Null's ultimate Dream Car Thread - A CV8 Monaro in Austria
Discussion
Good evening guys, I know it's been too quiet for a bit too long here lately 
Well, my Monaro is running as good as ever and I still continue to take it for a loong (2 hours minimum) drive on some of my favorite B-roads every Saturday or Sunday morning.
Still feels as great as it did back in June, when I could legally drive it or the first time. I could not be happier, what a magnificent car this really is, feels right at home here in the Alps!
The two of us have covered 2700 kilometers / 1650 miles since June!
Well, this week, it ain't so pretty. One of the many perks of living in the Alps is the ever-present chance of inclement weather.
Weather has been nice enough all summer, can't complain too much, but by Mid-September, took a turn for the worse when the first (short-lived, thank god) cold spell with snow far below 1000m above sea level hit us. Now it is Mid-October and it is not looking good for us Austrian petrol heads.We are right in the middle of the second significant cold spell and it has been really windy and wet and far below 10 degrees since October 9th.
The mountains are covered in snow again and it currently does not look like we will catch a break soon...
This weekend will be the first one since the end of June where the Monaro will stay in it's underground parking spot, unfortunately.
There is still hope that I will be able to enjoy the car a few more times in 2020, please don' t get me wrong - I've got to make the best of it and I'll be sure to jump at every chance I get to drive it during the next couple of months! But it sure looks like winter is coming early this year, and I am not mentally prepared for it yet
Well, my Monaro is running as good as ever and I still continue to take it for a loong (2 hours minimum) drive on some of my favorite B-roads every Saturday or Sunday morning.
Still feels as great as it did back in June, when I could legally drive it or the first time. I could not be happier, what a magnificent car this really is, feels right at home here in the Alps!
The two of us have covered 2700 kilometers / 1650 miles since June!
Well, this week, it ain't so pretty. One of the many perks of living in the Alps is the ever-present chance of inclement weather.
Weather has been nice enough all summer, can't complain too much, but by Mid-September, took a turn for the worse when the first (short-lived, thank god) cold spell with snow far below 1000m above sea level hit us. Now it is Mid-October and it is not looking good for us Austrian petrol heads.We are right in the middle of the second significant cold spell and it has been really windy and wet and far below 10 degrees since October 9th.
The mountains are covered in snow again and it currently does not look like we will catch a break soon...
This weekend will be the first one since the end of June where the Monaro will stay in it's underground parking spot, unfortunately.
There is still hope that I will be able to enjoy the car a few more times in 2020, please don' t get me wrong - I've got to make the best of it and I'll be sure to jump at every chance I get to drive it during the next couple of months! But it sure looks like winter is coming early this year, and I am not mentally prepared for it yet
Edited by Null.Performance on Wednesday 14th October 22:06
Edited by Null.Performance on Wednesday 14th October 22:28
Everytime I look at your car I wish I'd bought a red one myself. I had my car out yesterday for its last long drive, 200 miles of Northumberland countryside......not quite the same beautiful scenery as you're used to but enjoyable nonetheless.
A guy came up to me and said he used to work on truck engines and was pretty surprised at my car having a 5.7 V8. He had even more trouble working out it produced around 425 Hp.....and I think it's very tame.
Horses for courses I guess.
A guy came up to me and said he used to work on truck engines and was pretty surprised at my car having a 5.7 V8. He had even more trouble working out it produced around 425 Hp.....and I think it's very tame.
Horses for courses I guess.
irocfan said:
Do it - you'll not be disappointed! We've just come back from our little Scottish jaunt (3,000 miles in total), albeit in a bright yellow SLK.
Done it 
only did 600 odd miles in 2 days up to Ullapool, down to Skye and across to Mallaig. Cracking roads made better as enjoyed with a top mate in his CV8 and me in the VXR
;)
The past weekend was absolutely spectacular! Exactly 1 year after I boarded a plane to the UK
and made the life-changing decision to buy my childhood dream car, perfect late autumn weather enabled me
to drive more than 200 miles over two days, spend quality time with the Monaro AND some of the most important people in my life.
Went fossil hunting (just one of my weird hobbies) near the small town of Russbach am Pass Gschütt with my brother on Saturday,
and we even found a few nice examples, would you believe it? Have a look:
Then on Sunday, I took my best friend along for her first V8 experience ever. Never before have I had a passenger more enthusiastic than me
about the whole Monaro experience on board, so that was truly something special.
The Monaro is even more amazing when you get to enjoy it with people you love and who are into cars as much as you are!
Summing you one year of Monaro ownership in a simple sentence: I just love this damn car soo much!!!
It is literally everything I ever imagined it would be and so much more, how the hell could I survive the first 25 years of my life without it????
If those 200 miles turn out to be the last hurray before winter arrives, I am still a happy man knowing that they certainly were some of the best miles I have driven in my life so far!
and made the life-changing decision to buy my childhood dream car, perfect late autumn weather enabled me
to drive more than 200 miles over two days, spend quality time with the Monaro AND some of the most important people in my life.
Went fossil hunting (just one of my weird hobbies) near the small town of Russbach am Pass Gschütt with my brother on Saturday,
and we even found a few nice examples, would you believe it? Have a look:
Then on Sunday, I took my best friend along for her first V8 experience ever. Never before have I had a passenger more enthusiastic than me
about the whole Monaro experience on board, so that was truly something special.
The Monaro is even more amazing when you get to enjoy it with people you love and who are into cars as much as you are!
Summing you one year of Monaro ownership in a simple sentence: I just love this damn car soo much!!!
It is literally everything I ever imagined it would be and so much more, how the hell could I survive the first 25 years of my life without it????
If those 200 miles turn out to be the last hurray before winter arrives, I am still a happy man knowing that they certainly were some of the best miles I have driven in my life so far!
Null.Performance said:
Snipped your sentence a bit there just to agree with you on even broader terms. It's such a fun car to share with people, even if they're not in to cars it'll make them smile and often make them laugh Glad you're enjoying it
Hi guys, back with a quick little update:
My Monaro has been safely tucked away in the underground parking garage ever since November 8th,
with the exception of it's yearly '§57-Überprüfung' a few days ago (our equivalent to the MOT).
Passed with 0 advisories and 0 defects!
Come spring, I will get the wheels refurbished and mount a set of fresh Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires at the same time.
The Pirelli P Zeros that are currently on the car are from week 46 of 2016, so time for a change.
Can't wait to enjoy this car again, sometimes it really hurts to see it just sitting there in it's parking spot.
What an incredible journey it has been so far.
Thank you guys for being a part of it and sharing your knowledge with me, there is still so much I have to learn about these cars.
I hope you are able to enjoy the upcoming holidays with your loved ones. Merry Christmas!
My Monaro has been safely tucked away in the underground parking garage ever since November 8th,
with the exception of it's yearly '§57-Überprüfung' a few days ago (our equivalent to the MOT).
Passed with 0 advisories and 0 defects!
Come spring, I will get the wheels refurbished and mount a set of fresh Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires at the same time.
The Pirelli P Zeros that are currently on the car are from week 46 of 2016, so time for a change.
Can't wait to enjoy this car again, sometimes it really hurts to see it just sitting there in it's parking spot.
What an incredible journey it has been so far.
Thank you guys for being a part of it and sharing your knowledge with me, there is still so much I have to learn about these cars.
I hope you are able to enjoy the upcoming holidays with your loved ones. Merry Christmas!
Null - I think you are inspirational, your enthusiasm to these cars will help others maintain the enthusiasm in theirs. You certainly do me.
And you seem to be a genuinely nice guy. Merry Christmas to you too. And hope you can continue to enjoy your Monaro as much as you have already in 2021! Its certainly one of the best examples still in existence and you're the man to keep it that way.
Merry Christmas to you too John, another top bloke who is always happy to advise and help when he can. Very polite too!
And Merry Christmas to the rest of the crew, this is a very quiet small forum these days, but there is still a handful of decent folk that make it worth using.
And you seem to be a genuinely nice guy. Merry Christmas to you too. And hope you can continue to enjoy your Monaro as much as you have already in 2021! Its certainly one of the best examples still in existence and you're the man to keep it that way.
Merry Christmas to you too John, another top bloke who is always happy to advise and help when he can. Very polite too!
And Merry Christmas to the rest of the crew, this is a very quiet small forum these days, but there is still a handful of decent folk that make it worth using.
Bit of an "and-it-all-makes-sense-now-moment" for me today
As pointed out by John (mfp4073) in another thread, the VZ CV8 Monaro numbers in the UK are:
10 yellow
29 Odyssey
34 Black
35 Silver
34 Red
I never knew this, but as it turns out, when I was trying for years to find the perfect Monaro for me, I only ever had a pool of 44 vehicles to choose from!
34 red ones and 10 yellow ones. Or maybe even less, depending on how many of those 44 examples ever made are still around.
Now it feels even more special that I found what is now my Monaro!
Always knew exactly what I wanted: A VZ generation CV8 (non VRX), red or yellow, mostly original condition, manual and no sunroof (as were all UK models), and previously owned by a Holden enthusiast.
After saving up as hard as i could for many years to get the whole thing done before Brexit would possibly destroy my plans,
withdrawing a large chunk of my life savings from my bank account, the risk of loosing my job because I left with only a few hours notice before boarding a plane to the UK
with the insane intention of buying a car I only ever knew from video games, pictures and videos on the internet..
I still vividly remember, just after pulling into the driveway of my cars previous owner's cottage, that moment when first saw a Monaro in person, after dreaming about them since age 12...
Tears of joy were shed, what an amazingly beautiful car it was to finally be able to see with my own eyes...
Looking back on the whole experience now, after a little over a year of Monaro ownership, I can conclude that I have indeed found the one perfect example for me and I will keep it forever.
Right now, I certainly can't wait for spring to arrive, the car has been off the road for 3 months and counting, the withdrawal symptoms are getting more and more intense by the week.
The feeling that I get when I am behind the wheel on a warm and sunny Saturday or Sunday, when I am driving on a fantastic bit of road, surrounded by breathtaking scenery, in one of the most amazing automobiles ever built.
Working the 6-speed manual, rev matching the mighty V8, hearing that wonderful sound exiting through the original exhaust... When every bend I come across is better than the one I've just driven through
and the car feels right at home, even though it was designed, developed and built 15.000 kilometres away on the other end of the world...
And when I get to do all that with my best friend(s) in the passenger seat(s), spending quality time with the most important people I know...
Nothing else in my life even comes close. And it's those memories that last a lifetime.
As pointed out by John (mfp4073) in another thread, the VZ CV8 Monaro numbers in the UK are:
10 yellow
29 Odyssey
34 Black
35 Silver
34 Red
I never knew this, but as it turns out, when I was trying for years to find the perfect Monaro for me, I only ever had a pool of 44 vehicles to choose from!
34 red ones and 10 yellow ones. Or maybe even less, depending on how many of those 44 examples ever made are still around.
Now it feels even more special that I found what is now my Monaro!
Always knew exactly what I wanted: A VZ generation CV8 (non VRX), red or yellow, mostly original condition, manual and no sunroof (as were all UK models), and previously owned by a Holden enthusiast.
After saving up as hard as i could for many years to get the whole thing done before Brexit would possibly destroy my plans,
withdrawing a large chunk of my life savings from my bank account, the risk of loosing my job because I left with only a few hours notice before boarding a plane to the UK
with the insane intention of buying a car I only ever knew from video games, pictures and videos on the internet..
I still vividly remember, just after pulling into the driveway of my cars previous owner's cottage, that moment when first saw a Monaro in person, after dreaming about them since age 12...
Tears of joy were shed, what an amazingly beautiful car it was to finally be able to see with my own eyes...
Looking back on the whole experience now, after a little over a year of Monaro ownership, I can conclude that I have indeed found the one perfect example for me and I will keep it forever.
Right now, I certainly can't wait for spring to arrive, the car has been off the road for 3 months and counting, the withdrawal symptoms are getting more and more intense by the week.
The feeling that I get when I am behind the wheel on a warm and sunny Saturday or Sunday, when I am driving on a fantastic bit of road, surrounded by breathtaking scenery, in one of the most amazing automobiles ever built.
Working the 6-speed manual, rev matching the mighty V8, hearing that wonderful sound exiting through the original exhaust... When every bend I come across is better than the one I've just driven through
and the car feels right at home, even though it was designed, developed and built 15.000 kilometres away on the other end of the world...
And when I get to do all that with my best friend(s) in the passenger seat(s), spending quality time with the most important people I know...
Nothing else in my life even comes close. And it's those memories that last a lifetime.
Null I love your recent write up - you’ve expressed perfectly what it means to want and own a Holden - Lions pride!
The Monaro is an amazing car because it’s not - by that I mean there are much better equipped cars, with more dials, options and choices, yet they don’t have the same thrillingly classic muscle car look and feel.
I’m from Oz and have loved Holdens my whole life. I’m lucky enough to own both a classic 1970 Holden (a four door of the same body line as the original Monaro) and a VXR Monaro. I find the VXR just as simple to drive as the 1970s car with the only added bonus of power steering, better brakes and of course air conditioning!
I look forward to every drive, and that’s what it’s all about.
The Monaro is an amazing car because it’s not - by that I mean there are much better equipped cars, with more dials, options and choices, yet they don’t have the same thrillingly classic muscle car look and feel.
I’m from Oz and have loved Holdens my whole life. I’m lucky enough to own both a classic 1970 Holden (a four door of the same body line as the original Monaro) and a VXR Monaro. I find the VXR just as simple to drive as the 1970s car with the only added bonus of power steering, better brakes and of course air conditioning!
I look forward to every drive, and that’s what it’s all about.
RipGMH said:
Null I love your recent write up - you’ve expressed perfectly what it means to want and own a Holden - Lions pride!
The Monaro is an amazing car because it’s not - by that I mean there are much better equipped cars, with more dials, options and choices, yet they don’t have the same thrillingly classic muscle car look and feel.
I’m from Oz and have loved Holdens my whole life. I’m lucky enough to own both a classic 1970 Holden (a four door of the same body line as the original Monaro) and a VXR Monaro. I find the VXR just as simple to drive as the 1970s car with the only added bonus of power steering, better brakes and of course air conditioning!
I look forward to every drive, and that’s what it’s all about.
Thanks a lot, much appreciated The Monaro is an amazing car because it’s not - by that I mean there are much better equipped cars, with more dials, options and choices, yet they don’t have the same thrillingly classic muscle car look and feel.
I’m from Oz and have loved Holdens my whole life. I’m lucky enough to own both a classic 1970 Holden (a four door of the same body line as the original Monaro) and a VXR Monaro. I find the VXR just as simple to drive as the 1970s car with the only added bonus of power steering, better brakes and of course air conditioning!
I look forward to every drive, and that’s what it’s all about.
I honestly have no idea as to how a 1970s Holden drives. Could you elaborate?
I do LOVE going to car shows and admiring at all the classic cars there, i have a soft spot for American cars from the 1950 and 1960s and pre-war vehicles, especially the early attempts at streamline cars.
Or anything sporty/touringcar-ish in general, no matter what time period it might be from. But my love for cars started out quite unusually, and to a certain extent it still feels a bit strange
Honestly, while I love seeing them at car shows, to this day, I still don't have too strong a desire to drive or own a car from lets say before the mid 1990s.
Automotive engineering peaked in the early to mid-2000s (just my personal opinion ofc!) and those where the cars that i admired the most growing up (like the Monaro).
Anything older that that to me I consider mostly crude and simple, cheaply made basic transportation.
Apart from the cars that were really expensive and/or luxurious from new ofc, or high powered, and good examples of those are often expensive and super rare here in Austria (thanks winter / road slat), so completely out of reach for me.
And to be brutally honest, before I finally had to get a car for work reasons more than 6 years ago, I mostly cared about the design of a car.
I still love automotive design and watch a ton of youtube videos from legends like Chip Foose or Frank Stephenson!
It might sound strange, but I also first fell in love with the Monaro due to it's design...
Parents, family and friends only ever had s
tty economy cars, and I hardly ever knew what a "good", let alone an amazing car with a bit of power drives/feels like, and the emotions those cars can evoke. Getting my first car, a 2004 Volvo V50 with a 2.0 Diesel engine and a 6 speed manual changed EVERYTHING.
Will always remember the first test drive, that little wagon with 220k kms on the clock blew me away, so smooth, so quiet on the autobahn, ice cold AC, an amazing stereo system, super comfortable seats, ample power and FUN.
For the first time, driving felt like actual FUN to me. I loved how it handled the bends, how communicative the steering felt, how nicely the 6-speed was to shift.
It was a really well maintained example, previous owner was a Volvo mechanic, so that certainly helped.
I quickly started to care about this car as best as i could, startend to consume youtube videos about everything cars excessively (still do that, there is sooo much I still need to learn,),
taught myself driving techniques like rev-matching and hypermiling, learned to wrench and modified this Volvo to make it look and drive better.
I started to cut down on most other life expenses to be able to maintain and improve the Volvo, and ofc the desire to get a Monaro really started to grow with my new-found love for cars,
so for years I saved up as hard as I could to make that wild dream a reality, someday. The rest is basically history, as you know
I sadly had to part with my little Volvo in May 2020 due to rust starting to become an issue, but just a few days after I sold it I found an absolute unicorn of an unmodified
2006 Volvo V50 T5 AWD with an M66 trans and lowish mileage, and I knew I just could not let that one pass.
The test drive was even more amazing than the one with my first Volvo, the T5 engine and AWD simply take a car that I already loved to the next level!
Such a nice car as well, so much fun as a daily, I now enjoy every drive, every commute like never before, and it helps cure the heavy Holden withdrawal symptoms a bit.
After a few months, I felt I was bonding with the new Volvo too, so I got an underground parking space for it next to the Holden and I feel like I would not want to part with it for at least the next 10 years.
That being said, you can certainly feel in almost every aspect that the Volvo was built as a daily driver, built to make your life and driving easier in any possible way.
You hardly hear any wind or tire noise on the autobahn, the turbo 5 cylinder sound is quite subtle too, but the sound is pretty good when you drive it a bit hard.
And that is exactly how I want it to be, Same with the original exhaust on my Monaro, always classy and restrained under 2500 rmp but sooo awesome when you step on it or rev-match-downshift.
The driving pleasure in the Volvo hails mostly from the decent handling characteristics of the P1 platform the car was built on, and the 220hp of the T5 & AWD of course.
The Monaro however I feel was purely built for ultimate (long distance) weekend driving pleasure and nothing else. Also, just my personal opinion of course.
While you could certainly daily drive a Monaro, everything about what makes cars great is turned up to 11 on the Monaro for you and your passengers enjoyment and the emotions it evokes are INTENSE.
Manual everything, really puts you in control all the time.
Then of course there is the noise, the power, the torque, the incredibly planted feel in the corners for a heavy GT car,
and the upgraded brakes on my car which feel like you throw out a giant anchor anytime you step on them really hard.
Regarding the the long distance comfort it offers, I feel like the interior of the Monaro has a special vibe to it, even my passengers point that out all the time.
The more time you spend in the car, the more at home and natural it feels. And the harder it is to get back into a "normal car" after a drive in the Monaro
That is just one more reason I never drive it less than 80 kms / 2 hours at a time.
Oh, and I feel like you really have to wait half an hour for everything to get up to operating temperature to get maximum enjoyment out of the car, and you would not want to take the shortest route, like, ever,
because it is just so much fun, so that also basically disqualifies it as a dialy for me
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