Monaro
Holden Monaro 40th Anniversary: 1968 – 2008
1968 was a big year for Aussie drivers. If they were excited when the first Holden V8 arrived in January, they came close to tap dancing in July when the sensationally stylish HK Holden Monaro pillarless coupe made its first appearance.
Front page news all over the country, the original Monaro was described by Holden as "...the biggest step we have taken since the manufacture of the first Holden in 1948 ...it is indeed the first sports machine to be designed and engineered in this country."
There seemed to be a Monaro for everyone, and drivers tapped into the excitement as the coupe’s instant street credibility was soon backed by unprecedented race and rally success.
Although forty years have passed since this charismatic sports machine first came Out To Drive You Wild – the Monaro legend lives on.
TIMELINE
1968 - 69
Holden HK Monaro Coupe
The impact of the first Monaro will not be forgotten by anyone who swivelled in the street to watch it go by or pressed against the showroom window for a longer look.
A product of a brand new Holden design studio, the HK Monaro coupe took a spectacular design direction that was profoundly influenced by automotive trends in the USA.
Its striking roofline was modelled on the front drive Oldsmobile Toronado coupe, which was the most sensational United States release in 1966 and remains a 20th Century styling beacon. The Monaro shared the same rear pillars, which blend seamlessly into the rear quarter panels, and an almost constant slope from rear window to bootlid. Other Toronado features, like the stylish rear wheel arch blisters, also worked well on the more compact Monaro.
Exterior GTS detailing included a tail panel strip that replicated full-width tail lights, offset bonnet and side stripes, cooling slots in the front guards, stainless steel full wheel covers and grille blackouts. Inside, there were new stitch patterns, ventilated trim, an alloy-spoked steering wheel and centre console.
There were no less than 19 Monaro engine and transmission combinations, including the 161 (2.6), 186 (3.0) and 186S sixes as well as 307 (5.0) and 327 (5.4) Chevrolet V8 power.
The HK Monaro was 1968 Wheels Car of the Year, and a 1968 debut one-two finish in the Sandown 3-Hour (Roberts/Watson) for the Monaro GTS 327 was followed by first (McPhee/Mulholland), second and third outright in the Hardie Ferodo 500 at Bathurst, the forerunner of many Holden enduro victories to come at Mount Panorama.
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