HSV Maloo GTSR W1 bids pass $1 million, on track to become most expensive Australian road car

An extremely rare Holden Special Vehicles Maloo GTSR W1 – one of just four built – is poised to set a new record for the price paid at auction for an Australian-made road car.

Bidding for the HSV Maloo GTSR W1 has already passed the $1 million mark a full fortnight before the hammer is due to fall in the Lloyds auction in late January 2021.

As this article was published the latest bid for the HSV Maloo GTSR W1 sat at $1.025 million, putting it within striking distance of $1.03 million paid for a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III in June 2018.

The HSV Maloo GTSR W1 was not available for the pubic to buy, but was instead a special order among HSV’s inner circle of board members and longstanding customers in the lead-up to the shutdown of local manufacturing in late 2017.

The buyers signed non-disclosure agreements however the secrecy arrangements were short-lived as word leaked; Motor magazine test drove the example for sale.

No-one has revealed the price paid for the one-of-four specials, however CarAdvice understands it was in the order of $330,000 per vehicle.

The vehicles have W1 sedan equipment including the dry sump supercharged V8 from the ZL1 Corvette, P Zero semi-slick tyres, and W1 badging inside and out.

However, as the engine bay photos show, the W1 utes were not equipped with the sedan’s SupaShock suspension.

The W1 utes are complied as Maloo GTSR models because the W1 version was never intended for public sale.

Photos show the HSV Maloo GTSR up for auction has just 681km on the odometer.

The identity of the seller has not been revealed, however the vehicle is registered in Victoria with W1UTE plates, which will come with the car if the buyer has a registration address in Victoria.

The buyer is likely to set a new auction record for an Australian-made road car.

In June 2018 an anonymous buyer paid $1.03 million – not including the 7.5 per cent auction fee – for an unrestored 1971 Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III road car once owned by Australian fast bowler Jeff Thomson. That car cost $5250 when new and was the world’s fastest sedan at the time.

In October 2018 a record $2.1 million was paid for the Holden Commodore race car driven to victory by Peter Brock in two back-to-back Bathurst 1000 races — in 1982 and 1983.

This result smashed the previous record price paid for an Australian car by more than $1 million.

Even at the current bid, the HSV Maloo GTSR W1 has overtaken the most expensive HSV ever sold.

In 2008 one of two HRT 427 Monaros sold for $920,000 – the highest price paid for an Australian car at the time.

The example sold was HSV’s running prototype for the stillborn project; the HRT 427 show car has been retained by Holden.

As for more attainable HSV cars, 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 close in late January 2020. See the Lloyds Auctioneers and Valuers website here.