Modern-Day HERO

THIS PERFECTLY CONTEMPORISED TOP 60 TORANA PROVES JUST HOW GOOD A CLASSIC MUSCLE CAR CAN BE IN 2023

- ANDREW BROADLEY

BACK when the term ‘retrotech’ was first coined, it basically meant bolting an injected five-litre and overdrive auto into your Torana and calling it a day. But OEM power train tech has evolved tenfold in the years since, and the aftermarket has done a stellar job keeping pace, too.

These days, a street machine built in the retrotech style can boast four-digit horsepower figures, clockwork reliability, impeccable street manners, modern suspension and braking systems, and all the comforts of home. With all that in mind, Rocky Sarkis’s LH Torana stands as a top-shelf example of just how good a modern street car can be.

Powered by a 388ci Dart LS force-fed by a BorgWarner S480 snail, it can be turned up to deliver a projected 1000-plus horses at the treads on pump fuel, or toned down to be a perfectly approachable cruiser. 

It has a Rod Shop IFS front end with tubular arms, modern geometry and adjustable coil-over suspension, and it’s a similar story out back. There are sizeable disc brakes all ’round, large-diameter wheels with meaty 285-wide rubber, and when you jump inside, it’s like rocking up to a five-star hotel.

The LH was built in consultation with an engineer, and has been finished to such an exacting standard that it picked up a spot in the Elite Hall and the Judges’ Choice award on debut at Street Machine Summernats 35, if you don’t mind. Such things are possible when you assemble a dream team that includes gurus like ProFlo Performance, Custom Bodyworks and Inside Rides. “They’re all actually mates from when we were young,” says Rocky. “It’s good to know the right people.”