A prototype HSV Colorado SportsCat V8 dubbed the ‘real last HSV‘ has fallen short of expectation at auction.
The Panorama Silver dual-cab ute fetched $205,000 before the 7.5 per cent buyer’s fee at auction, well down on the seven-figure sums commanded by rare HSV products such as the GTSR Maloo W1 ute at recent auctions.
The Colorado SportsCat SV is powered by a 6.2-litre LT1 V8 engine making 340kW of power and 617Nm of torque – 193kW and 117Nm more than the standard Colorado diesel offered.
New front and rear prop shafts, a new four-wheel drive transfer case and 10-speed automatic, and fresh software to make them all talk were all developed by HSV, which planned to sell the V8 SportsCat in showrooms before General Motors pulled the plug on Holden.
The business case had been green lit by Holden, and the car had what’s known as engineering sign-off.
All that was left was to work out how it was going to be made, likely an “engine transplant in Thailand” before Walkinshaw finished the job in Australia.
As we now know, when Holden was talking to HSV about the Colorado V8 it was also speaking with Great Wall Motors about selling the Rayong, Thailand plant where the Colorado was built.
It’s now owned by GWM, and produces the Haval H6 Hybrid – although the H6 Hybrid that’ll be sold in Australia will be coming from China.
The last HSV V8 ute sold in Australia was the Maloo, which lived between 1990 and 2017.
The series production Maloo GTS R packed a supercharged 6.2-litre LSA V8 engine with 435kW of power and 740Nm of torque, sent to the rear wheels through a choice of six-speed automatic or manual transmissions.
There was also a very limited run of GTS R W1 Maloo models, with just four rolling down the production line. An LS9 V8 engine replaced the LSA engine from the regular model, upping power to 474kW and torque to 815Nm.
You’re looking at a price around the $1 million mark for one in 2021.
MORE: HSV Colorado SportsCat V8: The super-ute that almost was
