Holden Torana News

The Gold Coast will be the home of a new shrine to race legend Peter Brock.

And with good reason, because the LH is the second last Holden to be fully conceived, engineered, designed and built in Australia. The VE Commodore was the last. Styled by Leo Pruneau and his team, the mid-sized Torana package appealed to a broad cross section of consumers. It was one of the few cars in the world specifically designed for four, six and eight cylinder motors.Lowest on the model hierarchy was the four cylinder poverty pack. In the middle were the sixes and a few creature comforts. At the top, more race car than street machine, sat the awesome SLR 5000 with the L34 V8 option pumping out nearly 250kW. That was big power in the mid 1970s.That Leo Pruneau styled the LH Torana provides a wonderful serendipity. For it was Leo who, ten years earlier, styled the Vauxhall Viva which morphed into Australia's first Torana. Leo spoke to Carsguide about designing the LH. "We got the right shape very early in the program and it was consistent with General Motors design language at the time. If you look at the Chevrolet Vega and Vauxhall Ventora you can see the similarities, particularly around the grille and side view", he says.Leo also confided that the grille was originally planned to be bigger and bisected by a much thinner chrome bumper bar, similar to the Vega. "We could not achieve that look because the body engineers did not like it, so we compromised with a smaller opening under a wider bumper bar."The dash board was also a result of corporate consensus. Pruneau's team had styled a sculptured, rounded facia, but Holden was eager to gain exports. That meant the dashboard had to accommodate left and right hand drive configurations. A flat symmetrical facia was the easiest and cheapest to make and that's what went into production.A station wagon and two door coupe were also planned for the LH range. The wagon never got beyond the prototype stage. The two door was redesigned into a hatchback and made it on to the market in 1976. The LH Torana has an enduring appeal in the classic car market. Entry level examples can be had for under $10,000 while original SLR 5000s go for over $60,000.In 2004 Holden resurrected the Torana name and dimensions as a four door hatchback concept car. It makes you wonder if instead of spending a billion dollars on developing an upsized, longer, heavier Commodore, they'd spent it on a new mid-sized Torana they might not be downsizing the organisation now.David Burrell is the editor of www.retroautos.com.au

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.

Peter was my mentor and he and Bev took me under their wing in my early days of racing. So it was a no-brainer to give my race car a Brock livery for the 50th anniversary of Bathurst this weekend.Our team chose the red, white and black livery of the 1979 Torana A9X in which Peter won by a record six laps. I don't think that record will ever be broken, but I'm hoping the livery inspires us to a win in Peter's honour. My car was choppered into Skyline from the Bathurst airport and I was just praying they didn't drop it.I met up with Bev and we drove down the Mountain together rekindling our memories of the great race and the King of the Mountain. Most of the teams have entered the spirit of the anniversary with special paint jobs, although Jamie Whincup's car will remain in its standard livery.While no one could win by six laps because of the safety cars used these days, I'm sure Sunday's race will be fast if the weather and the Sandown 500 race are any indication. The forecast is for clear conditions in the low 20s, which means good tyre life, fast lap times and comfortable driving conditions. They are ideal for a very fast race like the pace in the Sandown 500.I'm a farmer so I'm always up early, but with daylight saving starting on Sunday in NSW, it will be an hour earlier than I'm used to. I sleep in a caravan next to the transporter, so I virtually roll out of bed and straight into a race car.Every morning, except the Sunday, we walk the track from 5.30 as we have for the past four or five years. It takes about an hour. Then I have my normal breakfast of cereal, fruit and yoghurt. I try not to change my routine for this weekend or any race weekend.I'm not superstitious and don't have lucky jocks or anything like that for the race, but I do think pole position can have a bit of voodoo about it. While it's a great honour to get pole, not too many seem to win from grid position one.By Sunday morning we will know where we are with car speed, fuel economy and grid position, and have a race strategy set in our minds. My co-driver Warren Luff knows this place as well as I do, so we will evenly split the practice sessions.Hopefully, a bit more common sense will prevail here among the drivers than we had in the 500. It's a long race and over the 161 laps you are bound to encounter lapped traffic, crashed cars, wildlife and all sorts of surprises. 

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  

Ralph Mastroianni, 44, remembers the illegal racing in Monavale Rd, Manly, where the V8 Toranas would smoke up the tyres and roar through the streets."I'm a Holden man through and through," he says. "I just always was. I had cousins who had Toranas when I was young and most of the guys around here had Holdens."We used to go to Monavale Rd ... but that hasn't been happening there for a good 15 or 20 years." Mastroianni joined the Red team at the age of 19 when he bought a 1978 Torana SLR LX for $2500."It had been modified with a Chevy 327cu (5345cc) small-block V8 motor and two-speed Powerglide," he says. "It was in fair condition and I bought it because of the engine."I did it up about a year after I bought it but it slowly started deteriorating a bit as I did use it as an every day car at one stage." Then Mastroianni noticed similar Toranas were starting to fetch big money so he began to research the market."They were going for $30,000 and up depending on the condition," he says. "But the ones that were getting the best money were those in original condition. So I decided to strip it to the bear shell and I replaced every nut and bolt with stainless steel and polished it up."The first time I spent about $20,000 and this last rebuild cost me $13,000. In the last rebuild three years ago I put in an original 4.2-litre Holden engine and four-speed manual because I saw how much money they were fetching. That's what's on the compliance plates and I wanted to get it pretty much back to original condition. I got offered $50,000 and I have it insured for $40,000."But I don't want to sell. My son (Adam, 8), has claimed it now and I can't get my other son (Jake, 15 months) out of it. It's sort of an investment now if I ever get into any financial trouble and need the money."Mastroianni says his Torana is in "mint condition". "The engine number is the only thing that doesn't match. The compliance plate and shell match and are original," he says. "I did all the work myself and have a cousin who's a panelbeater and spray painter. There's no bog or filler anywhere in it."It's schmick." The main non-original component is the Cheviot hot-wire wheels (13 x 10 at the rear and 13 x 8 at the front)."They're not factory, but they are pretty much what the guys used to put on them," he says. From 1974, Holden made the SLR 5000 with a five-litre V8 engine. The only change for the '76-'78 LX was the trim on the seats and round headlights replacing the square models. Holden also produced six-cylinder models.Mastroianni says the 4.2-litre V8 goes well, but he can't use all of its power. "You can't give it heaps on the road any more. Twenty years ago you could have a go, but not any more," he says. "I use it as a cruiser. It's too good to take it racing. I just take it out once every four weeks around the local area."He's not into the street racing scene these days and can't understand young enthusiasts' fascination with turbo fours. "They're driving all these little buzz boxes now. I'm not really into them," he says. "They might go all right but I don't like the style of new cars."I love pre-80s cars and I prefer the sound and rumble of a V8." The Torana has more than 260,000km on the odo, but doesn't get much work these days."It's locked away in the back and takes me 20 minutes to get it out 'cause I have to move the dog, the garbage bins, the swing set and the other car."Torana SLR LXYear: 1978Price New: $4500Price Now: from $30,000Engine: 189kW, 4.2L OHV V8Transmission: 4 speed manualDid you know:  Holden produced 65,977 LX Toranas in hatchback and sedan body styles. Torana is an Aboriginal word meaning "to fly".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.

The V8 Supercar driver piloted the A9X Torana over the finish line to win the Group C Feature Race on Sunday, bringing the huge crowd to their feet. Richards also raced Porsche 962 around the track.The Masters attracted a huge crowd ever, to enjoy the number of racing categories. This was the also first time the event included sports sedans.The Fords claimed their win in the Group Nc Division 1 and 2, though the Mazdas did not go unnoticed, winning second place in race three.

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.