Maloo

Maloo. In some aboriginal dialects it means "thunder." In others it means "Kangaroo." Dispute over meaning aside, though, Maloo is now a name that's familiar to countless millions of Australians, and quite a few Americans too, as it turns out.

So what is a Maloo? The best way to describe this vehicle to people who aren't familiar is to call it a cross between an El Camino and a Corvette. Built by a branch off of Holden, known as Holden Special Vehicles (HSV), the Maloo is technically classified as a "ute," short for utility. Utes are basically another trim level, in addition to coupe, sedan, and wagon versions of the same car. In summary then, the Maloo is a low-slung pickup with more coupe styling cues than pickup ones.

What makes the Maloo and all of the other utes so special though is that they are uniquely Australian. Sure, they sell these utes to people in Europe; sure these vehicles use many USDM parts from General Motors, but the point is that the design -the idea of making a true high-performance car into a pickup truck- is something that only the Australians have dared to do.

The Maloo is not practical; not even in the least bit, and that's what makes it strike a chord with car people. The idea and implementation of a ute is what is so exciting; the fact that something like this actually exists. You can imagine, then, what it was like for me to see one in the flesh.

This early-2000s HSV Maloo was parked outside of a Porsche dealership north of Atlanta, and I'm sure many people there were wondering why I was taking so many pictures. I guess that's something that the car can explain best, though.