Pulling things up are huge 365mm (front) and 350mm (rear) grooved and ventilated rotors, with HSV four-piston front calipers. A HSV-tuned Bosch ABS system stops things from going entirely pear-shaped. Developed in conjunction with AP Racing, we liked the good pedal feel and could find no fault with the Clubby’s braking performance in the time we had with the car.

Interestingly, we also found the R8 to be a comfortable and quite refined steer on the highway… in context of course. A longer wheelbase, front rebound springs (inserted in the shock absorber), and a more linear and less-progressive spring action, produce an unexpectedly compliant ride. You wouldn’t call it plush, but the chassis and underpinnings work very well over a variety of road surfaces.

With minimal wind and tyre noise, good feel through that too-fat wheel and with a nice V8 rumble for accompaniment on a long highway haul, the R8 is an ideal interstate hauler.

But there was a minus here. At 105km/h, there was a slightly irritating harmonic coming from the drivetrain that disappeared above 110. It was nothing to get into a stew over, it was just there, and it would be better if it wasn’t.

(We also thought the Blaupunkt audio was a tad crappy. Again, no big deal but perhaps not up to the standard you’d expect in the R8’s price segment.)

Conclusion

The R8 Clubsport is a pretty special car. Few cars anywhere near its price will so instantly dial-up the Newton metres that the R8 dials up. The F6 turbo maybe… after that, you’ve got to stretch the budget into six figures to get anywhere near this performance potential.

From $65,320 plus on roads for HSV’s R8 Clubsport (for the manual) – and some hefty discounts around right now - there is no way I could justify shelling out for an M3 or an ISF when there is something that looks this good, has this engine up front, goes this hard and is this well built for under half the cost. (But that’s just me… you probably have a different view.)

So – “hello radio jackass guy” - which one will we choose, R8 Clubsport or FPV GT? It’s a Sophie’s choice my friend, they are both brilliant but in different ways.

For me, it would be the Clubsport because of that LS3. Steane though, he leans to the greater sophistication of the FPV GT.

He also prefers the look, inside and out, of the ‘Blue Oval’ stormer; whereas I lean to the style of the Clubsport.

And ain’t that the way it has always been when it comes to Ford and Holden? It’s a debate that they’ll be trying to sort it out on ‘the hill’ at Bathurst for a few more years to come yet.

The fact is, when you stop to think about it, we’re spoiled for choice here for thunderously quick, brilliantly engineered large performance cars.

So, the legend lives. HSV’s Clubsport R8 still packs enormous performance and value into its sub-$70k showroom price. In this market, its only match is on the other side of the loyalty divide.

Tim’s Big Statement

For the totality of the offering – performance, robustness, relative ease of servicing - the R8 is a super buy. And while in the current climate residual values will be taking a bit of a pounding, that’s a temporary thing. Few performance cars hold their value over the long term quite like an Aussie performance car in the Aussie market.

Sure, rising petrol prices will give some customers reason for pause in the showroom, but for anyone who loves performance and the cracking sound of a V8 on song, the R8 falls into the “just gotta have one” category.

And that LS3 engine… talk about an ace in the deck.

Tim Likes:

• Just love that LS3
• The superbly penned lines
• Sharp turn-in and flat handling
• Versatile, well-mannered ride
• Strong braking performance and pedal feel
• Nicely laid-out (and trimmed) interior
• In context, the R8 is a performance bargain

Tim Dislikes:

• Auto transmission perhaps a little too brutal
• Overly fat steering wheel
• Seating ergonomics (but I’m alone on that one)
• The faint whine at 105kmh
• Audio system not quite in keeping with price