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A true Grand Tourer with real 70's flair.
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Meet Darren, the owner of this stunning HQ GTS Monaro. Darren has HQ Holden blood running though his veins as far back as he can remember. His earliest childhood memories were heading down to the local Holden dealer - Norman J Booth at Dee Why with his Dad & being given the exciting privilege of picking out the next family car, a HQ 253 V8 Premier. That was the seed that would eventually land him this HQ Monaro you see here.
Growing up as a kid, Darren had the HQ Monaro brochure posted up on his bedroom wall. Every night before heading to bed, it was the last thing he would see, he would wander off to sleep dreaming about the GTS & maybe, just maybe one day that dream would come true. To further cement the HQ model on his psyche, Darren's dad gifted him the family HQ Premier when he turned 18. Happy days indeed. But the HQ Monaro was always in his mind, but back then, as a young lad it was still a little out of his reach. So being young & care free, he decided to sell the HQ Premier for a Triumph. But that's another story. Darren admits it did break old Dads heart, but it was his journey & we all learn for our collective experiences.
Many years later Darren knew it was time to start the journey for his HQ Monaro. It took many years & many disappointments & a few regrets on missing out on some really good Monaros, but Darren finally found this GTS in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. It was the Bathurst weekend & the window of opportunity was there. Darren purchased this coupe on a dark & rainy night, the deal was done & just before he drove it away, the owner came running down with the original owners books, proving its providence & history. It was a matching number 308 manual with the black houndstooth interior. WOW!
The restoration process began the moment they limped the car home. It had an aftermarket holly & it was running terribly, so the correct quadrajet carby was sourced & rebuilt. The gearbox had a few teeth missing so that was rebuilt too. While the original motor was then freshened up & the car was driven for the next few years. Until he was ready to approach the body work, which took another 2 years. Keep in mind he spent a great deal of that time stripping & rebuilding a lot of the components himself. He has an electrical trade background, so that certainly helped. Darren admits he found an amazing body repairer & a fantastic paint shop, all in his local area. He was able to go to the shop & help out every Saturday, this certainly helped speed up the restoration & keep cost down.
Darren's patience & commitment to this Monaro is second to none. He has taken the time to do every stage of the restoration correctly & extremely well. So when I asked him what this Monaro meant to him? “It means a lot. I often go down to the garage, peel off the cover & just look at her. Its immensely rewarding & a proud feeling knowing that I've given the old girl another life & the restoration she deserves” I can hear in the tone of his voice that this car indeed is very special & the history behind it, with the association of his dad & growing up with that dream, has come full circle & I feel very privilege to be sharing his story.
While photographing this Monaro for our story, its true beauty & timeless design still stands today as one of the all time great classic muscle cars of the 70s. I like to say a massive thanks to Darren for sharing his story with us, he has given us full access to his Monaro & we are very grateful. He even gave me a drive of the Monaro WOW, that's planted a seed.
If you have a story you would like to share, please get in contact with us at Machines & Macchiatos Media - sam@machinesandmacchiatos.org
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Specifications
• 253 V8 • 308 V8 •350 V8
• Tri-matic Automatic • 4 speed manual • Turbo 400 Automatic
Discs all wheels
A true Grand Tourer with real 70's flair.
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Meet Darren, the owner of this stunning HQ GTS Monaro. Darren has HQ Holden blood running though his veins as far back as he can remember. His earliest childhood memories were heading down to the local Holden dealer - Norman J Booth at Dee Why with his Dad & being given the exciting privilege of picking out the next family car, a HQ 253 V8 Premier. That was the seed that would eventually land him this HQ Monaro you see here.
Growing up as a kid, Darren had the HQ Monaro brochure posted up on his bedroom wall. Every night before heading to bed, it was the last thing he would see, he would wander off to sleep dreaming about the GTS & maybe, just maybe one day that dream would come true. To further cement the HQ model on his psyche, Darren's dad gifted him the family HQ Premier when he turned 18. Happy days indeed. But the HQ Monaro was always in his mind, but back then, as a young lad it was still a little out of his reach. So being young & care free, he decided to sell the HQ Premier for a Triumph. But that's another story. Darren admits it did break old Dads heart, but it was his journey & we all learn for our collective experiences.
Many years later Darren knew it was time to start the journey for his HQ Monaro. It took many years & many disappointments & a few regrets on missing out on some really good Monaros, but Darren finally found this GTS in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. It was the Bathurst weekend & the window of opportunity was there. Darren purchased this coupe on a dark & rainy night, the deal was done & just before he drove it away, the owner came running down with the original owners books, proving its providence & history. It was a matching number 308 manual with the black houndstooth interior. WOW!
The restoration process began the moment they limped the car home. It had an aftermarket holly & it was running terribly, so the correct quadrajet carby was sourced & rebuilt. The gearbox had a few teeth missing so that was rebuilt too. While the original motor was then freshened up & the car was driven for the next few years. Until he was ready to approach the body work, which took another 2 years. Keep in mind he spent a great deal of that time stripping & rebuilding a lot of the components himself. He has an electrical trade background, so that certainly helped. Darren admits he found an amazing body repairer & a fantastic paint shop, all in his local area. He was able to go to the shop & help out every Saturday, this certainly helped speed up the restoration & keep cost down.
Darren's patience & commitment to this Monaro is second to none. He has taken the time to do every stage of the restoration correctly & extremely well. So when I asked him what this Monaro meant to him? “It means a lot. I often go down to the garage, peel off the cover & just look at her. Its immensely rewarding & a proud feeling knowing that I've given the old girl another life & the restoration she deserves” I can hear in the tone of his voice that this car indeed is very special & the history behind it, with the association of his dad & growing up with that dream, has come full circle & I feel very privilege to be sharing his story.
While photographing this Monaro for our story, its true beauty & timeless design still stands today as one of the all time great classic muscle cars of the 70s. I like to say a massive thanks to Darren for sharing his story with us, he has given us full access to his Monaro & we are very grateful. He even gave me a drive of the Monaro WOW, that's planted a seed.
If you have a story you would like to share, please get in contact with us at Machines & Macchiatos Media - sam@machinesandmacchiatos.org
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Specifications
• 253 V8 • 308 V8 •350 V8
• Tri-matic Automatic • 4 speed manual • Turbo 400 Automatic
Discs all wheels
A true Grand Tourer with real 70's flair.
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Meet Darren, the owner of this stunning HQ GTS Monaro. Darren has HQ Holden blood running though his veins as far back as he can remember. His earliest childhood memories were heading down to the local Holden dealer - Norman J Booth at Dee Why with his Dad & being given the exciting privilege of picking out the next family car, a HQ 253 V8 Premier. That was the seed that would eventually land him this HQ Monaro you see here.
Growing up as a kid, Darren had the HQ Monaro brochure posted up on his bedroom wall. Every night before heading to bed, it was the last thing he would see, he would wander off to sleep dreaming about the GTS & maybe, just maybe one day that dream would come true. To further cement the HQ model on his psyche, Darren's dad gifted him the family HQ Premier when he turned 18. Happy days indeed. But the HQ Monaro was always in his mind, but back then, as a young lad it was still a little out of his reach. So being young & care free, he decided to sell the HQ Premier for a Triumph. But that's another story. Darren admits it did break old Dads heart, but it was his journey & we all learn for our collective experiences.
Many years later Darren knew it was time to start the journey for his HQ Monaro. It took many years & many disappointments & a few regrets on missing out on some really good Monaros, but Darren finally found this GTS in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. It was the Bathurst weekend & the window of opportunity was there. Darren purchased this coupe on a dark & rainy night, the deal was done & just before he drove it away, the owner came running down with the original owners books, proving its providence & history. It was a matching number 308 manual with the black houndstooth interior. WOW!
The restoration process began the moment they limped the car home. It had an aftermarket holly & it was running terribly, so the correct quadrajet carby was sourced & rebuilt. The gearbox had a few teeth missing so that was rebuilt too. While the original motor was then freshened up & the car was driven for the next few years. Until he was ready to approach the body work, which took another 2 years. Keep in mind he spent a great deal of that time stripping & rebuilding a lot of the components himself. He has an electrical trade background, so that certainly helped. Darren admits he found an amazing body repairer & a fantastic paint shop, all in his local area. He was able to go to the shop & help out every Saturday, this certainly helped speed up the restoration & keep cost down.
Darren's patience & commitment to this Monaro is second to none. He has taken the time to do every stage of the restoration correctly & extremely well. So when I asked him what this Monaro meant to him? “It means a lot. I often go down to the garage, peel off the cover & just look at her. Its immensely rewarding & a proud feeling knowing that I've given the old girl another life & the restoration she deserves” I can hear in the tone of his voice that this car indeed is very special & the history behind it, with the association of his dad & growing up with that dream, has come full circle & I feel very privilege to be sharing his story.
While photographing this Monaro for our story, its true beauty & timeless design still stands today as one of the all time great classic muscle cars of the 70s. I like to say a massive thanks to Darren for sharing his story with us, he has given us full access to his Monaro & we are very grateful. He even gave me a drive of the Monaro WOW, that's planted a seed.
If you have a story you would like to share, please get in contact with us at Machines & Macchiatos Media - sam@machinesandmacchiatos.org
A true Grand Tourer with real 70's flair.
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Meet Darren, the owner of this stunning HQ GTS Monaro. Darren has HQ Holden blood running though his veins as far back as he can remember. His earliest childhood memories were heading down to the local Holden dealer - Norman J Booth at Dee Why with his Dad & being given the exciting privilege of picking out the next family car, a HQ 253 V8 Premier. That was the seed that would eventually land him this HQ Monaro you see here.
Growing up as a kid, Darren had the HQ Monaro brochure posted up on his bedroom wall. Every night before heading to bed, it was the last thing he would see, he would wander off to sleep dreaming about the GTS & maybe, just maybe one day that dream would come true. To further cement the HQ model on his psyche, Darren's dad gifted him the family HQ Premier when he turned 18. Happy days indeed. But the HQ Monaro was always in his mind, but back then, as a young lad it was still a little out of his reach. So being young & care free, he decided to sell the HQ Premier for a Triumph. But that's another story. Darren admits it did break old Dads heart, but it was his journey & we all learn for our collective experiences.
Many years later Darren knew it was time to start the journey for his HQ Monaro. It took many years & many disappointments & a few regrets on missing out on some really good Monaros, but Darren finally found this GTS in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. It was the Bathurst weekend & the window of opportunity was there. Darren purchased this coupe on a dark & rainy night, the deal was done & just before he drove it away, the owner came running down with the original owners books, proving its providence & history. It was a matching number 308 manual with the black houndstooth interior. WOW!
The restoration process began the moment they limped the car home. It had an aftermarket holly & it was running terribly, so the correct quadrajet carby was sourced & rebuilt. The gearbox had a few teeth missing so that was rebuilt too. While the original motor was then freshened up & the car was driven for the next few years. Until he was ready to approach the body work, which took another 2 years. Keep in mind he spent a great deal of that time stripping & rebuilding a lot of the components himself. He has an electrical trade background, so that certainly helped. Darren admits he found an amazing body repairer & a fantastic paint shop, all in his local area. He was able to go to the shop & help out every Saturday, this certainly helped speed up the restoration & keep cost down.
Darren's patience & commitment to this Monaro is second to none. He has taken the time to do every stage of the restoration correctly & extremely well. So when I asked him what this Monaro meant to him? “It means a lot. I often go down to the garage, peel off the cover & just look at her. Its immensely rewarding & a proud feeling knowing that I've given the old girl another life & the restoration she deserves” I can hear in the tone of his voice that this car indeed is very special & the history behind it, with the association of his dad & growing up with that dream, has come full circle & I feel very privilege to be sharing his story.
While photographing this Monaro for our story, its true beauty & timeless design still stands today as one of the all time great classic muscle cars of the 70s. I like to say a massive thanks to Darren for sharing his story with us, he has given us full access to his Monaro & we are very grateful. He even gave me a drive of the Monaro WOW, that's planted a seed.
If you have a story you would like to share, please get in contact with us at Machines & Macchiatos Media - sam@machinesandmacchiatos.org
A true Grand Tourer with real 70's flair.
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Meet Darren, the owner of this stunning HQ GTS Monaro. Darren has HQ Holden blood running though his veins as far back as he can remember. His earliest childhood memories were heading down to the local Holden dealer - Norman J Booth at Dee Why with his Dad & being given the exciting privilege of picking out the next family car, a HQ 253 V8 Premier. That was the seed that would eventually land him this HQ Monaro you see here.
Growing up as a kid, Darren had the HQ Monaro brochure posted up on his bedroom wall. Every night before heading to bed, it was the last thing he would see, he would wander off to sleep dreaming about the GTS & maybe, just maybe one day that dream would come true. To further cement the HQ model on his psyche, Darren's dad gifted him the family HQ Premier when he turned 18. Happy days indeed. But the HQ Monaro was always in his mind, but back then, as a young lad it was still a little out of his reach. So being young & care free, he decided to sell the HQ Premier for a Triumph. But that's another story. Darren admits it did break old Dads heart, but it was his journey & we all learn for our collective experiences.
Many years later Darren knew it was time to start the journey for his HQ Monaro. It took many years & many disappointments & a few regrets on missing out on some really good Monaros, but Darren finally found this GTS in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. It was the Bathurst weekend & the window of opportunity was there. Darren purchased this coupe on a dark & rainy night, the deal was done & just before he drove it away, the owner came running down with the original owners books, proving its providence & history. It was a matching number 308 manual with the black houndstooth interior. WOW!
The restoration process began the moment they limped the car home. It had an aftermarket holly & it was running terribly, so the correct quadrajet carby was sourced & rebuilt. The gearbox had a few teeth missing so that was rebuilt too. While the original motor was then freshened up & the car was driven for the next few years. Until he was ready to approach the body work, which took another 2 years. Keep in mind he spent a great deal of that time stripping & rebuilding a lot of the components himself. He has an electrical trade background, so that certainly helped. Darren admits he found an amazing body repairer & a fantastic paint shop, all in his local area. He was able to go to the shop & help out every Saturday, this certainly helped speed up the restoration & keep cost down.
Darren's patience & commitment to this Monaro is second to none. He has taken the time to do every stage of the restoration correctly & extremely well. So when I asked him what this Monaro meant to him? “It means a lot. I often go down to the garage, peel off the cover & just look at her. Its immensely rewarding & a proud feeling knowing that I've given the old girl another life & the restoration she deserves” I can hear in the tone of his voice that this car indeed is very special & the history behind it, with the association of his dad & growing up with that dream, has come full circle & I feel very privilege to be sharing his story.
While photographing this Monaro for our story, its true beauty & timeless design still stands today as one of the all time great classic muscle cars of the 70s. I like to say a massive thanks to Darren for sharing his story with us, he has given us full access to his Monaro & we are very grateful. He even gave me a drive of the Monaro WOW, that's planted a seed.
If you have a story you would like to share, please get in contact with us at Machines & Macchiatos Media - sam@machinesandmacchiatos.org
A true Grand Tourer with real 70's flair.
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Meet Darren, the owner of this stunning HQ GTS Monaro. Darren has HQ Holden blood running though his veins as far back as he can remember. His earliest childhood memories were heading down to the local Holden dealer - Norman J Booth at Dee Why with his Dad & being given the exciting privilege of picking out the next family car, a HQ 253 V8 Premier. That was the seed that would eventually land him this HQ Monaro you see here.
Growing up as a kid, Darren had the HQ Monaro brochure posted up on his bedroom wall. Every night before heading to bed, it was the last thing he would see, he would wander off to sleep dreaming about the GTS & maybe, just maybe one day that dream would come true. To further cement the HQ model on his psyche, Darren's dad gifted him the family HQ Premier when he turned 18. Happy days indeed. But the HQ Monaro was always in his mind, but back then, as a young lad it was still a little out of his reach. So being young & care free, he decided to sell the HQ Premier for a Triumph. But that's another story. Darren admits it did break old Dads heart, but it was his journey & we all learn for our collective experiences.
Many years later Darren knew it was time to start the journey for his HQ Monaro. It took many years & many disappointments & a few regrets on missing out on some really good Monaros, but Darren finally found this GTS in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. It was the Bathurst weekend & the window of opportunity was there. Darren purchased this coupe on a dark & rainy night, the deal was done & just before he drove it away, the owner came running down with the original owners books, proving its providence & history. It was a matching number 308 manual with the black houndstooth interior. WOW!
The restoration process began the moment they limped the car home. It had an aftermarket holly & it was running terribly, so the correct quadrajet carby was sourced & rebuilt. The gearbox had a few teeth missing so that was rebuilt too. While the original motor was then freshened up & the car was driven for the next few years. Until he was ready to approach the body work, which took another 2 years. Keep in mind he spent a great deal of that time stripping & rebuilding a lot of the components himself. He has an electrical trade background, so that certainly helped. Darren admits he found an amazing body repairer & a fantastic paint shop, all in his local area. He was able to go to the shop & help out every Saturday, this certainly helped speed up the restoration & keep cost down.
Darren's patience & commitment to this Monaro is second to none. He has taken the time to do every stage of the restoration correctly & extremely well. So when I asked him what this Monaro meant to him? “It means a lot. I often go down to the garage, peel off the cover & just look at her. Its immensely rewarding & a proud feeling knowing that I've given the old girl another life & the restoration she deserves” I can hear in the tone of his voice that this car indeed is very special & the history behind it, with the association of his dad & growing up with that dream, has come full circle & I feel very privilege to be sharing his story.
While photographing this Monaro for our story, its true beauty & timeless design still stands today as one of the all time great classic muscle cars of the 70s. I like to say a massive thanks to Darren for sharing his story with us, he has given us full access to his Monaro & we are very grateful. He even gave me a drive of the Monaro WOW, that's planted a seed.
If you have a story you would like to share, please get in contact with us at Machines & Macchiatos Media - sam@machinesandmacchiatos.org
A true Grand Tourer with real 70's flair.
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Meet Darren, the owner of this stunning HQ GTS Monaro. Darren has HQ Holden blood running though his veins as far back as he can remember. His earliest childhood memories were heading down to the local Holden dealer - Norman J Booth at Dee Why with his Dad & being given the exciting privilege of picking out the next family car, a HQ 253 V8 Premier. That was the seed that would eventually land him this HQ Monaro you see here.
Growing up as a kid, Darren had the HQ Monaro brochure posted up on his bedroom wall. Every night before heading to bed, it was the last thing he would see, he would wander off to sleep dreaming about the GTS & maybe, just maybe one day that dream would come true. To further cement the HQ model on his psyche, Darren's dad gifted him the family HQ Premier when he turned 18. Happy days indeed. But the HQ Monaro was always in his mind, but back then, as a young lad it was still a little out of his reach. So being young & care free, he decided to sell the HQ Premier for a Triumph. But that's another story. Darren admits it did break old Dads heart, but it was his journey & we all learn for our collective experiences.
Many years later Darren knew it was time to start the journey for his HQ Monaro. It took many years & many disappointments & a few regrets on missing out on some really good Monaros, but Darren finally found this GTS in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. It was the Bathurst weekend & the window of opportunity was there. Darren purchased this coupe on a dark & rainy night, the deal was done & just before he drove it away, the owner came running down with the original owners books, proving its providence & history. It was a matching number 308 manual with the black houndstooth interior. WOW!
The restoration process began the moment they limped the car home. It had an aftermarket holly & it was running terribly, so the correct quadrajet carby was sourced & rebuilt. The gearbox had a few teeth missing so that was rebuilt too. While the original motor was then freshened up & the car was driven for the next few years. Until he was ready to approach the body work, which took another 2 years. Keep in mind he spent a great deal of that time stripping & rebuilding a lot of the components himself. He has an electrical trade background, so that certainly helped. Darren admits he found an amazing body repairer & a fantastic paint shop, all in his local area. He was able to go to the shop & help out every Saturday, this certainly helped speed up the restoration & keep cost down.
Darren's patience & commitment to this Monaro is second to none. He has taken the time to do every stage of the restoration correctly & extremely well. So when I asked him what this Monaro meant to him? “It means a lot. I often go down to the garage, peel off the cover & just look at her. Its immensely rewarding & a proud feeling knowing that I've given the old girl another life & the restoration she deserves” I can hear in the tone of his voice that this car indeed is very special & the history behind it, with the association of his dad & growing up with that dream, has come full circle & I feel very privilege to be sharing his story.
While photographing this Monaro for our story, its true beauty & timeless design still stands today as one of the all time great classic muscle cars of the 70s. I like to say a massive thanks to Darren for sharing his story with us, he has given us full access to his Monaro & we are very grateful. He even gave me a drive of the Monaro WOW, that's planted a seed.
If you have a story you would like to share, please get in contact with us at Machines & Macchiatos Media - sam@machinesandmacchiatos.org
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Specifications
• 253 V8 • 308 V8 •350 V8
• Tri-matic Automatic • 4 speed manual • Turbo 400 Automatic
Discs all wheels
A true Grand Tourer with real 70's flair.
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Growing up as a kid, Darren had the HQ Monaro brochure posted up on his bedroom wall. Every night before heading to bed, it was the last thing he would see, he would wander off to sleep dreaming about the GTS & maybe, just maybe one day that dream would come true. To further cement the HQ model on his psyche, Darren's dad gifted him the family HQ Premier when he turned 18. Happy days indeed. But the HQ Monaro was always in his mind, but back then, as a young lad it was still a little out of his reach. So being young & care free, he decided to sell the HQ Premier for a Triumph. But that's another story. Darren admits it did break old Dads heart, but it was his journey & we all learn for our collective experiences.
Many years later Darren knew it was time to start the journey for his HQ Monaro. It took many years & many disappointments & a few regrets on missing out on some really good Monaros, but Darren finally found this GTS in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. It was the Bathurst weekend & the window of opportunity was there. Darren purchased this coupe on a dark & rainy night, the deal was done & just before he drove it away, the owner came running down with the original owners books, proving its providence & history. It was a matching number 308 manual with the black houndstooth interior. WOW!
The restoration process began the moment they limped the car home. It had an aftermarket holly & it was running terribly, so the correct quadrajet carby was sourced & rebuilt. The gearbox had a few teeth missing so that was rebuilt too. While the original motor was then freshened up & the car was driven for the next few years. Until he was ready to approach the body work, which took another 2 years. Keep in mind he spent a great deal of that time stripping & rebuilding a lot of the components himself. He has an electrical trade background, so that certainly helped. Darren admits he found an amazing body repairer & a fantastic paint shop, all in his local area. He was able to go to the shop & help out every Saturday, this certainly helped speed up the restoration & keep cost down.
Darren's patience & commitment to this Monaro is second to none. He has taken the time to do every stage of the restoration correctly & extremely well. So when I asked him what this Monaro meant to him? “It means a lot. I often go down to the garage, peel off the cover & just look at her. Its immensely rewarding & a proud feeling knowing that I've given the old girl another life & the restoration she deserves” I can hear in the tone of his voice that this car indeed is very special & the history behind it, with the association of his dad & growing up with that dream, has come full circle & I feel very privilege to be sharing his story.
While photographing this Monaro for our story, its true beauty & timeless design still stands today as one of the all time great classic muscle cars of the 70s. I like to say a massive thanks to Darren for sharing his story with us, he has given us full access to his Monaro & we are very grateful. He even gave me a drive of the Monaro WOW, that's planted a seed.
If you have a story you would like to share, please get in contact with us at Machines & Macchiatos Media - sam@machinesandmacchiatos.org
A true Grand Tourer with real 70's flair.
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Meet Darren, the owner of this stunning HQ GTS Monaro. Darren has HQ Holden blood running though his veins as far back as he can remember. His earliest childhood memories were heading down to the local Holden dealer - Norman J Booth at Dee Why with his Dad & being given the exciting privilege of picking out the next family car, a HQ 253 V8 Premier. That was the seed that would eventually land him this HQ Monaro you see here.
Growing up as a kid, Darren had the HQ Monaro brochure posted up on his bedroom wall. Every night before heading to bed, it was the last thing he would see, he would wander off to sleep dreaming about the GTS & maybe, just maybe one day that dream would come true. To further cement the HQ model on his psyche, Darren's dad gifted him the family HQ Premier when he turned 18. Happy days indeed. But the HQ Monaro was always in his mind, but back then, as a young lad it was still a little out of his reach. So being young & care free, he decided to sell the HQ Premier for a Triumph. But that's another story. Darren admits it did break old Dads heart, but it was his journey & we all learn for our collective experiences.
Many years later Darren knew it was time to start the journey for his HQ Monaro. It took many years & many disappointments & a few regrets on missing out on some really good Monaros, but Darren finally found this GTS in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. It was the Bathurst weekend & the window of opportunity was there. Darren purchased this coupe on a dark & rainy night, the deal was done & just before he drove it away, the owner came running down with the original owners books, proving its providence & history. It was a matching number 308 manual with the black houndstooth interior. WOW!
The restoration process began the moment they limped the car home. It had an aftermarket holly & it was running terribly, so the correct quadrajet carby was sourced & rebuilt. The gearbox had a few teeth missing so that was rebuilt too. While the original motor was then freshened up & the car was driven for the next few years. Until he was ready to approach the body work, which took another 2 years. Keep in mind he spent a great deal of that time stripping & rebuilding a lot of the components himself. He has an electrical trade background, so that certainly helped. Darren admits he found an amazing body repairer & a fantastic paint shop, all in his local area. He was able to go to the shop & help out every Saturday, this certainly helped speed up the restoration & keep cost down.
Darren's patience & commitment to this Monaro is second to none. He has taken the time to do every stage of the restoration correctly & extremely well. So when I asked him what this Monaro meant to him? “It means a lot. I often go down to the garage, peel off the cover & just look at her. Its immensely rewarding & a proud feeling knowing that I've given the old girl another life & the restoration she deserves” I can hear in the tone of his voice that this car indeed is very special & the history behind it, with the association of his dad & growing up with that dream, has come full circle & I feel very privilege to be sharing his story.
While photographing this Monaro for our story, its true beauty & timeless design still stands today as one of the all time great classic muscle cars of the 70s. I like to say a massive thanks to Darren for sharing his story with us, he has given us full access to his Monaro & we are very grateful. He even gave me a drive of the Monaro WOW, that's planted a seed.
If you have a story you would like to share, please get in contact with us at Machines & Macchiatos Media - sam@machinesandmacchiatos.org
A true Grand Tourer with real 70's flair.
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Meet Darren, the owner of this stunning HQ GTS Monaro. Darren has HQ Holden blood running though his veins as far back as he can remember. His earliest childhood memories were heading down to the local Holden dealer - Norman J Booth at Dee Why with his Dad & being given the exciting privilege of picking out the next family car, a HQ 253 V8 Premier. That was the seed that would eventually land him this HQ Monaro you see here.
Growing up as a kid, Darren had the HQ Monaro brochure posted up on his bedroom wall. Every night before heading to bed, it was the last thing he would see, he would wander off to sleep dreaming about the GTS & maybe, just maybe one day that dream would come true. To further cement the HQ model on his psyche, Darren's dad gifted him the family HQ Premier when he turned 18. Happy days indeed. But the HQ Monaro was always in his mind, but back then, as a young lad it was still a little out of his reach. So being young & care free, he decided to sell the HQ Premier for a Triumph. But that's another story. Darren admits it did break old Dads heart, but it was his journey & we all learn for our collective experiences.
Many years later Darren knew it was time to start the journey for his HQ Monaro. It took many years & many disappointments & a few regrets on missing out on some really good Monaros, but Darren finally found this GTS in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. It was the Bathurst weekend & the window of opportunity was there. Darren purchased this coupe on a dark & rainy night, the deal was done & just before he drove it away, the owner came running down with the original owners books, proving its providence & history. It was a matching number 308 manual with the black houndstooth interior. WOW!
The restoration process began the moment they limped the car home. It had an aftermarket holly & it was running terribly, so the correct quadrajet carby was sourced & rebuilt. The gearbox had a few teeth missing so that was rebuilt too. While the original motor was then freshened up & the car was driven for the next few years. Until he was ready to approach the body work, which took another 2 years. Keep in mind he spent a great deal of that time stripping & rebuilding a lot of the components himself. He has an electrical trade background, so that certainly helped. Darren admits he found an amazing body repairer & a fantastic paint shop, all in his local area. He was able to go to the shop & help out every Saturday, this certainly helped speed up the restoration & keep cost down.
Darren's patience & commitment to this Monaro is second to none. He has taken the time to do every stage of the restoration correctly & extremely well. So when I asked him what this Monaro meant to him? “It means a lot. I often go down to the garage, peel off the cover & just look at her. Its immensely rewarding & a proud feeling knowing that I've given the old girl another life & the restoration she deserves” I can hear in the tone of his voice that this car indeed is very special & the history behind it, with the association of his dad & growing up with that dream, has come full circle & I feel very privilege to be sharing his story.
While photographing this Monaro for our story, its true beauty & timeless design still stands today as one of the all time great classic muscle cars of the 70s. I like to say a massive thanks to Darren for sharing his story with us, he has given us full access to his Monaro & we are very grateful. He even gave me a drive of the Monaro WOW, that's planted a seed.
If you have a story you would like to share, please get in contact with us at Machines & Macchiatos Media - sam@machinesandmacchiatos.org
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Specifications
• 253 V8 • 308 V8 •350 V8
• Tri-matic Automatic • 4 speed manual • Turbo 400 Automatic
Discs all wheels
A true Grand Tourer with real 70's flair.
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Meet Darren, the owner of this stunning HQ GTS Monaro. Darren has HQ Holden blood running though his veins as far back as he can remember. His earliest childhood memories were heading down to the local Holden dealer - Norman J Booth at Dee Why with his Dad & being given the exciting privilege of picking out the next family car, a HQ 253 V8 Premier. That was the seed that would eventually land him this HQ Monaro you see here.
Growing up as a kid, Darren had the HQ Monaro brochure posted up on his bedroom wall. Every night before heading to bed, it was the last thing he would see, he would wander off to sleep dreaming about the GTS & maybe, just maybe one day that dream would come true. To further cement the HQ model on his psyche, Darren's dad gifted him the family HQ Premier when he turned 18. Happy days indeed. But the HQ Monaro was always in his mind, but back then, as a young lad it was still a little out of his reach. So being young & care free, he decided to sell the HQ Premier for a Triumph. But that's another story. Darren admits it did break old Dads heart, but it was his journey & we all learn for our collective experiences.
Many years later Darren knew it was time to start the journey for his HQ Monaro. It took many years & many disappointments & a few regrets on missing out on some really good Monaros, but Darren finally found this GTS in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. It was the Bathurst weekend & the window of opportunity was there. Darren purchased this coupe on a dark & rainy night, the deal was done & just before he drove it away, the owner came running down with the original owners books, proving its providence & history. It was a matching number 308 manual with the black houndstooth interior. WOW!
The restoration process began the moment they limped the car home. It had an aftermarket holly & it was running terribly, so the correct quadrajet carby was sourced & rebuilt. The gearbox had a few teeth missing so that was rebuilt too. While the original motor was then freshened up & the car was driven for the next few years. Until he was ready to approach the body work, which took another 2 years. Keep in mind he spent a great deal of that time stripping & rebuilding a lot of the components himself. He has an electrical trade background, so that certainly helped. Darren admits he found an amazing body repairer & a fantastic paint shop, all in his local area. He was able to go to the shop & help out every Saturday, this certainly helped speed up the restoration & keep cost down.
Darren's patience & commitment to this Monaro is second to none. He has taken the time to do every stage of the restoration correctly & extremely well. So when I asked him what this Monaro meant to him? “It means a lot. I often go down to the garage, peel off the cover & just look at her. Its immensely rewarding & a proud feeling knowing that I've given the old girl another life & the restoration she deserves” I can hear in the tone of his voice that this car indeed is very special & the history behind it, with the association of his dad & growing up with that dream, has come full circle & I feel very privilege to be sharing his story.
While photographing this Monaro for our story, its true beauty & timeless design still stands today as one of the all time great classic muscle cars of the 70s. I like to say a massive thanks to Darren for sharing his story with us, he has given us full access to his Monaro & we are very grateful. He even gave me a drive of the Monaro WOW, that's planted a seed.
If you have a story you would like to share, please get in contact with us at Machines & Macchiatos Media - sam@machinesandmacchiatos.org
1971 HQ GTS Monaro
Specifications
• 253 V8 • 308 V8 •350 V8
• Tri-matic Automatic • 4 speed manual • Turbo 400 Automatic
Discs all wheels
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