With the Australian muscle car on the rapid decline, the 2016 HSV Clubsport R8 LSA aims to cause a splash against American powerhouses such as Ford and their beloved Mustang which has recently landed on Australian shores.
At $80,900, the R8 LSA will come standard with 20-inch alloy wheels, Bose stereo system, 496 litres of boot space and a six-speed manual gearbox (or the option to upgrade to an automatic transmission).
Power is rated at 400kW at 6150RPM and torque will reach 671Nm at 4200RPM thanks to a thumping supercharged 6.2-litre V8. 0-100km/h is claimed at 4.6 seconds and a 12.7 1/4 mile time. Combined consumption is supposedly 15.0L/100km, which will in reality be much higher, but if you are worried about fuel economy, then this is definitely not the car for you.
At 1907kg, the R8 LSA is a full blown muscle car that will roar on any road. Ride smoothness may become an issue on long bumpy roads, but the point of this car is to enjoy all of those 400 kilowatts of power, which can actually be tuned up to 600kW. Don’t worry about economy, or comfort, or tech savvy features, enjoy the whistle of that supercharger as you rumble down the road in the infamous HSV V8 engine.