Holden executives were secretly hatching a plan to save the brand by teaming up with the Chinese car maker behind MG and LDV.

A rally-prepared 2004 Holden Rodeo ute driven by the late racing legend ... the V8 – borrowed from the Holden Commodore SS of the era, and modified to produce more than the standard 245kW ...

It's not the roughest, toughest ute in the marker. Nor is it the smoothest to drive. But I found the T9 easy to live with, and I'm a fan of the value proposition. There's only so much that can be done ...