The arrival of PROCAR’s Bathurst 24 Hour arrived with much fanfare and Holden caused controversy with its Garry Rogers Motorsport developed Monaro 427C making full use of the regulations, but another version was built to conform with Europe’s NGT ruleset.
Controversy surrounding the liberal rules of PROCAR’s Nations Cup compared to Europe’s NGT regulations surrounded the entry as it dominated both editions of the Bathurst 24 Hour against the likes of Ferrari, Mosler, BMW, Porsche and Lamborghini.
In 2004, Greg Stevenson’s Monaro Performance Centre was enlisted to construct an NGT version of Holden’s sports coupe for Emotional Engineering headed by Australian ex-pat Allen Orchard. A shakedown was completed by former Superbike ace Aaron Slight at Calder Park before the Monaro was shipped across to the UK ahead of its British GT debut.
Slight was enlisted to drive the entry alongside young gun and future Ferrari factory pilot Matt Griffin. Sponsorship came from Valvoline, Cummins (just like GRM) and Vauxhall itself as it launched the Monaro properly into the UK where it gained plaudits from motoring journalists.
The main differences between this Monaro and GRM’s is the NGT version used more stock components including the 5.7-litre V8 engine used in the CV8 producing 550bhp, a Holinger sequential gearbox, Supercar-level braking system, Motec electronics as well as an aero package similar to its Nations Cup sibling.
Launched at the opening British GT Championship round at Donington Park, the Emotional Engineering Monaro made its proper debut at Ireland’s Mondello Park where it finished eighth in amongst a crack field of Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette, TVR, Mosler and Ultima entries.
Slight only contested its debut before being replaced by Matt Manderson for the following rounds as the Monaro finished a best of seventh in its debut season at Oulton Park, but it proved a tough campaign.
Entering its second season an engine malady forced the Monaro to miss the opening round before winning the G2 Class for nationally homologated models in the FIA GT Championship event at Magny-Cours, with Ryan Hooker joining Griffin.
From then on, the Monaro struggled for the rest of the season as reliability proved a major problem.
The third year of the program again proved troublesome as Griffin left the program after Round 2 at Donington Park and the Monaro didn’t appear again until Rockingham four events later with new driver line-up Steve Hyde and Anthony Mott. This duo scored a second and third in class at Rockingham, but Brands Hatch plus the penultimate round at Silverstone proved the end of the NGT Monaro’s campaign.
As the new GT3 regulations were gradually being introduced as the top tier of British GT, the Monaro program came to an end.
During the time of this program, a tilt at Le Mans was hinted at featuring some of Holden’s leading V8 Supercars drivers, but alas it didn’t happen.
Griffin reflected on the Monaro in, let’s just say unfavourable terms here.
In fact, the Monaro is still racing and did so at the Super Touring Event last weekend in the hands of Andy Wilson.