When GM Holden made the decision to produce the wildest concept car ever, Holden designer Richard Ferlazzo, the brainchild of the “EFIJY” approached Harrop Engineering to gauge interest in the project. With confidentiality agreements in place, we discussed at length our enthusiasm to be involved in producing many of the components required. This was a perfect opportunity to showcase our capabilities to a worldwide audience.

More than 20 suppliers and designers offered their time, parts and expertise to build the car over 12 months. In 2005 Holden estimated the build cost to be over $1.5M; today many consider EFIJY to be priceless. The car is based on the stretched and widened underpinnings of a C5 Corvette and features a Harrop polished LS supercharger assembly together with the finned billet rocker covers for the 6 Litre LS2 based HSV engine. With 480Kw of power and 775Nm of torque, it is almost 11 times more powerful than the 45Kw (60hp) engine in the 1953 FJ Holden.

Harrop also produced the 22″ diameter rear, and 20″ front, 2 piece, billet outer and spun inner rims, together with intricate 5 axis machined billet hub caps. With such high levels of powertrain performance our Ultimate Brake Kit featuring 15″ (381mm) dia. front discs with 6 piston calipers and 14″ (355mm) dia. rear discs with 4 piston callipers were the obvious choice to achieve necessary braking performance.

In 2009, Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) approached Harrop Engineering when looking at options for a forced induction performance package for the FPV FG range. The result was a Prodrive developed Harrop Supercharged Miami 5.0L V8 engine, based on the earlier Ford Coyote V8.

The Australian delivered FPV FG range was boosted by a Harrop HTV1900 Supercharger Kit featuring Eaton Twin Vortices Series (TVS) technology. The Supercharger System was front drive, rear inlet and positioned under the intake plenum in the engines ‘V’, providing an integral high-efficiency plenum and runners. The Supercharger System also featured an inlet bypass valve that improved fuel efficiency and an electronically controlled ‘drive by wire’ and 75mm throttle body.

Peak power and torque from the Miami V8 varied across the FPV FG range, the FG GS and Pursuit were released from factory with 315kW of power and 545Nm of torque (maximum boost pressure was 0.40 bar/5.8 psi) where the top of the range FPV GT made 351kW of power and 570Nm of torque.

In 2018, renowned car-builder David Kindig, of Kindig It Designs unveiled the extraordinary ’55 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing build at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. To save a very rare and expensive vehicle from being modified, a fiberglass replica body was found and used as the basis of this ground up Restomod project. Hundreds of hours build time equates to unimaginable attention to detail, starting with the custom pearl exterior colour “Underslated” through to the meticulous bright red leather interior.

The engine bay also proves this is far from an ordinary Mercedes Gullwing with the factory straight six engine having been replaced with a GM LSX 454 (7.4-litre) crate motor cranking out over 477kW. Harrop was entrusted to provide the same level of quality and finish to the engine bay as the rest of the build, by supplying the Hurricane ITB Manifold. Undoubtedly the eye catching centerpiece of the engine bay, the Hurricane Manifold is fully functional and delivers the necessary air to power the 454 LSX engine via Drive By Wire ETC integration. The Hurricane Manifold suits the build perfectly, pitting old school attitude against new school engineering.