Holden Commodores of any generation have always been popular cars to modify in Australia and New Zealand.
People have been turbocharging and supercharging LS engines since their debut in the C5 Corvette, but Australia definitely holds it down when it comes to force-fed LS setups. This single turbo, LS1-powered Holden Commodore VY is a great example of a “mild” LS1 build. Besides the intercooler behind the front bumper and the Mickey Thompson ET Streets out back, it’s kind of hard to tell that this family sedan will throw down sub-12-second quarter mile times.
The LS1 underneath the hood still has a stock bottom end, but to accommodate the Garrett T51R turbocharger a custom-grind camshaft was added along with Higgins CNC-ported heads, a Mellings oil pump, Injector Dynamics injectors, valve springs, lifters, and pushrods. More upgrades to the LS1 include a double-row timing chain, a 45-mm Turbosmart Hypergate, and a 4-inch exhaust for increased air flow. The result is 552 horsepower at the wheels, tuned by Allsparks Performance on E85 – perfect power for daily driving and those weekends at the drag strip.
All 552 horsepower is transmitted to the tires via a TH400 transmission with a TCE 3200 stall converter. As the car launched on its first run, the rear end squatted and the ET Streets just hooked, resulting in an 11.07 in the quarter at 127 MPH. With very little wheelspin, the second run was significantly better than the first run and the car managed to trip the beams, throwing down an ET of 10.73 at 136 MPH.
Aussies and Kiwis, please keep building high-horsepower, LS-powered family sedans. We love them over here in the states!