The Mystere was an Australian specialist grand touring coupe conceived in the late 1970s by Rob Luck, a former magazine editor turned public relations figure, and David Bones, head of the local Recaro company, then known for its bucket seats. The project applied the concept, common overseas but rare in Australia, of transforming a mass-produced car into a limited-volume, heavily modified sports model.
The Mystere was based on the Holden Torana Hatchback V8, chosen for its proven, durable body-chassis structure suited to Australian conditions, as well as for the wide availability of parts and servicing through Holden dealers. This foundation was intended to keep production and maintenance costs relatively moderate compared with imported sports coupes.
Styling was entrusted to designer Peter Arcadipane, who had previously worked for General Motors and Ford, where he had been responsible for a modified Falcon panel van known as the Concorde. For the Mystere, Arcadipane reworked the Torana Hatchback's nose, sides and tail, giving it a wedge-shaped front end with faired-in headlights, a divided air intake and an integral front bumper leading to a deep lower bib. Squared-off fender extensions covered wider wheels at both front and rear, while the rear of the car was shortened significantly, giving the Mystere a distinctly bobbed tail and a markedly different profile from the standard Torana.
Mechanical changes included a custom fuel tank fitted into the rear floor, shortened coil springs, Bilstein dampers and heavier anti-roll bars. The interior featured Recaro's Concorde front seats, leather trim, an AM/FM radio-cassette system, integrated air conditioning and electric windows. Power came from the standard 5.0-litre Holden V8 producing 161 kW at 4800 rpm, paired with a four-speed manual gearbox. The revised bodywork was claimed to improve both top speed and fuel economy over the standard Hatchback.
The Mystere was unveiled at the 1977 Sydney International Motor Show, where it attracted considerable attention despite a subdued black and light-green paint scheme. Recaro subsequently announced plans to put the car into production, with pricing expected to be well above that of the standard V8 Hatchback, and production slated to begin in 1978.
These plans were never realized. General Motors-Holden's decision to drop the V8 engine from the Torana range removed the mechanical basis for the car, while Recaro's Australian operation encountered financial difficulties that led to a change in ownership. As a result, the Mystere remained a one-off prototype and was never placed into series production.
