BRUTAL SIMPLICITY

UNDER THE RATHER UNASSUMING WHITE BODY OF MICK JAHNECKE’S TORANA LIES A THUNDERSTORM OF TURBO LS FURY

- KIAN HEAGNEY

IT’S a quandary for anyone considering pulling apart a pristine and original LH Torana in the 21st century: do you leave it as-is in tribute to Australia’s golden era of chrome-bumper motoring, or build it into something mental to blow your socks off? The choice Mick Jahnecke ended up making with his LH is something he contemplates to this day. “It was a two-owner car when I got it, and I probably shouldn’t have pulled it apart,” he laughs.

While some may be upset that the LH is no longer sporting its original driveline, we think that 680rwhp of turbo LS sounds much nicer than an asthmatic 202 and Trimatic slushbox!

Mick got the car roughly 10 years ago as a replacement for his previous wheel standing ‘PRO400’ LH Torry. “I was a bit over it, so I sold PRO400 and thought I’d take a break,” he says. The break didn’t last long though; just over 12 months later Mick got his hands on his new white LH.

PRO400 had a hot all-motor SBC, and Mick originally planned to follow the same path with his new steed. “I already had a small-block ready to go for it, but then I saw a mate’s blown SS at Winton one day and thought that was a much better way to make power,” he says.