2001 VAUXHALL Monaro 5.7L V8 6MT (354 HP)

Vehicle Overview

For Australians, the V2 Holden Monaro Coupe and Kylie Minogue’s song “Can’t get you out of my head” are well connected, and that’s for a good reason.

First of all, Kylie launched its song one month before Holden launched the Monaro so, by the time the big Australian muscle car came on the market, everybody knew the music, and then they made the connection. The 2001 Holden Monaro Coupe was a car that couldn’t get out of the motorists’ heads. It was so good that Pontiac brought it in the U.S. and badged-it as a Pontiac GTO. In the U.K., Vauxhall screamed for it and sold it as well. Despite that, it wasn’t a huge commercial success. But it remained stuck in many motorists’ heads.

The long hood, big cabin for a coupe, and short decklid transformed the car into a modern-era muscle car. After Holden brought it on the market, it exported it to the U.K., badged as Vauxhall. It featured the same elliptic-shaped headlights with three lamps inside, including the turn-signals. Apart from the VXR version, which featured a more aggressive styling and two vents on the hood, the rest of the range sported a small-sized bumper, like the one found in a Vauxhall Omega.

Inside, the cabin featured sport bucket-seats at the front and a bench in the back, where it could sit two people. The instrument panel sported four dials and an LCD at the bottom. On the center stack, the carmaker installed the climate control unit above the sound system. Aluminum inserts enhanced the black upholstered interior on the steering wheel and the center stack.

Under the hood, Vauxhall took only the 5.7-liter LS1 engine. It was the same V-8 used in the Chevrolet Corvette.