HOLDEN MONARO LS

WHILE THE TORANA WAS HANDLING RACE TRACK DUTIES THE MONARO LS TOOK ON A MORE DIGNIFIED ROLE.

IT’S NOT AS VISUALLY WILD as the bright orange GTS 350 we ran on the cover of last issue, but with its purple paint and sports wheels, this Monaro LS still manages to scream the seventies.

At the time, the Monaro badge was attached to four and two-door cars, both of which have retained their values over time. However it’s the two-door coupes that are in biggest demand for their iconic body shape.

At this stage in its fourth generation, the Monaro had been usurped in its role as factory racer by the Torana, and was now the muscle car or cruiser in the range. They managed solid sales, with 13,872 coupes made.

The LS (for Luxury Sport) was the ‘mature cruiser’ variant, running niceties such as Premier front bucket seats, leather trim, dual headlamps and vinyl roof. The fact that the latter is absent on this example may be a good thing given their reputation for being a rust trap.

The standard powrplant was the 202 straight six, with Trimatic auto behind it. It was certainly a solid, if not overly inspiring, combo. Spend a bit more money and you could get the 253 ‘baby’ V8, with a similar transmission, a set-up we reckon is much more in keeping with the style of the car. And that’s what this one is running, with a column shift. The 253 is robust and has a bit of character to it.

Find it at MuscleCarStables.com.au, priced at $95,000.