The only HSV GTSR W1 Maloo to be painted in the yellow which made the VS GTS-R famous is heading to auction, and it could command a higher price than its sedan sibling.
HSV built just 298 examples of the GTSR W1 sedans to send off its line of hot Holden Commodores, and later added only four Maloo utes.
Like the sedan, only one of those - build #001 - was put in contact with HSV’s paint supplier and finished in XU3 Yellah.
Understood to have gone to the same owner - who also had the first VS GTS-R built - the three cars last went to auction in August 2021, where they were sold as a package for a combined total of $2.9 million plus buyer’s premium.
Now it’s up for auction via Lloyd’s again, having recorded just 26 kilometres on its odometer since first being delivered, despite already being on its third owner after being listed on Carsales in 2022 for $1.5 million.
Like all examples of the GTSR W1 and W1 Maloo, it’s powered by the supercharged 6.2-litre ‘LS9’ V8 engine, which was hand-built by Walkinshaw to produce 474kW and 815Nm, making it the most powerful production vehicle ever built in Australia.
Drive is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed Tremec manual transmission, with Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tyres, SupaShock dampers and AP Racing brakes helping to keep it under control. That is if it ever leaves the confines of a garage again.
While the market for classic and desirable cars has arguably cooled since the height of the pandemic, Lloyd’s estimates the HSV GTSR W1 Maloo could sell for between $1 million and $2 million.
At the time of publication, bidding has reached $785,000. The auction is due to end at 1pm AEDT on December 20.
The record for the highest reported price for a car sold at auction in Australia remains at $1.3 million plus buyer’s premium, which was for a 1971 Ford Falcon XY Phase III GTHO in Yellow Glo.
