Three very different approaches to the same goal — a proper Holden street machine — headline this episode of Greased n Gassed. Patrick has owned his HQ for 40 years, since it was his first car as a P-plater, and after blowing up three 350 small-blocks (including one memorable roadside explosion) he went nuclear with a twin-carb 632 big block that needed serious surgery to fit. It’s built like a pro-stock racer, complete with a custom fuel cell, full cage, and coil-overs, but it’s still driven on the street.
From a 632ci HQ to a 500hp HR Holden
Greg Reed’s 1977 Torana takes a different path, wrapped around a worked 6.0-litre LSA making 475hp through a Powerglide and 9-inch diff, backed by a complete ground-up rebuild to bare metal. And then there’s Alex, a painter turned engine builder who ditched originality on his HR Holden altogether — a 383 stroker producing 500hp and 500ft-lb, Wilwood brakes all round, and a 9-inch diff built to handle the abuse of a car that’s driven anywhere, anytime. Three cars, three completely different philosophies, and all of them proof that Australia’s Holden scene is as strong as ever.
What ties Patrick’s HQ, Greg’s Torana and Alex’s HR Holden together isn’t a shared formula — it’s that none of them are trailer queens. A 632ci big block and a 500hp stroker built to be driven on the street, not just shown, is what makes this trio worth featuring together.
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