Thread: Holden LH SL/R Torana Turns 40.

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.

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.

Originally Posted by 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.