AutoTrader Find of the Week: 2001 Holden Maloo R8 is the Reborn El Camino We Never Got

When it comes to the subject of the beloved and iconic Chevrolet El Camino, there are two lingering questions.

First is the eternal debate about whether the El Camino is a car or a truck. 

Second is the curious nature of why GM never attempted to revive the nameplate — particularly during the 2000s retro-revolution when it was pushing the likes of the exceptionally vulgar SSR.

For the answer to these questions, we turn clockwise (that’s a Simpsons reference) to Australia. 

On the first subject of car versus truck, Australia rightfully rejects this false choice and has evermore dubbed these vehicles “utes” — short  for "utility" or "coupé utility” — and not yankee slang for “young people” (that’s a My Cousin Vinny reference).

The answer to the second question is a little more complicated. GM’s Australian division, Holden, never really killed off the idea of the ute. From 1990 onward, Holden offered the Maloo as a variant option on the Commodore/Caprice platform. Eventually, the platform became GM’s “global rear-wheel drive” platform, code-named Zeta, and would underpin the revived Camaro.

In September 2000, Holden announced a revised series of performance saloons, and the Maloo came along for the ride. Hitting the market for the 2001 model year, the hottest version, the Maloo R8, received a slightly downtuned version of the Corvette’s LS1 — actually quite similar to what was featured in the contemporary Camaro SS and Trans Am W56 that year – producing 331 horsepower.

Rumour has it that then-GM boss Bob Lutz was so impressed with the Holden lineup that he sought to import them to the U.S. His success, however, was minimal. Lutz managed to bring over the two-door Holden Monaro coupe, which was rebranded as the revived Pontiac GTO. But the venture proved so expensive and unprofitable that importation stopped after a few short years, none of the cars made it to Canada, and GM never attempted to bring over the Monaro’s other variants like the Maloo. GM simply hadn’t cracked the global architecture problem yet.

By the time GM figured out how to plan for a more global platform and we got genuinely great sports sedans like the Pontiac G8, a global economic recession combined with plans to shutter the Holden factory for good would lead to the end of the line for the Maloo by 2017 — but not before going out with a serious bang.

If you’ve ever wondered why GM never made a fuss about the G8’s replacement, the Chevrolet SS, that’s why. It was never meant to continue. The Zeta platform produced in Australia was discontinued and replaced by the Alpha platform, which would underpin the sixth-generation Camaro and Cadillac ATS.

So, it’s impossible to have a ute in Canada, right?

Nope. Right now, a 2001 Holden Maloo R8 is being offered for sale on AutoTrader by August Luxury Motors in Kelowna, B.C. 

Everything about this accident-free example is so perfectly period-correct that it’s practically a time capsule. From the LS1 V8 engine under the hood to blacked-out hood, rims and racing graphics, to the interior appointments that should call to mind every Pontiac Sunfire you’ve ever sat in, complete with the Clarion head unit, it just feels so 2001.

But then there are bits you might not expect to see like a bedliner and a tow hitch, which were standard on the Maloo, along with sport suspension, big brakes, and an HSV body kit.

As if the contradictory features and forbidden fruit nature weren’t enough of a conversation starter, the steering wheel is, of course, on the right-hand side, being a direct Australian import.

Having taken care of import headaches, conducting a 100-point inspection, and a high-level detailing, August will sell you this beauty certified with the original owner’s manual, an HSV certificate of authenticity, and apparently many matching polo shirts for a sticker price $33,990. 

For that money, you could get a used fifth-gen Camaro SS, or something you can tailgate and do donuts in. Plus, you can guarantee you’re the only one on your block with one.

I know which one I’d choose. No questions asked.