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Metamorphosis of the Monjari.
Long ago, harking back to the days of Woodstock was a car born. A car that the public took an instant shine to though it would turn out to be the prodigal son. Designed by youth and hobbled by age barely did the copious amounts of blacksmith engineering hope to hide the corners cut and the ancient flaws. So was the Monjari.
As Shelby once said “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sows ear but you can make a mighty fast pig.” But this pig was not even fast.
Designers hung their heads in shame, the disgust written upon their faces.
Once a great dream, on fruition a nightmare.
Today the rebirth of the Monjari was one tinged with worry. Should a modern motorcar with all of today’s technology, (or lack of it) be reinvented as a sibling to shame?
Many thought not. Some still don’t. I among them.
To spin a 72 HQ 308 Monjari 2 door at a simple roundabout, going slow, with only slightly damp roads was my first taste of Holden’s finest. I have negotiated that bend many times at triple the speed in many other cars and none have performed so poorly, even at this greatly increased velocity. Holden fans face the facts. Like rover with the new MGF why did you bother?
A 60K machine that performs like one costing 20 less. Its just a 2 door commodore, a nice one at that but one just the same. Holden look to the future.
Ford has actively embraced technology and will soon wrest the mantle off the publicly declared king. Twin cam engines, 4 valves per cylinder, turbo chargers and variable valve timing, welcome to the 21st century, wont it be a glorious stay! The stoic Windsor will no longer be with us as there are now only a few hundred new blocks now in existence and these are in storage. The path is paved with multivalves and sintered rods!
My only concern is the raised bonnet of the next Falcon. A by-product of function but form may not be its natural ally.
So with the hype again reaching rampant levels is the Monjari really that good? One would surely hope so for all the hoop-la. But for anyone who has ever driven a commodore, it will be much of the same.
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