1970 Holden HG Monaro 253 V8 Coupe

The HG was the third and final facelift of Holden's HK/HT series and was introduced in July 1970, largely to coincide with the introduction of the new Tri-matic automatic transmission. Apart from a new grille, the remaining bodywork was shared with the HK/HT models and all the same trim levels, including Belmont, Kingswood, Premier and Brougham, were offered for sale. Holden had an extensive list of six and eight-cylinder engines on offer, ranging from the 186-cid six through to the 350-cid V8, along with no less than six different transmission types, with the three-speed Tri-matic replacing the old two-speed Powerglide. The Monaro sports coupe was again the hero car of the full-size Holden range, with its pillarless fastback styling still managing to look fresh and appealing. However, with Bathurst duties switching to the XU-1 Toranas, the Monaro GTS 350 became less of a homologation special and more a high performance executive express, with a good many equipped with automatic transmission and air conditioning. Production of the last of the original shape Monaros was short-lived and the HG was replaced by the all-new HQ in 1972, making it very hard to locate good original examples, particularly in the more desirable V8 guise.