Torana ready to ‘eat up’ the road

by David Burrell Back in the 1970s Holden sold one of the most versatile cars in the world. You and I know it as the LH/LX Torana. Design...

by David Burrell

Back in the 1970s Holden sold one of the most versatile cars in the world.

You and I know it as the LH/LX Torana.

Designed and engineered totally in Australia it appealed to all manner of folk and pocket.

You could order a Torana with a four, six or eight cylinder motor, in sedan or two door hatchback formats, manual or automatic and in a wide variety of models from poverty pack to the outrageous race car - the A9X.

Styled by Leo Pruneau and his team, the LH/LX models fronted the world with a wide and deep grille that looked as if it would eat up the road.

And it V8 form it did, and still does.

Darryle Dansfield’s Torana SS hatchback has been in his family for 35 years.

It boasts a five litre V8 and a four speed manual transmission.

“My sister bought it,” he told me. “She drove it around for ages, and then it went into the garage until I bought it off her and used it.”

A couple of years ago Darryle decided that the car deserved a restoration.

“I wanted no short cuts,” he said. “It took over 18 months to do.”

The stunning result is clearly evident.

Out on the road the V8 is as crisp and as strong as the day it was built in 1975.

The exhaust note turns everyone’s head and school kids give the “thumbs up” when the car cruises by.

As part of the restoration Darryle added a couple of personal touches, including A9X wheel arches, a bonnet air scoop and replaced the rear drum brakes with discs to improve safety.

During the running of 2016 Bathurst 1000, Darryle was given permission to take the car around the Mountain on a demonstration run ahead of one of the support races.

“People just stood and cheered,” he said, with real emotion in his voice.

 

CHECKOUT: Jeep couldn’t get the Commuter to work

CHECKOUT: Gremlin AMC’s answer to the Beetle