1978 Holden HZ GTS Monaro 5.0 Sedan

Description

Holden's new HZ range saw the introduction of Radial Tuned Suspension, a much vaunted package of improvements that enabled Holden's full-size car to out-handle Ford's XC. Although the Monaro name was no longer used, the GTS carried on with several significant upgrades and was a lot more than simply a badge and fancy paintwork. Four-wheel disc brakes, additional driving lights, front and rear spoilers, unique paintwork with colour-coded bumpers and wheels were standard issue on the GTS. With its black mesh grille and subtle stripes, the GTS was a real head turner and remains one of the best looking variants of the HQ-HZ family. Inside, the interior featured a new plaid cloth insert design and a revised steering wheel, along with retractable rear seat belts. Mechanically, Holden equipped the GTS with its 5-litre V8 from June 1978 onwards (earlier cars had the 4.2-litre as standard), while the choice of transmissions included the heavy-duty M21 four-speed manual or Turbo Hydramatic automatic. Other useful upgrades announced at the same time included power steering and tinted glass. With the demise of the HZ in 1980, the era of Holden's full-size performance cars came to an end and the GTS name didn't reappear until the VP Commodore many years later. It may have lacked the badge but most enthusiasts see the HZ GTS as member of the Monaro family today, with performance and handling to match. Although official build numbers are hard to come by, historian Norm Darwin has been quoted as saying no more than 1438 were made over the HZ GTS's brief production life, making it one of the rarest high performance Holdens of the Seventies.