Amanda Williams with her HQ Monaro in a unique colour. Picture courtesy Bistra Atanasova.By Shaun Inguanzo
AMANDA Williams’ Monaro was a glowing tribute to her late idol Peter Brock at Sandown last week.
Like a rose among the thorns, Ms Williams’ HQ Monaro was the only pink car in an extraordinary line-up of Holden vehicles set to do a lap of honour for ‘Brockie’ at his public memorial last week.
But the 36-year-old Boronia woman could not put her finger on the exact colour of the car. After all, she had a paint expert mix the colour to give her Monaro that unique feeling.
“People often say how can you paint a Monaro pink?
“But when they see it they are shocked and often delighted.
“Its colour reminds me of a Turkish Delight wrapper.”
But before its magical makeover the Monaro was also Ms Williams’ first and only car.
“I’ve had it for 14 years,” she said “My parents said don’t be silly, you’re a girl and you don’t need a Monaro.
“But my son grew up only knowing it, my horses used to eat out of its boot, and we went camping with it.”
Ms Williams and her husband pumped 12 months of hard labour into rebuilding the Monaro to its classic state.
“It has a HP308 Holden performance motor, it’s V8, has a B and M shifter gear box, and the paint job is registered to me as a one-off mixture,” she said.
Last Friday’s tribute to Mr Brock was a chance for Ms Williams, a Monaro Club member, to flaunt her vehicle.
In fact, it was her love for Mr Brock’s racing that inspired her to first buy her Monaro.
“My son first told me Brockie had died and I was devastated,” she said. “I’ve even taken time off work to be here today.”
But just like Brockie’s legacy, Ms Williams’ passion for motor cars will continue, and she says her family already has plans to rebuild an EH Holden.
