HEAD OF THE Q

BACK in 1990, Perth’s John Simunovich was just starting high school. One of his first metalworking projects was to create a brass keyring with some lettering stamped into it. While many other students most likely stamped their names, John’s keyring spelt out ‘GTS MONARO’–and yes, he does still have it. Holden’s Monaro had captured young John’s imagination, and, as you can see from these photos, it still hasn’t let go 32 years on.

When teenage John began the search for his first car, he was adamant it had to be an HQ Monaro GTS. “My dad said, ‘Well, if you want a V8, I’m not helping you pay for anything,’ which was kind of good, but kind of shit,” John laughs. “We went looking for HQ coupes, and I found