Thread: Holden LH SL/R Torana Turns 40.

Originally Posted by BMKal

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

What you mean in comparison to Australian designed Fords, like the XA Falcon/Torino and American Falcons? 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.

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

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

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.

Originally Posted by PAT303

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 ....................

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.

Originally Posted by CraigE

Really? Obviously you have never owned one or driven one properly. 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, especially if being compared to a poor handling and braking Falcon. And really a Marina, you must have much better stuff to smoke than we can get, the Marina was on of the biggest Lemons ever.
The Falcons handled terribly 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 , 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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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