1971-74 HQ MONARO

Was HQ the best of the Monaro body shapes? There’s definitely a school of thought that it’s the pick of the litter with the most elegant body shell.

The launch of the HQ series was literally revolutionar y for Holden and, in sedan form, led to its biggest-ever production numbers. Lots of coupe styles were trialled before the final shape was agreed, including a convertible T-top and hardtops with wrap-around rear screens. Tempting as they sound, the end result was brilliant, and it offered more mechanical configurations and trim choices than before.

The 161 engine was finally upgraded to a 173 with three-speed column shift. From there the engine list ran 202 six, plus 253 and 350 V8s. The model line was Monaro starting at $3330, Monaro LS (Luxury Sport) starting at $3570 or Monaro GTS starting at $3720 with the 253 engine. You could also order a 308 in the GTS.

Top of the heap was the Monaro GTS 350 starting at $4633. with a manual transmission behind a 275-horse version of the V8. Though not as quick as some earlier cars, the GTS 350 was admired for being a far better Grand Tourer drive.

With this generation, we finally got to see a sporty-looking four-door Monaro. The whole dressed-up sedan idea had been trialled with the wildly successful SS, becoming a Monaro GTS reality from 1973. Available with the 253, 308 or 350 V8s, sedan pricing started at $3766.

GTS coupes and four-doors were marketed side-by-side with the catchline: “They’ll make you enjoy motoring all over again.”

HQ coupe production numbers, according to Norm Darwin’s guide, climbed to 13,872 with just 403 of the premium GTS 350 two-doors rolling off the line. The number of four-doors is substantial but far more difficult to verif y. A popular estimate for GTS 350 four-door production is 800.