Holden Monaro News

The Monaro HRT 427 is listed on eBay for $1m with one bid of $900,000. The price, if accepted after bids close tomorrow at 8.42pm, would be the highest for a car sold in Australia under the hammer.Owner Paul Rammers of Cam Plastics at Narangba north of Brisbane said he was still in two minds about selling the car. "I don't need to sell it but it's time to move on a bit,'' he said. The car, one of only two roadgoing Monaro HRT 427s built, was once owned by Shawn "Chooka'' Ryan of Cairns.He paid $920,000 for the car before he was forced to sell it through Pickles Auctions in 2010. It is understood the $920,000 sale included another classic Holden which was worth far less than the HRT 427.  Mr Rammers said he did not expect to sell it on eBay but there were four seriously interested parties."One guy has phoned me six times and says he is going to fly up from Victoria tonight,'' he said. "There's another at Toowoomba who is interested. He bought Chooka's W427.''Mr Rammer said he originally bought the car after it didn't sell at auction. He paid $350,000 plus $12,000 in fees after NBA basketballer Andrew Bogut pulled out of the bid. He said he rarely drove it. "I drove it back from Sydney. It was unbelievable.''He also took it to Forbes on the back of a trailer to an HRT specialist who re-programmed it on a computer. "I've done 250km/h. It was a piece of cake plus there was a lot left.''Mr Rammers said he last drove it for a wedding photographic session at Easter last year and afterwards was pulled over by the police. He was fined $2000 for having an unregistered and uninsured vehicle and for illegal use of a trade plate.He said he had sold other cars in his collection, including EH Holdens and a Statesman, but still owned three GT Ford Cobras, a HQ Statesman and a HQ Monaro coupe."I love high performance cars. If I sell it I'll buy a HSV W427, I reckon I can get one for $110,000, an all-wheel drive Coupe 4 Monaro, which are about $55,000-$60,000 and I've got my eye on a 430 Ferrari convertible for about $200,000, which is not a lot of money.''The HRT 427 Monaro has a race-bred 7.0-litre V8 with 427kW of power, although there are no rear seats, a radio or airconditioning. The car for sale was the star of the 2002 Sydney motor show and is the only one sold privately with the other car remaining with Holden.Three race cars were built to similar specifications and won the 2003 Bathurst 24-hour with the late Peter Brock at the wheel. Holden Special Vehicles had planned to sell the production cars in a limited run for as much as $215,000, but the project could not be financially justified.

Don't take our word for it; just ask psychologist Lindsay Trims, 46, who's put his money where his mouth is and bought his own teen fantasy, a '74 four-door HJ Monaro GTS four-door sedan. "It makes me feel I'm alive," he says. "As a psychologist I have seen a number of people go through a midlife crisis and didn't think I would go through one myself," he says. "My wife told me I needed a hobby and having this car is allowing me to re-live that critical part of our lives which I believe is around that 18- to 22-year-old period. It's the sound of a classic V8 with the lumpy cam that takes you back. "I was looking for a suitable (Ford Falcon) XA or XB GT, or (Holden) HQ or HJ because when I was 17 they were the cars we admired. I wanted something pre-emission controls because they started mellowing them down and reducing horsepower." Trim's HQ hasn't mellowed. Quit the opposite. A previous owner fitted it with a 308 (5-litre) blueprinted V8, but Trim also has the matching-number 253 (4.2-litre) V8 stored away. Except for a new audio system, the rest of the car is in original mint condition and has been garaged for the past four or five years, lovingly looked after by a mechanic. It even came with the original papers. "It had just 74,000 kays on the clock, but then the odo doesn't go to six figures, so it could have already been around once,' he says. "But it's never let me down yet and starts every time." Trim bought it for $5098 six months ago and reckons it's worth $25,000 or more with the original motor, but he has no plans of selling. In fact, he's thinking of getting that Falcon down the track. Meanwhile, the HQ is his daily driver, using it to commute and do the school run with his daughters, Maya, 11, and Millicent, 6. "Milli's embarrassed to be seen in it because it's an old car and hasn't got AC as good as modern cars," he says. "She hasn't worked out it's a `cool' car yet, but in five years' time she will probably ask me to take her to the formal in it." Most Monaro aficionados frown on the four-door HQ and HJ models as "not real Monaros", but Trims doesn't care. "I like the look and the style and it's more practical with a family," he says. "It's also rarer. "When you drive it you really know you are driving it; at 60 kays it feels like you are doing 110. The only time you know you are in a '74 car is in the wet when it doesn't pull up too well." Trim's advice to you, the reader, is to "find the balance" in your life, "be a bit selfish" and buy your teen-dream car. "I counsel people with issues of depression, anxiety and grief and I ask them what they want out of life and what's stopping them," he says. "If it's money, then get something a bit cheaper. I probably have taken this passion too far; the car even has a Facebook page, 'Merv Monaro' that keeps friends up to date. "But I'm living the dream and that can't be a bad thing." HJ Monaro GTS Year:1974 Price: $5098 Price Now: $25,000 Engine: 5-litre V8 Body: four-door sedan Transmission: 4-speed manual Did you know: Holden built 4754 HQ Monaros and about 1000 were coupes. Got a special car you'd like featured in Carsguide? Modern or classic we're interested in hearing your story. Please send a pic and brief info to mark.hinchliffe@carsguide.com.au

Based on bang-for-buck impact, as well as classic muscle appeal, Shannons Insurance says it has to be the Falcon XY GTHO Phase 3 that ruled at Bathurst in the 1970s and was the world's fastest four-door sedan at the time it was introduced. A silver HO was passed in at the Brisbane Motor Show auction in 2008 at about $750,000."You wouldn't get those prices now as the bubble burst on the Aussie V8 muscle car market over 12 months ago and we haven't seen those numbers back ... yet," says Shannons spokesman Phil Ross.But Dan Bowden, whose Sunshine Coast family museum has one of the greatest collections of Aussie muscle cars, reckons the top prize goes to the Falcon XR GT which he calls "The first of the real Aussie V8s". It won Bathurst in 1967.Bathurst victory seems to be the common thread here. But what about Holdens? Ross says the number two and three cars in the price stakes are both Bathurst-winning Holdens: the 1978/79 A9X hatchback 308 V8 LX SS and the 1968 327 V8 HK Holden Monaro, "or possibly the 1970 HT 350 V8 Monaro"."Shannons Auctions sold a HK 327 Monaro for $220,000 at one of our auctions at the height of the muscle car price wars," he says.Earlier this year an A9X was passed in at a Shannons auction in Melbourne for more than $270,000. "They only made 100 of these so the Holden fans will argue it's the number one Aussie V8 of all time and the most collectable," says Ross.Road cars are one thing, but race cars attract even higher price tags. Bowden's museum has Peter Brock's 1979 A9X in which he won Bathurst by six laps, setting a record on the last lap while waving at the fans.It's insured for over $1m. Bowden says the car recently won an Auto Action poll as the most significant race car in Australia's history and won a Facebook poll among Bowden followers.Despite all that, he says the HK 327 GTS Monaro is "one of the most beautiful and a real contender", winning Bathurst in 1968.Ross says the cars that conquered Bathurst were awarded hero status by the car-buying public. "I don't think this kind of hero status for Aussie V8s will be as big with the later model cars but time may prove me wrong," he says. "I have just noticed there is a bit of a cult following starting with younger guys and the humble XD Falcon at shows."I always thought it looked more like a taxi but after looking at the Dick Johnson `Tru Blu' Falcon Group C race car at Bowden's museum I have changed my mind."Neither Ross nor Bowden mentioned any Chrysler product. "Sadly Chrysler didn't have any good V8s," says Bowden. "The ones with any real sporting pedigree were the six-cylinder versions."In the end they built the V8s in the Charger, the VJ E55 versions, but they were very toned down, marketed against the big luxury Ford Fairmont and LS Monaros, not as a sporting car."Ross says the six-cylinder E49 E49 RT Charger in the popular Vitamin C (orange) six pack "Big Tank" (extra Fuel for Bathurst) fully restored can be worth $170,000-$200.000."I once asked Leo Geogeghan if he thought a Charger could win Bathurst and he said not without a V8," he says. "He couldn't beat the V8 GT Falcons up the mountain. There was a 770 Charger released with a V8 but it never ran at Bathurst. If they had won maybe they would be worth more."Of the current batch of Aussie V8s, Bowden likes the FPV GT. "Amazing engine. The only manufacturer that hand assembles its engine in Australia," he says.Bowden also throws a monkey into the works with the rear-mounted HSV V8 engine in the Alfa Romeo Sprint made by Giocattolo Motori Pty Ltd. The Australian car company built just 15 cars from 1986 to 1989 which were capable of up to 260km/h.OTHERS TO CONSIDER* Falcon XA GTHO Phase IV, the one Ford said they never built, killed by the super car scare and only one road car ever made.* Holden L34 Torana, with Hi-Po option, our only all-Aussie-made engine.* VL HDT Group A Brock Commodore, another homologation special. "The polariser plus pack version just adds to the story," says Bowden.* Falcon XA RPO-83 option GT. A lot of those Phase IV bits went on these special cars.* Falcon XC Cobra, one of the first 30, the Bathurst special versions.

Married with a daughter (who is also a Ford fan), Mr Watson currently has an FPV GT 335 sedan, the latest in a long line of Ford products."We have had around 20 Fords - various models, not just Falcons - after some Holdens. We have had many Fords, one has followed the other ever since and we have no plans to change camps," he says.Mr Watson looks at the red versus blue rivalry as something that is now generational. "When it started it was Moffat versus Brock and has grown since then to have people either red or blue, now we're talking second and third generation fans as children follow their parents," he says.The family has had an FPV GT since April - the supercharged 335kW version - and now wouldn't have anything else. "I absolutely love it, the supercharged V8 has plenty of power - we use it for normal road work, not track days, we don't push it that hard, but it has plenty of poke for overtaking," he says."We're also restoring an old XB Falcon - a full bare-metal restoration - with 393 stroker V8, that will sit proudly next to the new GT," he says.A big shed and a tolerant wife are two key ingredients to Daryl Leaker's impressive stable of Holden product. The 1998 HSV Senator Signature 220i shares garage space with a number of Holden, HSV and HDT machines."I've got a very big shed for them all, I've always liked Holdens because my father was a Holden salesman so it is in the blood I guess," he says.Mr Leaker hasn't always just owned Holdens - a Mitsubishi Pajero replaced a Ford Territory recently, but there balance of power has always been to the General, harking back to his formative years with a Holden salesman for a father."It was great when Dad was selling Holdens, I got to drive GTR XU-1s and 327 Monaros when they were brand new," he says. "When I turned 21 I bought myself an HQ GTS coupe and got some discount through my father, I wish I still had that car as well."The HSV shares shed space with a VN SS Group A and an HSV Statesman, as well as a HDT VK Brock Commodore SS in silver and an HJ Monaro four-door."I'll always be a Holden fan - I think I'd die of shock if the missus came home in an FPV GT," he says.

…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.

Even at a time when fuel economy is top-of-mind with a growing number of Australian drivers there is plenty of space on the roads for Commodores and Falcons with old-fashioned V8 muscle under the bonnet. They burble menacingly at idle. They are the backbone of V8 Supercar racing.Yet V8s in the 21st century are not what they were in the days when they first conquered Mount Panorama and a GTHO Falcon or a Monaro - or even a Valiant V8 - was a dream machine for a generation of Aussie youngsters.Since 1970 the crude oil price has exploded from $20 a barrel to double that amount during the Iran revolution, over $70 during the first Gulf War, broke through the $100 barrier ahead of the Global Financial Crisis and has now settled at just below $100.In Australia, petrol prices have correspondingly risen from about 8c a litre in 1970 to about 50c in 1984 and almost $1.50 today.Despite all this, and despite one attempt at a death sentence by Ford in the 1980s, the V8 has not been wiped from Australian showrooms. Holden and Ford have continued to produce large cars with a V8 alternative and continue to slog it out at Bathurst.But Australian cars, even the ones that now have American V8s imported for local use, are not the only bent-eight blasters on the road.Germans are prolific builders of V8s and produce some of the most powerful engines in the world thanks to AMG-Mercedes, BMW and Audi. English V8s are built by Aston Martin, Land Rover and Jaguar, while the Americans provide V8s in the Chrysler 300C sold here. Even the Japanese luxury brand Lexus has a V8 in its IS F hero and its luxury saloon LS460, as well as the LandCruiser-cloned LX470.Most V8s are powerful enough breathing ordinary air, but there are many forced-induction models with either turbo or supercharging to liberate even more power. Walkinshaw Performance does the job in Australia for Holden, BMW is going down the turbo V8 road for its latest M cars and Benz had a time with a supercharged AMG V8.But V8s are not just about unrestricted power. The push for greater fuel economy has also reached V8 land and so Chrysler and Holden have V8s with multiple displacement technology which shuts down half the cylinders when the car is just cruising to improve fuel economy. Formula One racing engines now do the same thing when they are idling on a grand prix starting grid.Holden's Active Fuel Management (AFM) was introduced on the V8 Commodore and Caprice in 2008 and the red lion brand is committed to the engine - with future technology updates - despite near-record fuel prices."It is incumbent on us to keep it relevant and continue introducing new technology that delivers on our customers' needs," says Holden's Shayna Welsh.Holden has the biggest stake in V8s with more models than any other company selling in Australia. It has a total of 12 models with V8 engines across four nameplates and four body styles, including Commodore SS, SS V, Calais V, Caprice V and the recently introduced Redline range. V8s account for about one quarter of Commodore sedan sales and almost half of Ute sales."We see it as being more than just the V8 engine - it's about the entire car. It's the whole performance package that appeals to people and we want to continue making cars that people are proud to own," Welsh says."The combination of features and technology, great handling and braking and outstanding value is consistent across our V8 model range."Ford fans are also committed to V8s, according to company spokesperson Sinead McAlary, who says a recent Facebook survey was overwhelmingly positive."We asked whether they worry about petrol prices and they say 'No, it's the sound of the V8 we love and we are prepared to pay the price'," she says.Both Ford and Holden also have performance divisions where the V8 was, and still is, king. Ford's is Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) and Holden's is Holden Special Vehicles (HSV).HSV marketing manager Tim Jackson says their sales are "on par" with last year."That's despite the fact that last year we had the limited edition GX-P which is an entry level product for us," he says. "We don't have that model in our range at all this year and you would expect numbers to come off, but we've been able to maintain sales volume."All of HSV's range are powered by a naturally aspirated V8 engine (6200cc 317kW-325kW), while the opposition at FPV has gained the kilowatt advantage with forced induction (supercharged 5000cc 315kW-335kW).Jackson says their LS3 V8 has been "validated" by customers."We're not getting guys screaming at us to go turbocharging. The LS3 is an extraordinary unit. It's a light engine with a good power-to-weight figure. There is not a turbo engine that would do it for us at the right development cost. But I wouldn't rule it (turbo) out or rule it in."Jackson says there have been no repercussions from the rise in petrol prices."Our customers don't have other choices in their repertoire," he says. "A small car doesn't suit them and they're not into an SUV. They're of a certain level where the whole cost of running the car is easy for them to absorb."The top-selling HSV is the ClubSport R8, followed by the Maloo R8, then GTS.However, the greatest HSV in history is debatable, Jackson says.HSV engineering boss Joel Stoddart prefers the all-wheel-drive Coupe4 and sales boss Darren Bowler the SV5000."The Coupe4 is special because of its engineering but I like the W427 because it's the fastest," Jackson says.FPV boss Rod Barrett says they are also experiencing strong sales growth. He says they sold about 500 cars in the first quarter, which is up 32 per cent on the previous year. He also says sales of the F6 have slowed since the launch of the supercharged V8 engine variants late last year, as customers "opt for power". Ford no longer offers a V8 with the demise of the XR8 sedan and ute last year."Our middle name is performance so we have all the V8s," Barrett says. "When we were launching this new supercharged car all the V8s came across here."Barrett says their supercharged engine has changed people's minds about "dinosaur V8s"."The turbocharged F6 was a cult hero car in its day and people thought a V8 was a low-tech dinosaur," he says. "But when we produced a high-tech all-alloy five-litre supercharged V8 built in Australia people started to think that V8s aren't all that bad after all. I'm not seeing the demise of the V8 just yet, but for us, the future is hi-tech."The supercharged 5.0Litre V8 335kW FPV GT continues to be FPV's top-selling vehicle followed closely by the supercharged V8 5.0 litre 315kW GS sedan and GS ute.Barrett believes the current GT is the best FPV car yet with its segment-leading power, light weight and improved fuel economy."However, I think our most iconic car was the 2007 BF Mk II 302kW Cobra in white with blue stripes. That car brought back the passion of '78 with the original Cobra. If you have a look at the second-hand prices, they are still holding up very well" he says.

Based on bang-for-buck impact, as well as classic muscle appeal, Shannons Insurance says it has to be the Falcon XY GTHO Phase 3 that ruled at Bathurst in the 1970s and was the world's fastest four-door sedan at the time it was introduced.A Silver HO was passed in at the Brisbane Motor Show auction in 2008 at about $750,000."You wouldn't get those prices now as the bubble burst on the Aussie V8 muscle car market over 12 months ago and we haven't seen those numbers back ... yet," says Shannons spokesman Phil Ross.But Dan Bowden, whose family museum has one of the greatest collections of Aussie muscle cars, reckons the top prize goes to the Falcon XR GT which he calls "The first of the real Aussie V8s". It won Bathurst in 1967.What about Holdens?Ross says the number two and three cars in the price stake are both Bathurst winning Holdens: the A9X hatchback 308 V8 LX SS and the 1968 327 V8 HK Holden Monaro, "or possibly the 1970 HT 350 V8 Monaro". Shannons Auctions sold a HK 327 Monaro for $220,000 at one of our auctions at the height of the muscle car price wars," he says."We have an A9X in our next auction ... and it may go for around $250,000 or more. They only made 100 of these so the Holden fans will argue it's the number one Aussie V8 of all time and the most collectable."Bowden's museum seems to favour the Falcons, but he agrees that the HK 327 GTS Monaro is "one of the most beautiful and a real contender", winning Bathurst in 1968.Others to consider are:Falcon XA GTHO Phase IV, the one Ford said they never built, killed by the super car scare and only one road car ever made.Holden L34 Torana, with Hi-Po option, our only all-Aussie-made engine.VL HDT Group A Brock Commodore, another homologation special. "The polariser plus pack version just adds to the story," says Bowden.Falcon XA RPO-83 option GT. A lot of those Phase IV bits went on these special cars.Falcon XC Cobra, one of the first 30, the Bathurst special versions.Ross says the cars that conquered Bathurst were awarded hero status by the car-buying public."But I don't think this kind of hero status for Aussie V8s will be as big with the later model cars but time may prove me wrong," he says. "I have just noticed there is a bit of a cult following starting with younger guys and the humble XD Falcon at shows. I always thought it looked more like a taxi but after looking at the Dick Johnson `Tru Blu' Falcon Group C race car at Bowden's museum I have changed my mind."Neither Ross nor Bowden mentioned any Chrysler product."Sadly Chrysler didn't have any good V8s," says Bowden. "The ones with any real sporting pedigree were the six-cylinder versions. In the end they built the V8s in the Charger, the VJ E55 versions, but they were very toned down, marketed against the big luxury Ford Fairmont and LS Monaros, not as a sporting car."Ross says the six-cylinder E49 E49 RT Charger in the popular Vitamin C (orange) six pack "Big Tank" (extra Fuel for Bathurst) fully restored can be worth $170,000-$200.000."I once asked Leo Geogeghan if he thought a Charger could win Bathurst and he said not without a V8," he says. "He couldn't beat the V8 GT Falcons up the mountain. There was a 770 Charger released with a V8 but it never ran at Bathurst. If they had won maybe they would be worth more."Of the current batch of Aussie V8s, Bowden likes the FPV GT."Amazing engine. The only manufacturer that hand assembles its engine in Australia," he says.Bowden also throws a monkey into the works with the rear-mounted HSV V8 engine in the Alfa Romeo Sprint made by Giocattolo Motori Pty Ltd.The Australian car company built just 15 cars from 1986 to 1989 which were capable of up to 260km/h.

Ford and Holden battle for first place in the top ten classic cars

"It's a beautiful race car, and Peter loved driving it," says museum owner and long-time Brock friend Peter Champion.  The nine-time Bathurst champion died in September 2006 when his Daytona slammed into a tree at a rally event near Perth. Champion said most of the 40 people attending the unveiling on Saturday night shed a tear.  "It is an emotional thing but something had to be done to preserve his memory," he said. "I've been living with it for four years but I still shed a tear. It's sad but it's a part of history."  Champion had the wreckage restored to its racing glory by the original builder, Richard Bendall, and his company Daytona Sports Cars, in Dromana, Victoria. Champion would not disclose the cost of restoration for the 1960s-style muscle car.  "Put it this way, you could have bought a new one for the price we paid to restore it," he said. A new Daytona coupe can cost between $150,000 and $200,000.  James Bendall, who did most of the restoration work, said it took about 800 hours over two years to complete. "That's about how long it takes to build a new car," he said.  "It still has the original engine, gearbox, differential and suspension.  It was very gratifying to see it back in one piece again and a bit sad when it left the factory. "We've copped a lot of criticism from people over the crash in the past few years which is fairly annoying, but we were very proud of how it came up in the end." Champion said it was difficult to decide on how to display the car.  "We thought about putting it in a room on its own, but it would have become a shrine and personally I don't think there is any place for a shrine among over 40 of his cars," he said. "It's like the last chapter of a book. It has to be part of the same story.  A good friend of mine was against restoring and displaying it but he changed his mind after visiting the Henry Ford museum in the US and seeing the car JFK was shot in. He said it was a tragedy but part of history." Champion said he had thought about moving the museum to a more popular tourist location such as the Gold Coast.  "There has been a big push to get it moved to Melbourne, Sydney, the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast," "If you wanted more people through it you'd have to be on the Gold Coast somewhere. Who knows, it may end up there some day."  Champions Brock Experience is the largest collection of Brock road and race cars in the country and features Brock's first 1956 Austin A30, Bathurst winners, rally cars and his Bathurst 24-Hour Monaro. There is also a collection of highly modified road-going HDT Special Vehicles built in the 1980s by Brock until he parted with Holden in 1987.  The only Fords in the collection are a 1989 EB Fairmont Ghia Brock built after the Holden split and his Sierra Cosworth touring car. Champion's collection of vehicles and memorabilia was sitting in a Blackwater shed until Brock suggested it be turned into a public museum.

A hotrod Camaro is now being developed to go head-to-head with the Ford Mustang GT500, promising a return of the classic Z28 badge in 2012. Chevrolet is finalising testing of the born-again Z28, right down to running it against the GT500, and the car is caught by Carparazzi during the trails. There is predictable camouflage, but not enough to disguise the much- larger air intake in the nose and a pronounced lip spoiler. There are also giant 20-inch alloy wheels and brakes that could have come from the Cadillac CTS-V. The rear end reveals a set of dual pipes on either side of the car and Carparazzi photographers report a thunderous Nascar-style exhaust note. There are also potential mounting points for a rear spoiler. The car will be powered by a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 and the test car is running an automatic gearbox. The final result for the Z28 is likely to be similar to the Transformers Camaro displayed on the American motor show circuit last year, although GM's engineers are having some of their own fun with a Nascar-style number 2 on the side. The Z28 is likely to be revealed at the Detroit Motor Show in January for American sales, headlining a mildly facelifted 2011 Camaro range, in the first half of next year.