Okay, so, we have a little obsession with Utes. Actually, we have an obsession with Holden in general. Yeah, you could say that things are getting serious.

To us in the States, Utes are some of the coolest vehicles we’ve seen, and it’s a shame that Pontiac didn’t let one loose while the G8 was at the top of its game. Mark’s Workshop in Western Australia just finished up sorting out this green Holden Ute VY (happy St. Patrick’s Day, by the way!), and it’s examples like this that really make us appreciate the forbidden fruit. This particular Ute is equipped with an LSX 376 crate engine, Vortech T-Trim blower, a 4-inch stroker crankshaft, forged pistons and rods, 60-pound injectors, and a few other odds and ends.

Now that the engine is running a lot better than before it received the upgrades, it’s making great power. The result of the engine’s happiness, you ask? 638 horsepower at the tires at 12 PSI, and we believe there’s a lot more in it. After the dyno run, Mark takes it out on the road for a little shakedown run and begins to tell us that the gearbox needs a little bit of work. A simple gear ratio change would do the trick.

More into the shakedown, Mark runs the Ute through the gears, breaking the rear tires loose at the top of every gear, making us lust more and more over LSX-powered Utes. Taking a peek at the videos on his YouTube channel – it looks like Mark and his crew build some awesome vehicles. Keep up the good work, fellas!