The days of the Aussie Holden Ute might be long gone, but a weirdly fascinating exhibit at the 2022 SEMA Show comes pretty darn close to being its spiritual successor. We are talking about the BMW M4 Maloo, a nicely executed pickup conversion of the performance-focused coupe that caught our attention.
Showcased at STEK Automotive’s stand, it has a new scratch-resistant wrap with a mirror finish. But the most eye-catching feature is definitely the ute bodystyle, making it the first M4 pickup in the world.
Read: Adro’s Ex-Mercedes And Rivian Designer Gives BMW M3 And M4 A Nosejob
The conversion was completed by DinMann, which admittedly did a pretty neat job cutting off the rear portion of the roof, stripping the cabin, adding a custom rear bed on a bespoke metal frame, and creating a functional tailgate out of the M4’s boot. The carbon-fiber bits on the bumpers and side skirts look different than stock, while the headlights and windows have been tinted.
Other updates we spotted include a new engine cover and fresh carbon fiber trim on the dashboard. A part of the rear bench is still present inside the cabin, although the room is too tight for anything more than the driver and the passenger plus some of their luggage. The rear bed though looks quite roomy for larger items and will soon get a new aerodynamic cover making it look even more like an Australian ute.
While most pickup conversions are based on crashed or write-offs, this particular M4 was actually a brand new model before it met the cutters, making us feel a bit weird about it. According to the @m4maloo Instagram account, the BMW M4 Competition donor car was bought brand new in April 2022. The entire process took six weeks, which is pretty fast for such an OEM-style finish.
The Competition badge means that the twin-turbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine produces 503 hp (375 kW / 510 PS) and 650 Nm (479 lb-ft) of torque. Power is transferred to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox with the help of the rear-biased xDrive system and a limited-slip differential. We don’t know many pickups with that kind of performance credentials, other than the HSV GTSR W1 Maloo Ute.
Would you like it if BMW offered an additional pickup bodystyle next to the M3 Sedan, the M4 Coupe, and the M4 Convertible? Such a thing is highly unlikely to happen but ute-lovers can dream of more custom conversions like this.
