Alex's HK Monaro

In the late sixties a new era in the Australian motor industry emerged, V8 muscle. The HK's were the first Holdens to offer V8's and new in the Holden range was a fastback pillar less coupe, the Monaro.

The Monaro was created to conquer the great race at Mt Panorama. Not only did it conquer The Mountain but also the podium, 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd ! This gave Holden its first win at Bathurst . The Monaro set lap records by breaking through the 3 min barrier and also top speed record, 206 Km/h.

Top of the range Monaro was the GTS 327. It had a 327 Chev engine with 250 hp, 4 speed manual and a heavy duty diff. Front brakes were solid disc brakes (270mm) with drum brakes at the rear. To control all this power the car sat on 6” wheels with cross ply tyres. It could sprint from 0-100Km/h in 7.6 sec and cover the quarter mile in 16.4 sec. The GTS 327 also won car of the year in 1968.

So what is like to drive the first Holden that won Bathurst around a racetrack ? scary ! Back in their day they were very quick cars, due mainly to the horsepower. 'One of their first races', the 3hr Sandown , several cars went straight off the track with brake failures. The winning Monaro crossed the finish line with its brake pedal on the floor. The good ol' days, too much horsepower, no brakes and cross ply tyres.

Welcome to my Monaro. It runs a 327 4 speed and brakes like original cars. I bought the car a few years ago, run down and in a sorry state. After a lot of hard dirty work it's now ready to hit the race tracks. The steering is heavy and seems to get heavier the harder you go into a corner. The brakes are poor, so you need to work the motor to help slow down, but don't gear down too early or the back just slides out, too late and you'll struggle to get that heavy front around the corner. The 327 has a sweet rumble but it's not until you open it up and get the induction roar and thunder from the quad exhausts that makes you realise what it's all about. I love it !