MOTOR Magazine 
June, 2001
Tired of a motoring landscape peppered by hot fours? We'd recommend a trip to Mildura where the V8 is king, and where Peter Dichiera's Corsa Specialized Vehicles hot shop is nirvana.
Dichiera has wheeled out an enhanced version of the VU Ute quicker than you can slap on a 'Shoot Ferals' sticker. Corsa's Bullet ute is a picture of malevolence, clad in a hulking, Dichiera-styled bodykit. Out back it packs a pair of John Holmes-shaming five-inch exhausts that Hyundai 'badboys' would die for.
Bullet backs up its name and looks with explosive performance. Under the hood lurks Corsa's 'baby' 265 kW version of the Gen III 5.7-litre V8. Strict attention to intake and exhaust gives the CSV a claimed 10 kW advantage over its HSV equivalent.
On the inlet side the two narrow feeder tubes in the airbox are replaced with a single, larger trumpet-style intake. The only other changes are a low-restriction air filter and, to guard against detonation, spark plugs which run one heat range colder than the standard Holden jobbies.
A stainless steel exhaust starts with a tri-Y header, merging into twin 2.5-inch pipes, running through a pair of catalytic converters, resonators and two Hi-Tech mufflers before emerging menacingly either side of the rear apron.
That all adds up to a wicked grumble at idle and a glorious roar when your right foot is buried in the shagpile. The carefully constructed breathing mods give the CSV superior throttle response too.
How fast? Just 5.87 seconds to 100 km/h, with the standing quarter evaporating in 14.08 seconds - that's 0.30 sec quicker than we've managed from HSV's Maloo R8.
This particular CSV stuck with the standard SS brake package of 296 mm twin-piston discs up front and 315 mm discs out back, but there's plenty of bigger Harrop options on offer.
The Bullet rides on CSV-spec progressive rate Koni springs, but these have been eased back around 15 per cent from the ultra-tied down jobbies fitted to the VTII Veloce we drove in PCOTY.
Combined with a change from Dunlop to Bridgestone S-02 rubber and the refinements which came courtesy of the VX upgrade, ride quality - particularly low-speed bump absorption - has improved. And steering geometry changes have made the CSV's already impressive turn-in even better.
With a base price of $53,550, the Bullet undercuts the Maloo by $1400. Worth it? Look at the better fit and finish that goes into every CSV and we reckon you'll be looking for ways to please your bank manager.