Holden Torana 1975 News

Following the epic guitar v drums face-off, another drag race has been mounted to settle an equally important question. Which is the better cult movie genre – martial arts or sci-fi?To produce the definitive answer, dairy brand Ice Break customised two classic Aussie muscle cars for the track.In the nunchuck-swinging martial arts corner there was a 1972 V8 LJ Torana 308 V8 auto, while the sci-fi champion was a 1975 Falcon XB Coupe 351 V8 four-speed manual.Facebook fans weighed into the key custom decisions, with more than 1000 requests for modifications on the cars and over 4000 comments on which car would eventually kick the requisite amount of ass to win on the quarter mile at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Dragway.“The Kung Fu Torana – known as Bruce to the fans -- features an impressive arsenal of ninja stars and samurai swords, and boasts more shiny martial arts trophies than the Cobra Kai. The exterior paintwork comprises yellow and black stripes with accompanying dragon motif, as an homage to Bruce Lee’s iconic jumpsuit in ‘Game of Death’,” Ice Break said in a statement. “The Sci-fi XB Coupe -- or Hal to its Ewok friends -- comes replete with the obligatory flux capacitor in the boot, some rather large toxic gas canisters, and a console bursting with X-wing style weapon switches.The Kubrick-esque white leather interior is neatly complemented by the gun metal exterior paint job and glowing Kit-style grill.” A competition offers the chance to win either of the cars, or the two that contested the guitar vs drums question at www.facebook.com/icebreak.

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  

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.

And what better place for a reunion and an anniversary celebration than the Australian Muscle Car Masters at Eastern Creek, where more than 500 of these powerful, historic cars will be raced and displayed.It's a step into the past as racing car legends such as Morris, Peter Brock, Allan Moffat, Leo Geoghegan, Harry Firth, John Goss and many more will be in attendance to meet fans and sign autographs.All the best cars from the 1960s, '70s and '80s will strut their stuff in Historic Touring Races and Hot Lap sessions. Morris hasn't driven that winning Torana L34 in almost 30 years, and is looking forward to his hot lap next Sunday, September 3."It was the very first Torana with a V8 engine and the car that we raced was the very first Torana L34 that was ever built off the production line," Morris said this week. "It was fantastic. I raced that car in 1975, also, and I drove with Frank Gardner that year and we came in second place. So it had a second outright and a first outright at Bathurst, and I don't know if that's been repeated."Morris says the 1976 victory was the highlight of his 20-year career, describing it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The piece of nostalgia that saw him to success now lives at the Bathurst Museum but will make the trek to Eastern Creek next weekend.In a contrast of fortune, also on display will be the Torana that captured all the 1976 pre-race publicity but crashed on the grid. The blue Torana due to be driven in that race by Jack Brabham and Stirling Moss jammed in gear at the start and was rammed from behind by a little Triumph Dolomite.Now, 30 years later, it too has been restored for display.More than 150 cars have already entered the race events with a range of Historic Touring Car events covering categories from the 1950s to the '90s. And there will be specific events, such as the biggest Torana race in the world and the best of the best.Racing driver Des Wall is looking forward to toeing the line next Sunday in the classic he bought at an auction last November.The Ian "Pete" Geoghegan Mustang, which has a story of its own, is worth quite a large sum. Wall claims it is probably the best car of its time."It's a significant car in Australian motor-racing history. It won three Australian touring car championships and it's been restored to the way it was in 1971," Wall says.Wall has been racing for more than 30 years and his son, David, has followed in his footsteps as a race driver.He says the Mustang performs surprisingly well, but differently, of course, to the newer Porsches and Chev Corvette he usually races."It's very good. It surprised me how competitive the car is for a car of that era," he says. "We drive current race cars also. The difference ... I expected it to be wider than what it is. Apart from the brakes not being what current cars have, the car is quite a substantial race car."Next Sunday's show is expected to draw big crowds, after the same event last year attracted more than 10,000 people, despite appalling weather."I think a lot of people who are motor-racing enthusiasts are getting more and more interested in the history, they want to see the cars that the heroes were in," Wall says."Some people love football and tennis and various things, we just love motor racing. It's our sport of choice, something we're very passionate about."Among the classic old touring cars on display that became famous in the golden Bathurst era of the 1970s and '80s will be the VK Group A Commodore that gave Allan Grice his first Bathurst win, in 1986. Also on show is the Allan Moffat/Jacky Ickx Falcon XC Hardtop that was involved in the dominant Ford 1-2 team win in 1977. The only man to win Bathurst and the Australian Grand Prix, John Goss, will display his 1974 winning Falcon and the 1985 winning Jag XJS. Kevin Bartlett will have his Chev Camaro in action.The event is also a major drawcard for car clubs. The 2006 Torana GTR and XU-1 Nationals are expected to attract up to 80 road-going machines.