HOLDEN TORANA HB-LJ

HOLDEN'S SMALL FAMILY SEDAN WAS A HUGE SUCCESS WITH BUYERS AND RACERS ALIKE

Holden hadn’t bothered with small cars until 1964 when its Vauxhall-sourced Viva was released. Three years later, an all-new Viva appeared but this time as a Holden and with a new model name; Torana. And that was just the start.

Already under development and scheduled for launch in November 1969 was the expanded and more aggressive LC Torana range. This version of the Torana would be the first to offer six-cylinder engines where previously there had only been fours, in a longer and more spacious car.

Four-cylinder Toranas would battle on until 1974, however the version that brought a new generation of owners into Holden showrooms would be the LC six. As a basic two-door with 2.2-litre engine and three-speed manual gearbox the LC cost $2515, or around $500 more than its 1.2-litre cousin.

From there the only direction to travel in was up, past four-door 2250 versions to the 85kW, 2.6-litre SL and finally the 93kW GTR with its flashy paint and sports wheels.

Owning a Torana allowed younger Australians to join the ranks of Holden ownership without the expense of a buying a Monaro or the same cars as their parents drove.

It also allowed people who had been running less spacious, four-cylinder models to spend a little more on something that would comfortably fit the family and also tow the boat without boiling.

The six-cylinder LC was appreciably longer than the four with the same width andvirtually identical front and rear track and boot capacity. The place where the Torana six took advantage of its size was in the wheelbase, which was 106mm longer than in the four and helped extend rear seat legroom.

LC versions remained available until March 1972 when the updated LJ brought a fresh look to while costing Holden hardly anything in retooling.

Replacing the LC’s full metal grille was a new inset plastic intake while the taillights were split into three segments. Both amendments were almost certainly acquired via a stylist’s discard bin somewhere in the wilds of Detroit.

Inside, the LC’s widely criticised seats were improved, and the dash redesigned so gauges were more easily seen and controls reached with less effort while wearing a seat belt.

There were under bonnet changes with the 2.2-litre engine now developing 91kW and available only with three-speed manual transmission in a Torana S. The base engine for SL versions was now a 2850 (aka 173 cubic inch) unit as fitted to tens of thousands of full-sized HQs.

Optional transmissions, if you chose an SL, were Holden’s own four-speed manual or three-speed Trimatic auto. Front disc brakes, which were standard on the 3.3-litre GTR, cost an extra $50 while a radio cost an LJ owner a hefty $110.

Road testers still complained about understeer. The steering was heavy and slow and could was tiring unless someone with motor sport in mind altered the suspension settings and fitted decent tyres.

Although more LJs were built as LCs, the later cars are harder to find. In the case of two-door versions, this could be due to the sourcing as ‘donor’ vehicles for GTR conversions. Top examples of both series in close to stock condition can exceed $30,000.