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On ShowKILLERRides Rides Words / Pics - Paul Beck RAY ELIA

VN GRPA COMMODORE TRIBUTE

In standard form, the VN Commodore is not something you’d be bragging about owning to all your mates. Let’s face it, they’re not really that exciting. That’s not to say that they can’t be made to be more appealing though. HSV certainly got the job done with their Group A Version, widely regarded as the toughest of all Group A Commodores. Then Ray Elia come along and took it way past anything HSV could ever imagine. Could this be the ultimate VN Commodore? The mundane, well-worn, Berlina-spec VN Ray started with, is now just a distant memory thanks to the team at 2SUS Custom Resprays. With the car stripped back to its bare bones, the pile of parts no longer required grew bigger. The old faded blue paint was quickly removed and the panels prepped for better things. With a modified Group A body fitted, the reworked body was covered from head to toe in the HSV VN colour, Durif Red. To compliment the new colour, a set of 22x8 and 22x11 chromed FR Simmons fill the wheel arches to perfection.

Forget the six-pack, it didn’t even get a look in. And the twin throttle body HSV set-up? Well, that’s been done a million times.

On ShowKILLERRides Rides Words / Pics - Paul Beck RAY ELIA

VN GRPA COMMODORE TRIBUTE

Even with the bonnet closed, it’s hard to ignore the engine package. Forget the six-pack, it didn’t even get a look in. And the twin throttle body HSV set-up? Well, that’s been done a million times. Now, there’s 6-litres of pumped LS providing plenty of power, thanks mostly to the highly polished 8/71 Blower Shop supercharger topped with an Enderle injector hat that has been set up to run electronically by Joe Blo Speed Shop. As they say, ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it!’ Needless to say, the engine performs every bit as good as it looks (and doesn’t it look awesome!) with a host of good gear inside. A Haltech Elite 2500 ECU controls how the boosted LS performs.

Taking the bulk of the punishment from the engine is a Turbo 400 auto prepped by Craig’s Automatics with a narrowed 9-inch diff featuring a 3.9-geared Tru Track centre and billet axles tasked with getting that power to the tyres. The diff locates using a 4-link which allows the bigger rubber to sit inside the modified tubs. The fabricated front “tubs” are obvious in the smoothed-out engine bay, but what’s not so easy to see is the custom independent front end. QA1 coil-over shocks and AP Racing brakes are fitted to each corner.