The Holden Torana is one of Australia’s most loved cars and with many still on the road today, it’s easy to see that they are just as popular as ever. With both the LC and LJ cementing their place in our proud motoring history, there was one model that almost defined it, the Torana GTR-X.
The GTR-X was a product of the ambitious 1970’s Holden motor company who was out to produce a car that pushed the boundaries of automotive design. The future halo car’s styling was one that was influenced by iconic European sports cars of the time such as the Lotus Esprit and Maserati Khamsin.
The GTR-X featured an incredibly sleek-wedged shaped fiberglass body and ran mechanical components from the LC GTR XU-1. The engine bay housed the 186 from the XU-1 complete with triple Stromberg carburettors and was mated to a 4 speed manual transmission and 3.36 rear axle. The car also featured pop-up headlights, elevated rear light assembly, flush mounted door handles and fuel filler. The design was finished with a black and orange strip that housed the infamous GTR-X name and ran along the bottom of the body sweeping up to meet its distinctive LC Torana inspired taillights.
Weighing in at a feather weight 1043kgs, the stunning vehicle had the agility to match, recording a top speed of 210km/h during testing. The interior featured a wealth of instrumentation within the aluminium dashboard including electric clock, ammeter, speedo, and tachometer as well oil pressure, water temperature and even an engine vacuum gauge.
Although the LX Torana, in race bred A9X from, was the first Holden fitted with four wheel disc brakes, the futuristic GTR-X almost claimed the title by a full 7 years. Unlike many concepts, Holden was genuinely serious about its production which they highlighted throughout brochures and promotional footage. Unfortunately due to unexpected production costs the car was never fully realised and only one complete example is in existence today. This prototype was restored back to its original white paint finish and currently resides at Holden’s Melbourne offices.
There is rumour that the original pre-production body is undergoing restoration somewhere in the south east of Melbourne, but one can only wait patiently until it sees the light of day. With Holden creating some of the country’s finest cars, we can only imagine what could have been if this masterpiece was put into production.
What did you think of the GTR-X when you first laid eyes on it? Futuristic flop or pinnacle of motoring excellence? Head over the Facebook page and let us know in the comments!
