Up until recently, Holden was Australia’s own car brand. An offshoot of GM, the brand had a 70-year history in which it produced some incredible vehicles, the majority of which were unique to the Australian market.

The VE Commodore was one such vehicle, available as a saloon, station wagon or a two-door sports ute – essentially a pick-up, but in this particular case with a General Motors LS3 small block V8 under its nose.

But this one is even more than that. It’s a full-fat HSV R8 model, created in the small township of Lang Lang on the outskirts of Melbourne by HSV, or Holden Special Vehicles, with the assistance of Walkinshaw Racing.

HSV has been giving Holden’s Commodore models the tweaked big V8 treatment for decades, with each model carrying the Maloo name (meaning thunder in one of the many Aboriginal dialects) as a nod to the rumbling powerplant.

With 425bhp fed to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission, this example is a proper performance machine and something completely different to your average performance car (unless you’re an Aussie, of course, in which case it’s a thing of legend).

It’s a remarkable thing – a proper muscle truck, imported into the UK last year by an Australian enthusiast and offered for sale with a remarkable low mileage and in fabulous condition throughout.

If you want a performance car that’s the real deal in terms of its power delivery and handling but is delightfully different, then you’ve just found it.

 

The well-balanced styling of the Ute is almost coupé-like thanks to the full length load bay cover, the proportions of the Holden doing a good job of disguising its vastness. It’s a huge vehicle by European standards, as long as a Jaguar XJ saloon, but it doesn’t look or feel as large close-up.

The paint – distinctive Atomic Green, exclusive to HSV models – is excellent all over, while bespoke HSV bits include the front and rear bumpers, side skirts and 20-inch gloss black alloys, which are in good overall order with only a couple of very minor kerb marks.

There are no marks or damage of any note – a few very tiny stone chips, but no dents or ripples and the underside appears to be in superb condition.

Inside, the Maloo comes with exclusive HSV trim, which in this case means part leather, part Alcantara sports seats with thick side bolsters and the HSV logo embroidered in both seat backs.

The truck retains its original factory stereo and climate controls and is presented in very good order, with factory Holden floormats and smart charcoal-coloured Alcantara headlining. There’s a tiny amount of wear to the driver’s side seat bolster but this is barely noticeable, along with some wear to the gear knob commensurate with the truck’s mileage.

The lines load bay is vast – perfect for two full-sized surfboards – and the sports exhausts and red HSV brake callipers complete the bold external appearance.

 

 

In standard from, a 6.2-litre V8 Commodore is a fruity machine, but with the addition of HSV’s input it becomes positively lairy, the engine tuned to develop 425bhp with prodigious levels of torque – 406 lb ft at peak delivery. 

In addition, the R8 gets a Walkinshaw induction kit and performance exhaust, while the short-ratio gearbox means urgent performance if required – it sounds amazing and is devilishly fast when you need it to be. Yet the inherent tractability of the GM 6.2-litre V8 means it can be (and is) entirely docile at lower speeds making this a full-fat high-performance vehicle that you can still use happily every day. 

It runs brilliantly, while the sports exhaust system sounds fantastic. It’s easy to maintain, too – while it may be a rare vehicle in the UK, the powertrain is all GM and common to a lot of the brand’s American cars, so parts are plentiful and inexpensive to procure. Not that it’ll need anything. This one has had a thorough going over courtesy of an Australian motor engineer based in Hertfordshire and is presented in fantastic mechanical order with no known faults.

 

BEFORE YOU BUY

This sale is subject to the Car & Classic Terms and Conditions. By bidding and/or making an offer, you also agree to the following:

✓ If the seller is registered as a private seller, consumer rights stemming from EU consumer protection law do not apply. Car & Classic’s return policy applies.

✓ A non-refundable deposit will be payable if you are the winning bidder at auction or if your offer is accepted, refer to FAQs and T&Cs for details.

✓ This vehicle is “Sold As Seen”, on an “As Is, Where Is’ basis and without warranty. A full inspection of the vehicle prior to purchase and bidding is highly recommended. Photos and descriptions are for guidance purposes only.

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