PAST INTO PRESENT

WHILE IT LOOKS LIKE A WELL-USED WARRIOR FROM THE EARLIEST DAYS OF PRO STREET, THIS 632CI, BIG-TYRE HK MONARO IS A STREET MACHINE FOR MODERN TIMES

- IAIN KELLY

PRO street cars whip people of all walks of life into a frenzy. Born in the 1980s from an outlaw mindset to build race cars wearing road tags, the boundary-pushing shenanigans of the early pro street scene inevitably led to engineering restrictions as the powers that be attempted to keep a lid on things.

But, just like the fascination for motorcycle clubs or chaotic rock stars, Joe and Jolene Public are still drawn to the illicit side of car culture today. And when someone builds a pro street rig out of an Aussie muscle car as iconic as an HK Monaro, it tends to make punters go full test pattern.

Leigh Vella's '68 HK GTS is not one for the chalk-mark aficionados and rivet-counters, and it's all the more awesome for that. Powered by a thunderous 632-cube big-block Chev and sitting slammed over a set of big 'n' little Center Line Auto Drags, this Monaro's weathered Silver Mink body and well-loved Goya Red interior point to a no-mess, no-fuss, righteously tough street car. And it is built to be driven.