HSV’s Clubsport began life as a test exercise intended to keep sales ticking over within a network of HSV dealers who during 1990 were struggling against inflation and high interest rates.
Early cars differed only slightly from Holden’s own SS Commodore, with a revised grille, rear spoiler, FE2 suspension and 16-inch alloy wheels. An order of 80 cars, all in Asteroid Silver, was initially produced, with a further 350 built in a variety of paint and trim combinations during the lifespan of the VN Commodore.
As dealer support for HSV blossomed, demand for entry-level cars increased and Clubsport production grew. VPs remained in the market for 21 months with a total 452 made, including 65 of the 5th Anniversary version.
With 180kW pushing the bulky VN-VP body and 1487kg of unladen weight, Clubsports were no match for the lighter HDT VK SS but could still hit 100km/h in 8.0 seconds.
The VR Clubsport announced during 1993 delivered marginally more power and also included more equipment than the VP. With HSV finally making a dent in a market dominated by European brands, the need continued to produce a Commodore with performance and equipment to justify a $44,000 base price.
Among the inclusions were factory air-conditioning, cruise control, power windows and ABS brakes. Premium sound, a CD player and car phone cost extra, as did the Clubsport wagon which had been introduced as a VP and continued into the VR range. Only 77 were built though, against almost 1200 VR Clubsport sedans.
VS and VT versions were the last Clubsports to use Holden V8s before HSV made the shift in mid-1999 to an imported, 5.7-litre Chevrolet engine.
With 195kW, VT Clubsports fell 20kW short of the 215kW that could be extracted from Holden’s V8 but managed a creditable 6.4 seconds for 0-100km/h and an electronically limited maximum of 250km/h.
At over $54,000 in four-speed automatic form, the VT Clubsport should by rights have been more luxurious. However, buyers who had fallen into the habit of collecting a new ‘Clubbie’ each time the model was updated seemed happy enough and sales of the VT 5.0-litre reached 1505 cars.
HSV values during the early part of this Century were unaffected by events including the Muscle Car value boom and Global Financial Crisis but then came October 20, 2017 and the end of Holden and HSV production.
Suddenly, everyone wanted an HSV and prices had within a year soared to around double their 2016 levels. That trend persisted for some years but has now stabilised.
Demand for VN-VP cars remains strong, but VR-VT versions can be found in good condition at less than $30K.
