Holden SST Ute

While much of the Melbourne Motor Show's local produce spotlight was taken by FPV's manic F6 Typhoon, Holden took the wraps off an intriguing design concept it calls the SST.

General Motor's Australian arm isn't shying away from the vehicle's eye-catching bodywork either, calling it a "look-at-me, street-smart prototype".

The V8-powered SST custom 'pickup' had its genesis late last year when Holden sought ways to emphasise the newly released One Tonner's versatility.

Holden says that if the SST garners enough positive feedback and eventually gets the green light for production (much as the Monaro concept did a handful of years back), it would carry Holden By Design (HBD) badging and join an increasingly diverse Holden light commercial range.

Dennis Mooney, Holden's new CEO, stated: "One Tonner’s return twelve months ago helped Holden top the light truck market.

"Now Holden By Design has pushed the design and niche engineering envelope even further – creating a very different interpretation of the iconic One Tonner.

"The result is the SST."

The biggest singular styling change to the One Tonner would have to be the blistered rear wheel arches (and side steps), which lend a bit of a retro feel to proceedings, while massive 19-inch five-spoke alloys fill out the expanded guards.

The rear alloy rims are shod with ultra-wide 275/35 low profile tyres and are fitted with four-pot Harrop brakes. The ute gets an inclined-forward stance by the use of smaller front wheels - 18-inchers to be precise.

The tailgate sports a moulded lion logo reminiscent of an earlier pickup era and has stylised and stacked twin tail lamps.

The deep tray, finished in heavy-duty aluminium propeller plate, is equipped with storage compartments and a polished alloy sports bar with high-mount stop lamp.

The step allows easy access to tie loads to one of six integrated tie-down points.

SST remains a workhorse at heart, underpinned like all One Tonners by the torque arm chassis frame that gives it a large load carrying capability.

The SST concept is powered by Holden's oft-used Gen III V8, displacing 5.7-litres and generating 225kW of power at the crank.

If the SST reached production, it's likely that a more powerful version of the Gen III would be used, and the 19-inch wheels at the rear would probably go, in lieu of 17 or 18-inchers all-round.

The prototype's brilliant electric blue with violet mica finish - aptly named Ego - is reflected in a glossy, colour-keyed cockpit, trimmed in Anthracite black leather, with seat and door inserts in Bermuda blue.

Kelly Brauer, Sales and Marketing Manager Performance Products and Racing, said the SST project gave another great example of Holden's capacity to offer market-responsive niche vehicles with a performance edge.

"In this case, we used the One Tonner as a blank canvas, if you like, to show that you can take a light commercial vehicle and do whatever imagination dictates.

"The fact that the SST project was completed in a little under two months is a tribute to the energy and talent of the specialist design and engineering team working on it - and to the tools at their disposal."

The SST custom body was created using advanced composite panel technology, which lends itself to the lightweight tooling and flexible manufacturing processes that are required for cost-effective low volume production.

The Holden SST - essentially a street machine with real-world cargo hauling capabilities - makes a lot of sense when you look at the popularity of Falcon XR and Commodore SS utes.

If the public reaction to the head-turning concept is favourable, Holden will look into creating the SST for road use, which would put the marque in good stead with a younger demographic.