Killa Colorado

Holden Has Killed Off Its V8 Ute, So Killa Created The 4X4 We’ve Always Wanted From The Once Australian Car Company.

- Dan Everett

AUSTRALIAN manufacturers just don’t get it. Holden trots out special edition Commodores with exotic engines that push out supercar-like power, but when it comes to 4x4 utes, it leaves product planning to the work-experience kid. Now, this isn’t a stab at Holden per se, as all the major players are guilty of it.

While we’re all fawning over the latest Raptor or Ram, the top-spec Aussie utes get little more than sticker kits and plastic chrome – if you’re lucky you might get tacky leather trim thrown in and some fibreglass panels. It’ll cost you $10K extra for the privilege, and you’re still left with the exact same engine and suspension as the base model. We’re not alone in thinking manufacturers have missed the mark either; although, in the case of Tony from newly formed Killa Special Vehicles, he’s got the know-how to do something about it.

The vehicle you’re looking at is essentially the prototype for a business rarely seen in Australia, even less so in the 4x4 market. A 340rwhp LS3-powered V8 Colorado that earns the moniker of Z71 with an engine conversion the likes we’ve never seen before. “I’ve been reading the magazine and always wondered why won’t Holden build this, Ford build that.” Tony told us. “I figured, why can’t we do it?”