Reliving the Holden days wins 1969 Monaro

The restored 1969 Holden HT Monaro GTS being presented to the winner, Richard Grey.

Holden New Zealand has handed over the keys of its rebuilt 1969 HT Monaro GTS to the winner of its 60 Years Loyal competition.

The panel of five automotive experts chose Richard Grey as the winner of the Monaro, rebuilt to mark Holden's 60 years in New Zealand.

Grey was surprised to see racing legend Greg Murphy driving up to his Auckland home in the Monaro.

"I'm ecstatic - absolutely fizzing! I put a lot of effort and creativity into my story so thought I had a chance but this is better than winning the lottery," said Grey. "I'm a huge fan of classic Holdens. I even have a man cave dedicated to Holden memorabilia.

"I was born into it. My grandfather and my father still drive the classics today and, let me tell you, the level of workmanship that's gone into this Monaro is amazing."

The 35-year-old has owned four vehicles in his life, every one a classic Holden.

The iconic vehicle was meticulously rebuilt and brought back to its former glory in three months. During this time, Holden NZ shared its favourite memories from the past six decades and asked Kiwis to do the same.

The restored 1969 Holden Monaro GTS (above) was presented to Richard Grey (right) by Greg Murphy (far right).

The Monaro was offered as the prize of a lifetime for one lucky Holden fan.

Holden New Zealand managing director Jeff Murray was impressed with the number of applications and the effort that many Holden fans put into their applications.

"We are delighted to hand over the keys of the Monaro to Richard, a true Holden enthusiast, and we hope this car brings him as many lasting memories as the other classic Holdens he's owned over the years," said Murray.

More than 1400 New Zealanders shared their favourite Holden memories from the 1950s to today.

Driven's editor, Liz Dobson, was one of the judges - as was Murphy.