Look at how the modern Pontiac GTO was advertised in its home market.
The odds are good that most of the people reading this are familiar with the car shown in the image above as the Pontiac GTO. However, this car was first introduced in Australia as the Holden Monaro. A few years before the LS1 GTO was introduced in the United States, this curvy coupe reincarnated the legendary Monaro name Down Under. While it featured Aussie styling – the modern Monaro relied on American iron, with an LS1 providing the motivation.
Today’s Throwback Thursday video features one of the early commercials for the Australian Holden Monaro with the LS1 engine, known in that market as the CV8.
The video begins without any sign of a car, as we see an Australian city devoid of any human beings, but after we hear the far off rev of an engine – lions begin flowing into the street. Lions are everywhere, including on the top of tall buildings and they appear to be agitated, but we don’t know why.
Then the Honda Monaro roars into focus, blasting down the people-free streets with its own roar as the lions continue to migrate towards some unknown destination. The narrator then points out that in nature, the mightiest leads the pack, and as the lions begin to crowd around the LS1 Monaro – a quick rev puts them all in their place.
The Pontiac GTO might not have been the lion king in the US market, where it was trumped by the Chevrolet Corvette, but in Australia, the sleek, LS1-powered Holden Monaro was the leader of the performance car pack for the short time it was available.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
