Holden->ke33 is considered somewhat of an exotic brand, mostly because its vehicles aren't made available in Europe or the United States. Save for a few exceptions, such as the VE Commodore->ke1480-based Pontiac G8->ke2235 and Chevy SS, Holdens mainly remained on Australian soil and a few surrounding countries.

And that has caused some frustration with U.S. enthusiasts, especially among those that were hoping for General Motors->ke1024 to revive the Chevy El Camino by importing the Holden Ute->ke1425. That didn't happen, but GM eventually brought the Commodore Stateside last year as the Chevrolet SS.

The Detroit giant also imported the Australian sedan to the United Kingdom for its Vauxhall->ke92 brand, but, unlike North America, the Brits got the angrier, HSV-prepped version of the Commodore. Sold under the VXR8 GTS name, the high-performance sedan is being marketed as a competitor for the more popular BMW M5->ke2922 and the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG.

And judging by the numbers, the Vauxhall is an impressive machine, with 577 horsepower and 564 pound-feet of torque coming out of a supercharged, 6.2-liter, V-8 engine. That's more than what the BMW M5 Competition Package gets under the hood, but is it enough for the rebadged Holden to take on one of Germany's finest sedan->ke142?

The folks over at Autocar embarked on a mission to find out and put both vehicles through handling and rolling start drag race tests with Steve Sutcliffe behind the wheel. Who won? Well, you'll just have to hit the play button to find out.

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