Holden Sandman V8 Supercar concept celebrates at Surfers Paradise [w/video]

Even if it only ever made it Stateside as a coupe (Pontiac GTO) and sedan (Chevy SS), GM's Australian division Holden offers its Commodore in a number of bodystyles: sedan, wagon, even a truck-bedded ute. And what's more, Aussie buyers can (for now, at least) even get each of those bodystyles in HSV performance spec. The one version we haven't seen thus far is a shooting brake, but now Holden, Triple Eight Race Engineering and Red Bull Racing Australia have teamed up to present this bonkers, one-off panel van concept.

Created in tribute to the 40th anniversary of the Holden Sandman (as GM called its original shooting brake four decades ago), this showcar packs the heart of a V8 Supercar racer into a wagon-coupe body. It's got a 5.0-liter, naturally aspirated V8 pumping 705 horsepower to the rear wheels through a sequential transmission – just like the Commodore with which Jamie Whincup won last year's V8 Supercar championship.

The critical difference is the extended roof and the pair of carbon fiber surfboards mounted on the roof. It did, after all, debut at Surfers Paradise for the Gold Coast 600 race this past weekend. But if you weren't Down Under to catch the action, you can still scope out the showcar in the video below.