1969 Holden HK GTS 307 Monaro Coupe

Loosely translated the word Monaro is aboriginal for 'small hill' and was chosen by Holden as the name for its new two-door hardtop coupe introduced in July 1968. Based on the HK series, itself a major departure for Holden with a larger body and the option of V8 power for the first time, the Monaro was Australia's answer to the ponycars that were all the rage in America. Inspired by the Mustangs, Camaros et al, Holden's new darling also took to the track and scored a maiden victory at Bathurst (and filled the top three places) later in 1968. To achieve sporting success, the Monaro was available with some serious hardware under the bonnet - the base model may have been a six-cylinder but the optional 307-cid (5-litre) V8 sourced from Chevrolet certainly gave the model plenty of street credibility while the race-oriented 327-cid V8 was something of a homologation special. With the optional GTS pack (with full instrumentation, including oil, water temperature, amp, tacho and speedo plus sports steering wheels, offset stripes, matt black grille, headlamp bezels and louvres) the HK Monaro looked fantastic and more than lived up to the billing of "It's Wild" in period advertising. Today, any HK GTS Monaro with V8 power is a desirable collector's car and a piece of Aussie muscle car history.