Holden, 1972 HQ GTS Monaro

From the late 60s through to the late 70s, Australia was the home to some truly brilliant muscle cars, with Ford, Chrysler and Holden churning out some stone-cold classics. There were the GTHOs, the XC Cobra, the Torana A9X, the Valiant Charger and, of course, a series of cars bearing perhaps the most famous Australian muscle car name, the Monaro.

Produced in two generations from 1968 to 1977 with a third from 2001 to 2005, the Monaro is about as iconic an Australian car as you can get and it made a lasting impression almost immediately from launch when HK Monaro GTS 327 models took the top three spots at Bathurst in 1968. It was the launch pad for a wonderful series of road and race cars.

The 1972 HQ was the first of the second-generation Monaro models and this fantastic example is owned by Les Hanifin, owner of Hanos Car Care in Brisbane.

An incredible-looking machine, this Monaro spent almost its entire existence on the race track before going through an overhaul a few years ago. That history rather explains its less-than-stock underpinnings.

At one point, this beauty had a 540ci Big Block engine installed – a fact reflected in its number plates –  but after that complete overhaul a monstrous 6-litre LS2, coupled to a pair of Garrett 3076 turbochargers, was dropped under the bonnet.

That’s not all, of course. Underneath the stunning exterior painted in Sunset Gold is a custom exhaust system, custom suspension, custom wheels, 330mm disc brakes all round and, in the trunk, a custom 120-litre alloy drop tank with swirl pots and surge tank. The list goes on but, suffice to say, this is no ordinary Monaro.
The car was bought in this brilliant condition by Les four years ago. A collector of classic cars and a lover of speed, Les came across the car due to his involvement in motor racing.

“I bought it through a mate of mine, Steve Hey, who races in the Queensland Touring Car Championship,” he says. “I used to sponsor him and do race prep on his car and, one day, he was telling me about this Monaro. I had to go and see it and when I did, I fell in love with it and bought it.”

Unfazed by the fact the Monaro is not exactly original, Les says he prefers it that way.

“I would never own a stock standard car. All my cars are modified because I like something with a bit of grunt. I don’t drive the thing at 200km/h but I like that buzz you get going from 0-60. And that thing will blow anything away!

“There’s nothing wrong with cars being original and actually there’s nothing on this Monaro that can’t be put back to original, everything is still there. It’s just,
for me, I like the muscle look – I don’t like the little narrow wheels that they came out with . . . it’s a horsepower thing!”

And there is plenty of horsepower in the Monaro – the turbocharged LS2 gives the car an astonishing 670hp at the wheels. It could, says Les, produce plenty more than that.

“It makes 670hp on only 14psi,” he says. “It has a two-stage setting on the boost and on Stage 1 it makes 548hp and 670hp on stage 2. But that engine will stand 21-22 pounds of boost all day and could probably make about 1000hp. Of course, you couldn’t drive it because it would just fry the tyres!

“When I do drive it around the street, I leave it on Stage 1 but when I take it out to Lakeside Raceway for track days I put it on Stage 2 because they let you drive the circuit and have a bit of a squirt.”

Owning a vintage Monaro was a long-held goal for Les, who was raised in the golden era of Australian muscle cars.

“It’s a car I grew up with,” he says. “I was born in ‘54 and these cars came out just when I got my licence and the Monaro was a car that I loved. I always wanted to own and collect cars from my era and the Monaro was always noted as one of the best Aussie muscle cars.”

Les has owned plenty of cracking classics over the years and currently has in his collection a ‘55 FJ Holden, a ‘55 Chevy and a ‘71 XY. For good measure, he also owns a VK ‘big banger’ – a 250hp VK Commodore completed in the livery of the Bathurst-winning Peter Brock car from 1984 –  which he races in the Group B category of the QTCC.

While he doesn’t take the VK out on the streets of Brisbane, he does take all the others out for a regular spin. And, not surprisingly, they turn a few heads, perhaps the Monaro more than most.

“People are all over it when I take it out,” says Les. “They take pictures, they want to talk about it and when I drive it to one of my servo, there’ll be people hanging around it all day. It’s great. I’ve lived in the area, and owned businesses in this area, for many years and everyone knows us and knows I have these cars,” he adds. “And when there are local fetes or events at the local school, they’ll will ring me up and ask me to bring the cars down.”

With such a popular classic as the Monaro, he must have had a few offers on it from wide-eyed petrolheads?

“People do come and make an offer from time to time,” he says with a smile. “They’ll say something like $40,000 and I then tell them there’s about $50,000 under the bonnet! Most members of the public wouldn’t know its worth – the enthusiasts do though.”

So, with offers coming in on occasion, is there a figure that might tempt Les to part with the Monaro?

“I’d never sell it, or the FJ or ’55 Chev. They mean a lot,” he says. “I have the XY up for sale but I wouldn’t be selling that either except that to extend my shed to accommodate more cars will cost a lot and motor racing is an expensive game. But that is my hobby now and I’m having a lot of fun.”