OUR CARS – HIGGINS
HIGGO FINALLY GETS HIS HANDS ON A MONARO
MARK’S MARVELLOUS MONARO
WHEN I WAS A LITTLE
tacker I fell in love with the HK Holden Monaro.
Just af ter t hey were launched, my dad had one for road testing; a metallic blue GTS 327.
I’l l never forget t he f irst time t he racy look ing t wodoor lobbed on the driveway. My brothers and I clambered in before the old man even had a chance to switch off t he ig nit ion.
That f irst drive around t he block seems like yesterday. After gent ly reversing into t he street t he old man idled away out of sight from Mum, before nailing t he t hrott le, lighting up t he rear t y res and rocketing down our street. We’d never experienced acceleration li ke it.
Around the corner he did it again, much to our insane cack ling.
Turning into our street wit h t he t y re smoke still ex iting t hrough t he trees, Mum gave the old man ‘that’ stare from t he veranda. But when she saw the smile on our faces, she relented, jumped aboard, so the old man could repeat his tricks. This time we watched the Monaro lay rubber from outside and marvelled at t he black lines of a perfect number eleven on the road.
I also remember going into the garage and gazing at the GTS; its shape, the vents in the front guards, the go-fast stripe over the bonnet and boot. The stubby gearshift, ‘racing’ seats and the console mounted tacho angled towards the driver.
It didn’t matter t hat Dad drove an XT GT. That was just a fast Falcon. The Monaro was like nothing I’d ever seen before.
Fast forward to the 1998 Sydney Motorshow and the unveiling of the Monaro concept coupe.
As the silk cover hit the ground, so did every jaw looking at it.
The impact it had was overwhelming and the crowd of industry luminaries and motoring writers burst into rapturous applause.
Long after the speeches, photos, pomp and ceremony, I found myself standing next to it in; a f lashback to my childhood I was staring in awe at its beauty.
At that moment, I knew one day I would own one. It wasn’t a case of wanting to own one.