Holden is set to end production of its rear-wheel-drive Commodore range in 2017. There will be a new Commodore arriving in 2018, but this will be a front-wheel-drive-based model derived from another General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] vehicle and, perhaps most tragically, no longer with the option of a V-8.

That means semi-official Holden tuner HSV, famous for its rear-wheel-drive muscle sedans, will have to launch a very different car to what it’s used to if it ends up sticking to tuning the Commodore. The good news is that HSV is expected to send the current Commodore out with a bang.

ALSO SEE: SpeedKore Tantrum: A 1970 Charger Restomod With A 1,650-HP 9.0-Liter V-8

The tuner’s current flagship, the GTS, is powered by GM's supercharged 6.2-liter LSA V-8 and churns out an impressive 580 horsepower and 545 pound-feet of torque. However, there are rumors of a more potent version to serve as the current Commodore’s swan song.

We now learned that this more potent version may revive HSV’s GTS-R nameplate first used on a special edition model launched in 1996. It’s been revealed that HSV has renewed its “GTS-R” trademark in Australia, leading to speculation the firm is about to launch a new model wearing the famous nameplate. Next year also marks the 20th anniversary of the original HSV GTS-R so there’s additional reason to think HSV might use the nameplate.

While there are rumors we may see HSV drop the C6 Corvette ZR1’s supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 V-8 into the Commodore’s engine bay for the GTS-R, another option would be sticking with the current GTS model’s LSA and either tweaking this or improving the car’s chassis, or perhaps a combination of the two.

Stay tuned.

_______________________________________

Follow Motor Authority on Facebook and Twitter.