Just like Corvettes, Holden Torana SL/R 5000s have their stereotypes too – I’d say similar to Camaros in the US. And given the Triumph TR5 and TR6 are virtually the same under the skin, the 6 would have to be one of the more successful facelifts there has been. There will be lots of Australian cars this time, and lots of cars in general!
Next we have a 1969 VF Chrysler Valiant hardtop which was a mix and match of Dodge Dart and local panels. I haven’t seen production numbers but they weren’t common.
The next car is interesting, being a replica of Ford’s 1968 Melbourne Motor Show concept car which was a 2-door version of the current Falcon GT, ostensibly with a 428 V8 although I don’t believe the car was ever seen with the bonnet open, or that there was any other confirmation.
The recreation would have been relatively straightforward, emulating the original in converting an imported 2-door body. The green and gold is a nice colour combination, especially with the Minilite wheels. To someone used to the 4-door sedan, the longer doors and wider C-pillar look a bit out of balance. Without a coupe-ish roofline, why not have 4 doors?
This 1971-72 XY Ford Fairmont has had a few subtle changes added, like the 12-slot wheels, but has escaped being turned into a Falcon GT replica.
The dual exhausts also weren’t a feature of a V8 Fairmont like this. It might be a 302 Windsor or a 351 Cleveland with a 2-barrel carb and 250hp. It is good to see a first-gen (E21) BMW 3-series too; the 323i was the biggest inline six that was probably the most significant change over the previous 2002.
Here is the back of a 1946-48 Dodge coupe, which has to be one of the more extraordinary shapes of the era.
I’m sure the front will allow a more accurate identification. I wonder if this car will end up restored? It has only been imported a couple of years ago, and looks to be in good solid condition. Even with the ‘patina’ trend I wonder if this look would get old? The car next door is a 1957 Pontiac Star Chief.
Staying with Mopar, this Plymouth Barracuda is very well presented.
Just like the boat-tail Riviera, the back of the Barracuda was a bigger feature of the car than the Valiant-clone front.
This 1950 Chevrolet Deluxe has had at least a day’s drive from South Australia to be here. The number plate would indicate it is running a 250ci six, rather than the 216 it would have left the factory with, but who knows?
Here’s what a RHD version of the interior looks like – surely a simpler conversion than the Riviera!
This Jaguar XJ-S is one of the post-1992 versions, which had a cleaned-up side window shape and different tail lights. I don’t think too many were sold here, as the basic car was pretty long in the tooth by then.
Some more Falcon GTs – another 1970 XW, a pair of 1970-72 XYs and a 1973-76 XB. Remember that Australian models were introduced at any point during the year, there wasn’t a common model-year changeover like the US.
Here are the back of the XY GTs, note the tail light difference to the XW one seen in the bottom right corner of this shot. There were a lot of great colour and stripe combinations available, like Quick Silver and orange, or Candy Apple Red and gold. The XW is GT Gold, which had stayed in the colour chart since the original 1967 XR model when it was the only colour available (well, apart from a handful of special orders).
Just like not all Mustangs were V8s, not all Falcons were GTs. This 1969-70 XW Falcon GS has a V8, but it would be just as likely a 302 as a 351. The GS was a cheaper option for both purchase and insurance cost. The 12-slot wheels and front spoiler are additions, it originally would have had the chromed full wheel cover as per the previous XT model GT (and Mercury Comet Cyclone).
I said there would be more Toranas – this one is a 1970-72 LJ model. The Torana came with 1.2-1.6L fours (with a shorter front end), or 2.25-2.85L six cylinders, which is what would typically be found in a Torana S. The Ford next door looks like a late Model A.
Something I didn’t know was that the Volkswagen Type 3 fastback was fully-imported in Australia, whereas the notchback sedan and wagon were manufactured in the Clayton, Melbourne factory, as well as about 500 panel van/sedan delivery versions.
Another non-GT! This 1968-69 XT Fairmont V8 has lost its vinyl roof (note the chrome strip at the base of the C-pillar), and gained a set of 12-slot chromies that got to be a bit overdone.
This 1962 Dodge Lancer GT is owned by a real Valiant enthusiast. Neither the Dart or 2-door hardtop were sold in Australia.
The car has the Hyper-Pak 225ci slant six, which makes 195 hp. Most sources refer to a 4-barrel carburettor, so would this twin-carb setup be correct? (Ed: No it’s not. It appears to be an aftermarket intake manifold)
Now for a pair of 1950s sedans – a Mercedes-Benz 190 and a 1949 Sunbeam-Talbot 90. They have quite different character.
For something newer, how about a 1992 Volvo 940. You couldn’t mistake it for a modern car any more, and doesn’t perform like one; even in Volvo’s renowned area of safety. Body strength has come a long way.
Another South Australian car is this Porsche 928S, so I bet the trip over was a bit easier than the Chev seen earlier.
You won’t mistake this for a modern car either, but considering the design dates back to the 1975 it is pretty close!
Another line-up; Bolwell Nagari convertible, early 90s Mercedes-Benz 500SL, Porsche 997.2 generation 911 and BMW Z3. All sportscars, but very different. Note Globe Bathurst wheels again, on the Nagari.
Here is the Nagari’s interior. Note the cramped footwells caused by the heavily set-back V8, and the small steering wheel that compromises the view of the instrumentation.
This Renault 750 or 4CV sedan might have been leaving already, or perhaps just heading to another part of the track. What a little gem.
A pair of Holdens – 1970 HT model Premier wagon and 1963 EH model Special. The crossed flag badge on the wagon would indicate a V8 – the first application of the Holden 253/308 engine. A wagon wouldn’t have had the ‘nostril’ bonnet; that comes from a Monaro. Over 250,000 EH Holdens were built in 18 months – the fastest-selling Holdens ever and still one of the most popular.
This Alfa Romeo tourer looks like a 1929-33 6C 1750. These had a straight six engine with single or double overhead cams, and as for performance – racing versions won four Grands Prix in 1929 and the Mille Miglia twice.
There is space in the rear for a pair of occasional seats or luggage space, yet the car is very compact.
The details, as typical of the era, are great – look at the cast clutch and brake pedals that say ‘Alfa’ and ‘Romeo’. The throttle pedal is in between. The exposed gear change gate became a staple of high-end Italian sports cars.
I think I’d be happy with this as my classic garage; Lancia Fulvia coupe and 1972 XA model Falcon GT. The Fulvia is a telepathically-steered go kart, while the Falcon is a very versatile muscle car. They were promoted as the Great Australian Road Car, and it was a good description.
Another Torana, again a 1969-70 LC model, but this time a 2-door GTR XU-1. This was the homologation special with a 186ci engine sporting triple Stromberg carburettors to make 160 hp, and front and rear spoilers.
I thought this mid-30s Riley sedan is pretty fantastic. The front view doesn’t jump out at you, other than realising it is fairly low for a car of the era.
The streamlined rear end is the best part. I’m sure it is more impressive aesthetically than aerodynamically, but I expect there was more emulation than wind tunnel experimentation (to continue the alliteration).
The interior is just as different from a modern car than the outside, but the leather and wood look inviting.
Another contrasting couple – a Smokey and the Bandit Firebird in blue, and a purposeful-looking 1970-72 ish 911.
This 1994 ED model Ford Falcon XR8 has Sprint badging, which was a special-edition model (just 356 built) that followed on from the 1993 GT. There are a few details that seem more like a standard XR8 rather than the Sprint such as the intake manifold and bumper strip colour. Aftermarket wheels don’t help either way, and it also has an aftermarket front air dam.
Despite not a lot changing cosmetically, including no sheetmetal change, the ED had improved vastly over the 1998 EA model. A tow bar was pretty common on Falcons of all types in this pre SUV/pickup mass market era. The Sprint’s 5.0 was rated at 260hp, giving the car a quarter mile time in the 14 second range, instead of the standard XR8’s 220hp.
The interior also is what it probably should have been earlier in the cycle. There are numerous custom touches here, but one thing that is stock is the steering wheel with its cruise control buttons.
A more mundane Australian car from the same era is this 1992 VP model Holden Commodore Executive – the base model in the range. The top end had IRS, but this has a basic live axle. The first VP’s had a clear plastic ‘grille’ reminiscent of an Oldsmobile or Mercury Sable, but the painted version was more conventional. The plastic wheel covers are from a later model (VS?) and are on 15” wheels instead of the original 14’s.
The rear end had even less differentiation from the preceding VN model than the front, just a red panel between the tail lights instead of grey! The towbar and plastic sunshade are entirely routine, and the black fuel filler is for an aftermarket LPG dual fuel installation. Note the M-B 450SLC next door, a very nice example of the breed.
Inside the Commodore I don’t think you get a very good impression, but it does show that the dash mat must have been hard to find in brown.
By now a couple more trucks had arrived. This Ford 9000 has a GVM of 42,500 kg (93,695 lb) that was the limit for a long time, on a tare weight of 12,640 kg (27,866 lb). Modern cabover semi-tractors are now down around the 8,000 kg (17,600 lb) mark, but I bet you don’t see the chassis rails of this Ford twist with every gear change like those trucks do. Note the two AC units on the top of the cab and sleeper.
There was also an IH R200, sporting Detroit Diesel Power decals that would indicate a re-power. On a side note, I am still working away at the article on International trucks in Australia when I get the chance.
This Mercedes-Benz 220SE was probably assembled in Australia, at Port Melbourne where they were built from 1959-64. The stone guards beside the radiator grille were a very common accessory – when a good percentage of roads were still unsealed you can imagine how prone to damage the vertical panels were otherwise.
It looks like this car has been recently restored, and it was for sale too; I didn’t check the phone number though.
This Subaru L-series wagon was rescued from paddock-bashing duties. It had some large tyres and rubber wheel arch flares that were removed, hence the white paint as temporary protection.
There is some minor body damage, but you can see why the owner rescued it. Yes, another tow bar and sun shield! Sorry, no photos of the Alfa Romeo 1750 sedan next door.
How about a Martini’d Porsche 944 instead? Are these still underappreciated?
Engine bay without a car (to be read to the tune of the Billy Idol song Eyes without a face!). This is a(nother) Morris Minor, with a heart transplant – the rocker cover reads Nissan because their A-series engine was based on the Morris A-series. Chances are this is an early-80s 1.4L engine from a Sunny.
The Minor can be glimpsed beside our next car, a 1974 LH model Holden Torana. This car is a true survivor, showing signs of plenty of use and sun exposure. This model has quite a bit in common with Opels and Vauxhalls, but also shares a lot of parts with the full-size Holdens.
Under the bonnet is a 253 V8, this Torana being a member of the small club of cars that were sold with 4, 6 and 8-cylinder engines.
A nice Peugeot 404. One of the downsides of club plates is you can’t search the VicRoads database to get any details on the car, like normal registration, so I can’t tell which part of the fairly lengthy production run this is from.
The 1987-89 Ford Telstar TX5 Turbo wasn’t unique to the Australian market, but I think it was probably the reason it exists. It is of course a re-badged Mazda 626, but was a good seller for Ford at the time.
The liftback body style designated by the TX5 part of the car’s name is very versatile. Not a great deal of additional space compared to a sedan; some gain due to the fast back and lack of parcel shelf, but it is so much more usable.
The interior shot shows some details such as the curious square silver buttoned Ford stereo complete with little joystick control for the balance and fader.
I bet a few Jaguar E-Types and Rover 3.5 Coupes (P5B) have shared a garage. For contemporary cars there is quite the contrast between the spaceship on wheels and the very traditional. No need to say which is which!
I will finish here for now – this was probably only half the cars on show at this historic race meeting, and there are a lot more special cars to share.
Further Reading from the Winton Historics:
Car Show Classics: The Oval At 2018 Historic Winton, Part Two
Car Show Classics: The Oval At 2018 Historic Winton, Part One
I love that ’62 Lancer. That’s an oddball design that just keeps me interested every time I see one. I’d have loved to see an interior shot of that one.
Also, realizing that it’s not easy to highlight everything at one of these shows, the Mercedes SLC photobombing the rear-end shot of the Commodore is another all-time favorite of mine. Especially in that awesome period color, and with the smaller euro spec bumpers.
See here—that’s not the Lancer in this post, but.
Love the Fintail Mercedes, the first car I drove after passing my driving test , 4 speed column change, ivory steering wheel and a vertical speedometer
Normally Mercedes of this vintage have body colour in the centre of the hubcaps, but it is a bugger to mask the 3 pointed star though
What a pair the white E type and the Rover, but don’t care for the non standard wheels on the Rover
EXCELLENT pictures!
Note the steering hub bristling with controls in the ’30s Riley. A fairly common feature in the ’20s, disappeared for 60 years, and now is common again.
If you look at the lower window line, the way it sort of falls away towards the rear wheel well….wouldn’t you say that this design (the 4 door coupe) also could be a design element that is considered to be new, but here it is on an 80 year old car.
That’s a great observation on the steering wheel controls polistra!
Likewise Howard, although I doubt this Riley was ever called a coupe!
P5B. Day in, day out.
That Subaru is amazing. Paddock basher? If there are any in Britain like that they must be in museums.
They were popular with farmers, and in Scotland it was common to see them (usually the ute, and usually with a metal Ifor Williams canopy) “paddock bashing”, but with all the bodywork eaten away by rust and no hope of passing the MOT.
I’ll have the EH Holden or the Renault if Santa’s reading this.
Despite the name a paddock basher doesn’t refer to a farmer’s vehicle as such; it is an old car used most often by kids to drive (thrash) around in, or sometimes for nighttime shooting of foxes/rabbits aka ‘spotlighting’
Ah OK. The shooting thing I get, but I’m confused as to why a kid’s runabout is a “paddock basher”. I assume that’s only in a rural context.
A paddock basher was usually the family car or ute that was so tired its registration was allowed to lapse and therefore it could only be driven around the property and not on public roads. This is how rural kids tended to learn how to drive, hence the car being for them but these vehicles might also have been used for work duties.
This is a potted explanation of the term’s origins, but over here it now means something along the lines of ‘beater’ in US parlance.
Also called a paddock bomb.
Here in the US, the ’66-’69 Falcon is kind of forgotten, while Down Under, it’s the basis of revered XW/XY Falcon GT.
Why do the ’60s/’70s Fords have strange gizmos on the filler caps ?
Love the ’30s Riley, though I doubt that’s the original colour. And of course I love the Telstar since I’m a Mazda man.
They are a popular accessory to stop petrol/gas running from the fuel filler into your paintwork and staining it. The lip stuck out just far enough for a drip to miss the side of the car.
Loving that Riley from the 1930s and the Fluid Drive Dodge coupe.
I have always found the shape of the 1966-70 American Falcon appealing so that Falcon show car has a fan in me. That shape works just as well in the Aussie variations.
A nice show!
Without a coupe-ish roofline, why not have 4 doors?
Man, you Aussies really just don’t have much love for coupes, do you? 🙂
I guess it comes from being deprived of them for so long.
Frankly, I could never warm up to that generation Falcon 4 door, as the coupe just looked so much better in its proportions. It seems to me that body was designed to be a coupe to start with, given its long hood and short trunk, and then they just added the rear doors. I guess I could turn the question this way: Without a sedan-ish roof-line, why not have 2 doors?
The two door looks clumsy to me vs the four door, but maybe it’s a matter of familiarity.
When I was in high school (In the mid 60s) one of THE cars that I wanted to own was a 2 door Falcon. I remember walking down the street and seeing an early 60s Falcon Futura and being delighted by the bucketish front seats, but a bit disappointed by the “senior” Ford roofline. Then the fastbachish Sprints arrived. My H.O. racetrack came with a Sprint as one of the cars….almost as good as having the real thing. Well, I was still nearly 2 years from getting a license.
My “dream” Falcon isn’t a convertible, though I wouldn’t turn one down, but it would be a 66 Falcon Sport Coupe with a V8. While living in California in the 80s I saw my dream car, twice, a light yellow with black vinyl roof and black interior and a SIX cylinder….though not for sale.
Paul, I’ll give you my theory (from an Aussie perspective). There must be some CCers who have studied this sort of thing and can comment with authority.
The notchback (formal, whatever) coupe never had a place in Oz. They just don’t exist. Coupes are supposed to be sporty. A notchback coupe, almost a contradiction in terms, has the worst of both worlds – the looks of a mundane grocery getter/family hauler, with the (lack of) practicality of something sporty.
A buyer may be willing to sacrifice practicality for looks, and many do, but a notchback doesn’t offer the right kind of looks.
My guess is it relates to the relative affordability of cars in Oz vs US. They’re much more costly in Australia. A car is a much more serious purchase, so it has to earn its keep to a greater extent (one way or another), whether that be in hauling ability or pose value. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Australia is the spiritual home of the ute – which is after all officially called the ‘coupe utility’.
Yes, I’m quite familiar with the history (or lack thereof) of coupes in Australia.
Keep in mind that this Falcon coupe is not just a two-door version of the sedan; although the roof might at first glance to be the same or similar, a closer look will reveal it to be actually quite different, The coupe roof is a totally different stamping, and it curves down somewhat from the front, has a crease at the top of the C pillar as well as the rear window detailing on other small changes. It was clearly designed as a coupe; this is not just a two door sedan version of the four door.
The coupe is also lacking that very awkward hump on the upper edge of the rear door belt line. Meanwhile, the coupe has a much more graceful hip line. And the whole shape of the rear side window and the C Pillar on the coupe is quite different from the sedan. I find the rear door and C pillar of the sedan downright clumsy. And I did the day I first saw it in 1965.
Take a good long look at these two cars and tell me which one is more attractive. If you say the sedan, you really have been upside down too long. 🙂
Seriously, the notion that coupes can’t be notchback in order to work as a coupe is utterly absurd though. There are endless examples of notchback coupes that are superb; many of the most famous ones. Think Pininfarina’s superb series of coupes based on the Florida coupes.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/pininfarinas-revolutionary-florida-the-most-influential-design-since-1955/
And his series starting with the Fiat 130 coupe. And the Lancia Gamma. Just for starters. I could go on all night.
Yeah; notchback coupes all suck.
Here’s another notchback coupe that just doesn’t work;
And another sedan-based notchback coupe failure:
And another that has “the looks of a mundane grocery getter/family hauler, with the (lack of) practicality of something sporty.”
One last thought: it might not make sense, but the ’66 Fairlane four door sedan big brother of the Falcon, which shares its complete roof and doors, works much better for me, because the rear end is not so stubby, and is better balance by that longer trunk.
I’m quite convinced that the ’66 Falcon sedan was initially designed as the Fairlane sedan, and then had its wheelbase cut at the rear as well as its trunk. The result is that it looks unbalanced and stubby.
I know this generation of Falcon is iconic in Australia, and I get why, but that doesn’t change the fact that I think it’s not a very good design.
Meanwhile, I believe the inverse is the case with the Falcon coupe’s roof, which I think was specifically designed for the Falcon, and then grafted onto the bigger Fairlane/Comet body, and not very successfully. The greenhouse now looks to small on it. Microcephaly.
Yet the roof/greenhouse looks to be almost identical in length for the 2-door and 4-door. To my eyes, the Falcon trunk looks normal, while the Fairlane’s is long. While there were some, 210-220″+ cars were not the norm here.
I have read speculation that Ford were looking at the Fairlane hardtop to respond to the Monaro, but so late in the cycle it wouldn’t have been worthwhile and from a racing point of view they thought it better to promote the sedans they were selling.
Do you think the similarity is coincidental?
Wow! Firstly, I should have been a bit clearer. I was not stating that coupes have to be sporty by definition; what I meant was that they usually are in the Aussie context/mindset. The pic below should illustrate the Aussie idea of coupes.
I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the fourth car, which I’m assuming is more typical of American coupes; attractive to many for sure, but not the Aussie idea of a coupe. For better or worse… Horses for courses, blah blah.
You’ve certainly picked a few gems to prove me wrong (Note to Santa: the Fiat 130 coupe please) and I’m sure there are many more examples out there as well.
But that red Falcon is, to my mind, not such a gem. Neither fish nor fowl, and the proportions look a bit awkward. I hate to say it, but it seems I’ve been upside down too long! 🙂
Brian, I wasn’t trying to overwhelm you or trying to change your mind. I went through this mental exercise mostly for my sake, as the shared elements of the ’66 Falcon and Fairlane are a somewhat curious affair. It’s a subject I’ve wanted to explore in a post for some time, and this gave me a good start on it. 🙂
Feel free to disagree, of course!
pretty much every BMW coupe made in what most would consider the golden age of the brand are “notchbacks”.
The only inherent sporting aspect of a fastback vs a notchback is the possible aerodynamic advantage at high speed, but then convertibles -traditional ‘sports’ cars – have WORSE drag coefficients than closed equivalents, so out that goes. At the end of the day it’s all about style, and fastback/notchback coupes ebbed and flowed with popularity in the US, there are numerous and probably equal numbers of sporty versions of both, and many would argue that notchbacks look tougher and no-nonsense. I only know the surface of the Australian car market but it seems to me the low amount of exposure to coupes may have narrowed your outlook on them, since Monaro and Falcon hardtops were fastback designs, therefore anything else is lesser.
Having said that, I never really liked the 66+ Falcon coupe. Being a shortened Fairlane gave it some very unflattering proportions, too tall at the cowl and too wide, which is less offensive on the 4-door to my eyes. The chunky window frames and lack of hardtop certainly don’t help the coupe either, which I will say is kind of a contradiction by 1966 standards if creating a distinct roofline, why not frameless? (I know why: Mustang). Not being much of a fan of the 66 Fairlane or Comet either I actually might find this roofline preferable on it if it were a hardtop as well, vs the production “fastback” hardtop, there’s a lot of 65 Lemans in it.
I don’t disagree about the overall shortcomings of the ’66 Falcon design. My point was that the coupe works relatively better than the sedan, for the reasons I gave. YMMV.
Perhaps one part of explaining can come from the perceptual development of vision, as well as early emotional development: We do not notice what is different, so much as we notice what is different from what we EXPECT to see. (It is thought that this is because noticing everything would be way too much to think about, so our eye and ear are only drawn to that which is really different from what we are expecting to perceive.) And we tend to prefer the familiar-the first consistent smile human infants show is to a familiar face. If, as in the USA, we have been used to seeing two door sedans with a formal roof line, seeing yet another two door sedan with a formal roof line is expected, easier to assimilate to our idea of what a car should look like and, because it is familiar, easier to possibly like. And then we can use our prior knowledge (e.g., that wonderful Fiat) to help us to decide whether we like this specific example or not. If we are only used to seeing four door cars with formal roof lines , and two-door fastbacks, (such as, I am learning, was the norm in Australia), then a two door sedan with a formal roof line will be very much noticed, as very different from what we are expecting to see, almost jarring to the eye. And, lacking historical familiarity, we are puzzled about what to make of it, and more likely to judge it negatively. Not exactly “stranger anxiety” (the response of some infants to an unfamiliar face), but along the same lines.
In my experience, entire eras of car design were beyond my ability to appreciate before Curbside Classic. In particular, the fastback craze of the late ’40’s and early ’50’s looked just weird to me (even though I was brought home from the hospital in a ’48 Chevy Fleetline!) until I had been able to study several here, especially that Packard Clipper. And then, suddenly, my mind said, oh, that’s what it was about. Hey, I really like that car! And now I would love to have a ’51 two door Chevy Fleetline for the family ice cream car, knowing that it helped to inspire that really lovely Bentley R-Type Continental.
It’s all good; maybe this is part of how it becomes good. Familiarity can breed appreciation, but it first needs to become familiar.
You hit on something I have long suspected – that certain cars “imprint” themselves on us from a young age. An example from my life is the 55 and 56 Desoto. For years and years I had a marked preference for the 55. My grandma owned a 55 from around the time I was born until I was about 8. When I saw a 56 I thought it looked strange. Only in recent years have I decided that almost every detail change made to the 56 was an improvement and I now consider the 56 more attractive by a mile. But it took a long time to get there. I can think of many many examples of this phenomenon.
The 404 is a 1970 or later, given the ventilated wheels.
Orange indicator lenses date it as a late model.
The discs brakes were fitted here from ’68, and the vented wheels came with them, presumably from necessity. The drum models also have a subtly different (bigger) wheelcap. Just ask the man who bought the wrong ones at much expense in the days before easy internet checks how he knows this…
Great bunch of pictures. I can’t pin down the Dodge any closer than ’46-’48. Just about all Chrysler Corp. cars were visually unchanged from late 1945 to early 1949, when the all-new (and boxier) cars were introduced.
Would love a Valiant like that white one for things like C&C, it would blow a few minds.
In my opinion they did sell quite a few of the Valiant 2 door hardtops. Naturally as this is the Australian market, the sedans and wagons were the volume sellers, but I do recall seeing quite a few of the 2 doors back in the day.
This example looks nice but I do prefer the facelifted VG with the square headlights and hemi 6. A shame that a few of them were butchered and made into convertibles.
Another shame is that there are no photos of that tasty looking silver 911…
After all these years I recently saw a 2968 2 door Falcon in the metal for the first time.
I also didn’t know that the fastback Type 3 was fully imported. What exactly is a sedan cargo version? I have seen a couple of cargo vans which were a wagon/variant with no side windows.
Yes those Hardtops do seem to have been popular although I have not seen figures of how many were built.
Does the 911 comment confirm that 944s are underappreciated? Having a whale tail on what appears to be a 1970s car would be unusual from the factory, but I wonder if it is more likely that the car has been modified? If I see it again I will have a closer look.
Sedan delivery was the term for wagon without windows.
I always assumed sedan delivery was an exclusively American name for what Aussies call a “panel van”? (a term which probably conjurs up a Transit for most Brits)
It always confused me as I didn’t see much “sedan” about them.
The name was used in Australia too dating back to the 1920s at least. It makes sense (to me) as a delivery body on a sedan. I’d need to do some research but I think there was probably some crossover with the use of panel van, probably depends on the manufacturer.
Terminology can be flexible and not always logical to say the least. Does a van with windows get called a window van or similar? Not in Australia, normally.
Although sedan deliveries of the ’50s were typically associated with station wagons, they were originally associated with sedans – hence the name “sedan delivery”.
In the 1920s, when sedan deliveries first appeared, cars came in two basic closed body styles: coupes (which were always 2-door) and sedans (which could be 2- or 4-door). Coupes had a roofline and passenger compartment that stopped well short of the rear of the car’s body; most coupes had only a single row of enclosed seating (though coupes with an enclosed back seat weren’t unheard of, especially among more upscale brands), with either an enclosed trunk or a rumble seat out back. Sedans had a roofline and passenger compartment that extended all the way to the rear of the car’s body, and always had an enclosed back seat. The rear of the car’s body was a vertical wall; there was no space behind it (so no space for an enclosed trunk).
Against that backdrop, a sedan delivery was conceptually a 2-door sedan body which, instead of being outfitted for passengers with a rear seat and back windows, had an open cargo area behind the front seat, blanked out rear quarters with no windows, and access doors mounted on the rear of the vehicle.
Note that in this era, while station wagons existed, they were usually coachbuilt vehicles, not offered directly by the manufacturer, with bodies that were longer than a typical passenger car.
During the 1930s, sedans grew trunks, eventually taking on a very different rear body shape from what they had once had. At some point in this process, sedan deliveries diverged from sedans, since sedan bodies no longer really worked as sedan deliveries. They couldn’t yet share their tooling with station wagons; while manufacturers were increasingly bringing station wagons in house, they were still wood-bodied. I am guessing that sedan deliveries from the 1940s must have had some rear body tooling that was unique to sedan deliveries.
In the late ’40s and early ’50s, manufacturers introduced steel-bodied wagons, and after that sedan deliveries shared their bodies with the wagons.
Some of this history at Chevrolet:
1928 – first sedan delivery
1933 – first trunkback sedan
1939 – last trunkless sedan (trunkless models had very low sales in both ’38 and ’39, but they exist)
1949 – first steel-bodied wagon (4-door only)
1955 – first steel-bodied 2-door wagon
1960 – last year for sedan delivery and 2-door wagon
Those two door Valiants were very popular in NZ back in the day, Valiants were well thought of in NZ amongst the Aussie brands survivors are prized.
From what I recall, most people paying extra for the hardtop spent a bit more for the Regal trim level.
We got a lot of the 770 trim model very popular and it was kept alive for locally assembled Chargers of the 70s.
This one has its original plates as well, I have had two of these in my lifetime, both Regals, one a Slant Six the other a 318, they both had number plates starting with KK as well.
Would agree most of these were Regals, rare to see a base model.
Some period correct aftermarket wheels would do wonders for this one.
I had a base VG hardtop with 245. Spartan as. Effing loved it.
IIRC, 770 designation didn’t come our way until the VH. We must have inherited it from Brycelandia.
Don,
A quick check of my Valiant book by Tony Davis says the 770 was introduced with the VF range in 1969.
I had a mate with a VG 770 Hardtop it had a tacho in the dash and a floor shift for the auto, some extra courtesy lamps, it was very nice.
Didn’t know that, and can’t remember ever seeing one.
Cheers Jonco
Yes, and Chrysler brought out the Hunter Royal 660 to match.
That’s 220 better than the Cortina 440. hehehe
CC effect – one of those coming up in the next installment!
Great pics and Ive owned so many of those cars its ridiculous, thats a VF Valiant hardtop by the way last of the slant 6 Valiants and you found my XY that pale metallic green used to be very common. The VP Commodore was a vast improvement over the VN not as harsh to drive didnt leak everywhere but it took till the VR to iron out the chassis like the awful EA Falcon the first attempts at a new model didnt quite get it right but they improved with each subsequent model, EH was my favourite old Holden and the only model I rebuilt and kept, good all round cars for Aussie conditions, I never truly liked Toranas and owning some didnt improve that view sorry the 1.2 was worse to drive than the Vivas it was cloned from and the six LJ I had wasnt much chop either the UC six was probably the best I had but it got scrapped the day I got my 2nd EH registered,
Did you see the International coup’es on the cohort? I found two of the 7 built Kiwi though from Aussie chassis so kinda relevant to your story looking forward to reading that, Ive driven quite a few over the years.
Thanks Bryce, I should have known better because the hardtop was only introduced part way through the VF model in September 1969.
Something I probably should have mentioned is how narrow those early Toranas are, just 63″ or 1600mm wide!
Toranas at least the early models were an interesting amalgamation of GM parts mostly unknown in Australia, Vauxhall Viva body with mild mods Chevrolet 1700? Daewoo front sheet metal and Holden six or Viva four power train, the result as usual was billed as ‘all Australian’ and it worked,
The ’30’s Riley fastback sedan is fascinating, one wonder what the sales results for Packard would have been if the 120 had been in that low, slick configuration. Too progressive for middle-class Americans then, perhaps.
Fifty-five years on, the ’62 Dodge Lancer GT styling now strikes me as what the full-size Dodges should have had then, especially rather than the tortured mug on the ’62 front, headlights askew.
Appears that VW Fastbacks were built in Australia in 1970. In 1966 the were imported from Germany, but later on they were built locally. Here is an ad for a 1970 1600 TL that says it was Australian built.
https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/1970-Volkswagen-1600-TLE-Type-3-Manual/OAG-AD-16253515?pageSource=details&id=OAG-AD-16253515
What really confuses me is the 1970 VW Fastback you have pictured appears to have swing axles, I see what looks like positive camber on the rear wheels, by 1969 all German built VW’s were IRS, I’m wondering if Aussie cars still used swing axles past ’69?
This text copy from Wheels Magazine from May 1966 says the Fastback was soon produced locally after initial German importing of the car.
http://www.clubvw.org.au/oldart036#typ09
No, proper IRS here, first on autos, then for all on these second-gen Type 3’s (the type 2 Type 3?!).
If you look really closely at john’s photo, you’ll see the light and shadows have performed an odd trick, and I think too the wheelcap is crooked, all giving a false impression that the wheel is leaning out. The tyre is actually dead straight or leaning very slightly in at the top.
Agreed; there’s no positive camber there.
I was having a tough time trying to decide if it was just the camera angle or distortion, type 3’s do have a little positive camber in their front wheels. I agree it must be IRS.
Thanks for the correction. I expect the change will have occurred in 1968 when the local factory in Clayton, southeast Melbourne, ceased full manufacture and reverted to assembling CKD kits.
Another great array. My fave is the amber XA, but the Nagari also sticks (although I’d lose the roll bar). Nice to see a 6C 1750 Alfa that hasn’t been zagatofied.
Martini 944 reminds that I saw a Martini 928 a few weeks ago and didn’t have my phone to take the pic. aaaarggh.
Excellent work yet again, John.
That delicate, Brit-registered Alfa 6C for me. Just exudes subtle expense, and class. Also, I know they sound absurdly good. For daily use, the Fulvia.
Oh alright, alright, in reality, the airconditioned automatic VP Commodore, but it’d be driven with clenched teeth as a grudge. Couldn’t get engineering cheaper or cruder or plain functionally nastier – or more opposite to the Alfa – than these wobbly unflushable turds.
The G.T.-ification of decent Falcons and Fairmonts bugs me. For example, that front spoiler was always an ugly addition (albeit entirely necessary to keep on the ground at Bathurst), why go sticking it on a nice G.S? Though I suppose the proliferation of Globe alloys or 12-slot chromies is vaguely justifiable since every second Falc did seem to end up with them back in the day.
On the 2-door theme, I wonder if anyone else thinks as i do that 2-door LC-LJ Toranas are fine-looking machines, whereas the 4-doors look uncomfortable, almost dowdy? It seems the market may share this view, as I note 2-doors are much pricier than 4’s, (though that could also be because every second backyarder wants to create an XU-1 rep!). In either case, it’s always hard to absorb that the basic passenger shell is a Vauxhall Viva, though the narrowness you mention does betray it a bit.
More please!
The Toranas origins were betrayed in New Zealand a bit more obviously, we had Vivas right through untill production ended, all flavours even the two door estates that Holden didnt clone, though Daewoo did but used the four door centre section and its really jarring to see, They are very small cars,
Interesting deescription of Commodores Justy, I hadnt driven one for years untill last year then drove several as company hacks, hugely unimpressed with the driving experience they deliver and have since driven the same mountain passes in my similar age Citroen which turns those roads into a pleasant trip instead of a chore, dreading those same old bombs this coming milk season the only attractive aspect is the free fuel.
Oh, mainly the VN-VP’s, you understand. Circumstances for GM meant such a cheap, rushed cobble of a design. The VR got quite different front end geometry, and (I think) a wider front track at last, and felt considerably better, though the basic ones still had the dicey live rear axle.
The VN/P’s, with super-quick steering, too narrow front track, heaps of off-the-line torque and a poorly located rear axle were borderline dangerous, not too mention mechanically rough as bags and wearing a $2Dollar Shop interior. Pity the buggers were fast, economical, reliable and unkillable. Blessedly, age and zero value means you hardly see them any more.
A friend recently bought a VN GTS yes actually a factory car here in Aotearoa, 3.8 Auto but with FE2 suspension and nicely trimmed interior kind of, rare car these days he likes it, his wife hates it. I shot it for the cohort because its different and an unknown model in OZ.
what is the blue and silver car next to the Ford Telstar TX5 turbo?
That is a heavily customised Chrysler Royal, a local creation that facelifted the early 50s Mopar body a few times until suddenly 1960 was in the rear view mirror! They skipped the forward look cars altogether.
thanks. lots of great pictures and great info. my mother had a basic 66 (US) Falcon. not as cool as the Australian versions, but still one of my favorite cars
I touched on the Chrysler Royal in the story of the Australian Valiant here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-the-valiant-in-australia-part-1/
Great selection!
I must say the Riley does it for me. No surprise there. But the ’50 Chevy also appeals and I’m partial to a Fintail Benz… decisions, decisions…
I would not at all mind a day’s drive from South Australia in a ’50 Chevy, as this was a comfortable, spacious car with very good build quality. And the 250 Six would allow you to motor on all day at some velocity. Credit to Curbside Classic, I can now admit that I would actually prefer this to the Porsche.