THE MEMORY REMAINS

MARK ATTARD'S TOUGH-AS-NAILS, 1050HP HJ HOLDEN IS THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF THE PRO STREET DREAMS OF HIS YOUTH

- IAIN KELLY

HARDCORE street machiners always hold fond memories of their first build, and Melbourne's Mark Attard is a walking, talking example. He's got a clutch of stout cars in the shed, but this HJ Monaro GTS replica is especially close to his heart, as it's inspired by his earliest project.

"When I was 21, I built an HJ Premier, which was a really popular car back in the day," Mark says. "It ran a 10.90, which was really quick for a street car 20 years ago. I wanted it to be an angry pro street car, but, being a young bloke, the funds just weren't there." 

Mark's life moved on and brought with it a bunch of other killer cars, including the turbo VE Maloo we featured on the cover of Street Machine LSX Tuner #9, but the flame for a brutally tough HJ never left him. That brings us to the car you see here, though it initially looked nothing like the Absinth Yellow GTS replica you're admiring now.

"This was a silver Premier with a big-block in it, owned by a bloke called Anton Krajina, who raced it in Super Gas," Mark explains. "It was a complete, driving car, and in the first week I owned it, I ripped it down to a bare shell and changed absolutely everything. In the end, I used none of it bar the engine, but it was engineered with the big-block, so it was a great starting point.

Having dreamed of building this car for so many years, Mark knew exactly what parts he needed and what work had to be done. “I wanted to build the car the way I’d always meant to do my HJ as a young bloke,” he explains. “I knew exactly where I wanted to go with this car, and because of this and the help of my amazing crew of mates, we were able to knock the build out in just six months. That really blows people’s minds when I tell them.”