Holden HJ Monaro specifications
10 facts you may not have known
The HJ was released on October 4, 1974. It would serve as an update to the highly successful HQ Holden which had been on the market since 1971, over 3 years earlier.
Cosmetically, the HJ would represent a more aggressive, squared off style with some panel revisions.
Improvements were made to the brakes as well as the ride and handling of the car and overall comfort. Wagons had a 3 inch longer wheelbase than the sedan models.
4 engine options were available with the HJ, 2 ‘red’ 6 units, the 2.8L (186 cubic inch) and the 3.3L (202 cubic inch) as well as 2 V8 models, the 4.2L (253 cubic inch) and the 5.0L (308 cubic inch) unit. All engines were available as both an automatic and a manual transmission.
A total of 176 202 HJ’s were produced from October 1974 up until July 1976, when the HJ was replaced by the HX.
The HJ was brought in to carry on the momentum created by the previous model HQ. It did that very well, with nearly 200 000 models produced in a bit under 2 years. It did a good job ironing out some of the inevitable issues that come with a ground up rebuild, which the HQ was.
With this model we would see it as the last large Holden to be produced in the ‘pre-pollution’ era. Subsequent models would face much heavier scrutiny in regards to emission levels, sometimes to the detriment of performance.