There were but a handful of cars in last week’s post on the classic car display, but I will make up for that this time! Opening with a pair of very different 1930’s roadsters – a Ford special with some really well-done bodywork and a Jaguar SS replica. You might note the wishbone and coil spring hiding behind the properly-sized wire wheel that gives the game away.
Next, a very nice Mazda RX-7 and a first-generation Mercedes-Benz S-class (W116) that I think was a 380SE. They could make a nice, complementary garage pairing; a sports car and a luxury cruiser. And both I would consider to be remarkably modern considering their age.
This Toyota Land Cruiser FJ55 wagon is an interesting one. I think they were the first of the recreational or civilian Land Cruisers, as opposed to the commercially-oriented 40-series of the same era. However they still weren’t what you would call good looking, that would have to wait for the next generation (60-series).
They were good at rusting though, so there aren’t a lot of survivors. Apart from the Jeep Wagoneer family or Range Rover, SUV’s still had a way to go to become regular transport for people who didn’t have to have their capabilities regularly.
Getting back to our Rootes? A 1967 Hillman Imp Mark 2 and 1957 Sunbeam Rapier Series 1. Interestingly both cars have 13” wheels, which are a Plus 1 fitment for the Imp, but the Rapier would have originally had 15” wheels, later models moved to 13’s. The Rapier has its original 1.5L engine and 4-speed plus overdrive gearbox, when it would have been easy to up the power with an engine swap.
This is the Rapier interior, with a full set of gauges. Note the ‘hump’ on the steering column where the gear shift would be in other variants of the Audax family (Hillman Minx & Californian, Singer Vogue) – obviously costs were cut where they could.
This 1964 EH Holden has an interesting story to tell, having run and won the Peking to Paris rally several times, as well as many other ‘challenging’ events. It looks to be retired now, and the colour scheme is a tribute to the successful Neptune Racing Team car of legendary driver Norm Beechey.
The Humber Super Snipe Mark IV is probably as American as an English car gets – a beefy 253 cubic inch straight six and a beefy separate chassis. 115.8″ wheelbase and 197″ length are a little smaller as you might expect, but the 4000 lb curb weight gives an idea of how over-built these were.
There was something for everyone here, is there anyone that couldn’t chose one of a 1947 Ford street rod, 1966 (?) Corvette, early Mazda MX-5 or a 1965 Mustang?
If you prefer British cars, a MGA 1600, Jaguar XJ6 Series 3 or a Morris Minor?
This 1957 FC Holden ute is no shrinking violet, proudly displaying…
… a 3800 V6 from a late 1990’s Commodore! This sort of resto-mod would provide a decent power bump over the original 2.3L grey motor – like double! It has an auto (presumably the 700R4) which would make for a much better-suited driving car for today’s traffic conditions.
This 1975 HX Holden Monaro GTS is a nicely-restored example, with the striped seat trim visible through the windows. I’d expect this to have the Holden 308 V8, but it might also have the smaller 253.
Next is a 1967-69 Lancia Fulvia GT sedan and a 1978-80 HZ Holden Kingswood SL. Quite a contrast in family transportation, the Fulvia GT model marked the addition of a floor-mounted gear shift to the 1200cc V4 engine.
Switching ends and switching cars, the Kingswood SL would have a 202 six as standard, or optional V8s. Of course the more powerful, heavier car is the one without rear disc brakes.
The FE-FC Holden club had a group of cars present, and if you thought the purple ute was radical this sedan takes things to another level! Big wheels, a bolder paint job and interior trim hint at what might lie within. Note the club bbq trailer trailer made from the back of a sedan – nice!
Towing the trailer was this wonderfully patinated panel van, still wearing its original cement company livery.
I doubt however that it would have had the wheels or these twin carbs when in service, but why not have them now? Things like the finned valve cover and freshly painted steering box and braking components indicate all the mechanicals have been done and upgraded, eg a brake booster added. The temperature gauge next to the radiator is an interesting touch.
Next is one of the real rarities, a 1962-66 Ford Zephyr Mark 3 station wagon, or estate as it would have been known by the Abbott coachbuilders that converted it from a sedan. The Mark 3 saw the Consul model renamed Zephyr 4, but it kept the same 1.7L engine with 65hp to motivate what was a bigger, heavier car. The sedans were built from CKD kits in Australia, but this wagon would have to be a private import.
This one has a little V8 badge just ahead of the front door, indicating it will have some sort of small-block Ford V8 in residence. The rear wheel at least is a factory-option aluminium/steel ‘Sports Road Wheel’ that was optional on Falcons in the early 70s.
Here is the Abbott of Farnham badge.
Moving on, there is a 1974 VJ Chrysler Valiant Town & Country ute and a Triumph TR3 – again, a pairing that might well suit someone. The Town & Country was a special edition with some extra equipment, so it wasn’t a bare bones work ute.
There would barely be a car show in Australia that doesn’t have a Falcon GT, as they are the iconic muscle car over here. This is a 1970 XW model, with 5-slot wheels instead of the earlier 12-slotters indicating it has the 351 Cleveland V8 instead of the Windsor variant. Officially this gave 10 more horsepower, bumping from 290 to an even 300. Unless this is the rarer GT-HO variant, and you would need to consult the compliance plate to be sure, the front spoiler is not original but more than a few GT’s had them added by owners.
Here is something I was pleased to see – a Plymouth ute! As Chrysler was the smaller of the US manufacturers over here too, they would not have been that common originally, let alone all these years later.
And the business end, showing some nice scrollwork as decoration. The tow hitch is a more modern type, and amber turn signals have been added – a wise move.
Here is the right-hand drive dashboard which might be a mirror image of the original, or a combination of Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth/DeSoto that were built in Adelaide in this era and I expect they wanted to cut down on the number of variations where possible.
For a change of pace, next is an ‘outlawed’ Porsche 911 in the style of Magnus Walker, and a 1936 Delage sports roadster that I’ve seen before.
Here is a better view of the 1936 Delage D6-70S Le Mans, which has a 3L six cylinder engine. Delage won their class in the 1937 Le Mans 24 Hours.
I’ve also seen this Volvo 1800ES before too; it is pretty distinctive with its 850 wheels that stop on the right side of rubber-band territory, and blacked-out chrome. Unfortunately the ‘shooting brake’ ES is pretty rare, not that any of the Volvo 1800 sports cars are growing on trees!
This is the last of the first-generation Holden Monaro GTS and a 1981 XD Ford Fairmont, the last model with leaf springs in the sedan.
Here is the Fairmont interior, which was a higher trim level of the Falcon, so has fancier cloth and cord trim and full instrumentation, and I think the centre armrest was an addition in those days. The car has (optional) air conditioning but just an AM radio, and the bottom-right knob is for a choke! Mind you I think I’d prefer that over an automatic choke. This car has the alloy head badge
This 1980-84 WB model Holden ute must have been done up 25-30 years ago, judging by the paint colour and wheel choice. I think you can still get new Yokohama 352 tyres, with their letter A shaped tread blocks – what was that about?
By 1981 the rear-wheel drive Mazda 323 had been replaced by the front-wheel drive hatch and sedan, but as often happens the wagon version continued with a facelift to make it look vaguely similar to its new siblings – until 1986 in Australia.
This 1968 XT Ford Falcon GT has been mocked up like the Geoghegan brothers race car from the Bathurst 500 that year.
This pairing is interesting – a Jensen Interceptor and 1972 Mustang Grande. You can imagine how annoyed I was when I noticed there are two side vents instead of one visible just above the Mustang’s bonnet! That is the signifier of the FF variant of the Jensen – the all-wheel drive version. Only 320 were built between 1966-1971.
As a consolation this is the interior of the Mustang, which was somewhat common as a grey import at the time. Not to say there are a lot of them around, but before more recent influx they were one of the more common US cars.
The Winton Historics ran on the last weekend of May, just after Tatra87’s article on the Jaguar S-Type, so I was taking notice of those I saw. I think this was the 3.8L version, in stereotypical British Racing Green.
Turning around sees a modified Ford Zephyr Mark 2 and a 1976-77 XC Falcon 500 GS. Note the flared arches on the Zephyr; I would be astonished if this still has the original 2.6L six! The Falcon hardtop looks pretty original other than the painted bumpers, originally a feature of the Cobra special edition.
Check the amount of dish on the rear wheels! They must be 10” wide. This build looks like it was done about 30 years ago.
This was just next to the entrance to the oval, and a pair of Bolwell Nagaris were just arriving. These sports cars were built in Melbourne by four brothers, and were originally intended to be sold in the US before the certification process became too complex and expensive – fine if you were selling a hundred thousand cars, but prohibitive if you had to amortise it over a thousand.
Next through the gate was a 1971-75 Fiat 130 Coupe, which I know has a few fans among CC readers. They are very rare in Australia (under 4,500 were built altogether), and ironically they were heavier than the sedan and thus slower, but the Pininfarina style is the main feature.
Here is another shot of these cars. The 130 has a 3.2L SOHC version of the Ferrari Dino V6, while the standard Nagari has a 302 Ford.
I managed a shot of the 130 Coupe interior which I would say is typically Italian, but only let down by all the black plastic compared to its 1960s predecessors.
Next car up is this 1968 Pontiac Parisienne hardtop sedan, which would have been built by Holden from a CKD kit.
Here is the RHD interior, which I think is different from the US equivalent. All of the fullsize North American cars were sourced through GM Canada, being part of the British Commowealth.
The amber indicators (turn signals) are better integrated, which could not be said of some earlier efforts. The rear styling holds up well; I can’t say the same of the Bunkie Beak on the front.
This 1965 Mustang fastback has some pretty strong Bullitt influence – I think it works!
I’ve skipped a 1969-70 Holden Torana with a V8 conversion (probably shouldn’t have, but there will be others), to move to this 1973 Buick Riviera that looks pretty original (restored) to my eyes.
I got a shot of the RHD interior too – how does it compare to the original? I can’t remember seeing a 73 before and it seems different to the earlier LHD cars I’ve seen. The dash top is probably a fibreglass recreation of the original.
I couldn’t ignore the iconic boat-tail rear end of course! The rub strips are perfectly placed, and don’t seem to stand out too much against the metallic brown colour. I think they are a standard factory item?
There were still cars coming in, as Winton is about 2 hours drive from the edge of Melbourne (thanks to our speed limits and enforcement…), including this 1980 XD Ford Falcon GL and hot rod – I didn’t see any badging, but I think it is a mid-30’s Chevrolet. Am I close?
The Falcon seemingly has half the contents of an auto accessory store on it. The stripes look like the S-Pack ones, and it looks to have chrome strips added around the head and tail lights to mimic those on Fairmonts, while the red decals on the number plates indicate an LPG conversion. The fuel filler was behind the rear flip-down number plate in these.
This Pontiac is hard to identify due to the custom paint job, but looks like a 1970 Tempest. It is still left-hand drive so I expect it has only been in the country recently.
Is this Buick Riviera a 1963 or 64? The paint is a nice match for the car, and the few custom touches work well.
This 1977-79 TE Ford Cortina really is a case of a once-common car that has seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. They are a rare sight even at car shows. This one is the top-level Ghia trim, but I’m not sure if it has the 2.0L four, or one of the 3.3 & 4.1L sixes – I’d guess one of the latter. The Globe Bathurst wheels are a popular style.
I don’t think I’ve seen a 1971 Datsun Homer cab chassis before – near-50 year old Japanese commercials may have been reliable and durable, but they weren’t that rust resistant. It was another Prince vehicle, and featured a whopping 1.6L for what was probably a 1-ton payload.
This 1964 XM Falcon wagon is interesting, with what looks like remnants of some signage on the front door, lowered suspension and 5-lug wheels that look like 14” rather than the original 13’s. Again I’ve skipped a car between the last two was a C4 Corvette, in resale red.
For some reason it seems that Prince Skyline GTs are always seen in groups – a strong, active club. Would you like yours in plain or touring car racer flavour?
Further along, both the Datsun 1600 (aka 510) and Morris Minor here are in immaculate condition. Another set of the Globe Bathurst wheels, too.
Here is the last photo for this post, a Kaiser Manhattan making quite the contrast with a Porsche 911 and Jaguar E-Type roadster. The shape of the dipped windscreen header is unique, isn’t it?
Further Reading from the Winton Historics:
Car Show Classics: The Oval At 2018 Historic Winton, Part One
Now there’s a great selection, thanks John.
That first photo is really a classic. It could have been taken 60 years ago, if you get rid of the fleece sweaters and ball caps.
My favourite in this set is the Toyota FJ55. The Iron Pig! Would love to have one, but there are none here anymore and besides what would I do with it? There’s not really any good four wheeling to be had in Southwestern Ontario.
Now if I lived in Calgary, or Moab that would be a different story….
Loving the Zephyrs and Cortina! (And the Falcons, the Ford special…) Coincidentally I just posted a photo of an Abbott Zodiac on the Kalashnikov article.
You’re right, that Parisienne would be a great looking car but all I can see is the front end chrome. They need to send it to Kalashnikov for mods.
A MK3 Zephyr four would have been the rarest model ever with an Abbott conversion surely it was mostly the six cylinder versions done due to the expense for the customer, theres a few of them surviving in NZ Zephyrs and Zodiacs are prized here, most of them got the wide wheels and engine mods done long ago, so originals are very rare now, Love em.
And it’s an early Mark 3 four with the high-set grille – later ones mounted the grille lower like on the sixes. Even rarer! Hope the owner kept the four-cylinder bits so such a rare wagon can be converted back if some future owner should want – though I’m certain it drives much nicer now!
I would guess that it has been V8-powered for a long time, maybe since the mid-70’s when those wheels would have been more common to use? If so I doubt future collectibility was on the radar, but you never know.
Great pictures and such variety, love the OZ cars as we don’t see them, that yellow Falcon coupe especially, other favs are the Fiat 130 and the Jensen FF, an extremely rare and technically advanced car, I covered many miles in a Jensen Interceptor, love them but they got scruffy quickly around the wheel arches which were a bugger to fix properly.
Very interesting to see RHD US cars that we never saw in the UK, the Buick Rivieras for example, I could consider a RHD US car as a hobby machine but don’t remember the last time I saw one.
That Kaiser in the last picture is LHD, I didn’t think you could sell left hand drive in OZ and that was why you had RHD US cars
PS about the chrome arches on the Mercedes 380SE, I had that model but a 350, chrome arches were generally consider to be vulgar and were put on the car to disguise rusty arches, which some definitely had after 5 years
I think more recently you can bring in LHD cars over a certain age.
I also recall a company in England in the 90s which brought in rust free American classics from South Africa, and could charge a premium as they were RHD, while their competitors were bringing in LHD cars from California. Including lots of British cars like E Types and big Healeys!
I looked for a Defender in Spain earlier this year and found wanted ads for 25 yr old Defenders, so someone is presumably doing much the same in reverse. (Which is what I wanted to do – convert my Brexit-busted Sterling into Land Rovers rather than greenbacks.)
Yes cars more than 30 years old can stay LHD, so this will be a more recent import.
I’ve seen Spanish Land Rovers advertised on Bring a Trailer, and of course it makes sense to send LHD vehicles to the US, especially with the prices they go for over there.
Yeah sometimes they’re British built Spanish market Defenders, but I’ve seen late series 3 Santana Land Rovers (with Defenderesque front fascia) being listed on eBay as Defenders.
The other benefit of Spanish market cars is that British Land Rovers will usually be rotten or have had lots of welding, or even a whole new galvanized chassis, which presumably would upset the US authorities who aren’t averse to crushing Defenders they suspect as ringers being passed off as older than they are.
Early NZ Landrovers are now finding their way back to the UK you’d be amazed how many are still parked where they were last used but they are becoming collectable here too.
That lovely ’57 Sunbeam Rapier would normally have come with a 1390cc engine and column shift. Always liked them. Must admit though that I’m smitten by that early model Buick Riviera.
Actually that does ring a bell, I remember I was surprised to hear the engine was so small. I assume the floor shift conversion was done by a previous owner and the current owner isn’t so hardcore about originality to convert it back, at least not yet.
Finding a column shift gearbox and linkages nowdays could be a major problem for originality though pre 3A the selectors are the same on both, but yes 1390 was the original engine size and 14inch are the smallest steel wheels that will go on if the front suspension is original 13s wont clear the upper ball joint, MK4 Cortina 14′ wheels or Citroen Xsara/Pug 306 bolt right on.
Whe you next see that Rapier note the shift pattern for where reverse is to the left and up its an early non syncro box which it should have to the right and down is a later full syncro box which didnt appear untill about 65 remote floor shifts like its fitted with came out in 59/60.
Toggle switch on the column shroud is to activate the overdrive on 3rd and 4th.
I thought the switch would be for the overdrive. I drove a Singer Vogue years ago which had a different column shift pattern to the Hillman, 1-2 and 3-4 were swapped so I wonder which one the Sunbeam had.
The pattern changed with the 3A Minx that I have, to fit a remote floorshift and retain the normal 4 speed shift pattern you need to change the selectors too, not hard and I have all the parts, the gear lever and shift knob on that Rapier match whats in my car which is MK3 Superminx.
Great show. I love that Ford Speedster in the top picture. It shows just how “European” a well done Ford roadster could be.
The Datsun 510 clearly shows its stylistic heritage from the Prince Skyline just above it.
Whenever I see an EH Holden front end, I think it’s going to be a ’64-’65 Valiant.
Lots of goodies there…
Cheers Paul, I will have to show some of the 1930s era racing cars too. There are a few more recently built Fords as well as Mopars, Dodge and Plymouth mainly.
Awesome selection John, its crazy now to recall how many of those Australian cars Ive owned and driven in the past and of course MK2 & 3 Fords in NZ where they are the iconic Ford, Cortinas were a dime a dozen in NZ in the 70s those Corollas and Holdens were govt fleet vehicles but the UK Cortinas, only a few Aussie versions came here.
Ford Pilot? next to the yellow XD theres something about it that suggests the obsolete car Ford UK churned out untill the Zephyr came on line.
Could well be a chopped and dropped Pilot, but the grille’s from something different. Pilots had a strong vertical theme, this one’s bars are horizontal.
Awesome selection John. A small correction, the Fiat 130 V6 was in no way related to the Dino V6, apart from the fact that Aurelio Lampredi created both.
Stunning example of a 130 here. Seeing it in a post with an XD Falcon sedan – an unlikely juxtaposition – there’s awful lot of similarity around the rear, with only the Falc’s heavy-footed detailing being the difference. Or no?
I once had someone ask me if my 130 was a Falcon. Definitely yes.
I hope you were wearing half-moon spectacles at the time so you could peer at them with maximum distain. Or that your monocle fell off in shock.
Thanks Don, I was misled by a reference book
Hilariously, the Parisienne belongs to my uncle, and my parents are standing at the rear of the car…
I didn’t spot them on the day, but it has been a while! Is the car as original as it looks?
I’ve just kept coming back to this post again and again through the day. Thanks so much for taking us along.
That Plymouth ute though – wow! I have never seen one of them.
Were Winton not 1800 Km from my humble abode, I’d be there more often.
Great selection of cars, and thank you for it.
Perhaps I should take my Buick down one year.