Many of us are still upset that GM canceled the Pontiac G8 ST before it even made it into production. We think it would have been a hit, and could have quite possibly helped save Pontiac.

Then again, probably not. Either way, the Holden Utility (Ute) that the ST was to be based on has a rich history in the Land of Oz. Dating back to the 1930’s, it beat the American Chevy El Camino to market by over twenty years.

As the years went on, Holden, like us, was blessed with the LS series of engines and this led a new generation of tuners tweaking the all-alloy mill into something incredible. Everything that’s available to us here in the States is within reach for our Aussie cousins, and this helps them build cars like the ones you see here. Unlike the Elky’s in the states, Utes aren’t cursed with the social stigma that they are here, and continue to be quite popular today.

This prime example of Aussie goodness exudes style, muscle, and performance with a pickup bed thrown in. It’s a ’77 HZ Sandman nicknamed “Kactus” that was originally equipped with a 4.2L V8. Although we’re not certain (or care) of what’s become of the original mill, we’re confident that it’s current replacement is far superior.

Under the bonnet and you’ll find a twin turbo 427 packing 1,017RWHP according to the chassis dyno, which comes out to 748KW, despot the fact that the video has described the car as having “1000KW.” All is well though, since that’s still a remarkable output level, and making it a car that we would love to own here in the States.