The Wheel Deal

What is it about Holden utes? For generations, Aussies have handed of their hard-earned in exchange for a Kingswood or Commodore-based vehicle with the rear section of cabin lopped off. It doesn’t sound particularly desirable when it’s put as bluntly as that, but when you get an eyeful of Igor Pocev’s VU Maloo R8 ute, we can begin to understand what the fuss is all about.

Igor owns Steve’s Wheels and Tyres in Melbourne and when the need arose for a wheel-carting vehicle, there was no need to look anywhere apart from the Holden/HSV stable. “They’re great for carrying and they’re ideal for promotion,” he says.

The VU Maloo R8 ute is a pretty rare beast and its worthwhile telling you a bit about it before we delve into Igor’s mods. Like the HSV Clubsport sedan, the Maloo ute variant comes with a 255kW-spec LS1 V8, sports suspension, body kit and a few other bits an’ pieces. Igor’s car is a 6 speed manual.

Not surprisingly, Igor’s first modification was to ditch the factory 18 x 8 aloys (which look half decent to begin with) and make an aftermarket selection. Igor says the colour and size of a car are the important factors in selecting wheels. In the case of the ute, it’s possible to fit 19 x 8 inch rims or 20 x 8.5s when you fiddle with the guards. That first set of aftermarket rims is now a distant memory coz Igor says he usually changes the rims about once a fortnight! Crazy? Maybe. But when you own a wheel and tyre outlet, why the heck not?! The wheels seen in our pics are impressive 20 x 8.5 inch Albas wearing 245/35 Continental tyres. Tyres this size cost about AUD$800 – per corner!

Lowered suspension goes hand-in-hand with a tasty set of rims and Igor has chosen to fit adjustable-height coil-overs. These are Koni products. The optional HSV Premium brake set-up is visible through the wheel spokes – these days, small brakes have zero street cred.

The factory 255kW output was fine for a couple of months, at which point Igor took the car to G-Tech Performance and told them to simply “fix it”. The HSV exhaust is now replaced by a G-Tech set-up running twin 2½ inch pipes and high-flow mufflers. This lets the LS1 V8 breath a whole lot better – not to mention provide a bit more of an aural thrill. A custom G-Tech cold air intake was then installed. This comprises a modified airbox, high-flow MAF pipe and a modified airflow meter. To achieve maximum performance with these mods, a UniChip interceptor was added to the factory management system. We’re told this made a huge improvement in drivability.

Igor’s seat-of-the-pants feeling was justified when the Maloo rolled out 247kW at the rear wheels on a Dyno Dynamics chassis dyno. That’s about 30 percent more top-end than in factory guise.

Igor is keen to take his work ride to the drags but, at the time of photography, he had one issue to overcome. The HSV Premium brakes are too big to let him temporarily fit a pair of rear slicks! There’s no point even attempting a pass on 20 inch street tyres.

Until this situation is sorted out, Igor is happy to enjoy the on-road performance and to drum up business. The body remains standard apart from a power sunroof, GTS skirts, tint and some chrome mesh on the front-end. Igor prefers to let the wheels do the talking. Well, that and the absolutely stunning shine from the paint job. Igor takes great pride in his ride and it’s no surprise that it has won several trophies at local car shows.

Inside, the trim remains largely Maloo R8 spec. Igor has also added custom leather trim, GTS pedals, handbrake and colour-coded the steering wheel. There’s also an Alpine DVD/VCD/MR3 audio system with numerous speakers spread throughout the cabin – it’s easier to tell you the only thing missing is a sub-woofer.

When you think about how Igor manages to juggle a car for pleasure and work (not to mention taxation!) the whole Holden ute scene starts to make a whole lot of sense. It just so happens they look absolutely wicked with the right cosmetic mods!

Update! Igor has recently run the car down the quarter mile with a set of street tyres fitted. The result, as expected, was rampant wheel spin down a significant length of the track. The best time recorded was 13.4 seconds at just over 105 mph. A smaller set of brakes has now been purchased to allow fitment of some rear slicks. “The car should do a high 12 judging by its terminal speed,” says Igor. The goal is mid 12s with essentially the current set-up but, as Igor says, modifying cars is an endless process... Note that the bonnet has also been airbrushed with a lion jumping out through a hole in the raised bonnet. Sounds tough!

Contacts: G-Tech Performance +61 3 9305 2888 www.gtech.com.au Steve’s Wheels  and Tyres +61 3 9311 6204