The reported $1.2 million sale of one of just four HSV GTSR W1 Maloo supercharged V8 utes is said to have established a new benchmark for the highest verified price paid for a road-legal Holden.

It surpasses the $1.057 million achieved at auction – excluding buyer’s premium – in 2021 for a 1985 Holden Commodore VK SS Group A road car used daily by Peter Brock, as well as the $1.05 million paid for another GTSR W1 ute.

The record-setting ute is one of four GTSR W1 Maloos specifically produced for VIP customers only.

This particular vehicle is build number #001, has never been registered, shows just 26 kilometres on the clock, and is finished in the iconic ‘XU3 Yellah’ pale yellow shade similar to that seen on the 1996 HSV GTSR sedan.

The yellow ute first went under the hammer in September 2021 with 19km on the odo, where bidding climbed to $1.15 million before it was passed in.

It later appeared in the classifieds in January 2022 with an asking price of $1.5 million, though it is unclear whether it sold.

Lloyds Auctions said “fierce global bidding erupted online and via phone”, adding that the $1.2 million figure was finalised in “private negotiations two days post-auction”.

The$1.2 million result does not represent the record for an Australian-built road car across all brands, which is believed to belong to an XA Falcon GTHO Phase IV that reportedly sold privately for $1.75 million in 2021.

Another Falcon GTHO Phase IV – a yellow example sold in August 2021 – is thought to hold the Australian road-car auction record at $1.3 million.

Meanwhile, a Holden Commodore VH race car that claimed Bathurst victories in 1982 and 1983 is believed to hold the overall Holden record, after selling for $2.1 million in 2018.

Other HSV GTSR W1 utes have also achieved strong results: the red example sold at auction for $1.05 million, while the gold car reportedly changed hands privately for $1.15 million following a $1.05 million auction.

The grey ute is also believed to have sold privately, although the final price has not been disclosed.