Sam Bonaccorso

Car: HQ Monaro GTS Hometown: Sydney, NSW

What is it?

“My Monaro is a 1971 HQ GTS 308 four-speed in Etruscan Gold with a black vinyl roof. It’s an early build car.”

When did you buy it?

“2016. I bought it off a mate of mine, Paul Delia who bought it off the guy who restored it.”

Why did you buy it?

“My grandfather had a HQ in a similar colour. He bought it brand new from Suttons at Homebush in the early 1970s. When this Monaro came up, I bought it because of the memories it brought back and because it’s something of a reminder of him.”

What do you know about its life?

“The car was built at Holden’s Elizabeth plant and sold by local dealer Peter Page Holden. This suggests that the rst owner was a Holden worker, as Peter Page handled the sale of cars to the factory workers. My mate did a fair bit of research into the car’s life when he owned it and spoke to most of the previous owners, except the guy who bought it new. Anyway, the car passed through a couple of hands early in its life, including being sold by a caryard in Broken Hill in about 1972 or ’73. It then spent most of its life in Broken Hill. It had sat in a shed gathering dust since about 1979, until the long-time owner passed away and the family sold it and it went to Adelaide. The car was purchased and restored by Darryl Mincham, who sourced the correct vinyl for the roof from the US. That’s a good indication of the standard of the resto.” [ED: By coincidence, I had the pleasure of catching a ride with Darryl and Deb Mincham in this very car in the 2012 Aussie Muscle Car Run. Darryl’s latest toy, a SS Torana hatchback, appeared in this very section in issue #104. Small world!]

How does it go?

“It’s beautiful to drive. It’s got plenty of power; it handles well. It’s just a good old car to drive as it does all the right things for a car of its vintage.”