Walkinshaw creates another hot V8

The lineage of Walkinshaw and General Motors stretches back almost 40 years, and the Melbourne-based outfit isn’t stopping creating more potent versions of GM vehicles just yet.

Among the Walkinshaw Group’s wider range of jobs which includes converting a number of American-sourced vehicles from left- to right-hand drive, the Walkinshaw Performance division also provides upgrades to some of the cars it helps remanufacture.

In the case of the GMC Yukon SUV, that means a new Walkinshaw Performance Supercharger, available to be bolted onto its 6.2-litre ‘L98’ V8 engine.

Priced from $21,990 (excluding fitting), the supercharger has been developed with long-time Holden and GM tuners Harrop Engineering, and is based on the existing Harrop TVS2650 positive displacement supercharger.

With water-to-air intercooling and 8psi of boost, Walkinshaw claims the supercharger increases the engine’s outputs from its standard 260kW and 525Nm at the wheels, to 373kW and 713Nm.

For context, as standard the engine produces a claimed 313kW and 624Nm at the flywheel, while previously Melbourne’s Horsepower Factory – one of the few approved fitters for the Walkinshaw supercharger for the related Silverado 1500 – said the supercharger increases power and torque to 425kW and 845Nm.

To complement the supercharger, Walkinshaw also offers a cat-back exhaust system for the Yukon, made from 409 stainless steel, and configured in a 3-inch into twin 2.5-inch layout, with prices starting from $3995 excluding fitting.

Walkinshaw Performance also offers a GMC Yukon brake upgrade package, developed by Chevrolet Performance and Brembo overseas.

With new ‘Duralife’ rotors and six-piston front calipers, Walkinshaw claims the brake upgrade provides a 22 per cent larger brake rotor area, and a huge 89 per cent increase in brake pad area, helping to stop the big SUV more consistently.

Prices start from $5995, again excluding fitment.

All of the upgrades are only available to GMC Yukons sold in Australia by GM Specialty Vehicles, the sole distributor of the Walkinshaw-converted vehicle which itself costs $174,990 plus on-roads.