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It’s bright red, lead-sled low and boasts more than 485kW at the treads.
It’s also one of the more fastidiously modified late-model Aussie cars we’ve seen. But before we take a closer look at what’s under the bonnet, let’s learn more about its creator, Tekno Performance, what it offers and how it goes about making late-model performance cars go even faster.
Located close to the Gold Coast, the performance workshop sits alongside Jono Webb’s Tekno Autosports V8 Supercar crew so there’s a synergy between road and track, following in the footsteps of Ford in the 1970s, Brocky’s HDT and Nissan’s SVD in the 1980s, and of course HSV and HRT in modern times.
Keeping standards high is a foundation for this young and growing company. “Jono has always said to me, only the best products and do it right the first time,” says the company’s performance manager Greg Markham.
Tekno’s performance upgrade packages for Holdens and HSVs are marketed and installed as Stage One, Two and Three. The $3500 Stage One Tekno Power pack involves a free-flowing intake (with the standard air-filter and its box retained), a cat-back exhaust system and a bespoke tune for a bit of extra eagerness from the base car.
Tuning is performed on a car-by-car basis, with Tekno shunning load-and-go tuning. “That was one thing Jono and I determined early on,” says Markham. “No generic tunes. Regardless of manufacturing tolerances and the like, [the engines] are all different.
And if you’re putting the money and effort into building something like this, a dedicated tune gets the most from the hardware – it’s a shame not to. That extra hour and a half on the dyno, or some extra time spent on-road, can pay big dividends.”
“We usually install Harrop brakes; a mono-block four-piston caliper over a 355mm front and rear rotor. Or the Ultimate kit, which has a six-piston front and a four-piston rear over a 381mm front and 356mm rear rotor. That takes braking performance right up.”
Tekno is particularly proud of its exhaust systems. Manufactured to specs that exceed original equipment, the system is integral to most of Tekno’s upgrades. “Exhaust systems can be difficult,” admits Markham. “You need to strike a balance between exhaust note and drone; one person may want it loud while another wants it quiet. There’s a considerable amount of trial and error to work out a package that suits our customers.
Which brings us to this scorching red HSV ClubSport. Straight after the launch of HSV’s Gen-F range in 2013, Tekno bought a white ClubSport and threw its whole catalogue at it as a demonstration vehicle. “Then a customer came along and fell in love with it,” laughs Markham. “We only owned it for a month or so! So we bought this red one and we’ve taken it to the next level.
To develop almost 500kW at the treads, this ClubSport is supercharged with an Eaton-tech Harrop supercharger with integral intercooling (the charge air is intercooled within the intake manifold).
The engine’s bottom end – everything below the head gaskets such as crank, rods and pistons – is standard which is Tekno’s usual path to performance.
“With a cam change and supercharger, 600 horses at the wheels is no problem,” says Markham. “But for this car we wanted to go that bit further, so we decided to do the heads. If you are going to that extra level with chasing power, as we wanted for this car, the heads are a definite advantage.”
The wheels are Tekno’s own design. “They’re a fully forged wheel made in the US. When we get a car in, we’ll buy-in rims to suit a budget depending on what the customer wants but these rims are our premium wheels.” And they’d want to be – they’re around $1400. Each.
You want your Clubbie to look like this? It’ll cost $40K over the sticker price. Which doesn’t include the human-eyeball-magnet. That’s sort of included.
