Modern-Day HERO

THIS PERFECTLY CONTEMPORISED TOP 60 TORANA PROVES JUST HOW GOOD A CLASSIC MUSCLE CAR CAN BE IN 2023

- ANDREW BROADLEY

BACK when the term ‘retrotech’ was first coined, it basically meant bolting an injected five-litre and overdrive auto into your Torana and calling it a day. But OEM power train tech has evolved tenfold in the years since, and the aftermarket has done a stellar job keeping pace, too.

These days, a street machine built in the retrotech style can boast four-digit horsepower figures, clockwork reliability, impeccable street manners, modern suspension and braking systems, and all the comforts of home. With all that in mind, Rocky Sarkis’s LH Torana stands as a top-shelf example of just how good a modern street car can be.

Powered by a 388ci Dart LS force-fed by a BorgWarner S480 snail, it can be turned up to deliver a projected 1000-plus horses at the treads on pump fuel, or toned down to be a perfectly approachable cruiser. 

It has a Rod Shop IFS front end with tubular arms, modern geometry and adjustable coil-over suspension, and it’s a similar story out back. There are sizeable disc brakes all ’round, large-diameter wheels with meaty 285-wide rubber, and when you jump inside, it’s like rocking up to a five-star hotel.