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Holden Monaro Monaro is a vehicle produced by Holden, the Australian branch of General Motors. The Monaro was produced from 1968 to 1979, and then re-introduced onto the Australian and New Zealand markets in 2001. Since 1968, three generations of the Monaro have been produced. It was originally introduced as a two-door coupe based on the Kingswood sedan, although a four-door sedan version (basically a rebadged Kingswood) was also produced between 1973 to 1979, though some of the later ones only had the 'Monaro' name on brochures and not on their badging. The Monaro is regarded as one of Australia's greatest muscle cars, alongside the Ford Falcon GT, Chrysler's Valiant Charger, and high-performance versions of Holden's own Torana, but it has also been produced in 'standard' and luxury versions, powered by a variety of six-cylinder and V8 engines. The most prized models are the original HK Monaro GTS 327 and HT and HG Monaro GTS 350 coupes, which were homologation models built for the Bathurst endurance race from 1968 to 1971, and were powered respectively by Chevrolet's 327 and 350 cubic-inch (5.4 and 5.7 L) 'small block' V8. The Monaro was Wheels magazine's Car of the Year for 1968. Revival Some 20 years passed before a Commodore Coup show car was shown at the Sydney Motor Show. Journalists quickly christened it the Monaro, encouraging Holden to build it. The show car was designed for production and by 2001, the V2 series Monaro was launched after General Motors spent a mere A$60 million over a brief 22-month gestation (although 12 to 18 were targeted). Most recently, the current Monaro has been exported to overseas markets. It is sold, in left hand drive, in the Middle East as the Chevrolet Lumina Coupe, and in the United States as the Pontiac GTO, reviving another classic muscle car icon. It is also sold in the United Kingdom as the Vauxhall Monaro. Complaints about the GTO's sedate styling from American consumers saw the addition of two bonnet scoops in 2004, with the VZ series Monaro, to recall the later muscle-car variants of the late 1960s' models. The bonnet scoops serve no functional purpose. In the eyes of the Australian press, the scoops have spoiled the lines, while the American media seem to accept them. Holden's PR says that the scoops recall the HG Monaro. Monaro
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