Strike Me Pink LJ GTR XU-1

When Bruce and Laura Colbey went looking for a genuine LJ Torana GTR XU-1 they never thought they’d end up with a pink one.

When the LJ Torana was released in 1972 Bruce Colbey went to his local dealer and bought a GTR. He really wanted the race-bred XU-1 version, but the budget just wouldn’t stretch that far.

About two decades later he and his wife Laura decided to go on the hunt for a genuine XU-1. They find out about a car in country NSW and make enquiries with the owner by phone, obtaining the car’s ID numbers so they can verify its authenticity.

However, at this stage they still don’t know what colour the car is. Laura thought it might be red, and Bruce suspected it to be white. They took a road trip to see the car and it was sitting in the shed, on blocks, under a cover. Their shock at seeing it revealed to be Strike Me Pink was mixed with the joy of knowing it was a rare colour and that the car was painted in this bright hue by the factory.

The car was the real deal, and a rare colour, but it did need a full restoration. It had even been used for hunting by a previous owner and Bruce found spent cartridges throughout the interior. After purchase the car was trailered to Bruce’s brother in Adelaide for a full concourse restoration.

There’s a full feature story on Bruce and Laura’s Strike Me Pink LJ Torana GTR XU-1 as well as ten other iconic and interesting Aussie classics from the late ’60s to the mid ’80s in Restored Holdens number 3, available right now.