Seeing an Opel Monza at an Australian car show is like going to visit an old friend’s house and finding their hot European cousin is in town. They have similar facial features but the cousin has a gorgeous body and speaks with a sophisticated, foreign accent. It’s familiar and alluring all at once.
From the windshield forward, the Opel Monza and the first Holden Commodore are visually identical. Holden married the body of the Opel Rekord with the longer front-end of the Opel Senator in order to fit their existing six-cylinder engines. The Monza, being the Senator’s coupe counterpart, naturally has much the same face as the VB Commodore. Aft of the windshield, however, is an attractive hatchback coupe body which we Aussies were deprived of.
The hood scoop is obviously not stock. The European cousin bought a tacky souvenir on their visit.
Compared to our Commodore, Opel’s executive sedan and coupe acted as though they’d been to finishing school. In place of the venerable Holden sixes and V8s were a range of Opel inline sixes. The range-topping engine in this flagship coupe was a 3.0 inline six with Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection and 180 hp and 179 ft-lbs. It was the fastest Opel yet and could propel the 3200-pound Monza to 60 mph in around 8.5 seconds. Also available was a carbureted 2.8 six with 140 hp and 161 ft-lbs, considerably slower with a 0-60 time of around 12 seconds. On the continent, there was also a base 2.5 six borrowed from the Opel Commodore.
The Monza’s engines were all overhead valve mills with an iron block, derived from Opel’s 2.0 four-cylinder engine, with a chain-driven camshaft mounted in the cylinder head and valves operated with hydraulic tappets and rockers. With these engines, there was a choice of three-speed automatic or four-speed (later five-speed) manual transmissions.
Also different to the Commodore was the suspension. The Monza, like the Senator, utilized independent rear suspension with semi-trailing arms. There were also disc brakes all-round, although steering was still of the recirculating ball variety albeit with standard power assist; conversely, the Holden used a more modern rack-and-pinion set-up. The Monza’s handling was controlled and predictable and its ride comfort commendably plush, as befitting a flagship coupe. The Senator/Monza platform would have made for a comfortable yet dynamic “small” Cadillac as it possessed much of the dynamism of a BMW but with a quieter cabin and a more compliant ride.
Unfortunately, the Opel Monza had a little in common with its unrelated Chevrolet namesake across the pond – an interior with some low-rent plastic trim pieces and available, naff fake wood. Nevertheless, it was well-assembled and the Monza came standard with then-trendy crushed velour trim. The rear seats had sufficient legroom but headroom was restricted by the rakish roofline.
That hatchback bodystyle did, however, provide the Monza with 9 extra cubic feet of cargo capacity at 26.5 cubic feet. It was a highly unusual bodystyle for this segment, similarly-priced and sized rivals typically being notchback coupes or, in the case of rivals like the BMW 5-Series, Peugeot 604, Volvo 264 and Rover 3500, not offering a coupe variant at all.
The Monza received a fairly extensive facelift for 1982, losing much of its chrome. Its refreshed looks firmly brought it into the 1980s and there were significant changes to the interior as well.
The following year saw the introduction of the most exciting Monza yet, the GSE. Available exclusively with the 3.0, the GSE added Recaro bucket seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, digital instrumentation, and a sportier suspension tune. On the other end of the spectrum, the facelifted Monza now had the 2.0 and 2.2 four-cylinder engines from the Rekord, their 115-hp outputs rather outmatched by the Monza’s stout curb weight.
1986 was the last year for the Monza. Opel developed a replacement for the Senator sedan but the Monza’s niche status seemingly ruled out a successor. In total, 43,812 Monzas were manufactured.
Australians did come tantalizingly close to getting the Monza. The Holden Dealer Team, Holden’s semi-official racing team, had ventured into tuning road vehicles by the 1980s. Legendary racing driver Peter Brock, by then the owner of HDT, spearheaded a plan to source partially-assembled Monzas from the Rüsselsheim plant and finish assembly in Australia. The HDT Monza would have ditched the Opel six for Holden’s 247-hp 5.0 V8 mated to the Corvette’s Borg-Warner T5 five-speed manual; the Holden V8 actually weighed less than the Opel six. Out would have gone the recirculating ball steering, replaced with the Commodore’s rack-and-pinion steering. The front suspension would have been borrowed from the Commodore too, although the IRS would have remained. One prototype was built before the project was scuttled, ostensibly because meeting Australian Design Rules would have pushed the price into the stratosphere.
Though Australia missed out on the Monza, other right-hand-drive markets were more fortunate. When Holden was bleeding red ink in the 1980s, GM New Zealand approached Opel for product. The lucky Kiwis ended up receiving the Monza along with the Manta, Senator, Kadett GSi and Ascona GT, although the Opel lineup wasn’t hugely successful over there and the remaining products were rebadged as Holdens in 1994 when that brand was resurging.
Over in the UK, with Vauxhall shifting wholesale to Opel-designed products, they received the Monza (and Senator) as the Vauxhall Royale. Although by the 1980s Opel and Vauxhall products were almost identical, GM persisted with selling the Monza as both an Opel and as the Vauxhall Royale in the UK. There, GM had the short-lived idea (delusion?) that the Sloan ladder structure of the US could be mirrored in the UK, in part, with the Vauxhall and Opel brands. To that end, the Royale was introduced with the carbureted 2.8 six while the Senator and Monza had the fuel-injected 3.0 six and a higher list price.
This Sloan-lite experiment quickly fell apart. By 1980, the Royale could be had with the fuel-injected 3.0 and by ’82 the Royale was gone. Instead, the Senator was rebranded as a Vauxhall and the Opel Monza carried on until the end of production. By this time, the Opel brand had been reduced to just the Manta – which lacked a Vauxhall equivalent – and was withdrawn in 1988.
Monza ended up being one of the most prolific GM names. Like Calais – used by Cadillac, Holden, Oldsmobile and Opel – the Monza name has since been used on a multitude of products. It originated with Chevrolet, used on a sporty version of the Corvair in the 1960s and then a sporty subcompact in the 1970s. GM do Brasil used the Chevrolet Monza name on their version of the GM J-Car. Finally, GM’s Chinese operations launched a new Chevrolet Monza this year, a sedan slotting between Cavalier and Cruze and using the PATAC-K (simplified Delta II) platform. Well, Monza is a nice name and easy to say and spell, so why not continue using it?
Although the Monza name was a popular choice for various Chevrolet lineups throughout the world, it was used only one other time by Opel.
The sleek, sexy Monza concept of 2013 was once again a three-door hatchback coupe although instead of an inline six, it used the same Voltec drivetrain as the Chevrolet Volt. Sadly, the Monza never reached production.
Alas, to those of us outside Europe and New Zealand, our friend’s hot cousin remained out of reach. Johanna with the pert derriere – or was it Jürgen with the tight abs? – was an ocean away and we wouldn’t be able to experience the enticing way they moved. At least those of us in Australia had their more ocker cousin, a little less shapely, a little more uncouth, but still plenty of fun.
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1978-81 Holden VB/VC Commodore – The Beginning of a New Era
New Zealand didnt get Monzas, ok there are a few here but they are private imports, The Vauxhall Royale badge was used on locally assembled Commodores as was the GTS badges but sadly no Monzas.
Not according to my research. From what I’ve read, including in On a Global Mission: The Automobiles of General Motors International Volume 3, the Monza was sold in limited volumes in NZ in the mid-1980s. I’ve come across a couple of other references to its NZ sale, too.
I am past Opel owner and ran a club for them
KiwiBryce I don t think you know what you talking about?
A mate of mine worked for GM NZ and brought his Bosses one a orange Monza 3.0S – A few years back it rolled down a drive and was written off and remains are going to be used to make a replica Brock Monza V8 by guy in Walkworth
The Monza was brought in NZ new in batches of 25-50
– Around 20-25 were brought into NZ originally as a 3.0s and probably another 25 GSE ‘s a lot later- All were Automatics – There is 1 manual in CHCH I seen it!
There are a few import Vauxhall Royale Coupes but I not sure if any survive!
There was a rusted it one I heard about in Kapiti coast
As for Vauxhall Royale comment
I owned a Holden VL Commodore Royale 3.0 1988 one of the last made – It shares not one single panel with a Senator Generation 1 although look like one -It had a 3.0 Nissan Straight 6 Efi! Holdens Straight 6 as the earlier 3.3 would not meet emission controls so Holden went to Nissan and got access to 2.0 straight 6 and 3.0 for its VL range
The Royal only came in 3.0 and was unique to NZ as the top model of NZ built range positioned below the Calais – It was basically an up market Berlina with same seats in Velour which were not that confortable on a long trip not like my Recaros on my Opel Manta Gsi I owned one of those too! – the Royale came fitted with a few Calais extras but lacked the semi pop up lights; the 4 wheel discs and leather interior etc
Would have been interesting to see what would have powered the North American and other versions of the Opel Monza as well as how they’d likely fare in their respective markets.
Especially if General Motors decided early on to adopt and further expand the following proposed interchangeability programme, featuring common platforms yet different styling and engines (at least until brand loyalty is no longer a thing thereby allowing General Motors to rationalize their marque portfolio down to Chevrolet, Cadilliac and possibly Hummer). – http://vauxpedianet.uk2sitebuilder.com/vauxhall—opel—holden-interchangeability-programme
God I love that Vauxpedia site. The layout needs work, definitely, but the sheer amount of Vauxhall and Vauxhall-related content is unparalleled.
Sorry to correct you Brice but Monza’s where sold new in New Zealand I think the number was around 12, Manta’s where slightly more popular but the volume car for GM dealers was the Kadett sold only in one spec, the Gsi.
I think the GSi was sold as a VW Golf Gti competitor, it was priced about the same as 8 valve Gti, other cars in the same segment and similar (but mostly lower) price was the NZ assembled 4AGE powered FWD Corolla GT which with standard leather seemed a cut above the thousands of JDM FX-GTs which were to arrive in the 90’s, Ford Laser TX3 Turbo/Mazda 323 Turbo twins.
Other European competitors were Alfa 33/Sprint in Cloverleaf 1.7 spec, Saab 900, Lancia Delta (1600) in both injected and DellOrto blow through Turbo.
Meanwhile Ford dealers where doing a brisk trade in Escort XR3i cabriolets, Ford Capri 2.8i and Sierra 3 doors both XR4i 2.8 V6 and Cosworth which were all unobtainable in Australia.
I’d like to point out provincial dealers could obtain these cars but most were sold by city dealers to clients who wouldn’t be seen dead in a Commodore or Falcon as driven by sales reps and families who frequent McDonalds.
Usually these cars were brought by yuppies/upper class types who considered anything Australia as uncouth and lacking in sophistication, both cars and actual Australians.
Which was the Monzas problem, it’s Ozzy inbred cousin didn’t have OHC, IRS or injection but instead dinosaur tech OHV carby V8, the solid axle equiped Commodore SS was significantly cheaper and had motorsport heritage, it did race (Group A) against class: BMW 635csi, Jaguar XJS HE prepared by TWR who ironically in the very near future became responsible for hot V8 Commodores.
Local magazine NZ Car were still listing Opel’s including Monza’s in 87 in the new car prices section.
My interest in locally sold Opel’s is due to long time ownership of a 87 NZ new Manta Gsi.
Basically a Vauxhall Chevette or Holden/Isuzu Gemini that didn’t suck from the factory thanks to the 2.0 injected Getrag 5 speed drivetrain and Recaro seats.
I have also a fascination with the Isuzu Piazza, the other family member that didn’t suck.
I have just brought my first car on finance, with the same suspension set up as these cars except bigger and thanks to GM USA with appalling cheap, cardboard strength pressed steel components.
I’d also like to point out I’m almost middle aged Gen X slacker, basically unemployed who is of the opinion that anybody who gets car finance is a loser, and if you take a car to a mechanic you don’t deserve to own a car, in fact working on your own car is one of life’s pleasures.
Hence for my newly financed car I’ve already brought Hooker race headers which will be interesting as car has been converted to RHD as it was Japan new and imported in 2006 so swapping steering sides was a legal requirement.
And big orange brembo callipers which will require 14 inch brake rotors.(or 355mm for everybody who isn’t American)
Future plans include chrome moly suspension and 6 speed transmission.
And a radar detector as already be caught at 146 km/h while returning halfway from 1400km round trip and have had my licence suspended for 28 days.
But gee I had fun terrorising the general NZ motoring public while overtaking with my Z28 whom I hold in contempt who seemed to regressed to tall top heavy style of car that used to regularly kill people in the 50’s 60’s that were designed in the 30’s i.e. VW beetle, Austin 10 etc.
Driving 70 to 90 km/h or even slower around corners then accelerating past the legal limit of 100km/h to 110-120 km/h when a passing lane becomes available to prevent traffic overtaking you isn’t going to work this time.
I guess the modern counterparts have twice the road holding but have also four times the power with drivers who generally have quarter of the skill and common sense of previous generations.
A few of my thoughts on modern motoring.
CUV/SUV owner = loser!
Tesla owner = serious threat (or any EV owner), basically driving a vehicle that will be banned as soon as terrorists figure out how to detonate the lithium battery pack in a crowed area, in fact all Tesla owners should rounded up and thrown in jail for suppling material support for a future terrorist attack.
I guess you’re not aware of the fact that gasoline is highly flammable? And packs more explosive energy than batteries? And that in the US, there are 174,000 car fires per year?
Speaking of terrorists, Molotov cocktails used to be quite popular with them.
Paul their have been 2 reported deaths from lithium powered vape pens in the US, 1 case the pen exploded with such force it sent the mouth piece through the skull into the brain killing him instantly, the other the exploding pen severed the victims jugular causing death.
I know of no deaths from exploding Bic or Zippo lighters.
I’m not sure how to explode a lithium battery, whether to use chemistry
or in the case of a Tesla battery use the electric power of the batteries to charge a bank of capacitors to release a massive charge back in the batteries.
Also lithium is also used with aluminium foil to create a volatile reaction to create meth which I think was used in the show Breaking Bad.
I can think of dozens of urban myth scenarios involving meth heads and Tesla’s, all with different outcomes both lethal and successful.
Other urban myth ideas include nefarious Republican party operatives stealing hundreds of Tesla’s and dumping them in a towns water supply to make the resident voters so unbalanced they vote Trump, you could even have a Democratic version where voters are so unbalanced they vote for Elizabeth Warren and her crazy talk of universal health care.
I’m about as expert in exploding lithium batteries as a Hollywood script writer, perhaps someone far more knowledgable on the subject could clarify how dangerous lithium is its various forms such as EV batteries.
Lighters didn’t exactly use gasoline. 🙂
Sure, lithium batteries can ignite. But when they’re properly made, they don’t explode like a giant bomb.
The vape batteries may well not have been made with safeguards, and they are of course extremely close to the head.
I have no desire to get into another pissing match about lithium batteries. Their safety record has been very solidly established, as in fewer fires per number of EVs than corresponding gasoline fires in cars.
Anyway, it’s really off topic on this post.
Lol. Easy solution. Don’t heat up your vape like a crack pipe and you’ll be fine. Sometimes in life it is hard to believe what you see (read), but in those rare moments, you take them at face value and simply move away.
As I understand GM New Zealand bought 16 Monzas into NZ around 1986. 8 were the 3ltri with velour upholstery and an automatic gear box. * were the GSE with a stiller suspension, 5 speed manual Getrag gearbox and Recaro front seats and a larger rubber lip on the end of the tailgate A GM dealer in Hastings was one the main retailers and i bought a GSE from Manthel Motors in Lower Hutt early in 1989. I sold it in September 2019 to a gentleman from Christchurch who sold ti on to another gentleman in Australia. It was a great car, very reliable, beautiful brakes and very quick!
My comment disappeared when I pressed post comment!
I did take a long time to write.
The figure I’ve heard is around 12 Monza’s where sold new.
Had an interest in NZ new Opels as I did own a 87 Manta Gsi as a daily driver.
At the age of 45 just brought my first car on finance which has a very similar rear suspension set up as my Manta and my first GM car since the Manta.
Tried to upload photo of car but have no success, its a 95 Camaro Z28 ex Japan converted to RHD in NZ.
Shaun, your comment has been restored above. Thanks.
Thanks, I hope my attempt at humour doesn’t offend anyone apart from Australians, Since the Christchurch attack I was thinking of starting a petition to force GM to withdraw the Holden brand from New Zealand because it’s a symbol of Australian Nationalism.
I can also remember when local GM dealerships where pushing GM as a retail brand, where the only cars badged Holden were Commodore and the Suzuki Swift based Barina, which were sold along side Opel Vectra, Isuzu Rodeo, Isuzu Jackaroo/Trooper and the Pontiac Le Mans.
I also forgot that the Opel Senator was the other model that seemed to find more buyers, which I remember reading about along with the Kadett Gsi, never read anything about the Monza or Manta.
Owning a 4 gen Camaro in New Zealand is more left field than owning a French car and in reality my 96 Renault Laguna is just as quick to drive to work as a stevedore, has far more comfortable seats and better suspension for local roads however I now longer notice hills, can overtake on straights instead of sweeping corners and the LT1 is cheaper to run than the Honda cast alloy head injected 4.1 Fairmont Ghia XE I owned.
Success!
Great piece!
I like it. While not as swoopy as our U.S. H-Body Monza, it looks decidedly less wonky than the “Type 10” Cavalier that replaced the Monza hatch here. The roofline on this Monza seems to be a great compromise between that of the H-Body Monza and the Type 10 – with less (apparent?) headroom than the former and more than the latter.
I think it would have flopped in the U.S. what nobody mentioned is The Opel i6 engine was not without problems, chocolate camshafts for example. The lobes would wear so badly you’d find yourself with an i5 engine and a dead cylinder.
This is one of those Opels that might have done well in the US in the mid to late 80s, if Opel had maintained any market presence here and if exchange rates had not been so unfavorable to reasonably priced German cars at the time (going from memory on that last point.)
I have often referred to cars having a personality shared with their country of origin. It seems that at some point Opels seemed to pick up more on their American ancestry and seemed less German. I guess this is why they have been such good unsatisfactory Buicks of late.
Sorry to disagree, but as appealing as this car is to many of us, I think by the late ‘80’s this car would have been as successful in the US as the Catera was, a decade later. Not very.
The problem is that GM-US never associate Opels to Chevrolets as it should be, selling them as Buicks, Cadillacs and Pontiacs only was to end with the same situation of the Cimarron, Lemans and Catera, carefully planned to fail.
It’s awesome how one grille can trigger so many feelings.
The Rekord/Commodore/Senator/Monza from ’78 to ’81 or so shared front design (plus or minus much chrome, of course) and the dashboard. One of the cars I learnt to drive in was a blue, vinyl-roofed ’79 Rekord 2.0, bought with 17.000 km on the clock by my Dad. He lived just 4 months after the purchase, so that car mostly sat in the garage for about 4 years, save when my brother or, later, I drove it. So, I was driving an expensive car (for Uruguay) at 18. As that Opel had been bought at my pressure as Dad wanted a power steering, and it was as similar as an American car I was able to coax him out, I got a deep feeling towards it. That feeling, of course, was not shared by my mother or older brothers, who decided that paying road tax and insurance for a car that no money earner needed wasn’t wise, so we sold it with some 65.000 km on it, to a guy who installed a Mercedes 240D engine.
With the benefit of hindsight, the Opel’s ride was excellent in good pavement. Its steering, even being a recirculating ball system, was very nice. Highway behavior wasn’t, though. At anything above 120km/h you really didn’t know where the front wheels were. The car could very very slowly get to something like 150 or 160 km/h, said by someone who attempted it. I never got it over 130. It was scary, even for a teen.
The 2.0 engine was sloooow. With only around 100 hp and a 4 speed, it was a lazy revver, so you had to press it…and I loved (as still do) silence. To get it you had to make sure the whole exhaust was in good condition…and drive at low rpm’s. The carburettor was a POS. Even when new, idle was erratic and mechanics wouldn’t set it right. In bad pavement, the rear axle would jump all they long.
I promised myself I’d get another one someday. I haven’t been able to locate one in the great condition I’d like. Then again, I parked besides a shabby one a few days back, looked at it and thought…I can’t believe this thing is so low. At 53 and 103 kg, I don’t want any low cars again.
Just one last thing: that Monza, a quite expensive car in 1978…didn’t have air conditioning, which in that dashboard would be identified by a rotary switch on the right of the steering column. The Rekords that got here with AC weren’t able to get away in a stoplight, the system didn’t work well at all (they drove windows down)…and the cost was (1980 USD) up from 20K to about 22, roughly around 60K today. You can get an awful lot of a car for 60K today…even in Uruguay.
William, just a minor technical point on this statement:
“Holden’s 247-hp 5.0 V8 mated to the Corvette’s Borg-Warner T5 five-speed manual”
The Corvette never came from the factory with a BW T-5. The Camaro offered the T-5 in the 5.0 V-8, but the 5.7 liter motor exceeded the transmission’s torque rating.
As an interesting sidebar, the Corvette never came from the factory with a 5 speed manual- The C4 offered the Doug Nash 4+3 manual from 1984-86 and then upgraded to the ZF 6 speed in ’87.
This is the Monza we should have got!!!
I remember finding both the Senator and the Monza to look great – very tidy and modern – when I saw them in American car magazines in 1978….. and that’s the only place I ever saw them. The Cavalier hatchback we eventually did get four years later didn’t look any newer.
“Johanna with the pert derriere – or was it Jürgen with the tight abs?”
This right here makes the whole article, for me, personally. These look like sleeker J-body hatches to my eyes (I’m aware they came after), but nonetheless, I appreciate and applaude sly smart commentary such as this. Well played.
Thank you, sir!
These always reminded me of large j-body hatches. Someone around here has a 1984 Opel Senator they apparently imported when it was new and that was still allowed.
A nice-looking coupe and a great find (especially in Australia William!). You are correct, we Kiwis did get the Monza GSE, Manta, Senator and Kadett GSi new from 1986ish, and I’ve probably got the sales brochures here somewhere. One of my school teachers bought a Senator (B shape) new in 1987; great looking car, meant the VN Commodore looked a little old-news when it arrived in town in 1989. We must have been one of Opel’s only RHD exports at the time. Never heard of the Ascona GT being sold here though, and there would have been no need, as both the Holden Camira and Isuzu Aska were sold here new. Such a shame the HDT Monza didn’t come to fruition, it could have been an ’80s Monaro by another name.
Some may have been attracted to this European cousin, but I find the more mature European aunt to be much more attractive,
A good article. Thanks for raising the Opel flag which seems to be misunderstood by many Holden owners on both sides of the Tasman, who only think of the more mundane Vectra A, Kadett/Astra offerings.
Monza and Senator B were sold in NZ, along with Manta and Kadett GSi, as stated above. Monza was an expensive car for the time, as I saw an original invoice for $67K from 1985 in a Monza I bought a few years back.
The most enthusiastic dealers for these Opel models were based in Hastings/Napier although a couple of dealers, one in Chch and one in Wellington were also keen. Between them, about 30 Monza were imported for resale in NZ. I know of about 20 through the OpelForumNZ, of which I currently have two, while others were bought by Aussies/Kiwis with plans to bolt on Commodore VH/VK front ends, and of course the V8 engines, to recreate the Brock design. The original Brock Monza has sold recently, and was the earlier series 2 rather than the GSE spec.
There was a Vauxhall Cavalier alternative to the Manta with the same “shovel nose” front end as the Chevette, and there was at least a couple of personal imports of these cars to NZ.
The Commodore B shown above by Jonco43 was an earlier Opel design with 2.5/2.8 carb or f/inj engines from ’72-’75, while the Commodore A was the first use of the Commodore name back in ’69. This offered the same Coke bottle lines as the Monaro HT coupe with a 2.5 engine, and was mirrored by the Rekord C line up which offered only a 1.9 engine. There was also a sedan version of each.
All this fuss by Holden Commodore rednecks about the use of Opel’s products for the latest model shows just how little they really know about the history of their cars which have been refaced Opels in almost every model except the VN which used a Nissan engine. Complaints about the 1900cc Opel engines being underpowered were justified only in that the engine was never intended to shift a car the size and weight of a Commodore! It was built for the smaller Manta, Rekord, and the shapely Opel GT of the ’70s era.
Good examples of seven early Opels were recently shown by the OpelForum members at the BritEuro show in Auckland back in early March, and others will be in Dunedin at the AutoSpectacular in September.