VX Commodore

The Holden VX Commodore was Holden's Group 3A / V8 Supercar for 2001 and 2002 — the last Commodore before the Project Blueprint rules of 2003. It replaced the VT Commodore and was succeeded by the VY (Blueprint), the first Blueprint Holden. This page describes the selected final 2002 pre-Blueprint package.

A distinct car on the VT's mechanicals

The VX shared much of the VT's engineering but is kept as its own car, not merged. Its aerodynamic package was essentially carried over from the final VT — on its 2001 debut it ran the VT-derived aero — but the 2001–02 body drawings have not been recovered, so no VT dimension is assumed to carry across unchanged. It is the least-documented of the selected 1993–2002 packages, and its aero is treated with corresponding caution.

Engine & driveline

The VX carried the Holden Motorsport 5.0-litre fuel-injected V8 on MoTeC management (M4 / M48 family), quoted at 480 kW / 620+ bhp at 7500 rpm on the 2004 spec sheet, driving a Holinger six-speed and a 9-inch crown-wheel-and-pinion on the category's fixed 3.25 / 3.5 / 3.7 final drives. The engine is recorded as the Holden 5.0-litre; the timing of any move to a Chevrolet-based small-block is disputed (CON-006). The front was the HRT-developed MacPherson strut — the architecture Project Blueprint would abolish in 2003 by standardising both marques onto a double wishbone — and the rear a live axle with an adjustable Watts linkage. Minimum weight was 1350 kg on a 120-litre cell.

Brakes, wheels & tyres

The 2002 specification lists AP six-piston (375 mm front) and four-piston (340 mm rear) monobloc brakes with adjustable bias, and Speedline 17×11 wheels — but these are the works fitment; brake make and wheel supplier varied by team (O.Z. wheels appear on the HRT 2000/2004 cars). The big rolling-stock change for 2002 was the tyre: Dunlop replaced Bridgestone as the single control supplier, opening the 17-inch Dunlop era (280/680 R17).

Evolution

The VX was the last pre-Blueprint Commodore. The VY (Blueprint) followed in 2003 on the new parity package, which standardised the front suspension onto a common double wishbone but still left teams building their own chassis.

For its championship record see the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Sources: 2002 V8Supercars.com VX specification and 2004 AVESCO spec sheet for the technical package — Grade B; VX aero (drawings unrecovered) and the engine-transition dispute (CON-006) — Grade D.