Holden Torana HB

Send This Page To A Friend
Fade To White
HB Torana


Holden Torana

Holden HB Torana

1967 - 1969
Country:
Australia
Engine:
4 cyl.
Capacity:
1159ci
Power:
56/69/79 bhp
Transmission:
4 spd. man; 3 spd. Auto
Top Speed:
n/a
Number Built:
36,561
Collectability:
2 star
Holden HB Torana
Reviewed by Unique Cars and Parts
Our Rating: 2

Introduction



In the early 1960s other car manufacturers began offering motorists a broader range of motor vehicles. The emphasis was on smaller, more economical and considerably cheaper models - particularly as this era was considered the start of the two car Australian household. GM-H realised it needed to move away from building only large cars - and their answer came in the HB Vauxhall Viva.

The Viva's were first introduced in April 1964, then as the HA Viva model, which possesed a boxy look, lots of sharp edges in its styling - and a reputation for being tinny and troublesome. In fact the first Viva's virtues were a little difficult to find. The performance was so-so at best, it being able to reach 50 mph in just under 14 seconds. It was, however, cheap to run, and the floor mounted gearbox was well above class standards of the day for its "slick" action.

GMH claimed that, after rigid tests "...in Europe, Canada and Lang-Lang, the Viva has been designed to give an inherent anti-roll characteristic". That proved to be a little wishful thinking during the 1966 Gallaher 500 (the precursor to the Bathurst 1000 enduro), when a HA Viva being driven by Gary Shoesmith and Tony Robards seemed to flip with surprising ease! The roll-over also clearly demonstrated how poor the strength of the Viva was, particularly the roof which simply flattened like a pancake.

Sales continued to be laclustre until May 1967, when the new and improved model was not only released as the HB, but also under Holden's new brand name "Torana". There were plenty of good reasons for GMH to get their hands on the little import, particularly given the continued popularity of the Volkswagen Beetle and MK. II Mini 1000, the latter being released shortly before the HB.

But unlike the competition, the Beetle with its rear mounted boxer engine, and the Mini with its transverse front wheel drive configuration, the HB Torana followed a more traditional path that was preferred by many Aussie motorists. Sure, it was the first Holden to depart from the traditional family sedan formula, but it did represent good value, particularly for families now adopting the "two car" policy.

The engine was enlarged to 1159ci and developed 56 bhp - no power house but still a marked improvement on the original Viva. The engine incorporated positive crankcase ventilation and was also far quieter, thanks largely to better sound deadening materials being used along with a double silencer system. Getting the best out of the HB Torana required the driver to use plenty of gear changes, and thankfully the 4 speed box was a real winner. Stubby, light and posessing delightfully short throws, the feel was positive and sporting. The steering was also well sorted, the precise rack-and-pinion requiring only 3.4 turns to go from lock to lock, the car having a tight 32 foot turning circle. And best of all, the three-leaf transverse spring fitted to the Viva was ditched, being replaced by coil springs.

Torana, Torana S and Torana SL



Upon release, the HB Torana was available in three models, and all of them were two-doors. There was the base "Torana", followed by the S and SL. The latter Super Luxury model boasted such creature comforts as a cigarette lighter, carpet, (very) fake wood trim on the dashboard and a heater-demister. All models were fitted with bucket seats, and Wyvern grain and Sadlon vinyls were used in the SL. Optional (for those who cared a little for their backside during the hot Aussie summers) was Castillon weave.

In 1968 Holden introduced the Series II HB Torana, the main feature being the introduction of a 4 door model. surprisingly, the re-modelling to allow the fitment of rear doors only shaved 5 inches from the front doors (meaning entry and egress were little affected), and with the Torana offering a generous 16 cubic foot boot, it now took the fight up to the likes of the Toyota Corolla and Datsun 1000. Also with the introduction of the Series II came the Series 70 engine option, the engineers re-tuning of the 1159ci motor to enable a healthy 69bhp output. These modifications included changes to the cylinder head and a lift in compression ratio, up from 8.5 to 9.0:1, that combined with a higher lift camshaft.

The HB Brabham Torana



There was even a new exhaust sytstem that had twin branch exhaust manifolds and two separate reverse flow mufflers. GMH claimed a 20% increase in power, important given the cars detractors would often cite the power, or lack of, as the biggest criticism of the little Holden. Engine mods aside, the Series II HB also received much improved braking system, all Series 70's being fitted with power assisted front discs. To further up the safety ante, GMH fitted low profile 6.20 x 12 tyres on super wide four inch rims. In 1968 the first "sporty" Torana was introduced, although few would have guessed that it would morph into the legendary A9X 9 years later. The new 2 door 'Brabham' Torana featured a raft of upgrades, most noteable amoung them being such go fast options as a broad centre rally GT stripe and Brabham decals. Unfortunately though, the Brabham Torana was a bit of a let down, as stripes did not a sports car make.

A few months after the Brabham's release (on September 24) there was another revision which included round instruments, while a broad and narrow stripe around the nose replaced the previous single broad decal. There were also black paint-outs under the front bumper and between the tail lights, and another stripe was added, which ran the length of the car below the doors. The Series 70 engine was used, however it was fitted with a twin Stromberg carby, which helped the little engine to a (less than overwhelming) 79 bhp.
HB Torana Top Speeds
Standard Torana
80 mph
Series 70
85 mph
Brabham Torana
89 mph
That may not sound much, but it was 10 more than the Series 70 had to offer, and was a whopping 23 more than the standard Torana possessed. The Brabham Torana was also fitted with twin oversize exhaust pipes, although they produced far more bark than bite, particularly when you compare top speeds. In standard guise, the HB was good for around 80 mph.

The Series 70 engine lifted top end performance by around 5 miles per hour, however the Brabham modifications managed to only extract another rather wheezy 4, and this was going down hill with a strong tail wind. Despite all the Brabham's sporting pretentions, far more humble cars such as the Morris 1100, which layed no claim to any sporting ability, had the measure of the car. Perhaps the fact that GMH still shod the little Brabham with red line nylon 6.20 x 12 tyres, the same as fitted to the regular Series 70, was evidence enough that the car was not a serious sports car proposition.

The facelifted 1969 model Brabham received a far better interior treatment than the lesser Torana's. Upgrades included a new dished simulated woodgrain sports steering wheel, along with a proper set of sports instruments which included tacho, oil pressure, amp, temperature and fuel gauges. Interestingly enough, the word Torana is an aboriginal word meaning "fly" - something the much underpowered HB was incapable of, even in Brabham guise. But the Brabham is still very much an important car, and deserves a high place in Australian automotive history. It marked the desire by GMH to not only supply the Australian domestic car market with a small car, but a sporting one at that.

For now the honours would fall to the Monaro, but there were some industrious engineers who obviously felt a good old Aussie six could lift the performance bar far higher. They were right, and the Brabham set the scene for future Torana models, cars so formidable they would quickly take the greatest prize in Australia, honours at Mount Panorama.
HB Torana
HB Torana Brabham

Visitor Rating:


Click stars to vote

Also see:


Torana HB Technical Specifications
Torana Car Commercials
Reader Reviews page 1 of 1
Click here to add your review
Mark devoo
Posted Recently
In all honesty a crap car ugly,noisy slow, embarrassing, wo7ld be blown away by basically anything else, the Brabham version had about 3hp more LOL, & used a lot more fuel for no real gain.. great job holden👏😂
Grahame Perceval
Posted Recently
I first had a used Viva when I joined the airforce which did a lot of miles across Australia very reliably. I traded up to a new Brabham Torana . The biggest problem was the unreliability of the twin CD Stromberg carbs which split diaphragms on a regular basis. Once replaced with single dual throat Weber the car was reliable and fun. Traded it on the original GTR .
Steve
Posted Recently
Had a 70 Series Automatic HB as my second car. Had it for several years & quite a few trips. While I seemed to be fixing something every couple of weeks it was very well handling (on radials) & rode well courtesy of the 4 x coil springs. Performance required patience but I drove a few manuals & they were much better. Economy was good. Power-boosted front disc brakes were excellent. Boot was huge for RWD. The specs above are wrong however for the 70 Series engine. It didn't have the Zenith downdraft carby (that was the standard engine) but a SIDE-draft Stromberg variable-jet carburettor. The Brabham Torana engine (which is missing above) had 2 x Strombergs plus other mods. Overall, reliability aside, it was a good little car for a young bloke to learn in but I eventually traded it on a Minivan which hotted up with Cooper parts much more satisfactorily.
Dennis Meehan
Posted Recently
I purchased a brand new HB Torana S with a Series 70 donk. The only problem I had was the motor would drop valves onto the piston. This was caused by the springs (single) failing, and poping the cotter sleeves off the top of the valve. Eventually got the problem fixed by Smiths Garage at Fairfield Brisbane by fitting Sport Springs. Otherwise, my car was a soft cruiser if you did not ask of it to do anything it was designed not to do.
Rod
Posted Recently
Yeah first 6 places in class A in 1964...ahead of vw beetles & 850cc Morris!😆
Greg
Posted Recently
In high school...& beyond, i had a few friends who had hb toranas,generally uninspiring things they were,...much better fun & good times with mk1 & 2 cortinas as well as mk1 capri gt & v6...much more civilized car than the toranas, knew them pretty well...but just didn't do it for me!
Mike T
Posted Recently
The info about the Viva rolling at Bathurst is incorrect. The car driven by Shoesmith and Robards competed in 1965 and 1966. It finished in 1965 and retired with mechanical problems in 1966, but did NOT roll over. The Viva that rolled was driven by Mudd and Kavanagh in 1965. If Shoesmith and Robards are still with us, I'm sure they would appreciate a correction.
Probably also fair to mention that in the Viva's debut in the race in 1964, they took the first 6 places in its class, so rival cars were even slower.
Patrick
Posted Recently
I owned the first generation Brabham Torana, late 1968, aged 18. Owned it for four years, drove it twice Perth to Melbourne and back. First trip did in a shock absorber attachment (road was unpaved for 600 miles). I had zero problems otherwise ( I bent a wheel on a massive pot hole after a storm) and I loved that car for the whole four years. It was fun and reliable. I should know
BERTY
Posted Recently
Tryhard holdens woeful attempt at a match for the cortina, as usual, they claim it as Australia's own car, designed & built in australia lmfao
Prentco
Posted Recently
Not sure what these bad reviews are being compared to..?
Almost every car made those days could be described the same way against todays cars.
My wife had a 2 y.o. for her 18th birthday it was red with a white roof and looked as cute as can be. It was an easy car to drive, gave up nothing to Corola's. A great little city car. VERY easy to work on, contrary to these old codgers opinions.
Ross F
Posted Recently
Horrid car, had to tune many back in the day. You could never tune them to spec. We would often joke that the engine mounts were made from marshmallows as the motor would wobble all over the place.
Ross
Posted Recently
Total piece of junk from holden
John
Posted Recently
Just as bad as the vauxhall viva, holden claimed them as thoroughbreds, nothing could be further from the truth!
 
Reader Rides
Sorry, we don't have any reader rides for the Holden Torana HB.
Be The First To Upload Pictures Of Your Holden Torana HB
Holden's For Sale
item
Holden
1967
HR Special
V6
Very Good
RHD

Private

Classic Cars

$5,000
NSW
item
Holden
1969
HT Monaro GTS
V8
Showroom
RHD

Classic Cars

$170,000 AUD
NSW
item
Holden
2003
VY SS
V8
Showroom
RHD

Private

Classic Cars

$29,900 AUD
VIC