By Cam Tait \/ Wednesday, 6 September 2023 \/ Loading comments<\/p>\n
Remember the purple Bentley Flying Spur \u2018Decadence\u2019 pickup that recently graced the PH homepage? Hard to shake the image of a purple Bentley with a teak-decked cargo bed and caramel brown leather interior with a forest\u2019s worth of walnut panelling. Obviously, it wasn\u2019t the work of the marque\u2019s coachbuilding arm Mulliner (perhaps it\u2019ll serve as inspiration for the future), but then again, would you really want the same team behind the waftiest of Bantaygas sorting you out with a pickup conversion? Surely, if you want the job done properly, you call on the Aussies.<\/p>\n
So, I present to you this exceptionally vibrant Holden HSV Maloo R8 as a bought-not-built alternative to the \u2018Decadence\u2019. And at \u00a346,995, it\u2019s over \u00a3100,000 cheaper than the purple Spur. True, the novelty factor isn\u2019t quite as strong as seeing a luxo-barge that\u2019s been tailor-made for affluent tradespeople, but just remember that the Maloo is a humble Commodore at heart \u2013 and we all know there\u2019s nothing greater than shoving massive engines into places where they don\u2019t belong. The fact that you can bung slabs of wood in the back without lowering the seats or mucking up the carpets is the icing on the cake.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the days of the V8 ute look over as demand has waned against the rising popularity of more conventional pickups. But the ute\u2019s popularity in the 2000s and early 2010s was so great that local manufacturers (Ford Australia included) were churning them out for tradespeople looking to spice up journeys between jobs. And if you happened to pop into your local Holden dealer with money in your pocket and a hankering for a V8-powered workhorse, the salesperson would have pointed you towards this HSV Maloon R8 \u2013 not that you would have missed it.<\/p>\n
What your AU$61,550 (or \u00a331,200!) would have got you is a two-door truck powered by the same 6.2-litre, naturally aspirated LS3 V8 that could also be found on the facelifted Chevrolet Corvette C6, among many other GM powerhouses. The ad claims a power figure of 455hp, though official numbers (and the plaque of the dyno readout on top of the engine) puts the figure at 431hp. Still, enough to get you and some two-by-four from 0-62mph in less than five seconds before hitting a top speed of 168mph. To get that sort of performance from a van, you\u2019d need to ask Ford for another electric Supervan.<\/p>\n
Most vans won\u2019t let you do power slides, either. I don\u2019t doubt the Australian reviewers who say the Maloo can be rather tail-happy, though the traction control system apparently allows for a decent amount of slip before stepping in. And while some may say the interior looks a bit cheap and plasticky (it\u2019s a 15-year-old GM product, after all), if you\u2019re seriously thinking about using this as a work car \u2013 and I really hope you are \u2013 then surely you\u2019ll want something that\u2019s bland enough for the occasional scuff and tear to not matter.<\/p>\n
Besides, the outlandish green paint makes up for the naff cabin, as will the sound of an American V8 on a chilly morning. Vans and pickups are more practical, admittedly, while this Vauxhall VXR8 of similar vintage offers similar power with space for three occupants in the rear. None will be as arresting as this, mind, nor will any of them have you waking up early to get a quick blast in before hitting your first job.<\/p>\n