Holden claims ‘Ring record with V8 Ute

According to The Internet, this Holden VF SS Redline Ute's Nürburgring lap time of 8m 19s makes it faster around the treacherous forest than a Camaro SS, R32 Skyline, Lotus Exige S and Audi RS4, and just one second off the pace of a Lexus IS-F.

Of course, The Internet will also tell you that Elvis is alive and well and enjoys roaming about the galaxy in his laser-equipped space station of excellence, so take it with a pinch of salt.

But, there's no denying that a V8-powered Aussie workhorse knocking out an 8m 19s lap of the Green Hell is pretty quick indeed. 8m 19.47s, to be precise, driven by Holden Dynamics Engineer Rob Trubiani.

Why? Because, that's why. Holden noticed a glaring chasm in the ‘commercial and utility vehicle' section on the ‘Ring's dubious records list, and decided to strap Rob into a Ute and tell him to make merry with his right foot. "We came up with a plan to tackle the Nürburgring and break the world record for a commercial or utility vehicle," said Rob, "but it seemed one didn't exist."

So they worked very hard on predicting what the Ute could do around the ‘Ring, and 8m 30s was the benchmark. "To slash 11 seconds from that time was incredible," Rob noted after the run. And, everything ahead of it on the list of records is a bona-fide performance machine, so, erm, job done.

"Being surrounded by mostly European manufacturers, the Ute really stood out and I was getting plenty of thumbs up," said Rob. "Plus, a few more of the expensive European cars on the track got a shock as this red Aussie Ute flew past," he added. Some squeaking from said expensive European cars may have occurred on seeing a ruddy big red Ute in the rear view mirror.

Oh, and it's a standard Ute, powered by a 6.0-litre, 350bhp V8 with 381lb ft of torque, a six-speed auto box, FE3 sports suspension, Brembo brake discs, 19in forged alloy wheels, with high-performance tyres, and, erm, lane departure warning.

Want to know how serious Aussie Ute owners take their brand loyalty? TG went into the Outback to find out...