Chevy Could Introduce an LS9-powered SS

2015 Chevrolet SS (Credit: © Chevrolet)

Holden is on its last leg in the land down under, as it is set to close up shop in 2017. Along with this death comes the elimination of one of Australia’s greatest muscle cars, the Holden Special Vehicles GTS. Fortunately, HSV isn’t going to just let the GTS go out with a thud. Instead, it will dust off a special engine that will give it a more powerful sendoff.

The engine in question is the GM LS9, which is the same supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 that graced the engine compartment of the last-generation Corvette ZR1. Under the hood of the hot`Vette, this engine cranked out 638 horsepower and 603 pound-feet of torque. If this remains unchanged in the special GTS, then it would be Australia’s most powerful domestically produced car.

If you’re wondering why HSV chose to use an old Corvette engine instead of one of the new LT-series engines, there is a good reason. According to Drive.com.au, an LT engine would not fit under the hood of the HSV GTS, so it had to dust off the old ZR1 engine for this application.

The report also indicates that this special GTS will get more than just the ZR1’s engine, as the retired Corvette’s carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes may migrate over too.

The final piece of the puzzle for this GTS swan song is its name. Most sources indicate that this model will carry the GTS-R name, which HSV last used in 1996.

While this is all well and good, it means precisely jack squat for us folks here in the U.S. because HSV doesn’t sell cars here. Fortunately, the Chevy SS is little more than a rebadged Commodore (the model the GTS is based on), so there is a slim possibility that this engine could power a handful of special SS models. While this is highly unlikely, it does at least give us something to hope for.

We’ll learn more about this new VSV GTS in the coming months, so stay tuned for more details.