1968 Holden HK Monaro GTS 327 'Bathurst' Coupe

The word Monaro is thought to have been aboriginal for 'small hill' and was also the name of a mountain range near Canberra but to most Australians, the term Monaro conjures up images of the Holden's ultimate performance car. The original Monaro was launched back in 1968 as the hardtop coupe version of the Kingswood sedan, with fastback roofline culminating in unique tail-end treatment and proved a great success right from the outset. Although the new Monaro was available with a range of six or V8 engines, for the last word in performance there was something special in store - the GTS 327 using the same small-block V8 as found in the Corvette, starting a tradition that continues with the modern incarnation of the Monaro. The combination of Detroit iron and Saginaw close-ratio four-speed gearbox (with a choice of final drive ratios) endowed the GTS 327 with electrifying performance and the quarter mile was dispatched in just 16.2 seconds along the way to a top speed of 200km/h. With racing in mind, Holden added stiffer springs and shock rates at the front plus thicker stabiliser bars and four-leaf semi-elliptic springs and radius rods at the rear, in addition to power front discs and a limited-slip diff to cope with all 250 horses. Other modifications included a long-range 25-gallon fuel tank and tacho mounted on the centre console. Priced at an eye-watering $3,790, the Monaro GTS 327 was a homologation special in the finest tradition and was built for one purpose - to take on the might of Ford on the racetrack. No less than eight Monaros lined up for the Hardie-Ferodo 500 in 1968 with the three Holden Dealer Racing Team cars strong favourites, but it was privateer Bruce McPhee who ultimately took the victory. Holden buried the vaunted Falcon GTs in the process, taking four of the top five places but the Monaro's Bathurst career was short lived as GM-H turned to the Torana instead. Today, a genuine Bathurst GTS 327 Monaro is rightly regarded as the ultimate Holden muscle car with collectors eagerly seeking out the best examples.