By Tim Kneebone
Holden has had many successes in the Australian car industry over the years but arguably it biggest hit was the two door Monaro. When Holden decided to cease production of its first generation of the famous coupe they decided to give it a fitting send off. In 1976 they decided to create one final two door Monaro. This final two door Monaro was never officially branded as such instead being labelled a “HX Limited Edition Coupe”. However many Holden fans regard it as a true Monaro.
The LE Coupe was a cross between a luxury and a high performance car. With its reclining full foam bucket seats with crushed velour and vinyl trim, soft suspension settings, power windows front and back, power areal, “burl walnut” finished wood grain dash facia, limited edition “LE Red” exterior metallic paint scheme, power steering, heating and air conditioning, 4 speaker “8 Track” cartridge player, gold “Honeycomb” wheels and gold “scripted badges and trim lines” It has enough class and comfort to be one of Holden’s high end luxury models. However, it has enough power and raw performance to be one of the top performing “GTS” models with features like a large 5.0 Litre 308 cubic inch V8 engine, fluted guards, colour keyed front air dam and rear spoiler, sports steering wheel, power assisted front disc brakes, “silky smooth Turbo 400” transmission, dual exhaust system and sports mirrors. With all these amazing standard features it’s no wonder everyone wanted one. The LE looked very classy but had enormous power when you put your foot down. It was a very sleek sporty looking two door, with wide, low windows and its pillar less design.
The designer of this piece of Australian motoring history is Leo Pruneau. Leo was the “Director of Design” for Holden from 1975 to 1983. He designed the Coupe’s body predominately out of steel, which was the common material for vehicle construction of the time as plastics were not widely used on the exterior of cars. The LE was manufactured in Holden’s Pagewood plant in Sydney. This plant was where all of Holden’s luxury hand made cars were assembled. It is no longer in production, because of the limited number produced, but there are still some examples to be found either in historic car museums or in the hands of very lucky private owners.
The LE Coupe is not only a car but an important part of the past; it marks the end of one of the greatest cars in Australia’s motoring history. This car was designed with that thought in mind. From the start the designers knew that this would be the last of a breed and had to be special enough to send off the Monaro with a bang. The designers were trying to give the Australian public a chance not only to say good bye to a legendary Australian performance hero but a chance to own a piece of history. The designers were quite clever in that they also used this opportunity to unload a lot of spare parts. The car is designed using parts from different Holden models as well as spare parts from their parent company; General Motors in America. The shell or “body” of the car is from a HQ model Holden, the front of the car surrounding the engine is from a HX model Holden and the wheels are actually from General Motors Pontiac brand “Trans Am”. The wheels were actually continued through to the HZ range of Holdens after the LE Coupe. The LE Coupe was not only a chance to get rid of spare parts either. The sales for Holden at the time were slipping so this coupe was just what Holden needed to boost them. It was very well marketed with flashy brochures and catchy slogans like; “Holden’s Limited Edition. For the man who has earned himself something out of the ordinary.”, and, “Town car luxury. Sports car performance.” The exclusive, lavish design and good marketing payed off because all though it was the most expensive car produced by Holden at the time at $10,750 everyone wanted one and all of the 580 models built were sold almost as soon as they were released. In this instance the designers along with Holden definitely reached what they set out to achieve.
This lavish, low volume, handmade car was marketed to a specific target market. This wasn’t a car for the everyday working citizen. Instead it was for the upper class man with plenty of money to spend, someone who had earned his way to the top and wanted something to show it. Indeed most of the models were well marketed and received by such customers. The clientele was very much based in the luxury market, for predominately men with wealth and status.
The car was marketed towards the upper class male but everyone had seen it, heard about it or knew about it, and everyone wanted one. It was a very well received design fitting in with a lot of other styles established by American automotive design with features like; flashy paint work, very distinctive spoilers and pin striping which was all the rage over in America. Now days a lot of people still remember seeing the advertisements or remember when the car first came out. It’s now regarded as a true member of the Monaro family as is widely accepted into Monaro motoring clubs around Australia.
The 1976 HX Limited Edition Coupe was a very important part in Holden Australia’s motoring history. Holden needed to produce one final two door coupe as a final gesture towards the car that had gave Holden so much success over the years. They packed this final luxury sports model with every possible luxury and performance feature of the time. It was a completely handmade steel car designed to be a part of history, to use up spare parts and to boost Holdens diminishing sales. It was targeted to men with money and status who wanted to show that they had earned their way to the top. It is a car that you drive not to make great time but to have a great time in. It was a well received design that is highly valued by any current owner and is a great all round driving experience.
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