PRODUCTION TIMELINE
1968
HK: Holden’s all-new pillarless coupé, the first local Australianbuilt vehicle of its type, was available in three versions — the race-bred GTS 327 fitted with a Us-built 5.3-litre V8; the GTS (with 186S six-cylinder or 5.0-litre V8); and the standard model, which came with either a 2.6- or 3.0-litre six-cylinder motor. Bruce Mcphee and Barry Mulholland drove their GTS 327 to win the HardieFerodo 500 — Holden’s first victory at the annual Bathurst race.
1969
HT: Following a facelift, the only significant change was the adoption of a larger, 5.74-litre Chevrolet engine for the topof-the-line GTS — now badged accordingly as the ‘GTS 350’. Colin Bond and Tony Roberts continued the Monaro’s winning ways at Bathurst, scoring a popular victory in their GTS 350.
1970
HG: The final refinement of the HK/ HT models, and the last year for the Monaro’s original design. Apart from minor cosmetic changes, the only mechanical changes were upgraded brakes and, for the GTS, softer suspension settings — perhaps a reflection of the fact that the Torana had now taken over as Holden’s race weapon of choice, although Norm Beechey would become 1970s Australian Touring Car Champion in his Monaro.
1971
HQ: Major changes came with the HQ models and brought in a slight downgrade of the Monaro GTS range, with the GTS 350 no longer varying specific model badging. As well, the coupé was now joined by a four-door version.
1974
HJ: Following another facelift, performance options such as the manual gearbox and 350 V8 had now been discontinued along with the base Monaro coupé. The Monaro GTS was available with either a 4.1-litre or 5.0-litre V8. The HJ coupé was discontinued in 1975.
1976
HX: Following a minor facelift, Holden decided to quit remaining stock of the now discontinued coupé bodies by introducing the Monaro LE (Limited Edition). These cars were fitted with distinctive ‘honeycomb’ alloy wheels, and 580 examples were built.
1977
HZ: With the final end of the Monaro as a two-door coupé, the car was now strictly a fourdoor model, the last gasp being the fitment of RTS suspension. Production of the GTS ended in December 1978.
2001–2005
Originally shown as a concept car in 1998, the next-generation Monaro was essentially a twodoor version of the then-current VT Commodore. Powered by either a supercharged V6 (CV6) or 5.7-litre V8 (CV8), the Monaro was available with a six-speed manual or four-speed auto transmission. The model went through an S2 model (2003) and S3 (2004), by which time the CV6 had been dropped due to poor sales. A run of 1100 CV8-Z cars saw Holden drop the Monaro nameplate yet again — with the two-door Commodore concept carried on as the HSV Coupe GTO and GTS.