1975 Holden GTS Sedan Is From A Time When Aussies Made M5s Before The M5

Back in the 1970s when GM’s Aussie unit Holden was king Down Under, they offered a performance sedan version of their Monaro Coupe called the GTS.

Well, actually, the second generation Monaro Coupe was itself a two-door version of, initially, the HQ series sedans, then the updated HJ, HK, but you’ll agree that Monaro GTS sounds much better than Premium, Belmont or Kingswood that were the names of the regular sedans.

While not as famed as the 1960s Ford Falcon GT-HO, the V8-powered Monaro GTS has secured its place in Australia’s rich history of muscle cars and it’s not hard to see why. Just think about it, these cars were essentially the working man’s BMW M, Mercedes-AMG and Audi RS sedans, nearly two decades before the Germans hoped on the performance saloon bandwagon.

This pristine example is priced at AU$90,000

Today, the GTSs of yesteryear have become the white-collar man’s collectables, with prices steadily on the rise. The car pictured here is one of those trophy models as it’s said to be in immaculate condition, which is probably why its asking price is AU$89,999.

According to the ad we discovered on The Muscle Car Shop, the 1975 Monaro HJ GTS Sedan comes with GM’s 308 cubic-inch (5.0-liter) V8, which was rated at the time at around 240hp (SAE) and  427 Nm / 315 lb-ft of torque. While a four-speed manual was also offered, this car comes with a 3-speed Turbo Hydramatic that allowed it get to 100km/h in just over 8.0 sec.

The 4.8m (190-in.) long mid-size sedan features factory air conditioning, power steering and electric windows. It also “drives amazing”, although that’s not exactly something we can attest to.

The extremely well-conditioned car is finished in a very rare Casino Blue colorway, to go with the Dove Grey interior trim. Other features include the 3-speed automatic gearbox, power assisted front wheel disc brakes and a limited slip rear differential.

While the all-grey look of the cabin isn’t particularly enticing, the fact that everything has been so well preserved should go a long way towards convincing somebody to shell out a lot of money for this car. And no, AU$90,000 isn’t at all unrealistic, seen as how classic second-gen Monaros are known for not being cheap.

Now, if feel that the car looks familiar when viewed from the front, that’s because its styling strongly resembles that of America’s own first-generation Chevrolet Monte Carlo (1970-1972). In comparison, the first BMW M5 was built 10 years after this HJ GTS Sedan, and nearly 15 years after the debut of the four-door HQ GTS.