THE theory sounds great - take a big, brawny rear-wheel drive sedan like the Commodore, boost its already powerful V6 engine with a supercharger, match it to a sports suspension set-up and you've got instant thrills. That's the theory behind the Commodore S supercharged, anyway. But these days the reality falls a little short, not so much because this car has sat still, more because others - most obviously Falcon's XR6 - are moving forward more quickly. In its latest VY Commodore guise, the supercharged S gets a significant exterior and interior makeover and minor mechanical improvements, but continues to be offered only with the ubiquitous Holden four-speed automatic gearbox.

Holden Commodore S
Released: April 1995
Ended: August 1997
Family Tree: CommodoreTHE Commodore S nameplate has been around since the VN model in 1988, but the supercharged version of Holden's 3.8-litre V6 only appeared in S Commodores from the VT series in 1997. Prior to that, the Commodore S was powered by a naturally aspirated V6 producing 147kW, and was last sold in VSII guise. Interestingly, the supercharged six first appeared in relatively lightweight VS Calais models from September 1996, making the blown VSII Calais (pictured) somewhat of a street sleeper today.
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