I hear the low, ominous thunder of a V8 engine behind me. In the rear vision mirror, I see a red sports car with deep bonnet scoops that is gaining on me very rapidly. The coupe reaches me, passes me and vanishes smoothly and easily around a corner, giving me only the briefest glimpse of quad exhausts, a three piece spoiler and some very unique tail lights. What I have just seen is the HSV Coupe.

The HSV Coupe, which is also known as the HSV Coupe Signature GTO in the HSV E-series line-up, is one of the nicest looking cars on the road. The HSV Coupe is every bit as good as its bigger brothers like the Senator and the Clubsport, with all the zest and zoom we’ve come to expect from the HSV range.

If you’re interested in the HSV Coupe – or any car from the HSV range – you’ll be interested in performance. And there’s no doubt about it: the HSV Coupe is one very fast car. With a 6.0 litre Generation 4 LS2 V8 engine with aluminium block and heads, there’s more than enough growl and power to play with. This top-notch powerhouse is capable of packing a maximum punch of 297 kW of oomph at 6000 rpm, which is just short of the redline at 6500 revs. The torque figures are also terrific: 530 Nm at 4400 rpm. What does all this add up to: 0-100 in 5.1 seconds in the four-speed automatic and 5.2 seconds for the six-speed manual. The HSV Coupe does best on premium unleaded petrol (95 octane), but does OK on 91 octane if you must.

If you’re lucky enough to get inside the HSV Coupe, you’ll be so comfortable on the leather seats that you won’t want to get out again. Twiddle a few knobs on the eight-way adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support – or select one of three seat memory settings – and you’ll be looking for excuses to drive the HSV Coupe. Your passenger in the front (the HSV Coupe can get rear passengers in easily enough with the electric slide rear access, too) also has eight-way adjustable seating and lumbar support. But once you’re sitting comfortably, there may be a few more dials and gadgets inside the HSV Coupe that you could adjust to your liking before heading out to see what the HSV Coupe can do. Such as the Blaupunkt radio/6-disc CD system with ten speakers, equalizer and speed sensitive volume – you’ll find the audio controls on the leather bound steering wheel and the multifunction display will let you see what you need to know. The automatic climate control is another gadget to adjust according to your preferences before starting off, but you can also use the priority key that, upon unlocking the car, can automatically set everything to your liking (and for one other person) for climate control, trip computer, sound system, speed alert, antenna height, instrument dimmer and the headlamps-off time delay. The dash as a whole is a beautiful piece of work with distinctive white dials that, along with the raw-looking alloy pedals, complement the darker tones of the HSV Coupe’s interior.

When you’re in command of the power and passion that lurks under the bonnet of the HSV Coupe, you’ll need to have all the safety features under the sun. The active safety features also double as the engineering masterpieces that make the HSV Coupe a dream to drive and make the handling nice and clean. The brakes are mighty machines in themselves, featuring ABS, EBD, brake assist and traction control; heck, even the brakes on the HSV Coupe look stunning, with the front callipers being red and embossed. And the passive safety features are smart and secure: full-size front airbags, side airbags, antisubmarining ramps, active head restraints and seat backs, and pretensioner seatbelts. And if the pyrotechnic pretensioners deploy, then the HSV Coupe goes into emergency mode, cutting the engine and the fuel, unlocking the doors and turning the dome lamp on.

All that most drivers will ever see of the HSV Coupe is the tail lights disappearing very rapidly into the distance. But drivers of the HSV Coupe will never be able to see and experience enough of this hottest of all hot sports cars.

Current model series include:

• HSV Coupe GTO Z

For anymore information on the HSV Coupe, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quotes requests out to our national network of HSV dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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