Holden Monaro

[Steve Holmes]

Found this on facebook today. Neat photo of Ron Silvester's Monaro.

David Batchelor photo.

[Steve Holmes]

I think this may be the first colour photo I have seen of this car.

Ron McPhail photo.

[Go Slideways]

I've been a fan all my life. Two particular cars were a big influence on me at a young age;

1. The Night Riders stolen black HQ Monaro in Mad Max 1, which exited the movie in a ball of flames.
2. The ex-Jim Richards Jerry Clayton owned HQ Monaro that was raced out of Waikaraka Park speedway, and eventually ended up at my local speedway in Palmerston North, owned by Bill Dorn, and painted up like an American flag. With tall injector stacks bursting through the hood and open exhausts, it was a real weapon.

So how about a thread dedicated to 1st and 2nd gen Holden Monaros, from HK - HZ in 2 and 4 door form. There were several raced in speedway in Australia and New Zealand, plus in production car racing including Bathurst. From there they competed in Improved Production in Aus, and Sports Sedans on both sides of the Tasman

Today, there are several that race in Australia in both historic racing and the Touring Car Masters series.

Here is a rare photo of the famous Richards, Easton, Dorn Monaro when it finally ended up as a Streetstock in Palmerston North.

[Steve Holmes]

Here is a rare photo of the famous Richards, Easton, Dorn Monaro when it finally ended up as a Streetstock in Palmerston North.

Wow, its awesome to see a photo of this car. I recall being at one of the very first meetings where Palmy first introduced streetstocks, and seeing this car racing. I was a bit shocked, that someone would turn a Monaro into a streetstock. A buddy of mine at the time, Darren James, then noticed it was left hand drive and had the alloy interior paneling, meaning it was likely an old saloon racer.

Even still, a sad demise to a hugely significant race car.

[Go Slideways]

Yes it's a shame that this one didn't survive, as well as a number of the very very cool Saloons, I don't know of very many that actually did from the 70's and 80's.

I know of a chap who would pay whatever was required to obtain any one of Jumbo Berryman's Saloon cars in any condition if anybody on here knows of one.

In the mean time here's a couple more pictures to farewell the famous Monaro, at least it gave a huge number of people a great deal of joy during it's life time.







Ian Easton



Ian Easton



Bill Dorn

[Go Slideways]

Bill Dorn




Bill Dorn




Jim Richards

[Steve Holmes]

Such a cool car ^^. I remember back in the 1980s in Palmerston North riding my BMX bike when I was about 14 years old and going around the back of a car wrecking yard owned by Darryl Lucas. There was a stack of cars piled up on top of which was an ex-speedway HQ Monaro coupe. It was painted a cream colour from memory, with #13 on the door.

When I first saw the black Monaro pictured above racing in the new streetstock division, I assumed for years it was the cream #13 I saw in the wreckers. It was many years later I finally discovered it was the ex-Richards etc car pictured above.

Makes me wonder what the history of the cream #13 was. I'm pretty sure Gary McKelvie raced an HQ Monaro coupe at Palmy in the saloon division in the '70s. Maybe it was that car.