Glenn Torrens
A life-long car nut, Glenn Torrens (who usually answers to ‘GT’) has been writing about cars and the lifestyle around them since a photo shoot with his 1956 VW Beetle - restored and modified at home while training as a high school teacher - led to a role as a motoring writer. Six years at Street Machine fuelled his passion for performance cars - especially Aussie ones – and inspired him to conceive and develop Australian Muscle Car magazine. Glenn has contributed to many old-school Australian motoring titles such as WHEELS, Unique Cars and 4x4 Australia and is thrilled to be involved as writer and presenter for Australia’s new premium on-line Retro Rides.
Glenn remains a hands-on classic car enthusiast with project cars as diverse as a 1990 Mazda MX-5, 1989 Mitsubishi Pajero 4WD, a pair of VW Beetle motorsport cars, a Ford Falcon and several Holden Commodores… and the happy little blue ’56 VW Bug where things all began.
Latest articles
Retro Rides Presents VW Beetle: How Hitler played a role in the development of the original Volkswagen Beetle
From the mind of a maniac to the brilliance of its chief designer, few automobiles have had such tumultuous beginnings as the Volkswagen Beetle.
Retro Rides Presents VW Beetle: How To Spot An ‘Early’ From a ‘Late’ or a ‘Super’.
The Volkswagen Beetle remained the same for decades… or did it? Here’s your crash course in the Beetle family tree, including how to spot an ‘Early’ from a ‘Late’ or a ‘Super’.
Retro Rides Presents VW Beetle: The Kit Cars
How the Volkswagen Beetle’s clever underpinnings created a strong foundation for kit car makers and tuners to work their magic. Over the decades the Volkswagen Beetle has provided the underpinnings for a huge variety of custom and kit cars, proving again and again the versatility of the original design.
Retro Rides Presents VW Beetle- How the Beetle Achieved Cult Status
How the Volkswagen Beetle won friends and influenced people all around the world. Few cars have achieved the cult status of the Volkswagen Beetle. Some pundits will nominate the original Mini, or the Series Land Rovers, or perhaps the long running Ford Mustang. But as undeniably significant as these cars are, none can claim the far-reaching appeal of the delightfully cute, immensely personable an…
Retro Rides Presents: VW Beetle - Australian Assembly Commences at Clayton, Victoria
How the quirky little Volkswagen Beetle emerged from the ruins of post-WW2 Germany to conquer the world. Has any car ever been made, sold and driven in as many places and on as many continents as the Volkswagen Beetle? We’d wager that until relatively recently, the answer is a resounding ‘no’.
Extraordinary Engines: Holden/HSV 215i 5.7-litre
How Holden Special Vehicles stretched the 5.0-litre V8 to 5.7-litres and created an Aussie performance icon. The first factory V8 fitted to a Holden was the imported 307 cubic inch Chevrolet small block that made its debut in the HK range in January 1968. Six months after the HK’s launch Holden debuted its first two-door coupe, the HK Monaro, with an imported 327 cubic inch V8 option on the top-s…
Newly Classic: Nissan 200SX (S14)
Nissan’s fifth-generation S14 200SX delivered V8-eating performance in a handsome two-door sports coupe package. In the Australian automotive vernacular, the phrase “hairdresser’s car” is a not-so-subtle sledge usually reserved for attractively styled but somewhat underpowered and dynamically underwhelming sports coupes.
Extraordinary Engines: Why the Gen III V8 Engine was a performance hero
How the US-sourced Gen III V8 put a cracker under the bonnet of Holden’s mid-1999 VT2 Commodore. IN 2024, IT WILL BE 25 years since Holden unleashed its new all-alloy, 5.7-litre GM V8 onto the Australian market, immediately making the 5.0-litre V8 powering its arch-rival the Ford Falcon look old hat.
Newly Classic - How Holden’s staunch EFI V8 received an extra serve of cubes for the 1994 VR HSV GTS
Holden’s EFI V8 received extra cubes for the 1994 VR HSV GTS For around a decade, GTS was the badge on Holden’s top-grade full-size sporting cars; first exclusively on the two-door HK Monaro and, from 1973 on two- and four-door HQ models.
Extraordinary Engines: Holden's Iron Lion V8
The Iron Lion! How this mighty Australian-made V8 powered generations of high-performance Commodores and Statesmans. HOLDEN’S MID-1999 introduction of the alloy LS1/Gen III 5.7-litre V8 into the Commodore meant bye-byes for the Australian-made Holden V8. Dating back to 1969, the Holden V8 was available as a 253ci (4.2-litre) and 308ci (5.0-litre) and used thin-wall casting tech for relatively l…