Lucas Bell 
When General Motors made the decision to kill off the Holden brand in Australia, there was an air of sadness among muscle car enthusiasts. While we certainly never had Holdens for sale here in the States, that never stopped Americans from lusting after the downright awesome cars built Down Under. Chief among these forbidden fruits was the Holden Maloo Ute. Half Commodore sedan and half pickup truck, these machines are the modern equivalent to the much-beloved El Camino. And now thanks to the folks at Lloyds Auctioneers and Valuers, someone has a chance to purchase the most extreme variant ever created: the 2017 Holden HSV GTSR W1 Maloo Ute.
The 2017 Holden HSV GTSR W1 Maloo Ute is quite simply the craziest car to ever come from Australia. Built by the madmen at Holden Special Vehicles, this truckified version of the last-gen Commodore is powered by the all-mighty LS9. First fit to the C6 Corvette ZR1, this V8 features a dry-sump oil system, titanium connecting rods and inlet valves, and a massive 2.3L Eaton supercharger. In this spec, the motor pushes out 635 horsepower and 601 lb-ft of torque. That power is sent to the rear wheels via a Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual gearbox.
The folks at HSV didn’t simply place an LS9 inside a Holden Maloo Ute and call it good however. The suspension has been supplied by SupaShock, and is put to the ground by a set of 20-inch forged alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R rubber. Hiding behind those wheels sit a set of AP Racing six-piston monoblock calipers and massive 16 inch rotors. Carbon fiber accents and accessories further highlight the on-track capabilities of this precarious pickup.
As one might expect, this Light My Fire Orange Holden Maloo Ute is part of a rare breed. In fact, HSV only built four of these machines as a final goodbye to the Australian market. With rarity comes a high price tag however. As of the time this article was written, bidding for this Ute has reached the equivalent of $611,000 USD. An insane amount of money sure, but there is no way this car doesn’t continue to appreciate in value. We’re not sure that you’d be able to get it into the United States however, which might be for the best. Considering Holden is just a memory at this point, let the Aussies keep this one.
