1976 Holden Monaro Caprice Special Order

[@area51isreal71]

I saw a pic of one in Unique Cars magazine once but it was a fair dinkum one off build from GMH. It had the HJ two door body but it was virtually a two door Caprice. The Caprice front on it was only the start. It had the Caprice dash (not a GTS one), Caprice wheel trims and a vinyl roof over a bronze coloured body and Caprice badging on the boot lid. The rear end had a black strip running above the bumper like the HJ Premier sedan did but obviously without the Premier name. Apparently it was built for GMH stylist Leo Pruneau as his personal car but it also served as a study to see if such a car would sell. Large two door cars with the exception of the Chrysler Charger were in freefall by that stage so it would probably never have seen the light of day. I wonder if that one off beauty is still around these days.

[@robertsomerville5377]

This looks like it was a trial run of the LE Monaro, just without the polycast wheels & purple paint. I know that the LE was a HX, but it was only months after this car was made.

[@danielbrealey2924]

This is one of 3 built... This is a Yankee's idea of what the Monaro should be...

[@gregstuart9783]

HQ rear bumper tail lights too, I think!?

[@outdoors5352]

How much did it go for?

[@trevoranderson4404]

I work at GMH.. 1969 / 1985 never seen one ??

[@MalloryBlack]

I remember changing number 8 spark plugs on these with the factory air was a pain hahah

[@boss351gt6]

Seems like holden was trying out a lux coupe before they released the LE

[@colinmiles9390]

I would love to pick up a fine car like this, would be a pleasure to restore and own

[@Bellett64]

So is this one of the three Wilson Monaros that were created by GM stylist Leo Pruneau for the Australian-based, US-born head of the Asia Pacific region, Mr Max Wilson?

[@JosephCowen-fz8vj]

They were later LE Monaros , the literature I read that was in Aussie car magazines in very late 1970s was the GM President was going back to the US and wanted to take an LE Monaro back with him , as the top of the line LE Monaro,s ran the Australian only 308ci 5.0 litre V8 and Turbo 400 Trans he couldn't take that engine to the US as parts are not available back then in the US for that motor , he realised the 403 ci 6.6 litre Olds Small Block and Turbo 400 were a perfect fit , almost bolt in replacement , the LE Monaro already shared the Honeycomb Pontiac wheels off the same year Trans Am that also came with the 6.6 litre 403 Olds so it was a obvious good mismatch of GM parts . So somewhere in the US is at least one 403 Oldsmobile powered Australian LE Monaro ! Factory fitted with an Olds 403 on the compliance plate. That's a rare Monaro and only Monaro to get a 400+ ci factory V8.

[@tonydoggett7627]

Still got the washer pump on the wiper motor!

[@Ticonderous1]

I once saw a WB Caprice coupe ..the guy said it was a special order for an executive at Holden..had a FullbWB Caprice front and also rear tail lights and bumper and full Caprice interior ..very nice unique car ...would love to know what happened to it .....

[@dstewartten]

There was a guy that was in the Monaro car club back in 1989 when I was in , he had a converted hq Monaro with a wb caprice front end caprice rear conversion with the dash assy looked like it was from factory

[@Ticonderous1]

@@dstewarttendamn brother could be the same car ..was it white ??

[@dstewartten]

@@Ticonderous1 gee I can’t remember

[@gogogeedus]

there was a pastel yellow one up at Mt Isa back in the eighties that had HX HZ taillights, and no taillights in the bumper, looked pretty coll. @@dstewartten

[@boss-cd4mt]

It's amazing what you can do with some spare parts

[@catey62]

I know what he meant when he said about the A/C compressors draining a lot of power..I used to have a HQ van back in the 80's with factory A/C, and a 202 6 cylinder..when you turned it on the car slowed down and you could watch the fuel gauge drop as well...lol.

[@1953beetle]

The VC Comodore with the Starfire 4 cylinder (big mistake).Knew a bloke who had one (auto),drove it sedately,and was thirsty as

[@catey62]

@@1953beetle Lol, used to have a 253 HG Kingswood before my HQ van, and a guy I worked with had a Torana Sunbird with the Starfire 4 as well and I could get better economy than him. they were the worst motor Holden ever came up with in my opinion.

[@1953beetle]

@@catey62 To true about the Starfire 4.I also had a 253 (high compression) HQ,best car i had.I wish i had never sold it (fell on hard times and needed the money).

[@BatMan-xr8gg]

202? Chook chaser motor. But I do know what you mean. I had the 5ltr HZ Sandman Van and when I turned the AC on, it was like driving a 6 cyl. Though I do wish I still had it.

[@catey62]

@@BatMan-xr8gg Lol, funny you should say that, I was actually working at a chicken farm when I bought it too. it was a very reliable motor, I just found it a bit thirsty in general. pity you dont still have your Sandman, a friend of mine still has his 253 4 speed HZ Sandman that he bought back in 1982.

[@lordhumungous7908]

It's like Holden's version of the Ford Landau.

[@danielbrealey2924]

It really is!!! I think we're aging ourselves a bit here. I suspect most these days wouldn't know what a Landau is!!!

[@OrnumCR]

I do…my uncle had one and we drove Brisbane-Perth in it across the Nullarbor with an LTD of the same model and a Datsun 200B. They discovered the Titanic while we were around Broken Hill…The date…September 1, 1985…Great memory…

[@lordhumungous7908]

@@danielbrealey2924 I remember back in 1997 when I got my Landau some Ford guys had never heard of them.

[@Mercmad]

My Dad was looking at buying a new Landau back in the 70's but the green metallic paint,white vinyl top and off white seats were a bit much. It was the only one I saw for years until a customer rolled up in one . His was minus the vinyl top and looked quite good,it lives in the US these days. As for putting a caprice front on,it's more than just bolting on a nose etc. The way i used to see it done, especially on One tonners ,was to cut the whole cowl section out of the car and use the entire front clip from the Caprice. No wonder Caprices are so uncommon these days.

[@lordhumungous7908]

@@Mercmad I would have thought that you could order what paint, roof and trim colour you wanted on a new Landau. Is the cowl section different on a Caprice and One Tonners? Were they HQ based up until the WB?

[@lostfound2158]

had a friend who had hj monaro he hated the rear end so he got a hj sedan rear bumper and boot l;id and had a panelbeater cut in the hj tail lights

[@jimclarke1108]

news to me)), still a great car

[@Hitman-ds1ei]

This seems very similar to Export Caprice Couoe I seen in South Africa

[@peterhoulis1184]

These were a common thing changing front ends

[@383GARAGE]

The brake booster you referenced is just a std item not a dual diaphragm one 😳

[@dustyfarmer]

Got a replacement PBR master cylinder on it too. The cast iron big nut master cylinder with date & shift code has gone to the tip long ago.

[@doddu]

stereo looks after market?

[@trevoranderson4404]

Never heard of them,,,,,

[@danfletch7645]

Is this a joke ? Its a GTS with some nice options, someone has added the Caprice front, Not a Caprice monaro at all!

[@garryibbetson9912]

YES GMH DID

[@danflynn7397]

@@garryibbetson9912 Yes but this is not one of them. The Wilson Monaro's were not built from GTS's. This one is tagged as a GTS and has all GTS options.

[@garryibbetson9912]

@@danflynn7397 Its factory G.T.S with Caprice front I have The same coupe HJ 76 LS

[@thebob3712]

@@garryibbetson9912 he says it at the end, it was ordered with all the options on it, I don't think holden manufactured them like that but someone wanted to change a few things around to suit what they liked

[@nowhereman7813]

My old man had an HQ statesman optioned with bench seat column change auto and wind up windows. It was a pallbearers car from a funeral home

[@roytrudgian4786]

Theirs a lot of tales out their. This is one of the many. There was never a statesman two door. Even thu its a DREAM.

[@jamescarney6894]

Houses in the photos looks like Brisbane.

[@fetusmccarlane9627]

Good old KZbin algorithms..

[@dazaspc]

An uncommon bus for sure. The seat pattern doesn't look familiar at all.Also Im sure that the HJ had red needles dash wise and not white. Also a Caprice would have a Caprice Dash not a GTS.

[@dustyfarmer]

Haven't seen red needles, just white on HJ & early HX and yellow needle on late HX & HZ.

[@philipbrown2514]

Still trying to track it down...

[@xagtly]

I had a 3 legged dog once. Me uncle has 3 gthos. I'll sell ya a cheap bridge in Sydney. Looks like a coathanger. My LJ XU1 came factory fitted with the L34 308 in it. Truly. I'll leave this til last. The 3 XAGTs built at Ford Campbellfield are not HO Phase 4s. Grays said it's a caprice so it must be!.😎

[@williamross4440]

Purchase dual sale afar?

[@3_too_won]

With air conditioning you would be lucky to get 8 miles to the gallon it helped to suck more juice.

[@brettpowter6010]

I had a hq statesman deville adr27 308 auto thst did 22 mpg on a trip asong as u didnt open the secondarys on the carby they were not as hard on fuel as people thoght when tuned properly and driven not thrashed

[@catey62]

Especially if it was like my HQ van I had with the factory air,and a 202 6 cylinder. you had to put your foot down so much more to maintain speed the fuel economy became non existent.

[@railtrolley]

@@brettpowter6010 I had one as well. 1973 pre-ADR. Trimatic behind the 308. The engine bay on the video Monaro is almost identical to the HQ Statesman. Air cleaner slightly different. And the oil filler cap. I should have never sold it.

[@cansee8637]

Is this a hq with statesmen front end on it

[@victor22366]

no the windscreen cowl was different and the dash

[@JosephCowen-fz8vj]

HQ Statesman is Different front with a bar in the middle , that's HQ premiere!

[@cccc-ru9ex]

Wash it at least, give it a good detail, and watch it turn heads

[@billmago7991]

The Monaro ended up like the 70s Elvis....out of date and overweight....whereas the Torana was AC/DC....short fast loud

[@falseprofit4u]

Greys,,, shit online

[@kikurass322]

Get a remote mic you amateurs.

[@danielbrealey2924]

I know, huh! And from a company of this size- it's kind of not good enough

[@rods6405]

They have its in the middle of his shirt neck its just not being recorded but yeah amatures