First published in the April/May ’82 issue of Street Machine

Most people’s first introduction to the street machine scene is a far cry from the dream car they really desire. Young enthusiast Spiros Kontibas from Exeter in South Australia was no different. “My first car I bought from a mate was a heap.” But from there things improved, even if it did take three and a half years for the finished product to hit the streets. “I purchased a good HR body, stripped it down and started from scratch,” he said.

Spiros actually spent more time on the project than he had planned to. He had it finished and sitting under its protective car cover. It rained, the dye came out of the cover and another repaint at the car cover distributor’s expense took place. The chrome yellow paint, expertly handled by H.M.E. Crash in Adelaide, also graces the floor pan and engine bay. The same firm handled the wiring and the mild custom touches that have gone into the car. These include dechroming, recessed twin aerials and HZ Monaro guard flutes. The only other non-stock addition is an HG Holden grille.

As a contrast to the yellow, Spiros chose candy apple red for the suspension components including the front cross-member and diff’. Both are stock with the exception of 3.99 Zoom gears in the LSD rear-end. The suspension, while pretty in its candy apple and chrome also works with its GT130 shockers in all corners and Monaro 350 coils up front. The wheels are 7″ x 13″ Dragways on the front and 8″ x 14’s on the back with Bridgestone tyres on all four wheels. The motor, in its livery of candy apple red and chrome has been worked over to give the HR plenty of punch. The block, now out to 192 cubic inches runs TRW rods and pistons with chrome moly rings and balanced steel crank. The camshaft was supplied by Revmaster, carburation is via a set of triple SUs on a Cain manifold and the exhaust gasses exit through Perry headers. The power is handled by an Australian four-speed gear box and Scheifer clutch and pressure plate.

Peter Boyce stitched the black interior, adding brown striped velour inserts into the Premier seats. A small padded wheel, Marantz stereo and extra gauges finish the interior off nicely.

Spiros hasn’t sunk a fortune into the car and considers the $6,500 as money well spent. Thoughts of selling it had crossed his mind but with the recent purchase of a late model V8 wagon as an everyday hack the HR will be in his hands for some time to come.

It will be a starter for this year’s Nationals and then it will be home in time to tidy the HR up for this year’s Adelaide show. Spiros is already looking at a 9-inch diff’, another coat of paint and a re-do in areas where he lost points last year.

Areas for improvement would be hard to find. Spiros knows where he can put his time in and intends to. Such is the competition in this state in the Exhibition class that only the exceptional win. Spiros’ HR is a top class street machine and it’s tough when that’s not quite good enough.

Spiros Kontibas’s HR owes him the measly sum of $6500 and every time you look at the car you wonder how he got out of it so cheaply. Bright yellow paint, Dragaway mags and a few custom touches set his car apart from the crowd – not to mention the attention to detail.