A 'SERIES TWO' of any car can go one of two ways, either living in the shadow of its predecessor if the car company gets it wrong or casting its own shadow if the manufacturer gets it right. On first impression, HSV's E Series 2 at least rises above its predecessor. Across the board, E Series 2 gets clever new driver aids and a more evolved styling separation from Commodore, while the GTS has been restored to its position as the performance king of the range.
HOLDEN Special Vehicles launched its VE Commodore-based E Series range in 2006. With unique styling, world-class new technology and improved performance from its upgraded 307kW LS2 6.0-litre V8, the E Series HSV included the ClubSport, ClubSport R8, GTS, Senator Signature and from October 2007, Maloo and Maloo R8 models and from October 2008 the ClubSport R8 Tourer.HSV claimed of a "four-second club" sprint to the speed limit, making the E Series the fastest Australian production car ever built. Then in May 2008, HSV beefed up its powerplant with a new 6.2-litre engine that lifted power 10kW to 317kW, but torque was capped at 550Nm to protect the gearbox and rear differential. Some revisions also were made to the automatic gearbox, with a new, larger, oil-cooler and new mapping.