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  • Shelby
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  • Two Wheels

 The Holden Monaro Archive: 1968–2006

The Monaro is the undisputed king of Australian coupes. From the moment the HK GTS 327 claimed victory at Bathurst on its first attempt in 1968, the nameplate became synonymous with power, style, and track-bred dominance. This archive tracks the Monaro's journey from the classic chrome era to its modern high-tech revival.

The Golden Era of the Coupe (1968–1977) Explore the evolution of the original Monaro body styles and the birth of the GTS legend:

  • The HK, HT & HG: High-resolution ads for the original coupes, featuring the "Red Motor" sixes and the brutal Chevrolet-sourced 327 and 350 V8s.

  • The HQ, HJ & HX: Documentation of the beautiful HQ series, which introduced the four-door Monaro GTS sedan alongside the classic coupe.

  • The LE Final Edition: A look at the 1976 HX Limited Edition—the final 600 "slow-selling" shells that became high-value collector icons.

The Modern Revival (2001–2006) After a 25-year hiatus, Holden revived the legend with the V2 and VZ series Monaro. Based on the Commodore platform, these cars achieved international fame—completing a historic circle by being exported to the US as the Pontiac GTO, the very car that had inspired the original HQ Monaro decades earlier.

Models Featured: HK · HT · HG · HQ · HJ · HX · HZ (GTS) · V2 · VZ

Tap images for full screen. Rotate phone for wide ads and use the info icon for details.

View fullsize  1968 metallic blue Holden HK Monaro GTS-327 coupe ‘A new power is loose in the land’ - vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1968 ‘Warwick yellow’ Holden HK Monaro GTS 327 V8. ‘Monaro from $2575, GTS from $3090. GTS 327 $3790’. Original single-page print ad.
View fullsize  1968 ‘Picardy red’ Holden HK Monaro GTS-327 coupe - vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1968 metallic blue Holden HK Monaro GTS Wheels Car of the Year - Jan 1969. Original print ad.
View fullsize  1968 ‘Warwick yellow’ Holden HK Monaro GTS coupe, ‘Out to drive you wild’. Vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1968 ‘Stewart orange’ Holden HK Monaro ‘You can make it anything you like…except dull’. Vintage print advert.
View fullsize  1968 ‘Silver mink’ Holden HK Monaro GTS ‘When you own your own Monaro the ball never ends’. Vintage single-page print ad.
View fullsize  1968 Holden HK Monaro GTS single-page print ad highlighting the 4-speed manual floor-shift.  ‘Wanted. Gentlemen with the gift of the grab’.
View fullsize  1968 ‘Picardy red’ Holden HK Monaro GTS “cubes. torque. stickshift. tach. wide-ovals”. Vintage single-page print ad.
View fullsize  1968 Holden HK Monaro GTS specs and options “Man seeks excitement by instinct. Monaro GTS supplies it by design’. Vintage two-page magazine ad.
View fullsize  1968 ‘Warwick yellow’ Holden HK Monaro GTS ‘Beneath the beauty lurks the beast. 327 cubic inches of it’. Vintage single-page magazine ad.
View fullsize  1968 Holden HK Monaro GTS specs and performance options ‘Now you can keep a sports machine…and keep a family too’. Vintage two-page magazine ad.
View fullsize  1969 ‘Daytona bronze’ Holden HT Monaro GTS 350 showing the new T-Bar floorshift and wood-veneer centre-console; ‘suggested retail price from $3995’. Vintage single-page print ad.
View fullsize  1969 Holden HT Monaro specs and options. Vintage single-page magazine ad.
View fullsize  1969 ‘Daytona bronze’ Holden HT Monaro GTS 350 ‘It moves you ahead of your time’. Vintage two-page print ad.
View fullsize  1969 ‘Daytona bronze’ Holden HT Monaro GTS 350 ‘Mean enough to stay out front’. Vintage single-page print ad.
View fullsize  1969 Holden HT Monaro GTS 350 specs and diagrams showing the new dashboard design. Vintage single-page print ad.
View fullsize  1969  ‘Verdant Green metallic’ with gold stripes and black vinyl roof - Holden HT Monaro GTS 5-litre. If purchased in early 1969, the engine would’ve been the Chevrolet 307 small block coupled with 2-speed Powerglide auto. Later that year Holden swi
View fullsize  1969 ‘Verdant Green metallic’ with gold stripes - Holden HT Monaro GTS coupe. Vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1969 ‘Daytona bronze’ Holden HT Monaro GTS with black GT stripes and optional black vinyl roof. ‘Warning. Contains 5 Litre V8! Kicks out 240 horsepower at 4,800 rpm’. Vintage single-page print ad.
View fullsize  1969 red Holden HT Monaro with matching red interior - original print ad.
View fullsize  1969 Holden HT Monaro with 3-speed column change manual grearbox and red interior.
View fullsize  1970 ‘Sebring orange’ Holden HT Monaro GTS - vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1970 ‘Lakeside green’ Holden HG Monaro GTS 350 ‘Command Performer’. Vintage single-page print ad.
View fullsize  1970 Holden HG Monaro GTS 350 GTS optional houndstooth cloth seat faces. Vintage single-page print ad.
View fullsize  1971 red Holden HG Monaro, ‘Great style, modest price…’ Vintage print ad.
View fullsize  ‘Holden’s Great Balls of Fire’ - 1969 print ad for the HG Monaro range, with cartoon-style artwork ‘Wild to wonderful - GTS 350 / GTS / Monaro.’
View fullsize  1971 ‘Indy orange’ Holden HG Monaro GTS with optional black vinyl roof. Original print ad.
View fullsize  All-new 1971 purple Holden HG Monaro coupe - original print ad.
View fullsize  1971 ‘Barbados green’ Holden HQ Monaro GTS coupe, image taken from an original print advertisement.
View fullsize  1972 ‘Barbados green’ Holden HQ Monaro GTS coupe with optional vinyl top. Vintage single-page print ad.
View fullsize  1972 Holden HQ Monaro GTS dashboard with the new black GTS steering wheel borrowed from Pontiac. Vintage print ad.
View fullsize  All-new 1971 Holden HQ Monaro LS  in metallic blue with black vinyl roof. ‘The first pure blend of luxury and sport’. Vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1972 ‘Barbados green’ Holden HQ Monaro GTS coupe with a standard Monaro coupe in the background. Vintage two-page print ad.
View fullsize  1972 silver Holden HQ Monaro LS with Sydney Harbour and Circular Quay in the background. Vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1972 blue Holden HQ Monaro LS coupe with black vinyl roof. ‘You’re a man, you naturally want a man’s car. And your woman is a woman and wants luxury.’ Vintage two-page print ad.
View fullsize  1972 metallic brown Holden HQ Monaro LS with beige vinyl roof and matching interior. ‘If looking makes your heat beat a little faster, wait until you drive it’. Vintage two-page print ad.
View fullsize  1972 red Holden HQ Monaro LS coupe with black vinyl roof. ‘It’s a personal car but you can share it’. Original print advert.
View fullsize  1972 metallic green Holden HQ Monaro LS showing rear styling and interior appointments. Vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1972 Holden HQ Monaro LS showing white bucket seats with matching doors and column-mounted automatic. Vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1973 Holden HQ Monaro range showing the new four-door Monaro GTS in yellow flanked by a red 2-door coupe. Vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1972 Holden HQ Monaro coupe and GTS specs and options. Vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1973 Holden HQ Monaro range including the new four-door Monaro GTS. Vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1974 yellow Holden HQ 4-door Monaro GTS. “All geared up for excitement” - Peter Brock. Vintage two-page magazine ad.
View fullsize  1974 red Holden HJ Monaro GTS two-door. Holden sold a little over 600 of the HJ GTS coupe and ceased production in mid 1975. Vintage single page print ad.
View fullsize  1974 metallic blue HJ Monaro GTS 4-door. Holden sold over 4,000 Monaro sedans compared to less than 1,000 coupes. Vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1974 red Holden HJ Monaro GTS - image has been enhanced using Ai as the original print scan was extremely low res.
View fullsize  1974 ‘Sienna’ metallic Holden HJ Monaro LS coupe - vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1974 blue Holden HJ Monaro GTS 4-door in the dirt - vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1974 ‘Saffron’ metallic Holden HJ Monaro LS coupe with black interior. Only 393 HJ LS’ were sold before Holden pulled the plug on the model in mid 1975. Vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1974 metallic blue HJ sedan ‘10 great reasons for choosing new Holden Monaro GTS’ - vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1976 red Holden HX Monaro GTS with bonnet black-outs, colour-keyed bumpers and ‘sports’ mirrors. Vintage print ad.
View fullsize  1976 ‘LE red’ Holden HX Monaro LE coupe. LE for 'Limited Edition’ - 580 units were sold, the last Holden 2-door Monaro until the 2002 V2 model. Vintage print advert.
View fullsize  1976 ‘LE red’ Holden HX Monaro LE coupe - profile view - note the gold pin-striping and matching Pontiac-sourced ‘Honeycomb’ wheels. Vintage print advert.
View fullsize  1976 Holden HX Monaro LE coupe spec sheet ‘Specifications that spell out its luxury’. Vintage print advert.
View fullsize  1976 Holden HX Monaro LE coupe interior featuring maroon ‘brushed knit cloth seat trim’ plus air-conditioning, ‘quadraphonic cartridge player’ and electric windows. Vintage print advert.
View fullsize  1976 ‘LE red’ Holden HX Monaro LE - rear view showing standard twin exhaust and integrated boot spoiler. Vintage print advert.
View fullsize  ‘Monaro is back’ - 2002 ‘Devil yellow’ Holden V2 Monaro coupe - original two-page magazine ad.
View fullsize  2002 ‘Phantom black’ Holden V2 Monaro - original press image.
View fullsize  2002 ‘Devil yellow’ Holden V2 Monaro CV8 coupe - rear styling. Original press image.
View fullsize  2002 red Holden HRT 427 V2 Monaro concept car.  Unveiled at the Sydney Motor Show in October 2002, the HRT 427 was intended to be a road-going version of the 7.0-liter C5-R Monaros that were dominating the Bathurst 24-hour races at the time.
View fullsize  2004 red Holden V2 Series III Monaro - original press image.
View fullsize  2004 black Pontiac GTO - the GTO was essentially a facelifted, left-hand drive Holden Monaro. Original print ad.
View fullsize  2004 Pontiac GTO interior featuring red leather seats - original print advert.
View fullsize  2004 ‘Red hot’ Holden V2 Series III Monaro - original press image.
View fullsize  2004 Holden V2 Series III Monaro black leather interior - original press image.

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