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Holden
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Sometimes coming up with something original and interesting is simply a case
of taking the same 'tried and true' ingredients and giving them a bit of a subtle
shake up. You know, nothing really outrageous and out of the ordinary, just
a thoughtful tweak here and there and a couple of strategically placed new ideas
for many become an ultimately incomparable and artistically left-offield goal.
Follow? Well, have a look at Paul Novak's trick blown VS ute.
First impressions are everything - what you see is one very head-turning and
impressive two-door custom Commodore. What you may not see is that this ute
is quite a few steps closer to the original starting point than most of its
modified brethren out there in the scene. The key word here is 'selective' and
it seems that the impressive results are due to the quality of the work rather
than the pure quantity.
The 28-year-old signwriter has had plenty of practice at this - big steel Holdens, most of them. An HG and HZ utility were split, chronologically, by a four-door HQ 'Munro', but you pretty much get an accurate idea about where our boy is coming from. He's been down 'the path' before, so this time around he decided to forge his own route a few steps to the left of field.
The beauty about the VS is that Paul started with a humble white industrial V6 ... and he never really customised it as much as enhanced it. Not much of the core vehicle has been changed which is, of course, an absolute godsend when it comes to project construction time and minimising major headaches.
The
vast majority of the exterior is still covered in the factory Alaskan White
2-pak, as are the engine bay and every single hidden nook and cranny. Most of
the major pumping up of the bodywork is courtesy of a rather beefy GS Motorbodies
fibreglass kit, incorporating the large front spoiler, sideskirts and imposing
rear bar assembly. Just as much work has gone into the tray area, which has
been treated to a new sailplane and solid tonneau cover, while the now useless
soft tonneau hooks have been machined away for a much smoother look. These mods,
of course, go most of the way to the impressive exterior look, but a few subliminal
styling tricks, such as the extensive debadging and nifty little exhaust hole
alterations just make the transformation just that little bit more convincing.
Oh, and the discreet 'stickerfication', such as the 'I LOVE PORN' motto on the
rear window, displays a certain signature all of its own.
Pop
the tonneau cover up on its struts and you're confronted by one of the blackest
cargo areas you're ever likely to find. Paul has taken this traditionally neglected
area and carpeted almost every square inch in soft 'nero' carpet and it looks
like a black hole on a bright sunny day.
The key to any car's fashion consciousness is its wheel and tyre combo and
Paul has come up with an original look by using a set of black tri-spokes shod
with Iow-profile rubber. These Rimtech rollers are of a contemporary 17x8 size,
although the ultra glossy 2-pak finish creates an optical illusion, making it
difficult to see where the tyre ends and the alloy starts. A full Pedders workover
ensures that the ride height has much more street credibility than the utilitarian
standard after being compressed by precisely 2 3/4-inches at each corner through
selective springs and shocks.
Having a 3800 V6 planted between the front strut towers is favourable (at least compared to the V8) when it comes to the Commodore ute's inherently nose-heavy weight distribution but lacks slightly, of course, in the power and torque department. "Oh well," Paul probably thought, "a supercharger will soon fix that ..."
A quick trip to Springwood Car Care resulted in a Powerdyne Stage Three kit bolted onto the front passenger side of the six-banger. All of the usual departments needed their respective tweaking, including the MemCal, which now has a more suitable program to suit the blower. A brand-new 'blower-friendly' exhaust system built using Hurricane headers, Superflow mufflers and dual 2.5- into single 3-inch piping aids in helping the enhanced six generate impressive power. How does 230 kilowatts sound?!
Transmission modifications have been left to minimum, although
the standard five-speed manual is fed through a larger and stronger clutch assembly
while the differential centre has been upgraded to what the owner describes
as limited-slip 'Holden HSV' specifications. These driveline mods seemed to
hold up to what amasses to stroker-style power and torque quite effectiveIy
and transforms the white beast something with tons of 'fun' potential.
Speaking of fun, ute owners generally seem to have little reluctance in sprucing
up their rides' cabin areas with performance goodies and Paul is no exception.
It does help, of course, that there's only half an interior to start with ...
To start things off, Paul had a pair of heavily bolstered SAAS sports buckets installed. The trim is velour material - a mixture of grey outer and multicoloured blue inner sections that have been matched into the door trim inserts. The owner opted for woodgrain over leather for the touchyfeely components and sourced a three-spoke sports wheel and matching gearknob.
For sound, Tony's Pro Audio installed a system that starts off with a Clarion CD Player and audio visual headunit which is controlled by a couple of remote units located on the centre console. Rockford Fosgate and Kenwood amplifiers power a pair of Clarion splits which were mounted inside the stock door locations while the triple speaker arrangement behind the seats comprises two JBL 6x9s and a ten-inch Rockford Fosgate sub.
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After six months of work and around fifteen grand's worth of selective modifications, Paul can be proud of owning and building one of the coolest utes on the street. Most importantly though, he seems to have given a bit of thought in the way he has used his resources and created something that's strikingly individual. This alone makes the black and white VS that much more exceptional.
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