1975 Holden HJ Monaro GTS 5Lt Coupe

A development of the HQ Monaro, itself something of a landmark car in the history of General Motors Holden (with all new styling, unitary construction, new suspension, brakes and interiors), the revised HJ range was announced in October 1974. Holden improved equipment levels and options with the HJ but otherwise the Monaros continued on largely as before. Offered in both two-door coupe and four-door sedan guise, the HJ Monaro was available in base model LS trim (with four headlamps to identify it) or more sporting GTS (with single headlamps on either side). The GTS package included full instrumentation, high-backed bucket seats and blacked-out grille, plus the option of front and rear spoilers for the first time. Holden dropped the US-sourced 350 engine (anti-pollution gear had diluted most of its performance) but filled the gap by upping the compression ratio on the locally-made 308-cid V8. The Monaro GTS buyer could opt for the Turbo Hydramatic M41 transmission or a four-speed manual gearbox and in total just 4,754 HJ Monaros were built by 1976, making it one of the rarest of all Monaro variants.