Three letters: G-T-R. You know them well. In the car world, this trio of characters are reserved for something special and often very quick.
Think Nissan Skyline GT-R; Mercedes-AMG GT R; McLaren F1 GTR and BMW E46 M3 GTR… Mazda even gave us the Familia GT-R hot hatch in the early nineties.
It can mean Gran Turismo Racer, suggesting long distance driving with serious performance thrown in.
Which works for the GTR-badged two-door LC-series Holden Torana introduced in 1970. These pre-dated the iconic GTR XU-1 Toranas developed by Holden and Harry Firth of the Holden Dealer Team (HDT) to tackle Ford Falcon GT-HOs at Bathurst, despite their compact size.
Today, authentic XU-1s command megabucks, so there’s no shortage of replicas.
Less common are the more discreet “normal” GTRs, which are also high up on the enthusiast and collector’s wish-list, hence excellent ones still set you back six figures.
It makes tribute versions a very desirable route, especially if you plan on driving them regularly and with enthusiasm.
Gympie’s Greg Ryan does just that with this ’70 LC Torana GTR replica, which was a standout (and award winner) at Queensland’s recent Cooroy Car Show.
A rusted shell
Greg performed the bulk of the restoration work himself, and to an exceptional level. This Torana looks every inch the pocket-sized funster, helped by its fat rear tyres, tasteful black racing stripes and purposeful orange GTR badging.
Then a peek inside reveals a GTS Monaro steering wheel and racy houndstooth seat trim; it’s a classic that’s just begging to be thrown around on your favourite back road.
A cabinet maker by trade, Greg was no stranger to Toranas as a child thanks to his parents’ panel beating shop in Logan City.
“I must have soaked in a little bit by growing up around it,” he explained.
“I built this car in my spare time; it’s not hard for me, I know how to cut things and get stuff fitting.”
Years ago he’d sourced a Torana for his parents which he ended up inheriting, and liked it so much he decided to build his own two door example.
“It’s hard finding a two-door not costing lots of money, so I had to build one myself to keep things affordable,” he explained.
In 2020 Greg found an unloved LC Torana S, which he said was nothing more than a rusted shell. But importantly, it had the parts he needed as a blank canvas for a GTR tribute build. It had no drivetrain in situ, but that wasn’t a concern because the S’s original motor and gearbox would have been ditched anyway.
“I pulled it down to a bare shell, started cutting the rust out, and began buying the parts needed,” he said.
While this sounds daunting, Greg said Rare Spares is a superb outlet for Holden restoration parts, with a lot created from genuine moulds for a perfect fit.
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A quick look on the website shows GTR door badges for $40, door handles for $50, a stainless front air dam for $130 and a complete fuel tank kit for just over $1000.
There may not be the thrill of the chase in finding original parts, but good grief it saves a lot of time and hassle this way.
Plus you’re getting brand new parts, and when you see the beautiful chromework on this Torana it makes solid sense.
“It’s cheaper to buy brand new bars from Rare Spares than it is getting original ones re-chromed, because it’s a dying trade,” Greg said.
There was no sandblasting of the shell, as Greg believes it can warp a car, so will only use it for inside door jambs and other tight areas.
“The rest I stripped by hand as that way I’m not going to warp the metal, so it’s easier to keep the car straight.”
Big red
Under the bonnet, it’s no surprise to see the old faithful Holden red engine taking pride of place.
Original GTR models used the 161ci (2.6-litre) version – plucked from the humble Belmont sedan — but offering a decent (for the time) 93kW thanks to a new cylinder head, meatier cam, twin-barrel Bendix-Stromberg carburettor and upgraded valves, springs and exhaust.
A GTR’s six-cylinder motor proudly sported a “2600S” sticker on its chrome air cleaner, and with the LC’s kerb weight at under a tonne, its performance could get a young fella in plenty of strife back in 1970.
Greg found his Holden red motor on Marketplace, and originally only bought it for the rocker cover.
“The seller had pulled it out of a coupe because he was putting in a V8,” he said.
“Me and an engine mate pulled it apart and he said it was brand new inside and got a cam in it. So we buttoned it back up, put all new parts on and chucked her in.”
It’s a larger 202ci (3.3-litre) red engine with cam, triple SU carburettors and new exhaust, mated to a Commodore’s Trimatic auto gearbox. “It bolts straight in, and I got rid of the manual so my wife could drive the car too,” Greg explained.
Underneath he’s kept things easy with off-the-shelf items: King Springs coils and Pedders suspension.
“I had to play with the suspension a little bit to have it sitting the way I wanted when fitting custom wheels,” he said.
“The wheels are from a bloke in Slacks Creek. I picked them, he got them as a blank, then drilled them for this car and did the back spacing to make sure they fitted under the car with the size of tyre I wanted.”
The rubber looks brilliantly fat when viewing this Torana from the rear, with 235/40 Nankangs coating the 17×8-inch dished alloys. Up front they’re 17×7-inch with 205/45 boots. Behind are PBR slotted rotors up front, and standard anchors
at rear.
Brock tribute
Original LC Torana seats are still used inside, but have been beautifully re-coated in period-correct houndstooth by a retired local trimmer.
“Back in those days your Holden interior could be any colour you like, including houndstooth,” Greg said. “Imagine trying to do that these days.”
The cabin is a study in glorious black and white simplicity and class; the only flashes of colour being the red of the GTR door card badges, dash gauge needles and wood-rimmed Monaro replica steering wheel.
Rare Spares again was called upon to provide some of the parts, but the original dash cluster remains (after being tidied up) but fitted with aftermarket electronic gauges.
A Peter Brock signature on the glovebox is a nod to the bloke who probably drove these old Toranas better than anyone; ensuring these coupes became a hero car to a generation of Aussie petrolheads.
Note the side mirrors looking near identical to the ones found on Brock’s #28C LJ Torana GTR XU-1 which triumphed at the 1972 Bathurst 500.
When asked the most daunting part of the whole four-year project, the ever-modest Greg said it was picking the Torana’s paint colour. “It’s come from an HSV Clubsport and called Martini, because its colour is like the olive you’d get in the drink.”
The finishing touches – to give it the proper GTR look – were the black stripes across bonnet and boot, then those evocative orange and black stripes down the flanks.
Despite presenting perfectly, Greg’s GTR tribute is no trailer queen. It’s regularly used for trips to shops and restaurants, or to pop round a mate’s place to tell old car stories and see what everyone else has brought along that evening.
“It’s about having fun, getting out and enjoying it,” he explained.
“People love it. Other drivers bang on their windows and give it the thumbs up. It sounds great, and that good old red motor, there’s not much that goes wrong with them.”
Greg said anyone considering such a project should get busy having a go.
“Don’t be scared,” he said.
“If you cut something wrong, you can always weld it and fix it. You’ll learn the right way for next time, and you’ll never know unless you have a go.”
The evidence is right here with this sublime Torana GTR tribute.
If practice makes perfect, we need more car enthusiasts having a crack so these incredible vehicles can survive and thrive for generations to come.