HK July 1968 – May 1969
PRIOR to July 1964, the local GM-H design department existed in little more than a tin shed, with Detroit handling the bulk of the styling requirements. The opening of the Fishermans Bend Technical Centre changed all that; Holden design had a swank new home, headed by new Director of Design Joe Schemansky, fresh from Pontiac.
Amongst the young blood to take up residency in Australia was Ed Taylor, who arrived in November 1964 having just finished styling the Oldsmobile Cutlass. Although Taylor was only at Holden for eight months, he left an indelible mark on its muscle car future.
Leo Pruneau, still based in the USA, oversaw creation of an early clay model, made in Detroit to specifications supplied by Holden. By the time the next phase of HK clays hit the new Tech Centre’s turntable, the car had grown three inches in front of the firewall to better reflect the forthcoming Falcon’s ‘Mustang inspired’ proportions.
Pontiac-style stacked headlights would not survive through to production, but Ed Taylor’s Oldsmobile-inspired blistered wheelarches remained, as did his treatment of the rear turret. Seamlessly joining the rear quarters to the C-pillar was a generation ahead of then-current GM offerings where the roof appeared as a separate hardtop, often divided by a chrome strip.
In March 1966, design power couple Ted and Marjorie Schroeder arrived from Detroit, with Marjorie working on the HK’S interior as Ted refined the coupe’s shape. All the while, Managing Director Max Wilson and Marketing Director John Bagshaw championed the case for the two-door to ensure it reached production, the business decision made easier thanks to the significant amount of body components shared with the mainstream sedan.
Ted Schroeder finalised the shape of the daylight opening and completely smoothed the roof’s transition to the rear fenders, echoing closely the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. Schroeder was surprised when his boss, ex-pontiac man John Schinella, approved the shape; it was useless for rear passenger vision and was very progressive compared to contemporary US muscle cars
JOHN BAGSHAW PUSHED FOR THE INCLUSION OF THE CHEV-SOURCED 327 V8 TO ENSURE THE MONARO WOULD BE COMPETITIVE AGAINST THE FALCON GT
with Coke bottle-inspired haunches.
By August 1966, the final shape of the HK coupe was all but set, with clay models wearing a succession of names, including Kingswood, Premier, GTS and Torana. The styling team applied various frontal treatments to the clays and renderings, including Opel-inspired square headlights. The final design – a vertical badge dividing the grille, centred over a horizontal bar – was suggested by GM style guru Bill Mitchell.
The base coupe’s specs followed those of the Kingswood, with the standard two-door having few sporting pretensions. A 161ci red six and three-on-the-tree manual were standard fitment, but Holden was playing the options game for the first time, offering the 186 six-cylinder, more powerful 186S, and Chevrolet-sourced 307 cubic inch V8 (labelled ‘5-litre’) to those with bigger wallets.
The GTS featured sporty elements throughout, including Premier-style wheelarch mouldings, racing stripes, bucket seats and a set of stylish wheel covers designed by Phil Zmood. Down the back, a stainless moulding stretched between the tail-lights, painted red to evoke the full-width brake light was envisaged but vetoed due to cost.
Starting with the 186S, the GTS could also be specced with the 307 V8, with a choice of either an Opel four-speed for the six or the tougher Saginaw for Chev. Those who wanted a slushbox could option a Powerglide. John Bagshaw pushed for the the 327ci V8 to ensure the Monaro would be competitive against the Falcon GT both in the showroom and at the track. Ticking the 327 V8 option on the GTS also brought a lower ride height, twin exhausts, wider wheels, a 3.36:1 Salisbury LSD, 25-gallon fuel tank, and the four-speed Saginaw.
With the Monaro name locked in by early 1968, an initial media launch went ahead at Surfers Paradise Raceway on 22 July that year. On test were a Picardy Red 186S coupe, a Bright Blue Metallic GTS 307, and the hero car, the Warwick Yellow GTS 327. The yellow cars would go on to embody the very essence of the HK Monaro, featuring in many of the print adverts and bolstered by Bruce Mcphee’s 1968 Bathurst win.