It’s difficult to keep a great idea
secret any more, even one on the other
side of the planet. Take, for example,
the Monaro. Built and sold by Holden in
Australia, the large coupé established a
loyal following among Antipodeans. Then
British buyers learnt of it and General
Motors, Holden’s American parent, seized
the opportunity.
With the steering wheel already on the
right there were few engineering issues
to delay its arrival, so with just a
change of badge from Holden to Vauxhall
(another member of the GM family) the
Monaro went on sale in Britain early
2004.
At the heart of the car’s appeal is its
huge V8 engine. Displacing 5.7 litres,
it’s the same basic unit you will find
in a Corvette. The first official UK
cars produced 328bhp and 347 lb ft of
torque, allowing the Monaro to reach
60mph from standstill in just 6sec and
power on to a top speed of around
160mph. In 2005 the standard car had its
power upped to 345bhp. A VXR model was
also launched in 2004 with the 5.7 litre
engine but within months it made way for
a 6 litre version. This boasted 398bhp,
enough to sprint from 0-60mph in just
5.4sec and reach 170mph.
But performance figures alone do not
explain the Monaro’s appeal. To
understand that you need to look at the
car in the metal. The first thing that
strikes you is its size. Although it is
most definitely a coupé, it’s more in
keeping with American muscle-car
dimensions and will comfortably
accommodate four large adults and their
luggage.
You will also be struck by the car’s
rather understated looks. Admittedly,
the rather gaudy air intakes and larger
alloys of the VXR model are somewhat in
your face but in the standard Monaro
trim the car looks only a little more
exciting than a Vauxhall Vectra. This
can be a hoot when other road users,
unfamiliar with the Monaro badge or
insensitive to its burbling exhaust
note, are left wondering just what it
was that left them for dead on the
motorway.
Slip behind the wheel of the Monaro and
the understated theme continues, the
alloy pedals doing little to lift what
is obviously a Vauxhall-derived
interior. However, the oversized buttons
and clear dials are at least simple to
use and easy to read. The standard
six-speed manual is as strong as an ox,
though the clutch requires a fair bit of
effort What is surprising for a car of
this size is just how eagerly the Monaro
takes on bends. The steering is nicely
weighted and the suspension does a
superb job of stopping all that
front-end weight from producing
understeer. Another benefit of the car’s
relatively long, wide wheelbase is the
comfortable ride; you would be happy to
sit in a Monaro for several hours,
something not often said of performance
coupés.
All Monaro's made it to the UK with a
pretty healthy list of standard
equipment including climate control,
leather sports seats, front and side
airbags, cruise control and a six-disc
CD stacker. The VXR is easily
distinguished thanks to its larger 19in
alloys (the standard car comes with 18in
ones) the less subtle body kit and
uprated brakes.
In 2007 Vauxhall offered a limited
edition Monaro, the VXR500. Thanks to
the addition of a supercharger these
cars produced 493bhp and were
theoretically capable of more than
180mph. Like the other Monaro coupés,
the VXR500 is no longer available, but
it has the potential to become something
of a future classic.
Keeping your used Monaro running sweetly
should not prove too tricky thanks to
relatively simple mechanicals and proven
reliability. And if your local Vauxhall
dealer looks a little uncertain there
are plenty of excellent specialists who
will be more than happy to fettle your
V8.
With great performance and surprising
practicality the Monaro’s appeal is easy
to understand. The only downside is its
fuel economy: at barely 20mpg it will in
the long run cost you more at the pumps
that it will on the used car forecourt.
