Muscle cars tend to stick to a familiar recipe. Ever since the early models that helped popularize the genre, muscle cars have generally been two-door coupes, fastbacks, and convertibles, with a huge V8 under the hood and plenty of smoky, tire-burning action. Inside, you get two rows of seats, a useful trunk, lashings of vinyl, and an AM radio. Every now and again, someone tries something different, such as the two-seat AMC AMX, or one of a line of family muscle cars, but in general, the two-door/ big engine rule applies.But one manufacturer decided a few years ago that a muscle car shouldn't be just for a solo Sunday morning drive; it should be for grandpa and grandma, and the dogs too. The result is a sensible wagon with an outrageous engine – notably the mill out of a fire-breathing Camaro ZL1. This monster estate has more power than a 2025 Porsche 911 GT3 but has enough room for a weekend away camping for a family of four. If you only have space in the garage for one car, this could be the perfect choice – if you were actually able to get the keys to one. The HSV ClubSport R8 Tourer LSA Uses The Mightiest Camaro's Engine HSV Unless you have backpacked around Australia in your youth, or are an avid watcher of a little soap opera called Neighbours (which once starred Russell Crowe, Margot Robbie, Guy Pierce, Liam Hemsworth, and Kylie Minogue), you may never have heard of the car brand Holden. This automotive brand was a subsidiary of General Motors Down Under, and is famous for battling out against Ford at the likes of Bathurst. Holden is so popular in Australia that you can't go five minutes on the streets of Sydney or Melbourne without seeing one of its cars. These are generally useful and unassuming sedans and estates, such as the Commodore, but every now and again you see one that has a wild wing and bodykit, or is painted the color of Kermit's vomit. These are the HSV models. The HSV ClubSport R8 Tourer LSA Is A Sleeper From Down Under HSV HSV, or to give it the long title, Holden Special Vehicles, has created cars that look like a mixture of Mad Max and Back To The Future II, but the company has the chops to back up its out-there styling. The subdivision came about as a result of a partnership between General Motors Holden, and the legendary British Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) group, so they knew what they were doing when it came to fast cars. HSV was also responsible for the Commodore SS Group A SV, which was the world's fastest sedan in the '80s. It was announced in 2020 that Holden would be shut down, with Walkinshaw Automotive Group (WAG) now the parent company of HSV. But just before Holden shut down, the company, along with HSV, released their most sleeper model ever: this is called the HSV ClubSport R8 Tourer LSA. A Better Look At The HSV ClubSport R8 Tourer LSA HSV Muscle cars don't often come as wagons. Yes, there is the wicked Dodge Magnum SRT8, but load lugging is not normally top of the to-do list of a muscle car owner. Over in Australia, apparently, things are a bit different. Perhaps muscle car fans in this huge country like space for a surfboard, or need to haul a lot of Vegemite, but there was room on the market for something like the HSV ClubSport R8 Tourer LSA.Arriving in 2015, this is a wagon with lots of sensible stuff like 60/40 split fold rear seats, 895 litres of luggage space (increasing to 2000 litres with the rear seats folded), plenty of cubby holes, and a sunglasses holder. On the outside, the R8 Tourer LSA is subtly muscular, with slender vents on the hood and wings, 20" alloy wheels, a subtle front fascia splitter, HSV side-skirts, and four tail-pipes, but it isn't exactly demanding attention from the average Joe. This HSV Wagon Can Stay Up With A Porsche 911 Carrera Underneath the hood, things are very different. The ClubSport R8 Tourer LSA is fitted with a 6.2-liter Supercharged LSA unit, pretty much the same as you will find in a wild Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. In the HSV, the engine is good for 536 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque - and that is enough to haul the 4,352 lbs Tourer to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds – the same as a Porsche 911 Carrera in 2015. The top speed is said to be around 168 mph if you urgently need to get that two-by-four back from the hardware store. The R8 Tourer Has The Kind Of Hardware You Expect To See On Serious Sports Cars HSV To help with cooling, the ClubSport R8 Tourer LSA is fitted with a stacked plate engine oil cooler and a stand-alone water-to-air charge-air cooling system. The standard gearbox is a Tremec TR-6060 (MG9) 6-speed manual transmission, but there was also the option of a 6L90E 6-speed automatic transmission with Active Select and paddle shifters. To keep everything in check, this bonkers wagon also has Torque Vectoring, which uses the ESC system to detect when the vehicle is starting to understeer. The system steps in and transfers torque across the rear axle from the inside wheel to the outside wheel, helping the car to steer through the corner. The HSV Load-Lugger Has Huge Brakes To Bring It To A Halt Braking comes in the form of a meaty AP Racing 4-piston brake package that, says HSV, was developed using NASCAR technologies. All the car's electronics, including ESC, Traction Control, Electric Power Steering calibration, Torque Vectoring, and the bi-modal exhaust, can be controlled with a clockwise turn of the Driver Preference Dial control. Buying An HSV ClubSport R8 Tourer LSA (And Its Alternatives) BaT In Australia, the R8 Tourer LSA started at $85,990 in 2015, which equates to $56,600 in the US. The closely related 2015 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 would have set you back $57,650 in the same year, with a slightly healthier 580 horsepower. Both cars, it is safe to say, were excellent value for money when new, then. With such a blend of performance, price, and practicality, it is no wonder that Top Gear's Chris Harris is a big fan of Holdens. To bring a Holden into the USA, you'll need to abide by the 25-year import rule, unfortunately, but there are a few hot wagon alternatives on the secondhand market worth looking at. You Could Also Choose A Fast Wagon From Germany Or The United States The second-generation E63 AMG Wagon features an M157 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 and is surprisingly good value these days. This car will storm to 60 mph in around 3.5 seconds. Expect to pay an average price of $36,464 for a 2015 model in 2025, says Classic.com. For something a bit more affordable, you could choose a Dodge Magnum SRT-8. This muscle wagon is fitted with a Hemi 6.1-liter V8 with 425 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque, as well as uprated suspension, large Brembo brakes, and a quicker steering ratio. The Magnum is no slouch, either, hitting 60 mph in 5.1 seconds.