CAR COMPARISONS: 1974 Holden TA Torana: owner review

The 1974 Holden TA Torana, two-door coupe, deluxe variant.

Owner: Damien Landini

The 1974 Holden TA Torana, two-door coupe, deluxe variant. The zenith of Holden’s small car production in the 1970s complete with modern Opel 1700cc, 1.7-litre carburettor engine.

This deluxe model came with a 22L petrol tank designed to chew up long distances holidaying in the Australian summer, albeit in one-hour chunks between refuelling or overheating, whichever came first. The rhythmic beauty of the fuel gauge swaying sympathetically in time with the vibrating engine rendered each drive with a hypnotic charm as the car’s failings became finely nuanced.

What made this the deluxe model? The handbrake indicator light. Just in case the large brown handbrake in the centre of the car wasn’t a clear indicator. Other key features of the car included ‘smokers’ windows. A two-tone brown vinyl interior that could become too hot to sit on, meaning one would drive home perched on the edge of the seat. How did vinyl become such a compelling choice for car manufacturers in Australia?

The heater was proudly exclaimed in the manual as having three settings: off, low and high. They counted off as an actual setting. Mind you, air would rush in through the vents even if set to closed; a lovely trait in summer on the freeway. Wipers also had three speeds: off, completely useless, and this will have to do.

As it was a stylish coupe, the front seats would fold forward to allow access to the rear. One had to be careful in doing this, as the front seats would knock the rear-vision mirror askew and the passenger would trip over the dangling front seatbelt. The 12-inch pizza-cutter wheels supplied sufficient grip to execute semi-controlled drifts at speeds as low as 20km/h. The car had so little grip, it could conceivably slide when parked.

The AM-only radio was ergonomically placed in the centre of the dashboard, with one entire speaker underneath the composite vinyl-foam dash. When I eventually had a CD-player fitted, the AM radio remained connected and permanently tuned to the cricket.

Safety included an oval-shaped steering wheel that came into the cabin at such as angle that during a high-speed crash it wouldn’t penetrate your chest and kill you. Instead, it was more likely to impale your upper right shoulder. Seatbelts had no pre-tensioner, you just selected the most comfortable length that might keep you inside the car in the event of a collision.

The manual choke had such a small, sweet spot that it made leaving a steep driveway early on a winter’s morning difficult. To solve this I modified the car with a small magnetic picture of St Christopher. Other modifications included an aftermarket rear demister with lines thick enough to obscure vision, a CD-player and speakers.

I loved this car. It was unreliable, not particularly safe, and difficult to drive. Price when new $2980. Price when I purchased it $2750. Price now $9000. Price when I got rid of it $0.

Clearly foresight is not a strong point.

Owner: Damien Landini