The Monaro 'from HAL'

The project was instigated and designed by Paul Halstead, a veteran automotive enthusiast whose past endeavours include opening Sydney's exotic car outlet the Toy Shop, exporting Ford V8 engines to Italy, building Australia's fastest GT race car- a DeTomaso Pantera - and the 1986 mid-engined Giocattolo, Australia's fastest production car at the time. HAL's vision was to keep the much loved design of the 2005 Holden Monaro GTO but make it more radical. Powered by a 7- litre 427 Corvette engine, "The HAL Monaro is intended to be street legal", said Bob Roman. According to Paul Halstead, finding the right skills was not easy. "We searched far and wide for the expertise that would showcase Australian automotive ability. We found it in Wadding- ton's, a well known restoration team in Castlemaine, Victoria, but only after an exhaustive search.". Halstead says that project management and commitment to quality, as well as resourcing, was paramount to the success of the undertaking.

"This was not a cheap, quick fix solution. Only the best would do, and - having found it - we're delighted that it was Australian skills that made it happen." Every panel on the vehicle has been hand crafted from steel, with the roofline lowered by 50mm and the body widened by 300mm. The only non-steel piece of the bodywork is the carbon fibre aero diffuser at the rear. According to Bob Roman, "The attention to detail and commitment to quality is clear throughout the vehicle. The rear lights have been retained but with the glass re-shaped to fit the new body. The interior uses the finest quality leather and suede. There's a real sense of pride among the team". An integral part of the project was the automotive engineering expertise and contacts of Auto-Tek's Bob Roman. Auto-Tek have a long history of developing concept cars that have achieved the status automotive icons, including the Hilliers Ford Arrow two-door coupe, Raptor Gullwing Ute and the famous 'THE BEAST' Holden Ute, to name but a few.

Bob said "The future favours the brave, and we are proud to be part of a team at the cutting edge of automotive design, engineering, construction, manufacture and marketing. The expertise we build up on these concept vehicles is directly transferrable to our Original Equipment and Consumer products and services.". The HAL Monaro concept car represents a showcase for both company's diverse automotive expertise, and marks the occasion of the most recent Auto-Tek and Adaps alliance. Combining the skills of Auto-Tek and Adaps, the alliance is now providing Contract Personnel Services, project management - including on and off site containment and sub-assembly work, warehousing and logistics, engineering and quality services to the automotive industry.

So what next? Halstead and Roman say an innovative rear-midship concept vehicle is on track for the 2011 Melbourne International Motor Show."Watch this space," they say. "We're going to create something that's new for Australia and perhaps a world first."