Greg Wapling

During the relatively prosperous times of the 1960's many were becoming "2 Car Families". Holden identified an obvious gap in their model lineup, that of the smaller, cheap to buy, own and run economy car, and looked to their counterpart Vauxhall to source such a vehicle. The obvious advantages to the purchaser was the well established dealer network in place around the country, and the original HB model became an overnight success.

But the Torana would evolve into something quite special, the wonderful GTR's quickly gaining a cult following that remains to this day. Although the LC and LJ versions were based on the Vauxhall design, at the hands of the Holden engineers it was inevitable that a good old Aussie 6 would find its way under the bonnet, the Torana morphing into something quite different in the process. Although some iterations, namely the TA, would fill the "cheap and cheerful" market segment, others would become legend.

The name Torana is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning "To Fly", and at the hands of Peter Brock he would make the Torana do just that around Mount Panorama. XU-1 and A9X models would leave an indelible mark on the Australian motoring landscape, and remain prized possessions for those lucky enough to own one.