1 March 2001, at the Melbourne International Motor Show:

Holden unveiled a show-stunner, the unique UTEster sports coupe concept. As the name implies, it's a vivid evolution of the Holden Ute theme, created by young designers and loaded with urban cool.

Finished in bright Marque Yellow with contrasting Jet Black accents, the UTEster has a removable glass roof, a rear window that slides out of sight and a tonneau cover with twin aero forms that echo traditional sports car styling cues. Everything about the Holden UTEster, from its 19" alloy wheels five-spoke, in satin finish Titan Silver to its smoke tinted roof, split twin exhausts and custom-designed cabin,excites the eye.

Like the Sandman panel van that was such a crowd-puller at the 2000 Sydney Motor Show premiere, the UTEster began life as a series of sketches penned by a member of Holden's youthful and talented design team. Inspired by the Roadster and Speedster tags given to other sports-oriented GM models, senior designer Peter Hughes, who led the project, also gave the UTEster its unique name.

The UTEster's interior is equally as individual as the exterior. The bold black and yellow theme continues, repeated in the seat trim , Anthracite leather edged in yellow leather baseball stitching, the contoured yellow bulkhead wall, high-gloss centre console and door trims highlighted by yellow armrests and storage pockets.

The UTEster's instrument panel and steering wheel are finished in Anthracite leather and the controls and instrumentation feature satin finish Titan Silver detailing. Luxury custom-fitted extras include an Alpine entertainment system with DVD/VCD/CD, LCD monitor, remote control, 12" sub-woofer, eight additional speakers and flip-down storage between the seats. Brake, clutch and accelerator pedals are machined aluminium.

Practical matters are not forgotten. The high-gloss, body-coloured aero decklid is a split fold design, lockable and with remote release. The front section, finished in matching yellow, opens to accommodate the UTEster's removable glass roof, and the cargo bed takes a full-length load.

Powered by a 5.7 litre GEN III engine matched to 6-speed manual transmission, the UTEster, is an evolution of Holden's VU Ute SS

Engine & performance:

Capacity: 5700 cc

Power: 225 hp @ 5200 rpm