From there, the dead gasses head south via a twin three-inch exhaust system and out :ria big, polished dump-pipes. On the intake side, there's an air-to-air intercooler living behind the grille.

Interestingly, too, each hose from each turbo to the' cooler and back to the throttle-body are the same length so you don't get one half of the engine huffing-up faster, or one turbo trying to blow boost backwards up the other one.

The stock injectors are flung and replaced by units that will flow enough to keep up with the airflow, and the on-board computer is fiddled slightly as well as being augmented by a piggy-back unit.

The standard fuel pump is retained but now feeds into an accumulator can (about the size of a Milo tin, but much shinier) which contains two high-pressure pumps to supply the new fuel rails via their new regulators.

Sounds simple, but of course it devoured many thousands of hours to get right and no doubt owes APS a lazy squillion or so. And based on local volumes, it'll never make money But throw in the potential demand from Stateside owners of Pontiac GTOs and it all starts to make sense. Especially since the kit is entirely compatible with the LS2 (as fitted to '05 model GTOs and our own current-model HSV stuff).

Now, as regular readers of this fine family magazine will know, I'm no great fan of the original recipe LS1. But ain't it great what a couple of hairdryers can do, because this thing rates as one of the most exciting road cars I've driven.

Boost comes on from less than 2000rpm and all of a sudden, those l-o-n-g gears in the sixspeed 'box are viable. Indeed, it'll pull sixth gear from 90km/h and actually accelerate when you ask the question.

Hit 3000rpm and the twin-turbo Munro is hurtling, accompanied by a demonic kind of rushing sound from under the lid and near enough to 500 pre-metric neddies tearing at the road.

First gear is academic with the traction off (and you will turn it off because it pulls the pin way too early) and it'll even spin up on dry bitumen in second regardless of whether you have some lock on or not. Third gear is the first of the ratios you can use with any sort of abandon, but even then, if you have any lock dialed in, the rear treads'll go up in smoke.

I reckon third and fourth gear are the highlights of this twinturbo monster. There's enough traction for it to hook up cleanly (usually) but both gears can still be legitimately referred to as sprint ratios. Especially so, given the way the engine blows the tacho into the rev limiter faster than you can think about what to do next.