My name is Christopher Raios and I am 13 years old. I am, and always have been, a great fan of all Australian muscle cars, from Holden Monaros to GT Falcons.

Chris tells us, "I am 13 years old. I have already started my own collection of Australian muscle cars, starting with diecast models, although I am slowly moving into the world of real life classics.

My dad, Bill recently purchased a 1974 HQ Monaro GTS 253 4 speed just before Christmas 2006 making us the 3rd owner of the car. My dad and I love the HQ shape in particular and had been looking for either a HQ SS or GTS Monaro for a couple of years.

I have become very interested in old muscle cars over the years and read about them as well as having my dad tell me lots of interesting stories about many Australian classics. My dad owned an HQ Kingswood back in the 80's so he really wanted a HQ Monaro to re-live his memories, but also knew how much I loved them so he bought this car mainly for me to have when I get older. I was begging him for many years to buy one, as I loved them so much and I knew that if we waited any longer Monaros would become unaffordable. The passion I had for these cars encouraged my dad to become interested in buying one. After about 2 years of looking for the ideal car, we found this beautiful example.

Now a little about the car. It is in pretty good condition with an incredibly straight body that was resprayed a few years ago..although they didn't do a very good job with the black paintouts. The car is just about rust free, with only a few minor blemishes. It still has the orginal 253 motor, which has been untouched since leaving the factory, and the motor is still running strong. The car drives well although it could do with some tuning. Apart from velour inserts in the seats which were fitted by one of the previous owners, it is very original. My dad purchased this car from Adelaide after having someone go and have a look at it from the Monaro Club of Adelaide. We were both impressed with the report and the car was ours. My dad couldn't get his wallet out fast enough. That would've had to be the best day of my life and due to an overwhelming amount of happiness, both my dad and I broke out in tears.

Also, it is a great coincidence that our Monaro is the same colour "Aquamarine Metallic" as dad's old Kingswood. Everytime he looks at the Monaro in the garage he thinks that he has his old Kingswood back, but seeing the marvellous red monaro badge on the front fender makes all the difference. We have no intentions of selling the Monaro, mainly because I would never let him and it will be passed on to me the day I get my licence. Our plans for this car are to restore it and have it as a weekend driver. I can't wait to be given the keys!

Image Gallery