Over the past four decades, Wendy Cockroft has navigated the rigours of kiddos and work, but she’s never lost ownership of her beloved ’73 HQ GTS Monaro. The Munro has been a foundational rock throughout Wendy’s life, and it’s now been given a glow-up to continue the inseparable pair’s journey.

First published in the September 2024 issue of Street Machine

It’s impressive that you still own this Monaro after all these years!

Yep, I’ve owned my HQ for 39 years; she’s my baby and I love her – she’s part of me! I bought her in June 1985 for $2500, which included 12 months’ rego. And the mechanic who did the HQ’s roadworthy at the Holden dealership back then is now my husband, Steve, although we only realised that after we got together in 2005!

Did you do any mods early on?

Originally, she was mustard and black with the dealer-fitted sunroof, but it needed a respray, so in 1988, I had her changed to red. My best friend had a matching red HQ Monaro, and we used them both in her wedding.

And it served as a daily, too?

Even after I had my twin girls back in 1991, people were telling me that I couldn’t have a two-door everyday car with baby capsules in the back, but I did – although the kids hated climbing through the front seats as they got older! Then in 2005, a VT Commodore took over daily driver duties.

The Quey is a tidy bit of kit now. When did the resto kick-off?

In 2018, Steve put his HX Belmont panel van project on hold to fulfil my long-term dream of bringing back my HQ’s original beauty. He did a lot of the rebuild himself, including helping the panel shop to strip the body.

Looks like a thorough job!

The plan of a quick freshen-up became a five-year job, as they found a lot of rust. The HQ was completely stripped down, and a lot of fabrication work had to be done. Now everything has been replaced or restored, including the resto of the HQ’s factory GTS factory pieces.

It looks almost factory-fresh under the bonnet, too.

She is mostly a matching-numbers car except for the 308 block, which is a Holden warranty replacement block, changed before 1985. We’ve freshened up the engine, and behind it is an M21 four-speed and Salisbury LSD.

What do you think of the finished product?

Steve put in a lot of hard work, and it was absolutely worth it. I suppose she was very tired and neglected, but now when I give the accelerator a squirt, it feels so good! A lot of people knew her when she was red, but now they have to get used to her original colours.

Been to any shows with it?

The first show was the 2023 All Holden Day in Dandenong. I was shaking with anxiety the whole drive there – as soon as we arrived, I inhaled a couple of smokes to calm down! Since then, she’s been in Meguiar’s MotorEx 2023 and 2024, and we can’t wait to take her along to even more shows. But the most enjoyment I get is from taking her for a drive on sunny weekends.

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