2017 HSV Maloo R8 LSA '30th Anniversary Edition

The first Australian ute rolled off the factory floor back in 1934, dubbed the Kangaroo chaser. Designed to cover vast distances in the harshest conditions with a full payload, but be equally at home at church on Sunday’s, the formula was an overnight success among farmers and quickly became a staple of life in Australia.

Fast forward to today, where the ability to transport work gear and bring along man’s best friend during the week and then load up with camping gear, bikes, or surfboards for a weekend getaway is central to the ute's popularity and our way of life.

And, as with anything Australian, we love to add a bit of extra sauce. That’s exactly what Australia’s leading performance car manufacturer, Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) is credited with, creating the first performance ute in 1990.

Launched at the 1990 Sydney Motor Show, the limited production VG HSV Maloo (“Thunder” in an Aboriginal dialect) sold out in no time and featured a 180 kW and 400Nm 5.0L V8, five-speed manual gearbox and a body kit that came in some wild colours. The Maloo was built alongside uber models like the SV5000 and the Group A, sparking an entirely new sub-culture of performance car. But it all came to a screeching halt in 2017 with the demise of the Australian Automotive industry and now the Maloo is a finite resource.

Before the doors closed on this golden era, to celebrate 30 years of pushing the limits, in 2017 HSV truly pulled out all the stops for the limited-edition GEN-F2 Maloo R8 LSA. Part of the exclusive ‘30 Years’ anniversary range, this Maloo got more power, more torque, and a suite of special touches to mark the milestone.

Revised suspension, a new aerokit, new bonnet vents and a range of new wheels and badges kicked off the exterior but the biggest change landed in the belly of the beast. The already monster 6.2L Supercharged V8 lifted from the Camaro ZL1 was further upgraded to a formidable 410 kW or 550hp in the old money and 691 Nm. How’s that for a change from the first VG model!? 

This limited edition Maloo also benefitted from Torque Vectoring—a feature once solely reserved for the iconic HSV GTS Sedan.

There was a host of new tech as well with HUD, lane departure warning, radar cruise control and Bose speakers and for the ultimate aural experience, HSV fitted a bi-modal exhaust system tweaked to deliver an even more intoxicating soundtrack, adjustable via 3 drive modes in Sport, Performance and Track.

Atop the performance upgrades, the 30th-anniversary Maloo R8 LSA also received exclusive anniversary content that set it apart:

- “30 Years” floor mats

- “30 Years” fender badges

- “30 Years” rear window sticker

- Unique build number and plate

This delivery kilometre 2017 HSV Maloo R8 LSA 30th Anniversary available here is car number 139. 

Delivered new by Suttons Holden, Sydney to its one and only owner in Light My Fire Orange over Onyx Black leather, with just 90 delivery Kilometres on the clock this rare find has sat patiently in a temperature-controlled storage facility alongside other Australian muscle brethren- until now.

Instead of bidding farewell to an Australian legend, celebrate HSV’s 30 years of speed, noise, grunt and unbridled fun and make this as new one yours.