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2017 HSV GTSR Maloo W1 ute poised to break auction record

A 2017 HSV GTSR Maloo W1 is set to rewrite the record books.


The vehicle is one of only four GTSR Maloo W1 utes ever built by HSV, and is currently being offered by Lloyds Auctioneers – and there are high expectations for the rare machine.

At the time of writing, the HSV had a bid of $675,000 with more than three weeks until the final hammer, suggesting a price of $1 million was not out of the question.

With the 7.5 per cent auction premium, the current price sits at more than $725,000.

While the rare HSV GTSR W1 sedan was widely publicised as being the fastest and most powerful Australian car ever made, the GTSR Maloo W1 was slightly lighter, significantly rarer, and was somewhat of a secret when the vehicles were made – with Motor reporting at the time that owners were required to sign non-disclosure agreements in order to secure the special model.

Being the company's Zeta-platform swansong, only 300 vehicles officially wore GTSR W1 badging, and all were powered by a 474kW/815Nm 6.2-litre supercharged 'LS9' V8 engine.

Each Corvette-derived LS9 engine fitted to the W1 had to be found and sourced from GM warehouses across the US, due to the engines being out of production when the cars were built.

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HSV specifically sought out the LS9 to replace the 'LSA' V8s, which were fitted to the last of the Holden Commodore SS-based models, giving the models a healthy power bump over the LSA engines.

A number of HSV GTSR W1 sedan variants have sold at auction for around $300,000 in previous years, providing a solid ground for bids to soar for the one-of-four ute, finished in 'Light My Fire' orange.

It could surpass the most expensive HSV ever sold: the one-of-two HRT 427 Monaro, built by HSV, which initially sold for $920,000 in 2008 – the highest price ever paid for an Australian car at the time.

In 2018, a 1988 HSV VL Commodore Walkinshaw Group A SS sold at auction for $340,000, while a 1996 HSV VS GTS-R sold for $335,000 in late 2020.

The auction for the 2017 HSV GTSR Maloo W1 is due to finish in late January 2020, and can be found on the Lloyds Auctioneers and Valuers website by clicking here.

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Ben Zachariah

Ben Zachariah is an experienced writer and motoring journalist from Melbourne, having worked in the automotive industry for more than two decades. Ben began writing professionally more than 15 years ago and was previously an interstate truck driver. He completed his MBA in Finance in early 2021 and is considered an expert on classic car investment.

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