Park -- the car’s performance was largely hampered because it had to make do with a three-speed manual gearbox when rivals had four.

That problem was rectified with 1972’s R/T E49. Similar to the E38, E49 could be ordered with option A84, which added alloy wheels, a quick ratio steering box, limited-slip differential, adjustable rear spring hangers, finned rear brake drums (with a rear proportioning valve) and a dual-plate clutch. A mammoth 35-gallon (160-litre) fuel tank was fitted, with option A87 deleting the ‘big tank’ in favour of a 17.5-gallon (80-litre) alternative.

A still-wilder camshaft gave the motor 225kW at 5600rpm and 434Nm at 4100rpm, matched to a new Borg-Warner four-speed manual transmission. This gave E49 the title of ‘world’s most powerful six-cylinder engine’ in 1972; quite a feat for a small, underfunded team of Australians.

It didn’t bring outright Bathurst success, but the road car held another title for several years. It was the fastest accelerating Australian-built car, with a standing 400m time of 14.4 seconds recorded by Wheels in November 1972 (Ford Falcon XY GT-HO Phase 3: 14.7 seconds- Wheels, October 1971). 151 E49s were built, with a new price of $4320 -- almost $1000 less than the XY GT-HO. Only 21 E49s had the big tank, making them the collector’s pick, but a useable example of either will set you back over $100,000 today.

Holden’s last Group A Touring Car homologation special, the imaginatively named VN Commodore SS Group A, debuted in 1990 with a further enhanced version of the 4987cc overhead-valve V8 found in the VL ‘Walkinshaw’ Group A.

Designed to take the fight to the impregnable Nissan Skyline GT-Rs that were dominating the Australian Touring Car Championship, the $59,000 VN SS Group A was the ultimate expression of Holden’s Group A experience and its second place finish to the Jim Richards/Mark Skaife GT-R at Bathurst in 1991 was a moral victory for the Australian bruiser.

In road car trim, the VN SS Group A was rated at 215kW at 5200rpm with 411Nm torque peaking at 4000rpm. Designed with further Group A modification in mind, the engine block utilised four-bolt main bearings which gave enough strength to rev the race motors to some 9000rpm at the peak of development. The Aussie V8 employed an enhanced version of the twin-throttle body fuel-injection system first seen in the 180kW/380Nm VL SS Group A along with a lighter, smoother inlet manifold and higher flow injectors. Compression was raised to 9.0:1, a higher-lift camshaft and new cylinder heads were added and an extractor-style exhaust system was developed by the Holden Engine Company in association with Holden Motor Sport to ensure it was both quiet enough for road use and flowed enough for the circuit (the race cars were required to use the road car’s exhaust up to the first join).

This was coupled to the same ZF six-speed manual gearbox found in the contemporary Corvette ZR-1 supercar and a limited-slip equipped differential driving the rear wheels.

Although the rear suspension retained a live rear axle arrangement, Bilstein provided gas dampers which went with higher rate springs and 17-inch alloys designed by Mike Simcoe. These were wrapped in specially developed Goodyear Eagle 235/45/17 tyres. Period reviews suggested prodigious grip was available, though the live rear axle lacked sophistication compared to European performance sedans. There were no complaints about the straight-line performance: Zero to 100km/h in 6.2 seconds, standing 400m in 14.5, and a top speed just on the high side of 250km/h.

Although 500 units were required for Group A homologation, CAMS allowed the VN SS Group A to run despite only 302 being produced. Holden had pre-emptively pressed 500 ID plates, giving VIP buyers a chance to pick their ID; if you are looking at buying one and the plate number is above 302, now you know why…

The VN SS Group A remains the most powerful factory version of the Australian-built 4987cc V8, eclipsing even the swansong 195kW, 1999 VT HSV specification. Today, it’s one for the collector.  

If the VN SS Group A was the pinnacle of the 5.0-litre, then the wild HSV VS GTS-R of 1996 showed what Holden Special Vehicles could achieve with no homologation rules holding them back. The result was full of attitude…

Take a VS body-shell, install a stroked, 5737cc version of the Australian-built overhead-valve V8 and splash on ‘XU-3 Yellah’ paintwork. Add a V8 Supercar inspired wing, carbon fibre body trims and black, three-spoke 17-inch alloys and you have the HSV VS GTS-R. Inside, the seats and door trims were designed by Tom Walkinshaw Racing’s design chief, Ian Callum, who’d also had a hand in developing the exterior look. The interior continued the black on yellow theme with black dash, door trims with splashes of yellow cloth and highlight stitching for the steering wheel, centre console and gearshift surround.

It looked audacious, inside and out, but fortunately GTS-R had the hardware to back up its posture.

For an entry price of $75,000 ($6500 more than the standard GTS) GTS-R’s 5.7-litre engine produced the same 215kW at 4800rpm and 475Nm at 3600rpm as the GTS. If an additional $10,500 was handed over, the Holden Racing Team (HRT) mechanics would strip and blueprint the engine, equalise the combustion chambers and ‘port-match’ the inlet and exhaust manifolds. They would then rebuild the unit to fine tolerances, garnering an estimated 230kW/505Nm with a conservative 8.85:1 compression ratio. This gave an optimised GTS-R an estimated standing 400m time in ‘the low 14 second range’; Wheels recorded a 14.4 second pass at the time.

Although the numbers for the optimised motor were never officially confirmed, it would be fair to give GTS-R the title of “Holden’s most powerful locally-built production V8” ahead of the last of the breed, the VT GTS Series 1 with its 220kW/475Nm. What is beyond doubt is that GTS-R’s direct link to the factory race team adds something almost mythical to the project.

A beefy six-speed manual transmission, ‘Hydratrak’ limited-slip differential and HSV’s premium brake package were standard-fit for GTS-R, with no automatic available.  

To really drive customer brand loyalty, HSV offered purchasers business-class QANTAS airfares and transfers to their Clayton facility. There they were invited to dine with HSV executives and given a private tour of the HSV/HRT facilities. An engineering presentation and driving demonstration were provided, and it was all commemorated with a professional photograph depicting the vehicle’s delivery to the new owner. A personalised merchandise set including jacket, hat and compendium matching the production number of the car’s build number completed the experience.

Further adding to the GTS-R’s aura was its exclusivity. With just 85 examples built (76 for Australia, nine for New Zealand) the GTS-R was extremely low volume, with many forming part of larger collections. Out of that number, approximately one-third were optimised by HRT --identified by a ‘Holden Racing Team Optimised’ sticker above the side indicator -- making these vehicles particularly desirable.

2002 Ford Tickford TS50 T3

Price: $66,950 (new)
Engine: 5.6-litre OHV vee eight-cylinder
Output: 250kW/500Nm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Wheels/Tyres: Alloy 18x8.0-inch, 245/40

By 2002, some 20 years had passed since the demise of the 5.8-litre Cleveland V8-powered XE Falcon. Since that time Ford had constantly lagged behind arch-rival Holden in the Australian V8 power race. It was time to get serious.

Ford had made an effort to redress the balance by re-introducing a V8 to the range in 1991’s EB Falcon. EB’s 165kW/388Nm 4.9-litre V8 was sourced from the American Mustang range and produced similar figures to the Holden 5.0-litre of the time. Holden, however, had a trump card in the form of its ever expanding ‘Holden Special Vehicles’ range. They could sit you behind 180kW in their base VP Clubsport, and that was just the start.

Though Ford and its performance partner, Tickford, did release the occasional upgraded vehicle (step forward EB and EL GTs), it would be another ten years before they could truly go punch for punch with the General.

Taking the AU Series 3 as a base, Tickford’s T3 T-Series range was the final fruit of the Ford-Tickford relationship, and undoubtedly the sweetest. Three models were available: entry-level TE50, higher-spec TS50 and long-wheelbase TL50, the Fairmont Ghia-based TS50 being the pick of the bunch for its balance of comfort and performance. A utility version known as the ‘Super Pursuit’ was also made.

The styling made do without the ostentatious XR-Series quad-headlight front, and replaced it with a stance that was purposeful and aggressive. TS50’s standard Koni shocks with variable-rate rear springs and an optional Brembo brake package really signified its intent. It also rode on bespoke 18-inch alloys with 245/40 tyres -- giving TS50 the same total contact patch as the current 335kW FPV GT.

While not strictly Australian, the 5604cc overhead-valve V8 found under the TS50’s elongated bonnet was significantly modified in Australia and was unique to our market. The long-standing 4.9-litre ‘Windsor’ motor was used as a base, built up by Tickford with a new crankshaft, connecting rods and pistons to realise the higher capacity. The cylinder heads were ported and given stronger valves and springs, a specific camshaft was fitted and a larger throttle body/inlet manifold setup was utilised. Specific ceramic coated headers and a high-flow exhaust system completed the picture.

Coupled to either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission with a 3.45:1 limited-slip differential, the stroked Windsor ran 9.6:1 compression and generated 250kW at 5250rpm and 500Nm at a high 4200rpm. With the TS50 starting at $66,950, these outputs stood their ground against HSV’s price equivalent ($67,500) VY ClubSport R8 and its 255kW/475Nm 5.7-litre Chevrolet V8. TS50 could complete the standing 400m sprint in a claimed 14.1 seconds and it handled well too, with good traction from the independently suspended rear-end.   The T-Series was an appropriate end to the Tickford/Ford partnership and a solid farewell to the small-block Windsor V8 that got Ford back on its performance-oriented feet. 

2002 Ford Falcon BA XR6 Turbo

Price: $43,965 (new)
Engine: 4.0-litre DOHC in-line six-cylinder tubro
Output: 240kW/450Nm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Wheels/Tyres: Alloy 17x8.0-inch, 235/45

Capitalising on the momentum gained during the final days of Tickford, the 2002 release of the BA Falcon range was a true watershed moment for the Australian motor industry. Ford’s new baby housed the ‘Barra’ engine range which included a uniquely Australian, high-tech 3984cc in-line six that brought us double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder at a time when Holden’s Buick-based V6 still sported pushrods.

Although the base Barra produced figures of 182kW/380Nm straight out of the box (basically HSV VL SS Group A numbers -- in an everyday family hack!) its sophistication suggested it was only the tip of the iceberg.

Seeking the power of a V8 with the weight advantages and niche market of a tuned six, Ford added a Garrett GT40 ball-bearing turbocharger and air-to-air intercooler to create the XR6 Turbo. Costing $43,965 it boosted to a conservative 0.4 bar (6psi) yet the result was a rousing 240kW at 5250rpm with 450Nm of torque on tap from 2000-4500rpm. On power this eclipsed the contemporary 5.7-litre Chevrolet V8-powered Holden Commodore SV8’s 235kW, and though XR6T’s 450Nm torque peak lagged 15Nm behind the SV8’s 465Nm, its spread of torque made for a punchier proposition at lower revs, the General’s product needing 4400rpm to realise maximum torque.

New pistons and rings brought compression down from the naturally-aspirated version’s 9.7:1 to a more turbo-friendly 8.7:1 though interestingly the stock crankshaft, connecting rods and bearings were carried over from the standard motor; a testament to the strength of its design. To cope with the extra fuel demand, a larger fuel pump fed the modified cylinder head with up to 40 per cent more pressure. The variable camshaft timing system was also recalibrated and an ultra-modern cast stainless steel exhaust manifold was employed.

The sports suspension package found in the XR6T was honed with assistance from then-current V8 Supercar star, John Bowe, while the braking package (shared, incidentally, with the non-turbo XR6) was said to provide ‘performance levels on a par with the previous generation’s premium braking package’.

Initial transmission options were limited to the ageing five-speed BTR T5 manual or sequential four-speed automatic; the general consensus of the time was that the auto’s ability to keep the turbo ‘on the boil’ was preferable to the awkward shift of the five-speed. The six-speed Tremec T56 manual replaced it in 2004.

Road testers loved the XR6T’s balance, poise and noise. With a lighter nose than its V8 rivals and true flexibility throughout the rev range it was generally preferred to its V8-powered brother, the $6000 more expensive, 260kW XR8. It could also boogie in a straight line, with a benchmark standing 400m time of 14.2 seconds quicker than the XR8’s 14.4 second elapsed time. The BA XR6T was the closest you could get to the E49 legend; an advanced ‘big six’ that could truly take the fight to the V8s.

Conclusion
You may have noticed there are no references to fuel consumption in this review. Back when the E49 and Group A were new, no-one really took economy too seriously, and there was no set standard for which to record these figures; in fact, recorded figures for either are virtually non-existent. Even the newest vehicle here -- the XR6T --was released before the introduction of ADR 81/01 which benchmarked fuel consumption testing to European standards in 2003. As a result, any data collected could not be reasonably compared.

Instead, we’ve highlighted these car/engine combinations to celebrate the antitheses of the green movement, to showcase the Australian penchant for power and our engineer’s ingenuity in generating it. Each provides a rich thread to the tapestry of our nation’s motoring history.

That Ford and Holden are still locked in a power race with their halo cars, even in this time of increased environmental scrutiny, ensures the legacy of our performance heritage remains as strong as ever.

Thanks to Ford, HSV, shannons.com.au and classicthrottleshop.com for use of their photographic archives.

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