Holden has restored this Monaro back to its fantastic best

Remember when stories about classic car restoration involved really old stuff? The odd Thirties Bugatti here, or Fifties Jaguar there. Well now we feel really old, because the bloody Vauxhall Monaro is now deemed worthy of an overhaul to drag it back to its best.

Not that it isn’t deserving on merit. The Monaro was a fantabulous car, one as good at burbling along with a V8 backing track as it was absolutely murdering tyres doing the odd skid or twelve. It’s just that we weren't old enough to drink when it came out.

Holden – the Australian Vauxhall – has given one a Queer Eye-esque makeover. Presumably because, now that car manufacturing has left Oz, they’ve not a huge amount to do.

So we meet this rather excellent looking ‘Project Monaro’, a stocky V8 coupe found wearing its 132,000 miles on its sleeve before gaining a total engine rebuild, an upgraded gearbox, and a shoutier exhaust system. Not to mention new Sachs suspension, AP Racing brakes and fresh Bridgestone tyres.

Then there are the cosmetic tweaks; a lavish repaint in Panorama Blue Suede, some subtle bodykitting (most notably those bonnet nostrils), and an absolutely outstanding leather and suede renovation inside. And look at those analogue dials! We miss analogue dials.

“Some of the tests we put Project Monaro through were similar to the tests our talented Engineers put the original V2 Monaro’s through almost 20 years ago,” says Holden Performance engineer Rob Trubiani, properly putting a caption to the lead image above. “It’s a great car to drive and someone is going to be very lucky when they win it.”

Win, you say? Yep. It’s not for sale, this restomod Monaro, but if you take your Holden for a dealer service or buy some official Holden parts before April 2020, you’ll be in with a chance of having this car in your life. Be right back, we’re just moving to Australia for a bit…