My neighbor got a new toy

"MarquetteLa" (marquettela)
10/25/2017 at 17:42 • Filed to: Ute

Seen as I was leaving the house this morning to head to work. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is based here in Denver, so I’ve actually seen a few of these on the streets. My neighbor just down the block is going to have some fun with this one I imagine.

DISCUSSION (43)

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 17:53

This is pretty amazing. The only time I’ve ever seen a Holden was at LeMans and even that was a surprise. I’d love to have one in the driveway.

Ash78, voting early and often > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 17:59

Is that a real-deal Maloo?

I think the time has never been righter* to start selling utes in the US. We need efficiency, but we want trucks...but a lot of us don’t really need all the truckiness* that comes with it.

*It’s 2017, I can say, think, feel, and be however I want and you have to celebrate me in this. Oll Korrect?

Nibby > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 17:59

holden my heart

CaptDale - is secretly British > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 18:03

Seriously?! Can I come steal it?

Spasoje > Ash78, voting early and often
10/25/2017 at 18:03

Sort of! It’s a G8/SS/whatever dismantled and rebuilt with real-deal Maloo parts by a private company, so that we can have legal Maloos over here.

MarquetteLa > Ash78, voting early and often
10/25/2017 at 18:05

It’s a real-deal Maloo body. Left Hand Utes imports the bodies, then assembles them with US-spec GM drivetrains and parts, creating US-legal, left-hand drive Holden utes.

And I couldn’t agree more.

Dsscats > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 18:08

Not US legal but still cool

MarquetteLa > Dsscats
10/25/2017 at 18:08

It is US-legal .

MarquetteLa > CaptDale - is secretly British
10/25/2017 at 18:10

As your lawyer, I’m going to turn around and look the other direction.

CaptDale - is secretly British > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 18:15

Sweet I have a lawyer?! Nice.

Fine, I’ll just visit Left Hand Utes and see if I can get a ride in one.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Ash78, voting early and often
10/25/2017 at 18:23

Unfortunately the time could never be wronger considering they’re going to stop building cars in australia T_T

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 18:26

There is a future where I pickup an old Formula Mazda or Spec Racer Ford to play race car with and tow it to the track on a small open trailer with one of these.

CaptDale - is secretly British > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 18:31

There is actually quite a lot of debate on that because you can get it registered and everything, but because the car bodies are technically AUS spec and not crash tested here blah blah blah, people argue about them being federally legal vs registerable.

Under_Score > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 18:37

Nice! Did you CarFax the plate to see if it’s based off of a G8 or an SS?

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > feather-throttle-not-hair
10/25/2017 at 18:41

We stopped last week. The utes stopped back in July.

But we still have plenty of utes...

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Nibby
10/25/2017 at 18:57

Psh, left hand Utes has me holden my...

actually nevermind

shop-teacher > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 19:14

Oh baby!!!!

MarquetteLa > Under_Score
10/25/2017 at 19:30

It wasn’t wearing a plate, which is why I suspected it’s newly bought.

MarquetteLa > CaptDale - is secretly British
10/25/2017 at 19:31

It’s essentially treated as a kit car. No crash testing necessary.

CaptDale - is secretly British > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 19:34

I totally agree, I am just stating why people argue they are not legal.

Dsscats > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 19:41

It is not. Randy does a very convincing job of telling people it is but it is not.

Dsscats > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 19:42

It’s treated like a kit car but can’t legally be. A state assigning a special construction VIN doesn’t make the car federally legal.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Dsscats
10/25/2017 at 19:58

Well then wouldn’t a Factory Five Roadster be illegal under the same logic? They’re both largely “bespoke” vehicles utilizing USDM “donor” cars that are registered as kit cars upon completion.

Dsscats > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
10/25/2017 at 20:00

The Ute doesn’t use a USDM donor car. It’s a Holden Ute chassis/body with a few USDM parts slapped on. A factory 5 car is also not a production car. A Holden Ute is.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Dsscats
10/25/2017 at 20:05

I guess what I’m seeing is that the Factory Five is a non-federalized body, chassis, interior, suspension, etc. with some USDM parts added on. Sort-of like how the Ute is a bare shell that’s built up with components, including the firewall, from a GTO or G8 or Caprice or SS.

Dsscats > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
10/25/2017 at 20:08

The Factory Five is a non-federalized body. The Ute is a non-federalized CAR. The Ute has been a full car, VIN’ed, sold as a whole production car.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Dsscats
10/25/2017 at 20:14

I guess the big difference could be how it’s brought into the country. If it’s brought in as more or less a shell, it can technically be imported as parts, IIRC. Then it could technically be legal as a kit car, depending on how much of a donor car is utilized and in what way (assuming that US laws are in any way similar to Canadian laws, judging by how similar FMVSS and CMVSS are).

Dsscats > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
10/25/2017 at 20:16

A car doesn’t suddenly become a kit car because you removed the engine. No production car from even a small production manufacturer that has been legally imported will NOT be registered as a kit car. You also don’t seem to understand that there is no real donor car. This is still a Ute body, just with a few SS parts grafted on and an engine swap.

Your basic guide to if it’s legal to register something as a kit car:
Is it a production car?

Yes: Not legal

No: Potentially legal

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Dsscats
10/25/2017 at 20:21

Huh, so I guess America doesn’t have the same “body swap” loophole that some provinces have.

PG; the scalpel wielder > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 20:30

Sitting up here in the library at work and I can only spot 2 Utes. Ford flavoured.

Kinja'd!!!

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 20:54

I would willingly give up my irrational love for fast sedans, hatchbacks, and wagons to have one of these as a DD

SeaMonkey271 > MarquetteLa
10/25/2017 at 21:01

Pray this one doesn’t get crushed by the crusher operated by the “I don’t give a flying fucks” known as Americans

SeaMonkey271 > Ash78, voting early and often
10/25/2017 at 21:02

To be honest, the absence of utes in America leaves a giant hole in the market, in which it’s just a waste not to make an El Camino version of the SS that they stopped producing.

Jeez... if only America will wake up after making one same crossover after another...

SeaMonkey271 > CaptDale - is secretly British
10/25/2017 at 21:06

Even Australia’s considering some import rules since the free market basically ate Australia’s market (Thanks China), but don’t you think 15 years is just right considering that Canada has it for the same reason America does, “To protect manufacturing and for emissions/safety reasons”, with a bit more exceptions?

SeaMonkey271 > CaptDale - is secretly British
10/25/2017 at 21:06

Remember the GT-R’s in South Carolina that got seized? They went through a similar method.

Dsscats > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
10/26/2017 at 01:54

There’s no body swap going, it’s a unibody

pip bip - choose Corrour > MarquetteLa
10/26/2017 at 08:26

sadly no longer built

pip bip - choose Corrour > MarquetteLa
10/26/2017 at 08:27

check the VIN, 4th letter will either be an E (G8) or F (SS)

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Dsscats
10/26/2017 at 08:39

Oh I know, but IIRC in BC it would still technically fall under “custom” legislation provided only the body was used (it’s inane that this would probably be legal but tinted front side windows aren’t).

Ash78, voting early and often > MarquetteLa
10/26/2017 at 09:19

I actually have a buddy here in Birmingham who specializes in GM drivetrain parts and swap kits (RX-7, Infiniti, etc). I’m going to bring this up to him, sounds like a potential partnership opportunity in the making. Love this idea, as expensive as it sounds.

Ash78, voting early and often > feather-throttle-not-hair
10/26/2017 at 09:20

We could...build them....HERE.

Make American Uteful Again™

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > MarquetteLa
12/02/2017 at 03:43

Any idea if these are legal in CA?

MarquetteLa > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
12/02/2017 at 12:02

The website says they’ll pass emissions in all 50 states.