HDT MONZA COUPE: AUSTRALIAN MOTORSHOW CONCEPT NO. 5

While a lot of concepts can claim they were inspired by the racetrack, not many can say they were inspired by the hire car that got you to the racetrack! Such was the case with the HDT Monza from 1984.

Peter Brock was enjoying good success with the HDT operation he started up with John Harvey and a small team in the early 1980s. Brock's racing career was still in top gear, and the Aussie icon was also trying his luck overseas at that time, too.

While in France to compete at the 1981 Le Mans 24-hour race, Brock procured, through his GM-H connections, an Opel to use as his daily driver. The model was a 'Monza', a coupe version of the Opel Senator sedan that had been available in both Europe and the UK. The Monza's stylish fastback body made an instant impression on Brock, and no doubt reminded him of the Monaro and Torana coupes with which he had enjoyed some of his greatest successes. Brock believed there was a market in Australia for a Monza coupe with the latest HDT engine and running gear, so in 1983 he sourced a charcoal grey Monza direct from Opel in Germany as the first of a planned small volume production run.

At HDT, the Opel's adequate, but heavy inline six cylinder engine was removed, replaced with an HDT-tweaked 5.0 litre V8 that was actually lighter than the six. Commodore front suspension, rack and pinion steering and many other features were added, but the Monza's independent rear suspension (one of the features that attracted Brock to the car in the first place) and all round disc brakes were retained. A GM 5 speed manual transmission and Chevy Corvette brake calipers were also fitted. The body was left untouched, with the exception of a VK-style grille in place of the original Opel item. From its arrival down under in October 1983, HDT had the Monza fitted out, although by no means finely tuned, and ready for Motor Shows by early 1984.

Reception at Melbourne was positive, with the Canberra Motor Show that followed generating more than half a dozen solid orders. Despite the good response the concept was receiving, the project stalled soon after. Endless red tape to make the Monza ADR compliant, and the need for HDT to focus on their regular business were cited as reasons for the project never progressing beyond the solitary prototype. The projected $45,000 price tag for the finished article, more than twice that of a fully-equipped HDT VH Gp3 Commodore, may have had something to do with it, too! Unfortunately, enthusiasts would have to wait another 15+ years before they could get their hands on a two-door Commodore, the solitary Monza being "the Monaro that almost was", or would have been, if Brocky's dreams were realised.

The Monza prototype remained in HDT's possession until NSW car dealer, Paul Wakeling, was offered the car by Brock himself in 1985. Wakeling bought the car, then spent more than two years trying to get it registered in NSW. Wakeling used it sparingly on the road, although its sub-7 second 0-100kph time came in handy when it served as a pace car in NSW circuit racing! Wakeling sold the Monza to its third owner in 2005, and it was on the market again in 2008, when it appeared in JUST CARS for $380,000. Amidst the worst of the GFC, this important vehicle failed to find a buyer then. The third owner still has the vehicle, and has recently added a period-correctset of very rare 'Centra' alloys, the same type it more when it graced the covers of most of the local motoring mags back in 1984. At last check, the Monza is still for sale - to the right buyer.

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