1970 Holden LC Torana Review

Development on the new Torana design started back in 1966, and while some elements made their way onto the HB, the ideas were fully realised on the LC. When it made its debut in October, 1969, it was considered the most modern looking car in the Holden range. With its attractively-styled and well balanced body, including that sloping rear and slight "V" in the centre of the bonnet, the LC design was a hit, and certainly a marked improvement over the boxy design of the previous Viva-based Toranas. Holden had invested $20 million in developing the new, locally-styled Torana, a significant amount for the time. GMH were so confident in the new LC Torana design, they believed it would help lift their overall market share from 34 to 40 percent! On debut, the range was split across four distinct models - base, S, SL and GTR - for a total of eight variants. Two and four door bodies were available on the S and SL, while the base model and GTR were only available in a two-door body.

Under the new clothes, the basic floor plan was carried over from the HB, but there were a number of changes, not least of which was allowing for four and six cylinder engines. Criticism over lack of engine power in the four-cylinder-only HB Toranas was addressed by making the LC available with a six cylinder engine from the outset. It doesn't seem significant now, but back then the idea of a "large" engine in a small car was pretty revolutionary. Holden touted it as "not just another new car or new model ... but a whole new concept ... the six cylinder compact." Six cylinder-powered models featured a longer wheelbase (2540mm, compared to 2433mm), but the simplest way to pick the difference was to look at the front end. In addition to the larger gap between the front wheel arch and the doors, six cylinder models featured a raked nose with the aforementioned "V" point, larger headlight surrounds and a broad, horizontal grille in two-sections, which wrapped around the edges of the front guards. Four cylinder LCs featured a flatter nose with smaller headlight surrounds and a more basic grille made up of groups of vertical chrome bars. Both versions featured Holden's 'Lion and Stone' shield, front and centre of the grille.

The available four cylinder engines included a 71ci (carried over from the HB Torana) in two levels of tune (56.2bhp and 68.9bhp), as well as a 97.5ci (80bhp) version. These were later given 'metric' designations of 1200 and 1600 respectively, and the model names shuffled accordingly. The six cylinder engines available on the LC's debut included a 138ci and 161ci straight six, with the latter also available in a separate, high performance '161S' (aka 2600S) spec. It was this engine that got enthusiasts excited. Also worth noting was GMH's new 'Tri-Matic' 3-speed automatic transmission, which made its debut on the LC Torana. Locally developed, and using only a small percentage of imported parts, the Tri-Matic was praised for its smooth shifting, reported to be much better than the HydraMatic it replaced, while also delivering better fuel economy. Real world use showed up some failings in the design, however, so warranty claims were heavy before the problems were worked out. Other features to debut on the LC included a wider rear window, wraparound tail lights and flush-fitting door handles. Inside, the LC range featured redesigned bucket front seats with higher backs for extra support. Most were in vinyl, or vinyl with cloth facings. A rare option was a bench front seat, but this was only available with column shift-equipped models.

Early impressions of the new Torana were positive, culminating in the LC winning the Wheels magazine Car of the Year award for 1969. In what was reported as one of the most closely-fought competitions in years, the award was bestowed upon the Torana for its high level of local content, Tri-Matic transmission and good handling across both four and six cylinder models. The fact that it was one of the few truly new cars on the market that year apparently also helped the Torana win the gong. It wasn't just Wheels who liked it. The rest of the automotive and general press gave the LC Torana range the thumbs up, and the motoring public obviously liked it, too, as the LC was the top-selling car in its class for 1970.

For performance enthusiasts, the big news upon the LC's introduction was the 'GTR', the first Torana with genuine performance credentials. While there had been a 'Brabham' version of the previous Torana, it was hampered by having to work with a four cylinder engine. The LC GTR featured a six cylinder engine and 4-speed manual transmission as standard. The GTR also featured engine upgrades, wider wheels and disc front brakes as standard. The GTR's '161S' engine was based around the stock 161ci six, but with an inlet manifold and carburettor from the larger 186S engine, as well as a high performance camshaft, valves, valve springs and low restriction air cleaner. The four-speed manual gearbox (no auto was available on a GTR) was sourced from Opel, while the suspension was firmer compared to a regular six cylinder S or SL. Naturally, six cylinder models were the higher-priced offerings, but the GTR was the most expensive of the entire LC range at $2778, almost $1000 more than a base four cylinder two door. Visually, GTRs were distinguished from other six cylinder LCs by three diagonal vents in the front guards, and exclusive paint colours, all complemented with black paint on the lower sills and a black side stripe (regardless of body colour) that terminated at a 'GTR' badge behind the doors. Off-centre black 'rally stripes' on the bonnet and boot were also available, but only as an option. Looking at LC GTRs around today, 'Spanish Red' and 'Sebring Orange' appear to be the popular choices, but more than a few owners have gone for the wilder colour options from the period, like 'Plum Dinger', 'Lina Mint' and 'Yellow Dolly'. What's interesting to note is the amount of GTR badges that could be found on the LC GTR. In addition to both sides, the badge could be found on the bootlid and grille, as well as both inside door cards. GTR interiors were generally trimmed in black vinyl, with cloth facings on the seats.

While the GTR was impressive, what followed in June 1970 - the GTR XU-1 - was even more so. The GTR had already proved itself capable of beating larger, V8-powered cars, so the XU-1 took that formula and improved on it. Rather than use selected top end components from the 186S, the XU-1 used the entire engine. In this form, the XU-1 added 35hp more than the 161S-engined GTR, and a claimed top speed just over 200kph. This made the GTR XU-1 ideal for Bathurst, where it finished third on debut in 1970.

The popularity of GTRs and GTR XU1s over the past couple of decades means there are a lot of 'clones' - honest and otherwise - out there. Unmodified S and SL models are getting harder to find, though, especially the four cylinder models. These sold poorly compared to the six cylinder when new, and today seem to have disappeared off the radar entirely. While nowhere near as powerful or popular as a real GTR, base model Toranas - either four or six-powered - make for a nice weekend classic cruiser that's easy to run and maintain.




SPECIFICATIONS: 1970 Holden LC Torana (GTR with 161S engine)
Engine 161ci inline six
Bore/Stroke 85.7 x 76.2mm
Compression 9.2:1
Power/torque 125bhp (93.2kW)@4800rpm / 202.5Nm@2800rpm

Fuel system Two barrel Bendix-Stromberg carburettor
Cooling system Liquid
Electrics 12 Volt
Transmission 4-speed manual
Front Suspension Independent coil springs/shocks, control arms
Rear Suspension Four-link type, coil springs/shocks
Front brakes 10" disc
Rear brakes 9" drum
Wheels 13" Fr/Rr
Tyres 5.50JJ x 13 Fr/Rr
Wheelbase 2540mm
Length 4387mm
Width 1600mm
Weight 1013.3kg
0-100 kph 10.5 seconds (approx)
Top Speed 169 kph (approx)