HQ July 1971 – October 1974
WORK on the HQ sedan, wagon and Statesman began in April 1968, with commercial and Monaro variants following soon after. The famous Leo Pruneau replaced project lead John Schinella in June 1969, while under them, Assistant Chief Designer Phil Zmood was replaced by Peter Nankervis after Zmood left to lead the LH Torana project. Peter Arcadipane, who went on to design Ford’s beloved Concorde show van, was also among the HQ styling team. With so much talent, is it any wonder the HQ was a success?
Pruneau worked on the nose cone, settling on three variants; a simple design for the Belmont/kingswood/ Monaro, quad-headlights for the Premier/monaro LS, and a Pontiacstyle split grille for the Statesman. With the Monaro’s front styling inextricably linked with that of the sedan, the team spent a great deal of time working the unique rear end.
Zmood had pushed for a ‘fast’ daylight opening, but Joe Schemansky felt compelled to go with Detroit’s preference for a ‘formal’ roofline. Zmood’s giant, wraparound rear window, later seen on the 1975 Firebird/ Camaro twins, would make production, albeit with the size dramatically reduced.
The HQ’S basic design was finalised mid 1969, on track for release in July 1971. The base Monaro remained a Kingswood in all but name, with the standard engine growing to a 173ci six, still backed by a three-speed manual. The Premier-spec Monaro LS added some sophistication to the range, with the base offering a 202ci six, with options for the 253 or 308, plus 216 examples receiving the Chevy 350.
The Monaro GTS returned with no six-cylinder and three V8s on offer; the 253 and 308, with the 350 backed by a heavy-duty Muncie four-speed or Turbo 400 auto. John Schinella’s Pontiac influence permeated throughout the GTS, with Pontiac Rally Ii-style wheels, a 1970 Firebird steering wheel and turned metal finish on the dashboard.
Following the success of the Holden SS – a limited edition, Belmont-based 253 V8 sedan available in three lairy colours and a funky stripe kit – Holden expanded the Monaro range to include a four-door version for the first time. Available from March 1973, the Monaro GTS sedan reflected the coupe range in terms of engine options and specifications, and heralded the return of stripes to the entire Monaro GTS range.
Upgrades throughout the life of the HQ catered to various ADR rules that came in during the early 1970s, including the introduction of metric speedos and amber front turn signals. The HQ remained on the market for an unprecedented length of time, partly due to the surprise success of the shape, but also because the cancelled HV Holden project had tied up valuable resources at the Tech Centre.
Monaro, Monaro LS, Monaro GTS coupe: 13,872 units SS sedan: 2800 units Monaro GTS sedan: Unknown as these were included in Kingswood numbers