Exercise In Restraint

Plenty of people would have you believe that an ht monaro is the perfect muscle car. David galea set out out to improve on perfect

- Andrew Broadley

David Galea saw no need to reinvent the wheel when building this gorgeous HT Monaro. And why would he, given that he’s dealing with one of the most stunning and timeless silhouettes in Aussie motoring?

First-generation Monaros are quite simply one of the most visually appealing muscle cars ever built, and with small-block Chevs and Powerglide transmissions riding between the rails from the factory, the mechanical side of the equation ain’t half bad, either.

So David reasoned that there was no sense in modifying the thing to buggery when simply honing, refining and fettling the factory offering could result in a staunch and tasteful street machine.

“70 GTS is not only about what you can see; it’s what you can’t see that makes her so special,” he explains. “Other than the killer stance, the car appears factory, with no holes through the bonnet and GTS stripes.”

Indeed, the car is an exercise in restraint, but that doesn’t mean it’s some boring, rivet-counting factory resto. It still sports a small-block Chev, but it’s a 400-cuber with a Motown block, Brodix heads and a solid roller cam. It’s good for a healthy 420hp at the treads, but the Edelbrock Super Victor intake has been milled down and the bonnet bracing modified to keep everything under the hood.

The leaf-sprung rear end has been retained, but the rear guards have been mini-tubbed to accommodate 275/50/15 Mickey Thompson ET Streets – big enough to give the car some attitude and help it hook, but not so big that chassis mods, a four-link rear end and stretched guards are required. The interior uses largely factory components and trim, but a select few aftermarket tweaks have been tastefully and discreetly integrated.