There are, in our most privileged of positions, cars that come about every once in a while that you instantly strike a connection with. You fall in love with the look of the car and like a school boy with a crush on a class mate, you excitedly peek a glance at said car at every chance you get. The car genuinely excites you, and lucky for me the HSV Tourer wagon was far easier to get a drive of than my teenage love interest!

I believe that in some distant universe the Tourer and I were destined to be. We’re both stylish and suave but undeniably masculine, and despite our portly dimensions we’re both proven performers. Like the Tourer too, I’m irresistible to women and while that last statement might be pure fallacy, there isn’t an easier car on the HSV range to woo the missus with – it’s practical for the family, it can tow, it’s got plenty of luggage space and it’s a cinch to drive; it’s quite literally the perfect Tourer.

I had the chance to drive one for close to three weeks over the Christmas break and ended up racking up thousands of hard kilometres on the wagon. This extra time behind the wheel gave me time to thoroughly review the car though and really put it through it’s paces – highway driving, general cruising, moving house, heading to the beach, doing the shopping and even the annual pilgrimage to the Nats!

Not once did the wagon skip a beat which leads me to believe it might actually be the most well-rounded of the latest iteration of HSVs (I say that not having driven them mind you, watch out for their reviews coming up). It’s got the answer for every question and there’s nary an area it falls down in.

The monster 6.2L LS3 is raw and untamed. Mash your foot and you can do little but respect what is a pure animal, dressed smartly in a fitted suit trying it’s darnedest to be a gentleman. It doesn’t hide it very well though with it’s aggressive styling, exhaust note, huge wheels and even bigger brakes. And then there’s the rate at which this animal drinks fuel! I explained it to my friend thusly; “on the highway it’s great, slipping into the single digits. The second you think about turning off though, before you’ve even reached for the indicator it’s back to drinking the juice!” Granted this fuel economy might have stemmed from my driving style – it’s the kind of car that you want to drive and enjoy and with well over 400hp just a blip of the throttle away it’s too tempting not to give it a stab. Routinely.

I thought I had truly experienced all this car had to give. I had pitched it through the twisty bits and exploited it’s marvellous suspension. I had exhausted every last inch of those massive brakes and slipped into a state of bliss upon hearing the bi-modal exhaust open up. I loved immersing myself in it’s enveloping leather buckets and planting my foot, watching the nose of the wagon pick up as the speedo raced to the right side of the dash... I was head over heels for the wagon, and then I found the HSV EDI interface which cemented the Tourer and indeed the E3 range as some of my favourite cars of all time.

The MoTeC data logging and Enhanced Driver Interface is an amazing bit of technology – that’s it summed up in a sentence. It’s not a marketing ploy or a gimmick used to sell cars based on HSV’s racing history – it is a genuinely amazing feature that legitimately improves your interaction with and enjoyment of the car. Anyone that tells you otherwise obviously hasn’t experienced it themselves.

People have heard me rant and rave about how awesome the on-board entertainment system is in the latest iteration of VEs and HSV EDI is just that system on steroids. It will tell you everything from when the bi-model exhaust is open to the lateral G-forces you’re experiencing as you drive, tyre pressures and temperatures, what the traction control is doing at each corner of the vehicle, your running fuel economy, how much torque and power (expressed in kilowatts) you’re using and more. The lap timer system is one thing I didn’t get the chance to try out but will be in the future, and the MoTeC heads-up-display (digital dash) is nothing short of the perfect driver’s tool. Put shortly, a HSV without this option ticked might as well be a body kitted SSV – this system takes HSV to sky-high levels; ones that I challenge any other local manufacturer to try and match.

So do I love it? You bet I do! I was sad to give it back, and if you hear of one making it’s way into my garage in the near future don’t be surprised. Hell, the girlfriend loved it so much it might not even be me buying one!

If you haven’t driven an E3 HSV yet you’re kidding yourself. Tick ‘driving a super car’ off your bucket list by getting along to your local HSV dealer today. To find your nearest HSV dealer, or to learn more about the E3 range visit www.hsv.com.au

Walkinshaw Racing has unveiled a different look V8 team in Sydney’s Western Suburbs today with the covers being pulled off the re-branded Bundaberg Racing Team.

The team’s two drivers, Fabian Coulthard and Cameron McConville, revealed a Bundaberg Racing V8 Supercar and for the first time a Bundaberg Racing V8 Ute at Diageo’s Huntingwood Supply facility.

For the past two seasons, Walkinshaw Racing has entered a V8 Supercar, preparing two entries during 2010, in the V8 Supercar Series with backing from the Bundaberg Distilling Company. However, 2011 will be the first time the organisation has also prepared a ute and the third consecutive season the team has been associated with the ingenious Australian icon.

Fabian Coulthard remains with the team and will be joined by Cameron McConville, who will step back into a semi full-time driving role during 2011. Coulthard will drive the #61 Bundaberg Racing V8 Supercar while McConville will pilot the #61 Bundaberg Racing Ute in the Yokohama Ute Series.

Coulthard revealed a very different looking V8 Supercar. The team has transitioned from the traditional red that has adorned the Bundaberg cars over the past two seasons opting for a switch to a striking black and orange paint scheme to represent the Bundaberg Distilling Company and bring all the Bundaberg brands together.

Coulthard’s 2010 season didn’t unfold as expected, however, the 28 year old is eager to get back into the swing of things for the upcoming season and is thrilled to have the continued support from the Bundaberg Distilling Company.

“Now that I have a year under my belt at Walkinshaw Racing, I am really excited about the upcoming season,” Coulthard said.

“It is nice to have the consistency in the team carrying over from last year and the ongoing support of the Bundaberg Distilling Company. Without them we wouldn’t be able to do what we do and there are a lot of exciting things planned for 2011 which I am looking forward to getting stuck into,” he said.

“To have Cameron onboard is also a great addition to the team line-up. We are entering into something that hasn’t been trialled before and I am sure Cam and I will still have that team-mate rivalry going, despite the fact he is in a ute!” he said.

For McConville, the opportunity to get back behind the wheel on a regular basis was too good to refuse. McConville stepped back from full time V8 Supercar racing at the end of the 2009 season to spend more time with his young family and to focus on his new business venture – a JAXQuickfit Tyre store.

However, 12 months on and McConville is itching to get back into a regular racing routine with the Yokohama Ute Series providing the perfect platform to do so.

McConville has a decorated motor racing CV spanning more than 10 years and will bring a wealth of experience to the newest V8 Ute team.

“After sitting on the sidelines and watching for 12 months, I am definitely ready to sink my teeth into the competitive side of racing again.

“I didn’t realise how much I missed it until I jumped back in a Walkinshaw Racing Commodore with Garth Tander at the Phillip Island 500 and Bathurst 1000 last year,” McConville said.

“While the Ute Series these days is very competitive, it is also going to be a lot of fun. Those guys don’t hold anything back when they go racing, so I am looking forward to the challenge but also really excited about mixing it with the guys up the front,” he said.

“To work with a brand like Bundaberg Rum is also an exciting prospect for me. I have been in this game for a long time now and have represented a lot of different brands, but I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the Bundaberg Distilling Company on some of their proposed projects this year,” he said.

McConville has dabbled in the Series previously when he teamed up with Gary Baxter to co-drive in the 2010 Clipsal 500 Legends Race.

It will be the first time that a sponsor has had their brand represented on both a V8 Supercar and a V8 Ute to be entered alongside each other by the same team. The Bundaberg Racing V8 Supercar and V8 Ute will share identical liveries, providing Bundaberg Rum with a significant presence across the two categories.

Bundaberg Distilling Company Marketing Manager Matt Bruhn said “We’re into our third year of partnership with Walkinshaw Racing, and are proud to continue our association with one of Australia’s most loved sports. We’re excited to be doing something different this year by venturing into V8 Ute racing, and delivering a broader message for the Bundaberg Distilling Company with new black and grey livery. We wish Fabian and Cameron every success for the season,” he said.

“We are also committed to continuing our responsible drinking campaign, through our partnership with Holden Special Vehicles and Walkinshaw Racing. Responsible drinking remains as relevant for Bundaberg Rum consumers as it does for HSV owners – and we are excited by the ability to activate this through the Bundaberg Racing team.

Walkinshaw Racing’s Commercial Manager, Bruce Stewart, welcomed the team’s new sponsors.

“We are delighted to partner with the Bundaberg Distilling Company in 2011 in what will be an exciting development in our racing program and a wonderful evolution to our partnership with the Bundaberg Rum team,” he said.

“We would also like to welcome King Gee and UD Trucks to our sponsor portfolio. Both brands possess a similar attitude to that of the Bundaberg Distilling Company and Walkinshaw Racing and as such will be a great fit within our team,” he said.

The Bundaberg Racing V8 Supercar will be seen on track for the first time this Saturday, January 29, at the Eastern Creek Test Day. Fans of the V8 Ute Series will have to wait until the first event of the season at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide in March to see McConville’s new ute on track.

When I went along to the launch of the VE Series II and learnt that Holden would no longer be persisting with the Statesman namesake, I did feel a little sad. I wasn’t sure how the purchasing public would react to the shock however for the most part it would seem that they are unfazed by it – perhaps like me they have taken the opportunity to drive Holden’s long-wheel base luxo-barge and, like me, they have instantly fallen in love with it!

The story of the Caprice V and I is one of forbidden love. There are so few things about this car that I should not like – it’s a very big car, and I mean very big! It’s heavy, those that know me know that V8s certainly aren’t my favourite thing in the entire world and for a third and final time, it’s a bloody massive car.
However, over those glorious seven days I was gifted the car to review I did not just come to like the car, I came to love it.

Truth be told that’s a little misleading. The Caprice V and I had a fling on the press launch where I put the 5m long, 1,900kg lounge room on wheels through it’s paces with a spirited drive through the Adelaide hills. I raved about it then, and after enjoying it for a week that sentiment stands – the Caprice V is no more a long-wheel base limousine than it is a genuine performance car stacked to the hilt with extra creature comforts. Like a fat chick, there’s just more of it to love...

So what about the Caprice V is more comfortable than, say, a leather-clad SSV or a Calais V? To start off with, the extra cabin space allowed by the long wheel base platform is really noticeable. Few cars on the road can comfortably accommodate a full car load, but the Caprice V literally swallows up it’s occupants and offers new standards in passenger comfort. The back seat offers the kind of leg room that is usually reserved for those riding in the front of a sedan meaning there’s no tasting one’s knees or suffering the duration of the trip with someone’s elbows digging into you.

If it almost safe to say that the car has been designed with those travelling in the back seat in mind. Sure, the front of the car has some pretty cool stuff but it certainly doesn’t compare to the climate controlled rear, the ample leg room or the DVD screens in the back of the head rests!

Technology abounds throughout the car and whereas many manufacturers simply add gadgets and bits and bobs as marketing ploys, everything added to the Caprice V genuinely makes it a nicer car to drive. I harped on about the size of the luxo-barge and the natural assumption to draw is that being some 5m long it would be a pain to park, but that paled into insignificance thanks to ingenious sensors and systems aimed at making driving the Caprice V a cinch.

The reverse camera features across most of the VE II range however, the Caprice V also features sensors on the front end to help guide the behemoth into just about any car space. To fully test this I flicked the keys to my girlfriend and got her to reverse park the Caprice into one of the Smart Car-sized spaces in our trendy, new inner-western Sydney apartment complex. Without so much as a to or fro the car was pitched perfectly into the car space. I tested it myself by taming a local shopping complex and weaving in and out of the tight concrete pillars – nothing is an issue for the Caprice V; there’s very little it can’t do.

And what of the 6L-propelled LWB’s performance? To be honest, for the first few days I was underwhelmed. In an effort to get some form of fuel economy out of the vehicle (or in the interests of passenger comfort, I couldn’t tell), the car is tuned to be super smooth, almost to the point of being lazy. It barely revs, and the gear changes are seamless. To a performance motoring journalist like myself this was refreshing and relaxing... for all of about two hours before I got bored and wanted more from the car! Even with my foot mashed to the floor the car didn’t exactly want to get up and boogie, but then we discovered what it could do with the auto box switched over into Sports Mode, or full manual shift. Like most of the VE II range the Caprice V comes to life once it’s allowed to rev and certainly while you won’t be breaking any land speed records in the 6L luxo jet you can cruise in comfort knowing that beneath your right foot there is enough grunt to get you into and out of just about any situation!

And if the somewhat refined looks of the Caprice don’t get you motivated, we threw the feelers out to see what the online community of car-crazy modifiers on the Street Commodores Facebook could do with the Caprice V given the chance. Our mates at KAR Creations got the ball rolling with a Japanese VIP-styled impression and backed that up with a super tough Pro Street Police-themed drag racer. Check out the other three winning photoshops below, and to be a part of future photoshop competitions log onto the Street Commodores Facebook page.

Take a WM II Caprice V for a test drive today at your local Holden dealer, or visit www.holden.com.au

To celebrate the anticipated release of the Cruise for Charity special issue, Issue 178, and the first of two epic 50 minute DVDs covering the event we've kept in the giving spirit and brought you a Street Commodores and Cruise for Charity first.

If you attended any of our Cruise for Charity events you would have no doubt seen our pro photographers wandering around with their expensive camera gear - they might have even taken a photo of your car. Well, they take hundreds of photos at each event and sadly we can't fit every single photo into print so we went and uploaded them to the Street Commodores galleries so you and your car don't miss out!

Check out the thousands of images, broken down state-by-state, HERE!

Download them, save them to your computer, upload them to Facebook and share them with the world - they're yours to show off and they're absolutely FREE!