In the battle for supremacy in the Aussie performance saloon market, the respective performance divisions for both Holden and Ford have unveiled two new special edition cars at this week’s Melbourne Motor Show. Representing the Ford camp is the F6 E concept car, which the Blue Oval is using to gauge the public’s interest before confirming production plans. Holden has gone one better by releasing a limited edition Senator through its HSV performance offshoot.

The new model costs AUD$10,000 less than the regular Senator Signature model which normally retails for $80,500. The price reduction has come at the cost of some niceties, however. These include the Senator Signature’s magnetic ride control suspension adjustment, chrome shadow wheels, luxury seats, and parking sensors.

The limited edition Senator still comes with leather onyx seats as standard and is available in seven colours. HSV will build 30 manual and 59 automatic Senators, and there is no premium to pay for ticking the auto option.

There are no changes to the powertrain, which means the car’s LS3 V8 engine still delivers a peak output of 425hp (317kW) at 6,500rpm and 406lb-ft (550Nm) of torque at 4,600rpm.

The Senator nameplate dates back to the first model in 1992 and is currently the third most popular model in HSV’s lineup.