Peter's 1976 LX Torana SL/R 5000 Tribute: Age of Aquarius
Building a ‘Tribute’ that pays homage to a hero car has plenty of appeal. You get to enjoy the looks and essential character of the genuine article, without the premium price tag or obsessing over matching numbers. Melbourne-based Shannons Club member Peter Mustow’s multi-award-winning LX Torana SL/R 5000 is a sublime example of this breed.
“The car was built by Jeff Hind who’s a good mate of mine,” says Peter who has owned it since 2023. “He runs a local smash repair shop and was originally building the car for himself, but over time I managed to nag him into selling it to me.
“It brings back nice memories of the 1970s, because I’ve previously owned a Barbados Green LH Torana SL/R 5000 and later HQ and HJ Monaro four-doors. They were all great cars and I’ve always loved Holden V8s, so this Torana was exactly what I was looking for.”
Image: simonanderson.com.au
Jeff has clearly done a superb job with this build, as it’s one of the best-presented Toranas you’ll ever see. It honours the iconic LX SL/R 5000 sedan while also embracing personal touches that enhance its performance and appearance.
A significant factor in its eye-catching appeal is Jeff’s inspired choice of ‘Aquarius’ from Holden’s original LX Torana paint colour charts. With its modern high-gloss two-pack finish (Holden used acrylic lacquer back then) and boldly contrasting black lower door paint-outs, Peter is adamant that you must see it in the skin to appreciate how good it looks. Even his nickname for this car is Aquarius!
Car show judges share our admiration, as it’s recently earned three major awards. These include ‘Best Australian Muscle Car’ at the Shannons Classic Car Show held on the Mornington Peninsula.
It also won best ‘Holden Modified Sedan 1974-1980 Torana LH/LX/UC’ at the 15th Dandenong All Holden Car Show, along with the ‘Best at Show: Paintwork’ award. The latter was particularly pleasing for Jeff Hind, in recognition of his paint and panel craftsmanship.
Image: Holden
Choosing the LX SL/R 5000 for this Tribute was another inspired choice, given the eye-catching and unique exterior design that Holden created when it was launched in 1976.
Although it carried over the prominent front and rear spoilers (with minor revisions) of the original LH Torana SL/R 5000, the LX version had a contrasting black bonnet and side window surrounds along with black paint-outs along the lower body and across the rear spoiler that incorporated large body-coloured letters and numbers (note Holden designers deleted the forward-slash between SL and R to keep it neat).
This bold exterior treatment was unique to the premium LX Torana V8 four-door, as its newly introduced three-door hatchback equivalent (the 5.0-litre V8 SS) had a less elaborate design. And as you can see from those giant fonts, there could be no doubt about what model it was. 1970s muscle cars were anything but subtle!
Image: Jeff Hind
Peter’s Torana started life as a humble six-cylinder SL, which Jeff purchased as a backyard restoration project that its previous owner had abandoned many years before. It amounted to a primer-coated LX bodyshell and many boxes of parts, so it was about 95 per cent complete.
Stripping the shell back to bare metal revealed corrosion in the usual places, which required Jeff’s skills in seamlessly replacing the rusted sections with fresh sheet-metal.
He also did some subtle enlarging of the wheel-housings to accommodate the bigger wheels he had in mind. And he cut a large hole in the bonnet to ensure its rear-facing bonnet scoop, originally designed for the Bathurst-blitzing LX Torana A9X, was functional.
However, for this strictly road use application, its more practical role is to vent under-bonnet heat rather than feed cold air to the carburettor(s) as Holden intended for racing.
Image: simonanderson.com.au
Jeff also resisted fitting the A9X’s signature wheel-arch flares, as this car is essentially a tribute to the LX SL/R 5000 which was not fitted with these items. As a result, this enhances its distinctive appearance.
Jeff also chose the circa 1970s herringbone seat fabric design for the interior trim, stitched to perfection by Terry’s Motor Trimming in Clayton.
Image: simonanderson.com.au
The drivetrain reflects the fine balance this Tribute achieves between traditional 1970s muscle car hardware and contemporary chassis upgrades to enhance ride and handling.
The powerplant in the surgically-clean engine bay is, of course, Holden’s homegrown 308cid (5.0-litre) V8 which represented the second part of the SL/R 5000’s name (as in 5000cc).
It’s been rebuilt with the finest components including high-performance camshaft and inlet manifold, Quick Fuel Technologies 600cfm four-barrel Holley and twin exhaust system. The result is a strong street package that combines ample grunt with good manners.
Image: simonanderson.com.au
Step under the car hoist and you’ll see the same peerless workmanship and attention to detail evident in the underside of this remarkable build.
Holden’s M21 four-speed gearbox is paired with a robust rear axle assembly armed with a nine-inch diff centre. The steering has been enhanced with electric power-assistance, the brakes are upgraded HQ hardware and Kings Suspension supplied a well-tuned package that achieves the right balance of handling and ride quality for this pre-RTS model.
The classy finishing touch, which is one of many visual highlights, is its polished quartet of Performance 17-inch alloy wheels.
Image: simonanderson.com.au
These pay homage to the classic 14-inch Aunger ‘Hotwire’ design which was such a popular aftermarket offering in the 1970s and why they look so period-correct on this car.
And with their larger 17-inch diameter and low-profile 225/45 front and 235/40 rear Michelin Pilot Sport tyres, they fill the lightly-flared Torana wheel-housings to perfection.
Peter says it’s a great car to drive and, as you can imagine, turns plenty of heads. It’s also one car he will never sell. In fact, he already has a succession plan in place to keep it in the family, as its next custodian will be his son-in-law Adrian who shares his passion for this handcrafted Holden.
Image: simonanderson.com.au
“Everything Jeff has done when building this car, he’s poured his heart and soul into, he really has,” Peter says proudly. “He was originally building it for himself, so everything is as good as it can be. And he’s gone out of his way to keep it looking as original as possible, right down to the radio. I feel very fortunate that he allowed me to become its owner. It’s a special car.”
When you think about it, this Torana pays homage to more than just the original 1970s Holden icon that inspired its creation. It also honours the peerless workmanship of the man who built it and the immense pride and passion of the man who owns it. Yes Peter, this is a special car.
