Holden Monaro Stands As A High-water Mark Of Aussie Design And Ingenuity

So much more than a two-door commodore, this big coupe still stands as a high-water mark of Aussie design and ingenuity

- Nathan Ponchard

Model Holden V2 Monaro CV8

Engine 5665cc V8 (90°), ohv, 16v

Max power 225kW @ 5200rpm

Max torque 460Nm @ 4400rpm

Transmission 6-speed manual

Kerb weight 1640kg

L/W/H/WB 4789/1841/1397/2788mm

0-100km/h 6.9sec (tested)

Price $56,990 (CV8, new)

LOOKING BACK back from an era on the cusp of large-scale electrification, the Holden V2-VZ Monaro (2001-06) seems like a dream. A large two-door coupe almost exclusively V8-powered, born in a Melbourne design studio determined to match the best in the world, fuelled by the enthusiasm of an Australian public no longer hindered by the cultural cringe.

What we didn’t know then is that the V2 Monaro marked a pivotal moment in our car culture – the beginning of the greatest purple patch in Aussie automotive history, but also the beginning of the end...

The modern Monaro’s rebirth narrative has been told many times, but it’s worthy of a recap. With work on the ’97 VT Commodore well underway, and its “luscious surfaces” naturally lending themselves to a coupe, senior designer Peter Hughes is nudged by Holden’s chief designer Mike Simcoe to do a proper sketch of a coupe version. And so the oldest surviving image of a two-door VT – dated 1994 – is born.