Holden Monaro 1969 News

…to celebrate 50 years of Touring Car in the Shannons Lakeside Classic Speed Fest from 12-14 August.Allan Moffat's Iconic 1969 Trans Am Boss Mustang and Norm Beechey's famous 1970 Championship-winning HT GTS 350 Monaro will be coming from the Bowden Collection to be seen and heard at the meeting, while the late `Pete' Geoghegan's GTA Mustang that took the Touring Car crown three years running from 1967-1969 is also expected to put in a special appearance.

Paul Holter, 54, of North Arm on the Sunshine Coast got his nickname from years of converting American cars, mainly Pontiacs, to right-hand drive.Over the years he claims he has restored, converted, traded and owned as many as 600 cars and now has a dozen in his backyard and shed as well as a few restoration projects belonging to mates.  "I've been collecting cars all my life," he says  "When I got married 35 years ago my wife threatened that if I got any more cars she would leave me. She's still here."Holter got his first car when he was 11 years old.  "My dad bought a Mk V Jag and sold off the tyres and battery and gave me the rest," he says.  "I sold it and bought a '48 Ford Prefect for $40."His daily drivers are a 2005 CVZ Monaro, a 2007 Holden Rodeo and a 2008 Honda Civic, while his collectible cars include a 1976 Chrysler VK Valiant Hemi, a 1968 Pontiac Firebird Convertible, a 1959 Plymouth Suburban sports wagon, a 1960 Pontiac Ventura, a 1962 S Series Chrysler Valiant and a 1983 Pontiac Trans Am race car.He bought the Trans Am for $2000 and converted it into a race car by pulling out the 305 Chevy engine and four-speed auto box and replacing them with a Gen III Commodore 5.7-litre V8, six-speed Tremec gearbox and adding GT-R Skyline rear suspension and brakes.  He claims it gets about 350hp (260kW) at the rear wheels and propelled him to 77th out of 185 cars at last year's Noosa Hillclimb.His current project is the Plymouth he bought for $8500 two years ago. It features nine seats, including a rear-facing row in the back.  He's leaving it in left-hand drive, but is replacing the engine with a 440 V8 he bought online.  "I don't know what it will all cost," he says. "I'd prefer not to know as it could get expensive."It's all the little bits and pieces you have to buy that add up."  Over the past six years he has spent up to $40,000 in a loving restoration of the Ventura he bought for $11,000 and plans to spend about $30,000 _ "or something stupid like that" _ on the S Series Valiant.  "When you do it a bit at a time it doesn't seem so expensive," he says.He plans to fuel-inject and turbo-charge the Valiant's 225 slant-six engine.  "It's rated at 145bhp (108kW), but I reckon I can get it up to the middle 300s," he says.  "I do all my own mechanical work, but I get interiors, paint and body done by experts."Holter is a qualified train driver who moved from Victoria to Queensland 21 years ago and started his right-hand-drive conversion business.  He also had a business importing Nissan Laurel four-door, rear-wheel-drive pillarless sedans but found compliance laws kept changing too often. He bought an Autobarn franchise six years ago and another a year later.Business must be good because Holter has been able to indulge his interest in American cars, travelling several times to the US to buy cars and ship them home for conversion and restoration.And Holter is always looking toward his next project.  He's currently considering trading his Firebird for a Grand Prix and he's always had a soft spot for a Valiant Charger although he reckons they cost too much these days, some fetching as much as $300,000.

He is the proud owner of a 1969 HT Monaro GTS 350 "Bathurst Special" with a 224kW Chevrolet 350ci (5.7-litre) V8, 25 gallon (113.5-litre) fuel tank, four-speed manual transmission, two broad "go-faster" stripes down the centre and twin air scoops in the bonnet which serve no real purpose.In 1969, this was the car that won Bathurst and in which a young Peter Brock drove his first Mt Panorama race, finishing third. "I remember the first time I clapped eyes on one when I was four or five and I'll never forget it," the Brisbane restaurateur says. "I just fell in love with it. It was just like a big shiny bell that kept ringing in my head. "I knew I had to have one, one day."The Monaro Bathurst Special cost about $4000 new and Michael paid $12,000 for it in 1997. Shannons auctioneer of 26 years Bill Wellwood said that before the global financial crisis HT Monaros were fetching about $250,000 but values had dropped to about $150,000. "It's only worth what someone pays for them," says Michael. "But I'd never sell it. Never. It's a part of my life." When he bought it, the car had about 90,000km on the odometer, the paint was faded, and it was mechanically "tired". "But there was no rust in it — not a skerrick," Michael says. "I could have just cleaned it up and had it driveable, but I wanted it to be perfect so I started a four-year restoration to build it back to new and then let it age gracefully. "She's perfect now."Wellwood agrees: "It is the best one I've seen."Michael has paid a lot of attention to a faithful restoration even down to the original rubber mats and tyre jack in the boot. It was first sold in Sydney and features a new "From Savell Bros, Hurstville" sticker on the back window. "I tracked down the last Savell brother (I think it was Bruce) in his 90s and he sent me a batch of stickers, key rings and stuff," he says. "It took me a year to find the rear sticker. I tracked him down from the electoral roll. "I've also got all the original paperwork."Michael claims it was the fourth of the first seven "prototypes" produced as a press evaluation vehicle. "When we took the car apart it had three times the sound cushioning and the gearbox and mechanical parts had number four hand punched into them," he says. "Monaro experts have gone through it and they reckon it was blueprinted by Holden which is what they did with the first seven of any model made."Michael says the Monaro is "quite a smooth car to drive". "There is that feeling of power underneath you with a constant V8 rumble. There's no radio; she plays her own music," he says. "I don't push it too hard, but I take it for long rides and lose myself back in time. It's my last link to the good old days."Michael has only ever had one problem with the car. "That was the master cylinder because I didn't use it often enough," he says. "With a lot of old cars, you tend to let them sit as you want them to remain perfect, but you have to exercise them."And that exercise can be expensive. "The fuel economy ain't good. It probably costs 10 bucks just to back it out of the driveway, plus I always give it a bit of a boot. "I drive it every second weekend, but I never let it get wet."The Bathurst Special will get a run this weekend around to a mate's place to watch the race. "It's a bit of man day," he says. 

Formed in respond to Ford's factory backed campaigns at Bathurst and Phillip Island throughout the 1960s team manager Harry Firth united two young bucks in Peter Brock and Colin Bond to begin an extensive and highly successful operation that carried Holden's racing hopes throughout the 1970s. Back in 1969 the pair debuted for the team in V8 Holden Monaros - the largest cars the HDT would race at Bathurst. Bond swept to victory with Tony Roberts and the Monaro legend was cemented in fans' memories forever. And while you associate the brawny, muscly Monaro with V8 power the road-going version also came with a milder six-cylinder engine. Now they are a virtual rarity on the road due to the ravages of time however one example has lasted in the hands of the original owner, the proverbial little old lady who only drove it to church on Sundays. Actually, she only drove it in later years weekly to visit her sister, but incredibly in 40 years it has clocked up less than 48,000 miles (77,000km). Her nephew Tony Weekes is now selling the car on her behalf at the Shannons auction at the MotorEX show at the Sydney showgrounds at Homebush Bay on Sunday. The HT Monaro 186S Coupe is obviously less powerful than the V8s (108kW compared to 138, 156, 179 and 223 in the various V8 engines) but it did come with stylish features including GTS wheel trims and the original De Luxe radio. Weekes says the Spanish-red car has been registered throughout its entire life. He says his aunt bought it new through then Holden dealers Stack and Co's showrooms in William St in the city. "She's the only one who's ever driven it. She was still driving it when she about 80." He says it has been stored under cover in her garage for the past few years but now it was time to sell. Weekes says his aunt had strong emotional ties to the car and wanted it to be cared for. "It's a sad thing, leaving the garage. "She wants to sell it to people who would want to collect them. People who understand the importance of it." He says: "There weren't many 6-cylinders and that's what is so rare about it." "It needs to be restored. Its the original paintwork from 40 years ago. It's pretty well all in original condition." The Stacks sticker is still on the car and even the original AM radio still works. To prepare for sale Weekes has had the car serviced and says it drives well. "It's like driving a brand-new car. It's only done about 1000 miles a year over all that time." Weekes says the stylish looks of the car have stood the test of time. "There's something simplistic about it and something interesting about it. Its pillarless." Inside, the sandalwood upholstery is in good condition.

The first generation Monaro was Holden’s response to Ford’s 1967 Bathurst winning Falcon XR GT. These two cars can be credited with establishing the Australian Muscle Car genre as well as starting the Holden v Falcon racing rivalry that continues today. Named after the NSW Southern Tablelands region and in particular the Highway that runs to Cooma, the word Monaro is Aboriginal for "high plateau". The V8 version of the Monaro was Australia’s take on producing a ‘muscle ’ to its original American definition, ie; “a two-door rear wheel drive mid-size car with a large V8 and sold at an affordable price”. Later the Australian take on the muscle car genre brought in the four door sedan to the definition. Never has the adage "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" rung truer than during this period. The car you could buy in the showroom has never been closer than the version that was raced at Bathurst, (you can see in one of the Official Holden images in our gallery number plates on while racing at Bathurst). While Ford fans had bragging rights in 1967 with the GT’s Bathurst win, they were left having to defend the Falcon’s somewhat square design with the launch of the stunning and curvaceous Monaro coupe. The Monaro got the buying public excited and the motor press were equally impressed. Wheels awarded it Car of the Year for 1968. The significance of the Gen 1 Monaro can not be overstated. It was the first Holden V8, the first Holden Coupe and set Holden on its path as an exporter of motor vehicles. Completed cars and later components for assembly were exported to General Motors South Africa who sold the Monaro as the Chevrolet SS. Previous to the Monaro, Holden’s racing success was very limited. The only wins of significance were the 1958 Ampol trial and Bathurst race in Easter that year. The Monaro’s inaugural victory was at the Sandown 3 Hour in 1968 with the team of Tony Roberts and Bob Watson. This was soon followed by the win that started one of world motorsport’s most legendary pairings - Holden and Bathurst. The Monaro filled all podium positions at the Hardie Ferodo 500 in 1968 with Bruce McPhee/Barry Mulholland, Palmer/Phil West, Tony Roberts/Bob Watson respectively. Bathurst therefore gained immense significance for Ford and Holden as the record for the new V8 era stood at one victory each - the bragging rights and the potential resulting sales were of enormous importance for the two manufacturers. The implication of the success of ‘68 was not lost on Holden chief executive John Bagshaw who wanted to build a new factory team. During this period however, General Motors would not allow any of its divisions to directly enter motorsport. Bagshaw therefore developed the Holden Dealer Team ostensibly owned by Bagshaw poached Harry Firth, the Ford team manager and he in turn hired two young new talented drivers named Colin Bond and Peter Brock. As HDT was to enter both rally and circuit events, Bond was the new rally young gun who also doubled in the touring car events. Bond went on to win the 1969 event with Tony Roberts while Brock came in third with Des west. This was to be the last win for Holden for three years as Ford were developing the all-conquering GTHO for '70 and '71 and Firth went down a different road with the more nimble Torana XU-1. The two-year domination of the Monaro ended and development did not continue. The victories at Bathurst were not the only significant high profile outings for the Monaro. In Brisbane a teenage entrepreneur, Lloyd Robertson, was developing a small precision driving team with his mates using Volkswagen Beetles. The success of the initial outings prompted Robertson to take the team to the next level. He approached the Brisbane Holden dealer network for sponsorship and the use of Holden Monaros. The first gig was the Brisbane Royal Show and the professionalism of the team lead to further similar bookings. The Monaro Precision Driving Team was born. The next step in the successful venture was for Robertson to approach Holden directly. John Bagshaw came to the fore again and with factory backing this time the team became the Holden Precision Driving Team. Forty years on from the Bathurst victory the allure of the Monaro has not diminished and current values for genuine 1969 HT Monaro GTS 350 remain strong. Even the lowest spec in-line sixes are difficult to find as most are in the hands of enthusiasts for restoration and upgrading. Holden HK, HT, HG Monaro Engines - 1968–1971 L6 161 in³ (2.6 L) (base model) L6 186 in³ (3.0 L) (GTS with an up rated 186S only) V8 253 in³ (4.2 L) – GMH engine V8 307 in³ (5.0 L) – Chev engine V8 308 in³ (5.0 L) – GMH engine V8 327 in³ (5.3 L) 186 kW – Chev engine V8 350 in³ (5.7 L) 224 kW – Chev engine

The brilliant blue metallic coupe was made famous in a recent episode of the series.It goes under the hammer at Shannons classic car auction at the Sydney Showgrounds on July 12.The Holden HK Monaro GTS 327 is considered a classic and has only 89,000 miles (143,000km) on the clock.In its heyday the Monaro was a powerful Bathurst race car, winning its first Bathurst enduro just after its launch in 1968.Delivered new by Stacks Holden in Rose Bay, the two-owner metallic Monaro was build number 312 of what is now one of the country's most collectable muscle cars.Shannons describes the coupe as showroom perfect.It comes with all the wanted Bathurst Monaro features, including its original 5.3-litre Chevrolet-sourced V8 engine, four-speed manual gearbox, limited slip differential, stiffer sports suspension, power front disc brakes and a long-range fuel tank.The vendor, like the fictional Underbelly characters, prefers to fly under the radar, is only the car's second owner. He bought the car in 2002 and has maintained it in top mechanical condition.As and added sweetener, the car is being sold with its glovebox lid signed by actress Kate Ritchie, who played Judy Kane in Underbelly. It also comes with personalised ‘Ubelly’ NSW numberplates.Check back Friday to see our Carsguide Car of the Week tribute to the Holden HK Monaro.

Car enthusiast Scott Sommer could not believe his luck when he picked up this classic 1969 Monaro for what he considers a song.The 37-year-old sheetmetal worker paid $30,000 for the Holden Monaro HT GTS 350 Coupe.It might seem a lot, but not when you ponder the price tag he has slapped on the steel beast with a thumping V8 engine; $200,000.“I don't really want to sell it,” Mr Sommer said yesterday. “But I've just bought a new house and I was hoping it could be a mortgage-buster.”Why the hefty mark-up?“One recently sold at auction for $200,000, and so I thought I'd put mine on the market to see what I could get for it,” he said.“But I'm in two minds about selling it."“I've got a gravel road up to my house, and I don't want to ruin the car. It's a beautiful car, the best I've ever owned.”Mr Sommer's love affair with the classic Aussie muscle car started by chance five years ago.“I contacted the Monaro club in Victoria hoping to get a 308 Monaro, and they put me onto a bloke who had a 350,” he said.“I couldn't believe it, and I had the money at the time so I bought it."“I was just awfully lucky, that's the only way I can put it.”The Monaro, which has an original 350 engine, which was used in General Motors' marketing campaign to launch the modern version of the Monaro in 2001.It was even driven by the late Peter Brock in demonstration laps at Bathurst that year.The GTS 350 Coupe is catnip to lovers of classic vehicles and Sommer is used to the lasting glances he gets while driving the car.“People come up and ask me lots of questions about the car, which gets a little exhausting . . . but it's nice,” he said.   Would you spend $200,000 on a classic car or spend just a little bit extra on a brand new car like an Aston Martin?   

A fully restored Sebring Orange 1969 Monaro GTS 350 coupe sold at auction for $200,000 this week.It was the highest price paid for the 32 cars on offer at the Shannons 2007 Australian International Motor Show Auction.Second best was a low-mileage 1972 LJ Torana XU-1 finished in Lone Orange that went for $143,000.The sales follow a similar auction in September when a record $450,000 was paid for a 37-year-old XW Ford Falcon GTHO.The V8 muscle car was bought for $4933.25 on April 24, 1970, in Mackay.When the car came up for sale again on at the Shannons Auction it was passed in at $620,000.The immaculate Monza Green 1971 XY was expected to beat the $683,650 record price, which a Queensland buyer paid for a similar car earlier this year.Owner Steve Ribarevski, 30, is still confident the muscle car classic will sell on the private market.He bought the fully-restored GTHO for $200,000 three years ago saying it was a promise he had made to himself years earlier.“I was told by everyone at the time that I was the biggest goose in town for paying that much money for the car but I had promised myself I would own one before I was 30,” he said.“I don't look that silly any more.”It could even turn up at the first Shannons auction, which is to be held at a Brisbane Motor Show next February.Shannons Queensland business development manager Philip Ross; said the auction was the beginning of what he hoped would be the first of many auctions in Queensland.“Generally speaking if a car is passed in at auction it turns up at the next one, so the GTHO could be there,” he said.“We're looking at having about 30 cars at the show."“I've been out west and had a look in some of the sheds at the stuff that may come out of the woodwork."“I'm thinking that we know there is a lot of interesting stuff in Queensland that owners weren't prepared to send to Melbourne or Sydney auctions, but may send to Brisbane because it's closer to home."“I have no idea of what we have so far, but we like to have a good cross-section of vehicles.”The auction vehicles will be on display at the show from February 1-10 with the auction at 2pm on the Sunday.The last Shannons Auction held reached a record $3.75 million with $2.64 million achieved for the 62 number plates; and more than $1.1 million paid for the eclectic mix of Australian; US muscle cars as well as American and European classics on offer.It was the best result achieved by Shannons in a combined single day sale in the company's 26-year history of classic auctions.It was beaten only by the $4.1 million achieved in last year's RTA plate auction at the 2006 Australian Internation Motor Show. The highest single sale of the auction was $245,000 paid for the right to display the early NSW number plate 78.Personalised Plates Queensland also holds an annual plate auction on the Wednesday of the Brisbane Motor Show, last year raising more than $531,000 for the Road Safety Fund of Queensland.  Does it make sense to waste your life savings on a 30-year-old car when for the same money you can buy 13 brand new Holden Barinas?   

Racing legend Peter Brock drove many race cars in his long and successful career. And with his passing late last year, the value of his classics increased dramatically. So it's not surprising that what could be the most important car of his life, where he first began his racing passion, has been valued at a massive $400,000. Or is it surprising?It's not a vehicle from the muscle car family and there's no V8 power under the bonnet. The only race track it's been on was a self-made dirt course on the Brock family farm.It has no brakes and has been sitting in pieces for more than 50 years.But now, the 1929 Austin 7, the car where the racing legend learned to drive at the age of 12, is driveable once again.After six months of hard work, restorer Peter Denman has returned the car from Brock's childhood to its original form.As a friend of Brock's and with his wife as the director of the Peter Brock Foundation, Denman put his hand up for the job.He used four photographs that were taken at the time by Brock's older brother Neil, to help in the restoration process.The photographs of the engine, chassis and rear end allowed him to recreate the car as closely as possible.“The car was remarkably complete except for a few items,” he says.“The original engine was on it and the chassis was the original. It needed quite a bit of cutting rust out and so forth.”Denman says that despite its small size, there was considerable work involved, including a rebuild on the front and rear ends, the gearbox and repairing the engine.The engine was in a poor state and was split in half, so Denman had to call on the Austin 7 club to help weld it together so the original engine could remain in the car.Another obstacle Denman faced was the flooring. As the original had rotted away, he used wood Peter had collected to make his own furniture in recent years.Brock's younger brother, Lewis Brock, last weekend re-enacted the image of Brock racing around the family farm in his first car.He says the image of Peter and his dad working on the car is etched in his memory.“I won't forget it, all the boys were involved in varying degrees, but it was Peter's car. He did the work on it,” he says.Lewis fondly recalls Peter getting into trouble from their mother for cutting the body of the car with an axe. He says she was more concerned about the damage to the axe.Lewis believes he and Peter were the only two to have driven the car as youngsters and the one time he got behind the wheel, he ended up in a palm tree.“I was struggling to get my legs down to the pedals,” he says.Lewis says his brother had to fine-tune his skills of going down through the gears and putting it into a slide in order to stop.Brock drove the car until he was 16. Although many decades have passed, Lewis says the noise of the engine is still identical from their childhood.“It's fabulous,” he says. “When we started the engine, my uncle Sandy was there ... we looked at each other when the car fired up and said that's the same noise.”Both Lewis and Denman describe it as interesting to drive, Denman claiming it feels like a “rocket ship”. “It only weighs probably 200kg.“It's very, very low to the ground, it's something that you couldn't describe,” he says.Lewis is concerned over the lack of brakes and says he won't be driving it again until brakes are installed.The previous owner bought the car from Sandy Brock 45 years ago and had it sitting in the roof of his factory for most of that time. About 10 years ago he discovered it was Brock's first car.Lewis says Brock knew about the car, but didn't have any plans to reclaim it. But after Brock's death last year, the owner decided to sell it and it was purchased and donated to the Peter Brock Foundation by a supporter.“Peter would be rapt,” Lewis says. “He would think it was a hoot and he was probably sitting on the back axle watching me drive it. That's what it felt like.”If Brock's history was taken out of the picture, Denman says the car would be worth a lot less.“The car itself is probably worth $2000 if you wanted to buy one, for the chassis, the engine, that's what you'd pay,” he says. “It's the history of the car, the car is complete.”The Peter Brock Foundation will now display the car at different shows and racetracks around the country and it's likely to end up in a museum.“When Peter signed signatures he'd put on posters `follow your dreams',” Lewis says.“That's where it started for him, he turned it into something to hone his skills in.”And Lewis says Peter would want everyone to see it. While this might have been his first, there are many more cars where Brock mastered his driving skills. According to the fans and collectors, Brock would have raced more than 100 cars during his time on the track. The most valued and important of those would have been his victories at Bathurst.Queenslander Peter Champion has a collection of 32 Brock cars, both ones he raced and road registered models.He's collected the cars over the past 15 years and believes they would be worth between $6 million and $7 million.The collection includes a replica of the Austin A30 Brock raced in 1967, a project Brock's step-son James Brock completed for Champion. The first Bathurst car Brock raced, the 1969 Monaro is also in the collection, as well as the 1974 L34 Torana and the 1982, 1983 and 1984 Bathurst-winning Commodores.He also has the Ford Sierra and the 2002 Motorola-sponsored Commodore that he raced at Bathurst. And Champion this week said he and his team are currently rebuilding the car that claimed Brock's life.“I'm guessing they're worth from half a million to a million each, that's what people say. I don't get involved, they're not for sale.”As Brock's friend, navigator and competitor, Champion wants to share his collection from Brock's career with the public.“I'm building a museum which I have been doing for a number of years. Peter was involved in with me for quite a few years. A lot of the personal stuff, he gave to it,” Champion says.“The reason he was an icon was because he always had time for people, he always stood there and signed autographs, he stayed well after dark.”Champion says the museum should be opened in Queensland by the end of the year.Fellow Queenslander, David Bowden, has his own slice of Brock history. He owns the Bathurst-winning A9X Torana's from 1978 and 1979, as well as Brock's 1987 VL Commodore. He says that although the value of the cars has increased with Brock's passing, Bowden's not comfortable talking about what they're worth.“It's so hard, he was such a good mate to everyone, that I hate talking about things like that,” he says.The value is not important, Bowden says, as he wouldn't consider selling them at this stage. He says he's spent too much money building up his collection to sell them.“I don't expect to jump on for a quick profit,” says Bowden, who often sends his cars to Bathurst so the public can see them.“Brocky” did his last hot lap at Bathurst in the 1979 A9X Torana. Where are they now? Brock's classic cars 1967 Austin A30 original lost, replica owned by Peter Champion1969 Monaro (Bathurst third place) owned by Peter Champion1972 XU-1 Torana (Bathurst winner) owned by Glen Amos1973-74 XU-1 Torana sold last year for $500,000 to an anonymous Melbourne buyer1974 L34 Torana owned by Peter Champion1975 Torana (Bathurst winner) lost1978 A9X Torana (Bathurst winner) owned by David Bowden1979 A9X Torana (Bathurst winner) owned by David Bowden1979 Commodore (Round Australia trial winner) owned by Holden1980 Commodore (Bathurst winner) claimed to be owned by Rowan Harmon1982-83 VH Commodore (Bathurst winner) owned by Peter Champion1983 VH Commodore (Bathurst car) owned by Peter Champion1984 VK Commodores (Bathurst winner and third) owned by Peter Champion and the Bathurst Museum1986 Commodore Spa 24-Hour Race owned by Peter Champion1987 VL Commodore (Bathurst winner) owned by David Bowden1988 BMW (Bathurst car) unknown1989-1990 Ford Sierra owned by Peter Champion2003 Monaro 24-hour race winner owned by Rob Sherrard2006 Daytona Coupe owned by Peter Champion