With Victoria introducing a new power-to-weight limitation for all P-plate drivers, it’s got many new license holders looking for potential loop holes around the legislation.
It seems they just might have found one.

Meet the HSV XU-6. A very under-rated and often overlooked vehicle from the HSV stable. Powered by an Supercharged Ecotec V6 and making 180kw in standard form, this HSV might not be a quarter mile weapon in standard form, but it doesn’t take long for that to dramatically change.

Aftermarket performance suppliers such as F.I.T have a wide range of bolt on go fast bits to liven up the sleeping giant, with 11 second quarter miles times just a flick of the credit card away. Just a quick look thorough the Street Commodores forums will see a VX Supercharged 6 dive into the mid to high 13’s simply by fitting bolt-on modifications such as an supercharger overdrive pulley, high ratio roller rockers, ECU chip and a upgraded exhaust system. Just a simple pulley swap, increasing intake pressure has seen nearly a full second gain over the quarter.

Even though the XU-6 was a well rounded package with vast potential to be unleashed, it wasn’t a strong sales performer. Customers seemed to think it was ‘wrong’ to buy anything other than a V8 from the performance manufacturer. Even the Monaro had a Supercharged CV6 model, which like the XU-6, had a very short lived production run and clocked up less than impressive sales numbers.

So will we see a spate of P-plate bearing HSV XU-6’s around power poles through out Victoria? Probably not. Unlike more than half of the cars that P-platers are allowed to drive, the HSV is factory fitted with superior safety features such as larger brakes, power steering and ABS. The government likes to drum into your head that power is behind all the P plate fatalities. They seem to believe that a 60’s model EH Holden with non power assisted drum brakes all round and a non-collapsible steering column is safer to drive than a P-plater banned VE Clubsport featuring ABS equipped 365mm HSV Brakes with 4 piston calipers, Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control, and not to mention, headlights and windscreen wipers that actually work.