SMOTY 2016 #11: RAELENE DREW’S HOLDEN HR PREMIER STREETER

Valvoline Street Machine of the Year 2016 contender: Raelene Drew's 1966 HR Holden Premier

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RAELENE DREW

1966 HR HOLDEN PREMIER

SEPTEMBER 2015

RAELENE’S immaculate HR Premier sits next to husband Mark’s Torana in the Drew family garage, but don’t be fooled by the flat bonnet and mild-mannered appearance; it’s the quicker of the two!

They bought the car from Raelene’s brother and have owned ‘Henry Rollins’, as it’s known, for 14 years. It originally ran a Holden red motor, but it wasn’t long before Mark fitted a 350ci Chev, then a seemingly endless stream of small-blocks, right up to a 434-cube stroker.

After plonking a spare, rooted LS1 in the engine bay just to see how well it would fit, Mark treated Henry Rollins to a cheap but working LS1 and bolted up an eBay-special turbo. Strip times started tumbling, down from 10.68@136mph with the small-block to a 10.01 on E85 and 14 pounds of boost pumping through that old LS1.

With Raelene and Mark now drunk on LS power, they commissioned a cast-iron LQ9 with a Callies crank and rod package and a few other bits and pieces – but nothing special, Mark reckons, a testament to the strength of the LS motors.

A new S480 turbo and cheapie air-to-air intercooler allowed boost to be cranked to 18psi, resulting in almost 700 horses at the wheels, and despite extreme inlet temperatures, Henry still managed a 9.22@155mph.

A bunch of other minor changes have now seen the HR twirl the treads to the tune of 807rwhp and run a ridiculous 8.76@160mph; not bad for a 50-year-old sedan still sitting on near-stock leaf springs and a basic set of Pedders.

Backing the 403ci LQ9 is a Reid Top Sportsman Powerglide with an adequately sufficient Dominator 4000 stally. The trusty powertrain combo is all well-hidden, with nary a knob or switch out of place in Henry’s 100 per cent stock-looking interior – so much so that the horn rim doubles as a transbrake button!

The HR earned internet fame thanks to video of Mark perching precariously on a standard Premier bench and slamming the ’Glide up a gear using a vintage column shift! Nowadays though, it sports a rollcage and race seats.

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Archive Motor Media 3725388 Left No 10350 CHEV FC HOLDEN ELITE SHOW CAR MAL APPS

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