Holden Torana 1973 News

Treasure hunters will find plenty of gems to drool over at  Shannons Melbourne auction this week. The auction is headlined by a brace of American V8 muscle cars, with a 1974 Plymouth Barracuda Coupe leading the charge. But for Aussies the real jewel in the crown will undoubtedly be the “no reserve” Holden XU-1

From its humble beginnings 45 years ago, Holden grew the Torana franchise from a small 1.2 litre four cylinder two door into an iconic brand name. First released in Australia in 1967 everyone knew the Torana was a rebadged 1966 Vauxhall Viva. What is less known is that the Viva/Torana was styled in just one afternoon. Cars normally take up to two years for their design to evolve, but not this little baby. The guy who drew it in record time is Leo Pruneau, the former Design Director of Holden. Leo picks up the story. "I was an Assistant Designer in the GM advanced styling studio in Detroit in early 1964 working on what would become the Chevy Comaro. One day the fibreglass prototype of the 1966 Viva was brought into the studio for GM's boss of styling Bill Mitchell to review. The head of styling for Vauxhall, David Jones, had flown over from London to be there too. "Well, Mitchell walks around the car three or four times. It was a boxy little thing and we knew right away it was not going to find favour with him. So Mitchell starts to ask lots of questions about various aspects of the styling and by the time he'd finished he'd basically dissolved that car into nothing." "Anyway, it's about lunch time now, and Mitchell turns to me and says `Pruneau, David and I are going out to lunch. We'll be back at 3pm.We want to see an alternative design drawing, full size'." "Now usually just one of these full-size drawings takes about two weeks to develop because you try out ideas, and make changes. So I drew just one car with a coke-bottle side styling motif " "When Mitchell and Jones came back, Mitchell took one look and says `That's it! Wrap up that drawing and David can take it with him on the plane tonight'. " Leo says that the next day Mitchell sent him to Vauxhall for six months to ensure "they do it exactly like you drew it". Those six months turned into six years after which Leo was transferred to Holden as Design Director, where he found the Viva had morphed into the Torana and one of models was called an XU1. Not bad for a car that only took three hours to design! Leo went on to direct the design of the LC/LX/UC Torana .Holden sold almost 200,000 of them. At its zenith the Torana represented many things many people: two and four doors, hatchback and sedan, four, six and eight cylinder engines, manual and automatic, family car and winning race car. You name the demographic and market segment and Torana had it covered. It's the kind of car I bet Holden wished they had now. www.retroautos.com.au  

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.

The latest addition to the growing memorabilia surrounding the legendary racer is a working replica of his 1971 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 known as "The Beast".It has been lovingly brought to life as a tribute car by motoring enthusiasts Dale Booth and John Oost and commissioned by Peter Champion for his Champions Brock Experience museum near Yeppoon.Booth is confident the car is a 90 per cent faithful replica right down to the same wiper blades, steering wheel, seat, headrest and a V8 engine mounted in the middle of the car right next to the driver."It gets pretty hot and noisy in there," Booth said. "I drive it with a rag tied around my leg to protect it from the heat."The original Formula 5000 engine had so much torque it twisted the chassis making the doors difficult to open and close."It's the worst driving position ever; I don't know how Brock managed to drive around Bathurst with that thing next to him."Fans of the late Brock can get a close look at the Beast at 12.30pm on Saturday at Queensland Raceway when it is presented for a close inspection by Harry Firth who gave Brock his break in racing.Booth said he believed the original XU-1 no longer existed, so he sourced most of the artwork and technical details from photos, Ebay and talking with people involved in Brock's racing career."I even did all the signage with a brush not stickers like they do today," he said."We're still looking for a Speco wooden gearshift knob and a few other bits."I suppose Harry will tell us how close we are."Booth would not reveal how much the car cost to build, but said replica wheels specially made from the original moulds cost $2600.He said he had always been a Brock fan with a house and garage devoted to Brock memorabilia.Booth's next replica project is the restoration of a 1979 A9X Torana like the one in which Brock won Bathurst and set a circuit record on the final lap, despite leading by six laps.Visit: championsbrockexperience.com.au 

For some car fanatics, it's all about building a pristine show car. For others, it is the engine and the way it performs at the track that counts. And then there are those who want a dressed-up street car. But Torana owner Ian Williams decided to cover all bases. “My favourite thing is I can actually drive it on the street and do other things with it as well,” he says. Williams has transformed a 1976 LX Holden Torana into a real beauty. His interest was sparked years ago when his sons got their licences and he bought both a Torana for about $2000 each. That began their passion for the old-school Holden and, before long, they were modifying their cars and buying more. Then Williams succumbed to the muscle-car craze. “I said, `Boy, they're nice cars, I'm going to do one up one day too',” he says. When the perfect car presented itself in 2002 Williams couldn't resist. “My wife's son in Queensland had the car we have now,” he says. “He wanted to sell it 'cause he wanted his garage space back, so my wife bought it for me for $10,000.” While the LX Holden Torana had already been modified, Williams wanted to go further. So he stripped it down, pulled out the motor and completely rebuilt the car from scratch over the next four years. “There's nothing from the original Torana other than the body, and doors. Everything else has been replaced or modified,” he says. “The whole car is pretty much a new car. If there was late technology to put in it, we did.” The 58-year-old says he always admired the A9X models but as they came out in 1977, they fell under new emission regulations. So Williams was in search of a car released prior to then to give him more freedom in what he could do to the engine. He started with the 1976 LX model and added some Bathurst heritage, with A9X character traits, as well as integrating modern motorsport technologies to make the ultimate jack-of-all-trades Torana, which now proudly wears the number plate 2TOUGH. And with a 536hp (400kW) V8 engine, Brembo brakes, 17-inch wheels, a 100-litre fuel tank and a $13,000 paint job, among many other changes, it really does live up to its name. “I wanted a car that was completely legal, so I got the engineers involved to ensure that it was,” he says. “In my younger days I used to get pulled over by the police and get defected all the time, I don't want to go through that again.” Williams says the car has had about $80,000 worth of work, including the recent replacement of the manual transmission with a four-speed automatic, improving its track time. “We think it is a bargain. It can now out perform most modern factory sports sedans, and retains the eye-catching, classic styling of what we believe is the best Bathurst muscle car ever built,” he says. Williams says you could spend your money on a new Monaro or SS Commodore, which might be as quick around the race track, but there are more benefits to owning a Torana. “Monaros are more reliable and have better fuel economy, but everybody's got one,” he says. “The A9X-looking car is rare. Everywhere you go you get looks. You don't get that in a new Monaro or SS Commodore and that's all part of the enjoyment of having a cool car.” Williams says while it can't be the best show car, race car and street car all in one package, the Torana still has “the capability to not embarrass itself” on the track and also manages to attract a whole lot of attention. And it gets the thumbs up from the previous owner, Williams' stepson. “I took him for a drive in it and he was stoked, he was really happy about it,” he says. While Williams loves his Torana and enjoys Holdens, he says he appreciates good engineering, no matter what make or model. “Cars are like people, there are a variety of cars and a variety of things people do to them, it all adds to the rich tapestry of life,” he says.