1984 Opel Monza HDT 'Prototype' Coupe

Description

This unique piece of Australian motoring history is the only survivor of the stillborn Monza coupe project developed by Peter Brock’s legendary Holden Dealer Team, a glimpse of what might have been and a wonderfully collectible muscle car. According to conventional wisdom, Brock was inspired by his loan of an Opel Monza coupe whilst racing at Le Mans in 1981, finding the fastback Opel an altogether more sophisticated machine than its Commodore cousin. With disc brakes all round and fully independent rear suspension, Brock was quick to recognise the potential for enhancing the Monza’s performance with some Aussie grunt and a car was secured from Germany in October 1983 for the full HDT treatment. This included a 5-litre V8 to Group Three specification positioned further back in the chassis for better weight distribution (the bent eight actually proved lighter than the in-line six it replaced), a Borg-Warner T5G five-speed transmission, rack and pinion steering and a limited-slip diff. Bigger brakes and stiffer suspension completed the list of mechanical upgrades. The press heaped praise on the prototype, with Modern Motor describing the Monza as “the most exciting car to emerge from an Australian workshop in recent years”. With a projected price of around $45,000, the HDT Monza was certainly aimed at an exclusive market and production cars were slated to have a long list of standard luxury equipment. Despite the pleading of journalists and public alike, the HDT Monza remained a one-off due to time constraints and other projects, eventually passing into private hands.