JUDITH MENSO’S 1977 LX TORANA HATCHBACK

Born into a household full of Holden diehards, Judith Menso’s love affair with cars was virtually predetermined.

And when a 1977 LX Torana Hatchback came up for sale in town 30 years ago, Judith saw the skeleton of what could be so much more.

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“I always wanted a Torana,” she said.

“My parents didn’t want to drive me to TAFE every day, so they bought me the car and I paid them back so I could make the modifications to it that I wanted to.”

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Those modifications would see the vehicle morph into the award-winning showpiece that it is today.

Originally blue and powered by a four-cylinder Opel engine, it wasn’t long before Judith had a friend install a Holden 308 V8 under the hood.

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But after years of use and several paint jobs, the major rebuild began much later in 2019.

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The car had fallen into disrepair and was rarely being driven, prompting the pair to strip it back and start all over. They completely dismantled the car to a bare shell before rebuilding it from the ground up on a rotisserie.

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Two years later, they unveiled the finished Torana at the inaugural Rockynats in 2021.

Just one year after that, the car was one of the stars of the show at Summernats in Canberra, not only earning a position in the Top 60 Elite Hall, but also cracking the Top 10. It was also invited to the Motorex Superstars Hall in Melbourne, tying off a fruitful year.

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“It was absolutely amazing! Just a car built in the Burdekin,” Judith exclaimed.

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She particularly thanked her husband Rodney, a panel beater and spray painter by trade, for his efforts in building and since maintaining the vehicle.

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“[I hope] people notice the quality of workmanship and our attention to detail,” she said.

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“This was 80% done by Rodney in our own shed.”

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