Australian Muscle Cars of the '70s

1968 to 1974 Holden Monaro GTS
	The 1968 Monaro was the first V8 and the first 2 door ever produced by General Motors Holden in Australia. The GTS "Bathurst" Monaro for 1968 (left) was fitted with a 327ci Chevrolet motor. From 1969, the new Holden V8's were available, and these came in 253 ci or 308 ci. versions. The top option from 1969 to 1974 was the Chev 350 V8, with 300HP (225KW). The early Monaro's were successfully raced in the Bathurst 500 against the Falcon GT and Valiant Pacer.



From 1972, Holden used the Torana GTR-XU1 for production car racing, as the Monaro was not a match for the new R/T Charger and GT-HO Falcon. The 1972 GTR-XU1 was powered by a triple carburetted 202 ci six cylinder motor, and proved to be quicker than the Chev powered Monaro's around the race tracks. This was mainly because of the Torana's small size and weight. In 1974, the Chevrolet motors were dropped by Holden, and the new SLR-5000 Torana was fitted with the Australian 5.0 litre (308 ci) V8. Click the link below to see my second GM page, featuring the Holden Torana, or follow these links to some Holden sites: Jason's Holden Page \| LS1 5.7 Litre VT Commodore \| Simon's Holden Page \| Bryan's Monaro Page