HSV Maloo GTS-R to be sold in the UK

THE fastest ute in the world — our home-grown HSV Maloo GTSR — is packing its bags for an overseas jaunt.

Wheels can reveal that five of HSV’s most powerful tradie specials will be heading to the UK, badged as a Vauxhall Maloo LSA, to join an already confirmed 15 GTSR sedans.

Powered by a 435kW/740Nm 6.2-litre supercharged V8, the handful of UK-bound examples will be identical in specification to those sold Down Under.

That means a beefier braking package, torque vectoring and wider bodywork over the standard GTS.

Orders have already been taken by Vauxhall in the UK for two of the Maloos, and 11 of the sedans, so British fans of Aussie muscle will have to get in quickly in order to add one to their collection.

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HSV has a long history of sending cars to the land of tea and crumpets, with notable modern exports including the 2005 Monaro-based Coupe, which was rebadged as the VXR. The UK also received a special supercharged special-edition of that car that wasn’t sold in Australia, that produced 372kW/677Nm.

Aussie-built supercharged V8 utes aren’t completely foreign to Britons, of course, with both E-Series and Gen-F Maloo’s travelling to the Mother Country, along with their sedan siblings.

As to why Vauxhall wants our tradie rockets, spokesman Simon Hucknall told Wheels: “Because they’re genuinely iconic and the perfect antidote to the oh-so predictable German performance saloons on sale in the UK.

“They perhaps don’t have the Teutonic polish that some buyers expect in this class, but our buyers warm to their honesty of character, along with fine dynamics, practicality and durability. Rarity, too.

“The VXR8 models (and previous Monaro) have also been a powerful (literally) flag-bearer for our VXR range, and from a PR perspective, helped Vauxhall gain traction in media that wouldn’t always consider featuring our cars.”

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The Gen-F2 Maloo R8 LSA was shipped to the UK under the Vauxhall badge back in 2015, priced at £55,500 drive away for the manual (A brand-new BMW M4 retails for £57,065).

The final five Maloo GTSRs will mark the end of Australia’s exports to the UK, with Holden’s local manufacturing shutting down on October 20, and HSV’s work on local products following soon after.

The GTSR Maloo starts at $96,990 in Australia, but will come with a £63,745 price tag in the UK (Jaguar’s V6-powered F-Type retails for £60,755).

The GTSR sedan will retail for £74,500 in the UK ($128,479 Australian), making it a price-rival to the Nissan GT-R at £79,995.

However, despite their abundance Down Under, the HSV exports have attained a cult status in the UK due to their outlaw character and limited numbers.