18th December, 2000
 badge to be reborn!
Holden’s much-anticipated new sports coupe is to bear the famous Monaro nameplate.
For introduction in late 2001, the stylish two-door Monaro is based on the same
platform as today's Holden Commodore.
 As a design concept, the Holden Coupe created a sensation - and a bank of firm
customer orders - when it was unveiled at the Sydney International Motor Show two years
ago.
Its legendary predecessor, which was the first all-Australian sports coupe of its type,
made an equally stunning debut back in 1968. During a nine year reign and right up to the
present day, the charismatic appeal of the striking, performance-oriented Holden Monaro
coupe won it lasting fame and thousands of admirers.
Ross McKenzie, Holden's executive director of sales and marketing, said strong public
sentiment had influenced the company's decision to bring the Monaro name back to life.
"We went into the exercise with an open mind - one alternative was to simply call it
the Coupe - but the case for reviving the Monaro name became more persuasive as time went
by," said Mr McKenzie.
"In a sense, the car named itself. Right from the beginning, the media and the man on
the street insisted on referring to our coupe concept design as a Monaro.
After it was confirmed for production, we held consumer research clinics that came out
overwhelmingly in favour of the name. To men and women of all ages, Monaro directly
equated to 'large Australian sports coupe'. In terms of sheer brand awareness, you can't
do much better than that."
But Mr McKenzie stressed that the name of the new sports coupe would be its only
retrospective feature.
"In every sense, this will be the 21st century Monaro - a car not only worthy of the
name but one which will take it forward into a new era," he concluded.
As documented in the Holden history book, 'Heart of the Lion', the Monaro model name was
suggested by a then member of Holden's design staff, Noel Bedford, in 1967. The word is of
aboriginal origin, meaning a high plateau or high plain. The car shares its famous name
with the Monaro range, which is part of NSW's Snowy Mountains as well as the Monaro Shire
district, located south of Canberra.
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