Holden LH SL/R Torana Turns 40.

[disco man]

As the title states the Torana turns 40 this year,the following is some facts from a couple of magazines.Has anyone got any stories or fond memories of the mighty Torana?

A real muscle car
The SL/R embodied the traditional concept of a muscle car in being a medium-sized car powered by a big engine.The fact the bread and butter LH Toranas were 'shopping trolley'four and six-cylinder cars merely serves to highlight this fact.

The first V8 Torana
The SL/R 5000 (along with the 4.2-litre SL/R) was the first Torana V8 to make into production.

Standard SL/R 5000s overlooked
GM-H's records indicate that 1705 LH Torana SL/R 5000s were built.Of course many soon had L34-style flares fitted,meaning the original unmolested SL/Rs are very rare beasts today and thus are worthy of respect.After all,they are quick cars in their own respect.

Get that up ya,Harry
The newly released SL/R 5000s racing debut in early 1974,in the hands of Allan Grice,stemmed from the aggressive privateer's desire,and that of his sponsor Craven mild,to stick it up the HDT and backer Marlboro by beating the official Holden team onto the track.

Get that up ya Gricey
The HDT's (non L34) SL/R 5000 won on debut from pole position in the capable hands of Peter Brock,who used it to win the final two rounds of the Australian touring car championship at surfers paradise and Adelaide.

One letter,two numerals
When Holden realised the original SL/R 5000 just wasn't going to cut the mustard on the racetrack,a limited edition high-performance model was quietly called for.Soon,in the finest Aussie muscle car tradition,an innocuous combo of letters(in this case a single letter)and numbers soon took on mystical status.The origin of L34 stems from the production option of the unique engine package by Repco on Holden's behalf.For convenience,it became the 'umbrella' name for the entire upgrade package.The L34 code was previously used in the HK series for the V8 engine fitted to the Monaro GTS 327.

Those flares,those spoilers
The L34 was a road going model that,thanks to the body treatment,looked like it was designed for racing-prominent front spoiler with brake and engine cooling apertures,large 'ducktail' rear spoiler and those wheel arch flares.

Plastic can be fantastic
Supply issues led to Holden supplementing the L34's bolt on fibreglass flares with plastic versions.So it's not unusual for unmolested survivors to be equipped with original plastic flares and fibreglass.This was in keeping with the rudimentary method in which the flares were produced by Patterson/Cheney Holden.

The H factor
The L34 version of the SL/R 5000 may have looked like it was designed for racing,but as a race car it was full of inherent weaknesses.Therefore it stands as a tribute to HDT head honcho Harry Firth and his clever engineers and mechanics who worked tirelessly to turn a compromised car into a consisted race winner.

The three B's
Likewise,it served to highlight the skilled race drivers who drove it to victory lane and how they learned to cope with it's fragility,primarily Brock,Bond,and Bob Morris.

Debut winner
The hot L34 version of the SL/R 5000 also won on debut-Adelaide's 1974 manufacturers championship round in the hands of Colin Bond.

Staggering first-up Bathurst speed
At Bathurst 1974 the HDT L34s outqualified the third fastest car(Moffat's XB Falcon) by a full four seconds.What's more,the Brock/Brian Sampson car led the race by a staggering six laps at the 100-lap mark.Pity reliability didn't match outright speed with the Brockmobile suffering a blown piston and Bond's Torana suffering an incurable oil leak.

ManChamp and ATCC success
Despite the disaster of Bathurst 1974,the L34 won the Manufacturers title for Holden that year.Bond also dominated the next year's Australian touring car championship,admittedly against paper thin Ford resistance.

Rallied for a cause
Harry Firth says the LH Torana was 'useless in the forest' in its spasmodic rally career.But that didn't stop it winning a round of the Australian Rally Championship,crewed by Bond and George Sheppard.

#5 Bathurst '75
Bathurst win number one(of two) for the L34 was Peter Brock and Brian Sampson's victory in the 1975 Hardie-Ferodo 1000.Brock who had left the HDT at the end of 1974 for the privateer Gown-Hindhaugh team,led home three other Toranas.

Centre of Panorama drama
The L34 was involved in the most dramatic Bathurst 1000 finish in the races history to that point-Bobby Morris's teary 76 win.The Ron Hodgson racing driver watched international co-driver John Fitzpatrick nurse home his smokey Torana as the HDT car of Bond threatened to steal the win.

Those myths
What's a classic Australian muscle car without a myriad myths and legends surrounding it?For example the early styling mock-ups with XU-2 decals on them served to fuel four decades of speculation(and just plain pub bull****) of a stillborn successor to the XU-1.XU-2 was originally a Bedford issue code recalled by Holden and not used.

X marks the spot
Or does it? It's long been reported that the letter'X' is cast above the '308' on the side of the block and at the rear above the oil-pan flange.X blocks were cast on may 10 1974 and were carryovers from Redco's F5000 work.These 'X' blocks appear to have found their way into some L34's,but very few L34's have the 'X' block.

Extensive engine mods
The sheer number of mods to the standard 308ci engine.These included mods to the cylinder bloch itself,the cylinder heads,crankshaft,con-rods,pistons,camshaft,carburettor,inlet manifold,fuel system,lube system,ignition system,cooling system and exhaust.

A link back to sir Jack
The upgraded L34 engine tapped the expertise of Repco engine developments Ltd(Redco) had developed from it's racing conquests,including Sir Jack Brabham's 1966 world championship winning F1 V8s,just eight years prior. Redco also produced the superb Repco-Holden formula 5000 engines which were based on the same Aussie-designed and built V8 used in the LH.Ski boat engine development was also part of Redco's skill base.

Holden's 'HO'
The 'HO' wasn't confined to Ford,with Holden's GMP&A(General motors parts and accessories) offering a 'High output" competition only kit for privateers racing the L34. The HO kit included a Holley 780cfm four-barrel carb competition mechanical camshaft,competition valve-train kit,a set of special pushrods a revised crankcase ventilator hose and remote oil cooler.Very few complete kits were sold,with many of the privateer teams having their own engine development programs.

Wider wheels and tyres
The 14x6 JJ steel five-spoke 'Rally' wheels of the L34 gave it a front and rear track width almost 3inch wider than the standard SL/R.

Bigger brakes
The L34 option included the bigger brakes that were shared with the mighty HQ.

The CAMS licence rumour
Applications to purchase a new L34 through a Holden dealer reportedly had to be referred to a GM-H zone manager.And it was widely rumoured at the time that dealers agreed that only buyers in possession of a current CAMS licence would be sold a car.In reality the age-old principle of it's not what you know it's who you know applied.Dealers mostly sold cars to customers already known to them.Some L34s were still on the showroom floor well into 1975.

They're rare
Of the 263 L34s built,Torana contacts estimate that just 30-40 unmolested L34s live today.These are matching numbers cars with the same engine,gearbox and diff with which they left the factory 40 years ago.When you add cars that were heavily modified but have since been returned to factory spec-including rebodied examples with a question mark hanging over them-that number swells to 80-90.That means upwards of 150 L34s have gone to god.

Bang for your buck
The L34 was simply good value for money for the performance it offered.It sold for $6609 in 1974,the equivalent of $50,000 in today's money.Compare that to the entry level HSV model,the VF Clubsport,which sells for $60,990 and the top of the line GTS at $92,990.

I know this has been a very long post,but i think the Torana is a special car that deserves a special place in Australian motoring history.:)

[Robmacca]

The old Torana as, u don't see many on the road any more.... I use to have an earlier LJ Torana as my 1st car

[Redback]

Bloody horible car, a mate had one, bought one of the A9X bathurst specials, drive one, trust me you'd buy a Ford, or even a Morris Spuer Marina, Goss and Bartlett won that year, I was there, Goss got a flat on the second last lap, came in changed it and went out on the last lap and won.

The supprise package that year was the RX3, the funniest was the Morris Marina, sorry,:Rolling: super marina.

Highlight of the race, Colin Bond in the wet down through the esses, jeez that bloke can drive:clap2::burnrubber:

Baz.

[shanegtr]

I use to have an earlier LJ Torana as my 1st car

Same here, in fact I still have mine. But it hasnt seen the road in a few years:mad: I always preferred the LC/J over the LH shape myself. Although the A9X did look good

[disco man]

VIP Automotive solutions'collectible car index indicates that the SL/R 5000 L34s traded for figures a whisker under $100,000 at the height of the muscle car boom,in 2006.This was for cars with an overall condition rating of 8/10.In 2014 VIP values these same cars at $77,000.Meantime the 'standard' SL/R 5000 is valued at $39,000,down from $45,000 in 2006.

I wonder if they will ever reach those crazy prices again?

[robbotd5]

The old saying " if you can't say something nice don't say anything".
I'll say no more.....:angel:
Regards
Robbo

[slug_burner]

I was either too young or too poor to have one but can still remember the A9X, the LJ was also a nice looking car. I have no idea how they drove but I can say that they were the objects of my desire, the race performance did a lot to shape a young man's opinion.

[Stuck]

Same here, in fact I still have mine. But it hasnt seen the road in a few years:mad: I always preferred the LC/J over the LH shape myself. Although the A9X did look good
X2 :BigThumb:

[CraigE]

Bloody horible car, a mate had one, bought one of the A9X bathurst specials, drive one, trust me you'd buy a Ford, or even a Morris Spuer Marina, Goss and Bartlett won that year, I was there, Goss got a flat on the second last lap, came in changed it and went out on the last lap and won.

The supprise package that year was the RX3, the funniest was the Morris Marina, sorry,:Rolling: super marina.

Highlight of the race, Colin Bond in the wet down through the esses, jeez that bloke can drive:clap2::burnrubber:

Baz.

Really? Obviously you have never owned one or driven one properly.:p:o:wasntme: I have a 76 LX SS, My brother had a 74 LH SLR 4.2 x 2 and my old man had a 74 LH SLR 5000 and have driven both LH and LX A9Xs in 4 door and 2 door and even a LX with a 454 of a good friends that beat a XYGTHO by 4 plus car lengths first time I drove the car.
They handled way better than XY, XW, XA, XB, XC Falcons not to mention I was never beaten on the 1/4 mile by a standard XA-XC Falcon V8 including 351 GTs and beat numerous in my brothers SLR and beat several XY and XW 351s. Not saying the Falcons were a bad car but to say an A9X did not handle very well is a big call,:o especially if being compared to a poor handling and braking Falcon.:twisted: And really a Marina, you must have much better stuff to smoke than we can get,:o the Marina :eek::eek: was on of the biggest Lemons ever.:cool:
The Falcons handled terribly :p and yes I have driven the following hard to compare XY 351 in GS, GT and GTHO, XW GT and GS 351 and 302, XA in GT and Coupe plus GS, XB and XC 302 and 351 Plus XDs XEs and XFs. They could go allright in a straight line but handled like a 70s International ACCO truck. They also wheel spun badly and often was the main reason my little LX SS beat then as I was gone.
The A9X was released in 77 and most teams did not have them until 78 and i forget the placing in 78 79 :p, prior to that an L34 option was available so not sure you are talking about the 74 LH Torana referenced. The 74 Bathurst SLR 5000 and SLR 5000 L34 race cars were underpowerd and that is well known. 74 though technically 75 MY saw the L34 come out, though some seem to have been made available from 07/74, the ones in 74 were thrown together and were a very fragile engine, No A9X in 74. 75 Brock and Sampson won in a privateer L34. 75 was officially the release of the L34 with some appearing around 07/74 but were mostly adhoc vehicles with no real testing.
Maybe you should ask Allan Moffatt how well the A9X handled when he switched in 79.
This is not intended to start a Ford vs Holden debate at all as both have their merits. That aside I am a through and through Torana lover.
All this talk has got me keen to get mine restored, when I get a new job maybe, unless anyone wants to donate around $30k to my restoration fund.:angel::angel:

[CraigE]

Staggering first-up Bathurst speed
At Bathurst 1974 the HDT L34s outqualified the third fastest car(Moffat's XB Falcon) by a full four seconds.What's more,the Brock/Brian Sampson car led the race by a staggering six laps at the 100-lap mark.Pity reliability didn't match outright speed with the Brockmobile suffering a blown piston and Bond's Torana suffering an incurable oil leak.

Yep if the engine had been a bit more reliable and they knew these new L34 engines were not and or Brocky had listened to Harry and backed off a little we could have been looking at an L34 win first time out, however it was not to be and reliability is a amjor factor at Bathurst. I am sure Brock did learn from this as Harry sacked him from HDT over this. Brocky did make a triumphant return the following year and obviously did learn as they nursed an injured car home for the win. So what can we take from this, even a broken Torana can win against a fully functional Falcon. :twisted::twisted::twisted::angel::wasntme::angel: :o

As the title states the Torana turns 40 this year,the following is some facts from a couple of magazines.Has anyone got any stories or fond memories of the mighty Torana?

A real muscle car
The SL/R embodied the traditional concept of a muscle car in being a medium-sized car powered by a big engine.The fact the bread and butter LH Toranas were 'shopping trolley'four and six-cylinder cars merely serves to highlight this fact.

The first V8 Torana
The SL/R 5000 (along with the 4.2-litre SL/R) was the first Torana V8 to make into production.

Standard SL/R 5000s overlooked
GM-H's records indicate that 1705 LH Torana SL/R 5000s were built.Of course many soon had L34-style flares fitted,meaning the original unmolested SL/Rs are very rare beasts today and thus are worthy of respect.After all,they are quick cars in their own respect.

Get that up ya,Harry
The newly released SL/R 5000s racing debut in early 1974,in the hands of Allan Grice,stemmed from the aggressive privateer's desire,and that of his sponsor Craven mild,to stick it up the HDT and backer Marlboro by beating the official Holden team onto the track.

Get that up ya Gricey
The HDT's (non L34) SL/R 5000 won on debut from pole position in the capable hands of Peter Brock,who used it to win the final two rounds of the Australian touring car championship at surfers paradise and Adelaide.

One letter,two numerals
When Holden realised the original SL/R 5000 just wasn't going to cut the mustard on the racetrack,a limited edition high-performance model was quietly called for.Soon,in the finest Aussie muscle car tradition,an innocuous combo of letters(in this case a single letter)and numbers soon took on mystical status.The origin of L34 stems from the production option of the unique engine package by Repco on Holden's behalf.For convenience,it became the 'umbrella' name for the entire upgrade package.The L34 code was previously used in the HK series for the V8 engine fitted to the Monaro GTS 327.

Those flares,those spoilers
The L34 was a road going model that,thanks to the body treatment,looked like it was designed for racing-prominent front spoiler with brake and engine cooling apertures,large 'ducktail' rear spoiler and those wheel arch flares.

Plastic can be fantastic
Supply issues led to Holden supplementing the L34's bolt on fibreglass flares with plastic versions.So it's not unusual for unmolested survivors to be equipped with original plastic flares and fibreglass.This was in keeping with the rudimentary method in which the flares were produced by Patterson/Cheney Holden.

The H factor
The L34 version of the SL/R 5000 may have looked like it was designed for racing,but as a race car it was full of inherent weaknesses.Therefore it stands as a tribute to HDT head honcho Harry Firth and his clever engineers and mechanics who worked tirelessly to turn a compromised car into a consisted race winner.

The three B's
Likewise,it served to highlight the skilled race drivers who drove it to victory lane and how they learned to cope with it's fragility,primarily Brock,Bond,and Bob Morris.

Debut winner
The hot L34 version of the SL/R 5000 also won on debut-Adelaide's 1974 manufacturers championship round in the hands of Colin Bond.

Staggering first-up Bathurst speed
At Bathurst 1974 the HDT L34s outqualified the third fastest car(Moffat's XB Falcon) by a full four seconds.What's more,the Brock/Brian Sampson car led the race by a staggering six laps at the 100-lap mark.Pity reliability didn't match outright speed with the Brockmobile suffering a blown piston and Bond's Torana suffering an incurable oil leak.

ManChamp and ATCC success
Despite the disaster of Bathurst 1974,the L34 won the Manufacturers title for Holden that year.Bond also dominated the next year's Australian touring car championship,admittedly against paper thin Ford resistance.

Rallied for a cause
Harry Firth says the LH Torana was 'useless in the forest' in its spasmodic rally career.But that didn't stop it winning a round of the Australian Rally Championship,crewed by Bond and George Sheppard.

#5 Bathurst '75
Bathurst win number one(of two) for the L34 was Peter Brock and Brian Sampson's victory in the 1975 Hardie-Ferodo 1000.Brock who had left the HDT at the end of 1974 for the privateer Gown-Hindhaugh team,led home three other Toranas.

Centre of Panorama drama
The L34 was involved in the most dramatic Bathurst 1000 finish in the races history to that point-Bobby Morris's teary 76 win.The Ron Hodgson racing driver watched international co-driver John Fitzpatrick nurse home his smokey Torana as the HDT car of Bond threatened to steal the win.

Those myths
What's a classic Australian muscle car without a myriad myths and legends surrounding it?For example the early styling mock-ups with XU-2 decals on them served to fuel four decades of speculation(and just plain pub bull****) of a stillborn successor to the XU-1.XU-2 was originally a Bedford issue code recalled by Holden and not used.

X marks the spot
Or does it? It's long been reported that the letter'X' is cast above the '308' on the side of the block and at the rear above the oil-pan flange.X blocks were cast on may 10 1974 and were carryovers from Redco's F5000 work.These 'X' blocks appear to have found their way into some L34's,but very few L34's have the 'X' block.

Extensive engine mods
The sheer number of mods to the standard 308ci engine.These included mods to the cylinder bloch itself,the cylinder heads,crankshaft,con-rods,pistons,camshaft,carburettor,inlet manifold,fuel system,lube system,ignition system,cooling system and exhaust.

A link back to sir Jack
The upgraded L34 engine tapped the expertise of Repco engine developments Ltd(Redco) had developed from it's racing conquests,including Sir Jack Brabham's 1966 world championship winning F1 V8s,just eight years prior. Redco also produced the superb Repco-Holden formula 5000 engines which were based on the same Aussie-designed and built V8 used in the LH.Ski boat engine development was also part of Redco's skill base.

Holden's 'HO'
The 'HO' wasn't confined to Ford,with Holden's GMP&A(General motors parts and accessories) offering a 'High output" competition only kit for privateers racing the L34. The HO kit included a Holley 780cfm four-barrel carb competition mechanical camshaft,competition valve-train kit,a set of special pushrods a revised crankcase ventilator hose and remote oil cooler.Very few complete kits were sold,with many of the privateer teams having their own engine development programs.

Wider wheels and tyres
The 14x6 JJ steel five-spoke 'Rally' wheels of the L34 gave it a front and rear track width almost 3inch wider than the standard SL/R.

Bigger brakes
The L34 option included the bigger brakes that were shared with the mighty HQ.

The CAMS licence rumour
Applications to purchase a new L34 through a Holden dealer reportedly had to be referred to a GM-H zone manager.And it was widely rumoured at the time that dealers agreed that only buyers in possession of a current CAMS licence would be sold a car.In reality the age-old principle of it's not what you know it's who you know applied.Dealers mostly sold cars to customers already known to them.Some L34s were still on the showroom floor well into 1975.

They're rare
Of the 263 L34s built,Torana contacts estimate that just 30-40 unmolested L34s live today.These are matching numbers cars with the same engine,gearbox and diff with which they left the factory 40 years ago.When you add cars that were heavily modified but have since been returned to factory spec-including rebodied examples with a question mark hanging over them-that number swells to 80-90.That means upwards of 150 L34s have gone to god.

Bang for your buck
The L34 was simply good value for money for the performance it offered.It sold for $6609 in 1974,the equivalent of $50,000 in today's money.Compare that to the entry level HSV model,the VF Clubsport,which sells for $60,990 and the top of the line GTS at $92,990.

I know this has been a very long post,but i think the Torana is a special car that deserves a special place in Australian motoring history.:)

[BMKal]

Torana .................. a Vauxhall Viva with a big engine shoehorned into it. :p

[CraigE]

Torana .................. a Vauxhall Viva with a big engine shoehorned into it. :p

What you mean in comparison to Australian designed Fords, like the XA Falcon/Torino and American Falcons?:D:D:D:D:p:p:p:p Have not seen a Vauxhall that looks like a LH or LX agree with HB, JC and LJ. The LH was very loosely based on a Vauxhal Victor and I say very Loosely. A couple of similar panels, but completely different interior, front end, rear end, drive train and engines. The LX Hatchback has some very minor similarities with the Vauxhall Cavalier, but not many. The closest I can find is a coupe, the Vauxhall hatchback was a completely different car. About all I can find on it that looks similar are the doors, but my understanding is nothing is interchangeable at all. Shame as may have been a good source for parts. The Chevy Monza is probably the the closest design I have seen to the hatch back Torana and possibly a design was influenced by this as well.

I think both Ford and Holden were guilty in the 60's and 70's of leading people to believe these cars were fully designed in Australia, which technically is true even though the designers heavily borrowed from parent company cars and did some mix an matching.
The funny thing is one of Holdens most retarded cars, the Camira which was the Torana replacement had body and panels exported to Europe and put together as Vauxhalls and Opels.

[460cixy]

Holden brought back that legendary L34 with the ls1 the forged pistons in the l34 on cold start were great knock knock knock just like the first ls1 a little bit of history repeating :D

[PAT303]

The golden era of motor sport,the cars raced on sunday could be bought on monday. Pat

[2stroke]

The wife's been driving a '74 LH since '94, half of its life come to think of it. For a while I tried to get her into something more modern but she loves it. Gave it a rebuild back in '99 to 2000, and it's getting due for paint and panel again. It's no SLR, with a 173 and auto, LPG only for the last 5 or so years.

[BMKal]

The golden era of motor sport,the cars raced on sunday could be bought on monday. Pat

Have to agree with that. In those days, Aussie car racing (especially Bathurst) was interesting. These days .................... :zzz::zzz::zzz:

The touring car championships is much more interesting to watch. ;)

Now that we're starting to see a couple more brand names get involved though, there's hope. Wonder what it will look like when Holden and Ford have packed up shop .................... hope it doesn't end up going like yank car racing.

[Redback]

Really? Obviously you have never owned one or driven one properly.:p:o:wasntme: I have a 76 LX SS, My brother had a 74 LH SLR 4.2 x 2 and my old man had a 74 LH SLR 5000 and have driven both LH and LX A9Xs in 4 door and 2 door and even a LX with a 454 of a good friends that beat a XYGTHO by 4 plus car lengths first time I drove the car.
They handled way better than XY, XW, XA, XB, XC Falcons not to mention I was never beaten on the 1/4 mile by a standard XA-XC Falcon V8 including 351 GTs and beat numerous in my brothers SLR and beat several XY and XW 351s. Not saying the Falcons were a bad car but to say an A9X did not handle very well is a big call,:o especially if being compared to a poor handling and braking Falcon.:twisted: And really a Marina, you must have much better stuff to smoke than we can get,:o the Marina :eek::eek: was on of the biggest Lemons ever.:cool:
The Falcons handled terribly :p and yes I have driven the following hard to compare XY 351 in GS, GT and GTHO, XW GT and GS 351 and 302, XA in GT and Coupe plus GS, XB and XC 302 and 351 Plus XDs XEs and XFs. They could go allright in a straight line but handled like a 70s International ACCO truck. They also wheel spun badly and often was the main reason my little LX SS beat then as I was gone.
The A9X was released in 77 and most teams did not have them until 78 and i forget the placing in 78 79 :p, prior to that an L34 option was available so not sure you are talking about the 74 LH Torana referenced. The 74 Bathurst SLR 5000 and SLR 5000 L34 race cars were underpowerd and that is well known. 74 though technically 75 MY saw the L34 come out, though some seem to have been made available from 07/74, the ones in 74 were thrown together and were a very fragile engine, No A9X in 74. 75 Brock and Sampson won in a privateer L34. 75 was officially the release of the L34 with some appearing around 07/74 but were mostly adhoc vehicles with no real testing.
Maybe you should ask Allan Moffatt how well the A9X handled when he switched in 79.
This is not intended to start a Ford vs Holden debate at all as both have their merits. That aside I am a through and through Torana lover.
All this talk has got me keen to get mine restored, when I get a new job maybe, unless anyone wants to donate around $30k to my restoration fund.:angel::angel:

Yes I have driven one, an A9X in fact, horrible car IMHO, for comfort and pure pleasure(for the day) to drive was the Falcon and the GTS Monaro, yes the A9X was fast, but wasn't talking about that, I've been in and driven a lot of the fast cars of the 70s, went to Bathurst in 74 with some mates, me I went as a passenger that year because I had a bike at the time, so went up in a GTS Monaro, and back in a GTHO Falcon and drove both for a while to and from, so yes I can say those two cars drove better and were more comfotable than the A9X in my opinion:p

Now the LJ Torana, that was a fun car to drive, only drove the GTR though, also the Mini Cooper, R/T Charger:clap2:

As for the Marena, I don't remember saying anything good about it, I said it was the funniest part of that race, it was quite hilarious watching it go around the track, the crowd erupted with laughter ever time it came round, especially when it was raining:Rolling:

Colin Bond was just amazing to watch, in the wet he was extraordinary, an absolute pleasure to watch coming down through the esses in the wet.

Baz.

[Pickles2]

Torana is a legend, on & off the track in Aus.
I bought a 13000K A9X Sedan for $12995 in about 1984, sold it a year or so later for the same money.
Also bought an LH3300 Torana as my son's first car,....took it to my friend, HDT "Guru", Ian Tate, who did some headwork, exhaust & a 350 Holley, which totally transformed the car.
Toranas?....Love ém.
Pickles.

[rick130]

My dream car was and still is the A9X hatch back.

Call me a westie/bogan if you will.....

[rick130]

I remember the old motor scribe Bill Tuckey describing the A9X as one of the great GT cars of the era.
He said you just needed to bend the top of window frames in to reduce the wind noise and they would cruise all day at 200km/h with the 2.6:1 diff.

[boa]

A good driver can drive a bad car well but a great car even better. Some people are only able to drive one type of car. They cannot adapt to different settings.
Bond was one of the drivers who could adapt. But to drive different settings and cars you never get 100% it is a compromise.

[CraigE]

Hey Baz,
I would say the opposite, my Torana handles better than a lot of newer more advanced cars and definitely much better than a GY Falcon. More comfortable as well. The GT with those crappy low back seats, plenty of power and great for a straight line, different story if you wanted to stop or turn quickly. But hey thats my opinion as well.:D

Yes I have driven one, an A9X in fact, horrible car IMHO, for comfort and pure pleasure(for the day) to drive was the Falcon and the GTS Monaro, yes the A9X was fast, but wasn't talking about that, I've been in and driven a lot of the fast cars of the 70s, went to Bathurst in 74 with some mates, me I went as a passenger that year because I had a bike at the time, so went up in a GTS Monaro, and back in a GTHO Falcon and drove both for a while to and from, so yes I can say those two cars drove better and were more comfotable than the A9X in my opinion:p

Now the LJ Torana, that was a fun car to drive, only drove the GTR though, also the Mini Cooper, R/T Charger:clap2:

As for the Marena, I don't remember saying anything good about it, I said it was the funniest part of that race, it was quite hilarious watching it go around the track, the crowd erupted with laughter ever time it came round, especially when it was raining:Rolling:

Colin Bond was just amazing to watch, in the wet he was extraordinary, an absolute pleasure to watch coming down through the esses in the wet.

Baz.

[disco man]

Just a few more things for the very impressive list.

What goes round...
...looks a lot better.We're referring to the L34's 7in diameter round headlight inserts that replaced the standard square ones on the SL/R 5000.

Those colours
L34's were produced in the following mostly attention-grabbing,Holden colours; Aquamarine,Covert(dull metallic grey),Gunmetal,Burgundy,Azure blue(mid blue),Glacier white,Orchid(lilac),Cognac(golden brown),Monterey green(bottle),Chrome yellow,Autumn gold,Willow(grey/silver),Sunburst(Gold with a hint of green),Sable(silver),Saffron(Orangey-gold),Barbados,Salamanca red. In addition to the standard Holden range of colours at the time,at least two tuxedo black L34's were built and as many five special order Sebring orange examples went to Bob Jane's southern motors.

Anyone for golf?
The vast majority of L34's had black trim with 'Dark Ash Sadlon' vinyl inserts-what widely became known as the golf ball-pattern.A couple of odd ball interior combos also slipped through.

It's the little things.
The L34 features a raft of subtle modifications that set it apart from other Toranas. For example the accelerator pedal has a different pivot point,so with less pedal travel the driver gets more response.In other words,it's designed to be driven on the throttle.

Occasional finds.
The last 'Numbers matching car'in original condition that turned up out of the blue-i,e.previously unknown to Torana club record keepers-did so two years ago.It was owned by the family of a former Holden dealer who had put it away many moons ago.And the previous 'find'was three years prior.Which means another is just about due to be discovered...

A driver's car.
As one Torana fan told us,"As an enthusiast,there's nothing more pleasing than driving one. You've got to take control to get the most out of them,at which point they became very rewarding.With the noise it makes and it's willingness to rev,you do feel like your driving a racing car more so than behind the wheel of the XU-1 and A9X. The A9X feels more refined.The suspension didn't progress markedly to the A9X."

A fabled development mule.
What was learned from the L34 program was built upon for the A9X. A left-field example was a stream lining of production line processes to help the race teams.It started when Bob Forbes/Wayne Negus L34 was rushed down the assembly line at the Dandenong production facility so the team could make the start line at Bathurst. The manner in which it was fast tracked made production line chiefs realise the plant could do more for race teams,prompting the famed production line process that was adopted for the famed A9X of 1977.

Stealth-like introduction.
Because the L34 arrived just two years after the supercar scare it was never advertised and showroom cars were often not fitted with all the go-faster gear.Of course,stealth-like introductions-and Holden's furphy that engine mods didn't increase horsepower-served only to create desire and mystique among enthusiasts.

Media snub
The SL/R 5000 L34 received less magazine and newspaper coverage upon it's launch than you might expect.One reason was because most publications couldn't get their hands on 'works burger' L34's to test and photograph.The Adelaide Advertiser overcame the lack of press/fleet L34's by driving a privately-owned car with all the fruit.Motoring journalist Stuart Innes'Bonnetful of Fury'report began with the words "astonishing performance". "Using the middle of the four speed box a kick on the accelerator would send the car rocketing ahead. "A squirt down the drag strip at AIR stopped the clocks at an amazing 14 seconds for a standing-start 400 metres. "That is a very quick-quicker than times recorded for such fast movers as the Porsche 911 Carrera and 1.8 secs faster than the XB GT Falcon.The standard SL/R 5000 took 15.9." Innes summed up with "The L34 Torana V8 is a very powerful and very fast car having more than is needed for road use.But it has no bad temperaments,is quite usable in city driving and has good handling and brakes."

I think that pretty well sums things up:D

[mick88]

My wife had an LC with the red 138 (2250) engine. Only a small motor but it went well in the little Torana.


Torana means "To Fly" in Aboriginal I once read!


My wife's uncle still has a G-Pak he purchased in 1975 and it is still a daily driver. Another one owner in the family is a HQ 350 Monaro four door.


Cheers, Mick.

[disco man]

My wife had an LC with the red 138 (2250) engine. Only a small motor but it went well in the little Torana.


Torana means "To Fly" in Aboriginal I once read!


My wife's uncle still has a G-Pak he purchased in 1975 and it is still a daily driver. Another one owner in the family is a HQ 350 Monaro four door.


Cheers, Mick.

Gotta love the HQ:)

[Welby]

As Craig says, a Torana can be made to handle very well with some of GM's part's bin modifications.

The L34 claim to fame was that magnificent engine, understandably misunderstood in its early days, but good enough for many race wins against fords far bigger 351.

The A9X claim to fame is shared between the bigger 1 tonner axle with discs and the new Radial Tuned Suspension.

any torana can be easily updated with later model suspension parts and revised geometry. The difference that makes is really astounding.

There are plenty of Torana club racing cars keeping pace with more modern machinery or certainly more favoured cars.

As silly as it sounds, most people would scoff at the old Torry going door to door with a 911 Porsche, but it happens in classic targa racing all the time.`

Happy 40th Birthday L34 :burnrubber:

[rick130]

The really big difference on the A9X was bigger rear wheel wells/tubs (it used the later UC floorpan) to fit better/bigger racing rubber, as well as HJ/Z front brakes and 14" rims.

As Mick said, the geometry revisions were relatively easy to do.

The racing A9X also used a watts link instead of relying on the standard angled 4 link for lateral axle location.

[4x4 MORE]

Disco Man..thanks very much for that inforemantibve post..

A Holden Legend like the LH Torana deserves lots of respect!:)

I have a Yellow HOLDEN LH TORANA L34 SLR 5000 SEDAN in 1:43 scale model

They looks sooo tough! love them!:):)

[disco man]

Disco Man..thanks very much for that inforemantibve post..

A Holden Legend like the LH Torana deserves lots of respect!:)

I have a Yellow HOLDEN LH TORANA L34 SLR 5000 SEDAN in 1:43 scale model

They looks sooo tough! love them!:):)

No problems mate,i found a couple of articles and thought maybe some people on the forum might get some enjoyment from them.And yeah i agree they deserve respect and a mention.

[p38brickus]

Thanks Disco Man for posting, it brings back memories of my youth.
I owned 4 XU-1's.
The first one was a Yellow Dolly LC. It was second hand but not very old. It was before the LJ came out. I went to Mallala races one day and there was a dark blue racing Torana there with flared guards. I loved it so I had mine done. I had 8 X 13's with a decent offset and 195 x 13 tyres stretched over the rims. It looked hot. The rims were 3 piece specially made by Pfitzner Engineering. The carbies were replaced with triple Webers at one stage, they sounded good fluttering away but were buggers to keep in tune. Went to Bathurst with my then girlfriend in 1972 when Brocky won. (or was it 73?) After the race the car was treated like royalty, people stopping traffic so we could get out of the car park and as we drove down the track, people were waving and calling out "Torana" with thumbs up. We stopped for fuel somewhere and there were lots of cars there having been to Bathurst. One lad was looking around the cars and pointing at them in turn. He said, "I passed that one, I passed that one, I passed that one." but then he looked at the Torana and said "But I couldn't pass that one." I don't remember what he was driving. My girlfriend said she opened the door and was going to step out and almost stood on a guy's head! He was checking out the underside of the car! I put a 308 V8 in that car. It wasn't much of a sleeper because it looked tough standing still.
One day I was in Adelaide and I went past the Holden dealer down near the markets. In the showroom was a red (tangerine or mandarin, can't remember the difference) LJ XU-1. It was second hand.....It was beautiful, I had to have it! I put 7 X 13 deep dished Magnum mags on it and drove it til the flywheel bolts came loose (common fault I believe). Engine out, V8 in. It had a 2" single exhaust and looked stock. It had a 3.55 diff. It was quick but had no top end speed. I dragged a 750 Kawasaki 3 cylinder bike one night at the lights, he couldn't believe it! I took the front swaybar off and fitted one to the rear. It handled like a go-cart, nothing could get near it yet it was easy to drive.
We put the LJ engine in my mate's LC GTR, the GTR engine in my yellow LC and I then sold it.
I had a white LJ with the Globe mags and more bog in the back quarter than in a crash shop and an ugly metallic green LJ too. Both had original JP engines, but were not special like the first two.
In 1974 we were all trying to find out as much info of this enigma L34 as we could. Information was very scarce. I bought a yellow one from Colleton Motors down at Reynella, drove it 200 meters to my mate's tyre business and fitted 8 X 14 deep dished Magnums. I kept the original wheels as well. That engine was scary on the over-run until you got used to it. Engines in those days shouldn't sound like that, not brand new anyway. I remember the engine number on that car was HZ13000. I had the front and rear bumpers dechromed and powder-coated flat black. I also fitted Ford GT triangular scoops on the bonnet, this was considered sacrilege in those days. I was hassled by a certain Police Sergeant about the width of the wheels for some time and eventually put the standard rims back on it.
Then came the A9X and I had to have one of those as well. I had an order in for a GTR-X at some time too but of course they never happened unfortunately. There was a Holden dealer in Melbourne sprouting that they had contacts with HRT and were fitting the flares etc to the A9X so they would get the first of them......I fell for the BS. I drove to Melbourne in the L34 but they wouldn't give me anywhere near enough for it and the waiting list for the A9X was smoke and mirrors stuff. I remember it was a long weekend and we went for a drive on the Monday and happened to pass Bill Patterson's at Ringwood. There in all it's glory was an A9X hatchback, funny but I can't remember the colour. I couldn't wait to ring them quickly enough on the Tuesday morning. I spoke to Ray Biffen (he was a Melbourne footballer at the time). He said THEY were doing the flares, electric fans etc on the A9X's not the other mob because of their contacts with HRT and Brocky. He was honest, he said he couldn't give me enough for the L34 but if I wanted to place an order, he'd hold one for me. They had orange and a Tangarine or Mandarin hatchback(again I can't remember the colour between the XU-1 and A9X colours). I said to Ray to "scratch my name on the red one!" I went home to Adelaide, promptly sold the L34 to a car dealer on Port Road for good money. Funnily he wanted bigger wheels for it so I sold him the Magnums as well. I rang Ray Biffen, he said did I want to fly to Melbourne and drive it home or put it on a truck. Silly question! They paid for me to fly over, had a 3 day permit organised and I drove it home with lipstick on my earlobes (the 70's version of a permagrin) I had the rims widened to 8" with Pirelli CN36's, just the outer rim was chromed so they looked standard. The old sergeant never noticed and left me alone. That car had a 2.6 diff. I towed a ski-boat at the time and it was very difficult to pull out of a boat ramp with the boat on, mega clutch slip. It did have other advantages though. One day we were going up to Walker's Flat skiing. My mate had a HQ Statesman and was towing the boat. His girlfriend was driving. I came off of Cook's Hill and saw a glint in the distance, I knew it was them. I put the pedal to the metal, pulled out to pass them about a km before I reached them and went past them with the speedo needle off the gauge. My mate was turning around at the time talking to someone in the right rear seat. He said he saw a red flash and by the time his head whipped back to the front he couldn't tell what it was that went passed........but he knew it was me. Because I had difficulty on the boat ramps, I sold the car and bought........wait for it.........a Datsun 260Z! Silly you say, but not as silly as my mate who sold his Phase 3 for one of those EL GT's. OUCH!!
Sorry about my ramblings but I loved my Toranas at the time. A young lady said to me at the time "What makes a car great?", I said, "If it goes handles and stops, it's great." Now if you asked me I'd say "Auto, air and power steering." Agh, the tyranny of old age!

[disco man]

Thanks Disco Man for posting, it brings back memories of my youth.
I owned 4 XU-1's.
The first one was a Yellow Dolly LC. It was second hand but not very old. It was before the LJ came out. I went to Mallala races one day and there was a dark blue racing Torana there with flared guards. I loved it so I had mine done. I had 8 X 13's with a decent offset and 195 x 13 tyres stretched over the rims. It looked hot. The rims were 3 piece specially made by Pfitzner Engineering. The carbies were replaced with triple Webers at one stage, they sounded good fluttering away but were buggers to keep in tune. Went to Bathurst with my then girlfriend in 1972 when Brocky won. (or was it 73?) After the race the car was treated like royalty, people stopping traffic so we could get out of the car park and as we drove down the track, people were waving and calling out "Torana" with thumbs up. We stopped for fuel somewhere and there were lots of cars there having been to Bathurst. One lad was looking around the cars and pointing at them in turn. He said, "I passed that one, I passed that one, I passed that one." but then he looked at the Torana and said "But I couldn't pass that one." I don't remember what he was driving. My girlfriend said she opened the door and was going to step out and almost stood on a guy's head! He was checking out the underside of the car! I put a 308 V8 in that car. It wasn't much of a sleeper because it looked tough standing still.
One day I was in Adelaide and I went past the Holden dealer down near the markets. In the showroom was a red (tangerine or mandarin, can't remember the difference) LJ XU-1. It was second hand.....It was beautiful, I had to have it! I put 7 X 13 deep dished Magnum mags on it and drove it til the flywheel bolts came loose (common fault I believe). Engine out, V8 in. It had a 2" single exhaust and looked stock. It had a 3.55 diff. It was quick but had no top end speed. I dragged a 750 Kawasaki 3 cylinder bike one night at the lights, he couldn't believe it! I took the front swaybar off and fitted one to the rear. It handled like a go-cart, nothing could get near it yet it was easy to drive.
We put the LJ engine in my mate's LC GTR, the GTR engine in my yellow LC and I then sold it.
I had a white LJ with the Globe mags and more bog in the back quarter than in a crash shop and an ugly metallic green LJ too. Both had original JP engines, but were not special like the first two.
In 1974 we were all trying to find out as much info of this enigma L34 as we could. Information was very scarce. I bought a yellow one from Colleton Motors down at Reynella, drove it 200 meters to my mate's tyre business and fitted 8 X 14 deep dished Magnums. I kept the original wheels as well. That engine was scary on the over-run until you got used to it. Engines in those days shouldn't sound like that, not brand new anyway. I remember the engine number on that car was HZ13000. I had the front and rear bumpers dechromed and powder-coated flat black. I also fitted Ford GT triangular scoops on the bonnet, this was considered sacrilege in those days. I was hassled by a certain Police Sergeant about the width of the wheels for some time and eventually put the standard rims back on it.
Then came the A9X and I had to have one of those as well. I had an order in for a GTR-X at some time too but of course they never happened unfortunately. There was a Holden dealer in Melbourne sprouting that they had contacts with HRT and were fitting the flares etc to the A9X so they would get the first of them......I fell for the BS. I drove to Melbourne in the L34 but they wouldn't give me anywhere near enough for it and the waiting list for the A9X was smoke and mirrors stuff. I remember it was a long weekend and we went for a drive on the Monday and happened to pass Bill Patterson's at Ringwood. There in all it's glory was an A9X hatchback, funny but I can't remember the colour. I couldn't wait to ring them quickly enough on the Tuesday morning. I spoke to Ray Biffen (he was a Melbourne footballer at the time). He said THEY were doing the flares, electric fans etc on the A9X's not the other mob because of their contacts with HRT and Brocky. He was honest, he said he couldn't give me enough for the L34 but if I wanted to place an order, he'd hold one for me. They had orange and a Tangarine or Mandarin hatchback(again I can't remember the colour between the XU-1 and A9X colours). I said to Ray to "scratch my name on the red one!" I went home to Adelaide, promptly sold the L34 to a car dealer on Port Road for good money. Funnily he wanted bigger wheels for it so I sold him the Magnums as well. I rang Ray Biffen, he said did I want to fly to Melbourne and drive it home or put it on a truck. Silly question! They paid for me to fly over, had a 3 day permit organised and I drove it home with lipstick on my earlobes (the 70's version of a permagrin) I had the rims widened to 8" with Pirelli CN36's, just the outer rim was chromed so they looked standard. The old sergeant never noticed and left me alone. That car had a 2.6 diff. I towed a ski-boat at the time and it was very difficult to pull out of a boat ramp with the boat on, mega clutch slip. It did have other advantages though. One day we were going up to Walker's Flat skiing. My mate had a HQ Statesman and was towing the boat. His girlfriend was driving. I came off of Cook's Hill and saw a glint in the distance, I knew it was them. I put the pedal to the metal, pulled out to pass them about a km before I reached them and went past them with the speedo needle off the gauge. My mate was turning around at the time talking to someone in the right rear seat. He said he saw a red flash and by the time his head whipped back to the front he couldn't tell what it was that went passed........but he knew it was me. Because I had difficulty on the boat ramps, I sold the car and bought........wait for it.........a Datsun 260Z! Silly you say, but not as silly as my mate who sold his Phase 3 for one of those EL GT's. OUCH!!
Sorry about my ramblings but I loved my Toranas at the time. A young lady said to me at the time "What makes a car great?", I said, "If it goes handles and stops, it's great." Now if you asked me I'd say "Auto, air and power steering." Agh, the tyranny of old age!

Awesome story mate,thank you for sharing.:)

[p38brickus]

Just browsing old threads and came across this one.
Funny (or not funny really :( ) but when I split with my ex many years ago I threw all my car, travel and water skiing photos away. What a dill. A mate came to see me earlier this year and had a memory stick with some of my cars on it. I treasure those few memories now. This is a photo of my L34 on his front lawn at Flagstaff Hill in Adelaide when it was fairly new.

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