Jon's occasional magazine scans - Update 18/04 Foreign Car Test Jolly

[Jon]

Despite having much to do today, I seem to have an unwitting urge to post some content on here for a load of people I don't know. I've been meaning to do a few scans of some choice articles I've been reading, as recently I've acquired a metric flipload of old Australian car magazines, spanning from the early 70's to the present day. Personally, I'm totally interested in the stuff up to about 1990 and the rest is a bit meh, so am hoping to sell them on.

 

Thankfully, the magazines I picked up recently represent about 90% of the back issues of WHEELS magazine from the era I'd wanted (I've only 8 issues missing from the 1980's!). This represents the pinnacle to me, since it's effectively an Aussie version of CAR magazine - it even has articles from Georg Karcher, so no doubt some articles are recycled between the two.

 

Enough of the holy grail pinnacle magazine stash chit-chat - let's get back to basics a bit with a scan about a home built 4WD Toyota Crown wagon, from a bunch of Overlander magazines I bought with some petrol money STUNO gave me for something - it wasn't required, so I was happy to spend the cash instead on something for the greater good.

 

Click on the images for a resolution that's about the size of the original mag:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, the quality could be better and I couldn't be bothered to re-scan the last page to make it less wonky but I thought it was a start at least. There's some momentously hardcore shite covered, particulalry in the 70's issues but I plan to read them all in chronological order, so it may take a while to get round to reading/scanning them all.

 

There's also some pretty interesting articles from Overlander regarding quite intrepid journeys, so I might bosh a few of those up in good time.

[Jon]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot; I mentioned reading about this on a Kiwi forum and someone posted up this pic:

 

 

I got quite excited and thought it was still trucking on but this one looks like a tribute version. Wonder if the same guy built it?

[cort1977]

Don't think the same guy built it as that one is pictured outside lowes an American b&q type place. Thanks for the scan, Aussies build some great off road rigs although I think the rules have tightened up since the 70s especially in Vic.

[Spottedlaurel]

Who needs a Range Rover?! Sounds like the Crown's separate chassis made this a relatively straightforward process.

 

Look forward to more scans. I do have a few Australian magazines, mostly Wheels and Modern Motor as I recall. I bought them off eBay for specific cars (probably at horrendous shipping cost) but there's loads of other good stuff in them.

 

Edit: When I wrote Modern Motor, I should say it's actually Motor Manual - just stumbled across them when I was out in the shed attempting to have a bit of a tidy-up.

[r.welfare]

I bought about 20 issues of Wheels from the mid 70s to late 80s at the (now defunct/moved) Fremantle Motor Museum on honeymoon a decade ago. There was a steady stream of Aussie motoring journo talent (Ian Fraser, Mel Nichols, Steve Cropley, Gavin Green) that went from Wheels to CAR so the style was very similar, i.e. excellent.

 

I ended up surface mailing my mags back to the UK at a cost of about 80AUD, three months later they turned up! I think I sold them to George_Roper in the end.

 

If you're taking requests, do you have the Wheels issue from 1979 or 1980 where they drove an Alfetta from Sydney to Perth in 29 hours or something? Would love to read that, an Australian Cannonball Run of sorts.

[Tamworthbay]

I flicked down quickly and caught the pic in the water and thought it was a Volvo 240 for a second!

[Tayne]

The tribute car was photographed outside Lowe's on Hale Napili St in Kailua Kona on the Big Island in Hawaii.

 

Martyn Pennicuick is driving Road Trains in Cairns and messing about with 4x4s in his spare time.

[Jon]

Thanks for all the replies - I reckon this could be more popular than a spotting thread! A lot easier to gather the subjects, too....

 

Looking at the picture of the tribute car, it's plain to see that it's in America but admittedly, the cars surrounding it are bland worldwide models, so that's my lame defence. That and the fact that I'm not familiar with all the Aussie number plates.

 

Spottedlaurel, I've got a few issues each of Modern Motor and Motor Manual too! There's a fantastic second hand magazine seller in New Plymouth who I clear the decks with when he's got stuff in I fancy but I was glad to pick up this haul of Wheels recently, as it's a 600km round trip to visit his shop! Fortunately, I have family living there, so a perfect ruse to not make me look like a weirdo.

 

Tayne, I think I there's an article I have tucked up my sleeve that may interest you, so stay tuned. Top sleuthing points, too!

 

R.welfare, that sounds like a wonderful honeymoon you had - your wife is a lucky lady, just like mine! Just don't tell my wife about the concept of actually selling magazines though. I do have the Alfa road trip issue (in fact, I have two) and have already read it, so am happy to take this request and upload it some time soon.

[Jon]

The other day I managed to get frustrated with Citroen Visa related tinkerings, so shut the garage door and went and looked at my magazine pile to calm me down. Since one white Antipodean 1980's French car was annoying me, I decided to read about another:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's lots of talk about where controls are sited in these old mags. I suppose there is in new car mags too but it's usually to do with how easy it is to sync your phone with the entertainment system, rather than where the indicators are.

 

 

 

Some of the adverts are better than the articles! I'd love a computerized auto pilot fuel and cruise control unit for the Commodore.

 

 

 

They also don't quote engine sump capacities also, which I think we can all agree is very important information and not at all a load of guff to fill a page of stats with at the end of a test.

 

Anyway, I don't rate this article particularly highly, other than the fact that it was interesting to see that the Renault 18 made it to Austrailia. I think they even sold a couple in NZ, too. Rest assured, I think there's some better scans to come.

[r.welfare]

Modern Motor was an acceptable substitute to Wheels albeit not quite as wittily written. They did a good issue (May 1979 I think) on the Repco Trial. I had also forgotten that they call a wing a mudguard, usually shortened to guard! Is that the case in NZ as well?

[Spottedlaurel]

Disappointingly reliable!

[Parky]

Steering wheel is upside down in the last pic. Is that because Australia market cars need to drive upside down or something?

[Tayne]

Puts "Edinburgh on a Monkey" into perspective.

[Parky]

^^^ Still one of the best car journalism stories of all time though ^^^

[Jon]

So in light of the Renault being dull but worthy, let's see what Ford was able to muster at the same time, most likely for a lot less dollars:

 

 

Thought this was a MkV, or even a Cortina 80? WRONG - this is the TF Cortina, no less. Check out those ace graphics and wheels - even the steel not-quite-dartboards!

 

 

 

There's another buzzword of 1980's magazines - NVH (noise, vibration, harshness). This was written pre-CD coefficient fanboy days but then it'd hardly apply to a Cortina with extra bricky bumpers.

 

 

 

The best bit though is that being Australian, it was of course available with a straight 6 engine from a Falcon - either a 3.3 or a 4.1L! I reckon the claim of 35mpg from the 3.3 is a bit of a lie. A few were sold in NZ but 4cyl Cortinas were assembled locally (and more resembled UK market models), so were a lot cheaper. How good does the front number plate look sited down on the valance, though? That said, the same trick pulled in Britain just doesn't seem to cut it with me - probably due to larger, plastic number plates.

[Shep Shepherd]

I wonder if any TF Cortinas have made it over here? I know that a fair few Aussie RWD Escorts, etc. have been imported in recent years by an outfit in Essex.

[sheffcortinacentre]

There are a hand full of TD (facelift mk3s) 6cyl but to best of my knowledge no TE or TFs.

There was a (TC prefacelift) mk3 back in the70s but that's disappeared.

The front suspens is completely different on the TF as the crossmember brakes, arms are nothing like European or earlier aus versions,the dash is similar at first glance but is in separate (removable) sections, with a different console too.

[Jon]

Let's get back in to some serious off roading now, with a model I never knew existed - an Isuzu diesel powered Stage 1 Land Rover!

 

 

I knew that the Aussie Army ran some later Isuzu powered Defenders but didn't know they were doing such things during the late Series era. I think even in the outback, such dedicated/primitive 4x4s were becoming a bit passe, certainly after the launch of the MQ Nissan Patrol and HJ60 Land Cruisers a couple of years previously.

 

 

 

From a number plate bore's perspective (i.e. mine), I reckon this must be a pretty early personal plate - I think NZ adopted the likes of this malarkey in the late 80's, for your information. Top Tip: write such gems of information in a small vinyl-wrapped book, to pull out for others' entertainment at social gatherings.

 

 

 

"The lack of plush fittings is in this case a boon, for the vehicle ingests huge quantities of dust". Makes you proud, doesn't it?!

 

 

 

In conclusion: not as cheap as an HJ47 Land Cruiser, hence why I've never heard of these before. Shame.

[cort1977]

Resonancy?   That made me wince a bit.

 

Were the British built Mk 4 Cortinas bad for build quality?   Sounds like the Australian factory might have been suffering from a few Red Robbo style quality issues. 

 

Thanks for posting these Jon, really interesting.

[Jon]

I thought that Kiwis were quite patriotic but the jovial flag waving (metaphorically - many don't like the union flag bit) that I've witnessed during brief visits has been on another level, so I guess that many such issues were quietly brushed aside.

 

Also, Aussie built cars were cheap to buy at the time - certainly in comparison to fully built up imported stuff. The closest mag I have to hand (Motor Manual, Feb '85) shows that a bog standard Alfa 33 cost $15500, whereas an entry level Commodore 3.3 was $11375. Certainly not apples for apples comparison by any means but perhaps the bang for buck factor was a way of accepting such issues.

[r.welfare]

I was just watching a 1980 episode of Torque (an Australian old Top Gear) on Youtube and Peter Wherett (a more grumpy Antipodean Woolard) tested a 2.8 Commodore and E12 BMW 528i back to back. He obviously preferred the BM but gave the Holden praise, saying it was the boat anchor of an engine holding it back. His main rant was at the government though - local content tariffs at the time meaning the Holden was $7k and the BMW (naturally imported) $28k! He pointed out that the BMW was the equivalent of $14k in Germany so either Holden should fork out on an engine worthy of the rest of the car, or BMW should set up an Australian factory...

[Jon]

Having now been enlightening about Torque episodes on Youtube, I've found a mine of them, so will now have to resist the urge to start watching them! Thanks*

[r.welfare]

Sorry about that.  They are actually very good if a bit dry/low production values, but worth it (generally) for Wherrett ranting on about manufacturers and/or the industry as a whole being lazy/not doing it right.  He also sports a fine selection of flat caps, a different one for each episode.

[Jon]

I must admit that I took a bit of an extended lunch break today, so have so far snaffled away the first three episodes - how could I not, in order to maintain my diplomatic stance towards each of the Big Three models tested in each of these programmes? We'll brush to one side the fact that I own a VB Commodore....

 

Anyway, the third episode demonstrated how hopelessly outdated the styling of the CM Valiant was by 1980, even if the fuel economy of its 4 litre six was better than that of the 2.8 Commodore, because COMPUTERS. By 1980, Chrysler Valiants were manufactured at the Mitsubishi factory, alongside the Sigma (also tested on that episode - see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl02SxA8AMo). With that in mind, let's see what Motor magazine have to say about the exciting Sigma Turbo of late '81:

 

 

 

 

 

This isn't a massive article but it does sing the praises of Mitsubishi for launching a production turbo model in the face of ADR (Australian Design Rules) bureaucracy - something I don't know an awful lot about but seems to be a government initiative of the time to make things purposely crap in the name of pseudo fuel economy and (I think) safety standards.

 

 

Turns out that this is a GH model Sigma and personally speaking, I reckon that front end is quite ugly. I much prefer the design of the 'Hirst era' (God rest his soul) GJ model that followed. 

 

 

And here's perhaps the inspiration for that improved front end, first sampled in this wacky styling exercise seen over 18 months before:

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's like a sort of Aussie rendition of Bosozoku style - possibly before the trend actually transferred from motorbikes to cars in Japan? I reckon it's brilliant but probably best left as a prototype; if there was more than one of these, the styling would lose a lot of its effect quite quickly.

 

Amazingly, it still survives, albeit in long term storage. More info here: http://www.sigma-galant.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2880. I'll let you see for yourself the awesomeness of the integrated brown house car telephone! On a slightly annoying note from my perspective, that link also has a copy of the article I've scanned above, so I could've saved a while not bothering to duplicate it!

[Spottedlaurel]

Interesting. I wonder if it owes anything to the Japanese-built Turbo models (which Mitsubishi got quite big on in the early '80s) or was a completely domestic exercise?

 

A UK-spec, Hirst-shape Turbo here:

 

1982 Colt Galant 2000 Turbo press photo by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

[r.welfare]

Now hang on a minute. Propping up the bottom of the four-car comparison table for the Sigma Turbo is a TR7 Turbo. Any info on this Jon?

[DodgeRover]

Oooh if you're getting rid of any mags I'm interested in any copies of AMC - Australian Muscle Car or anything with a Valiant Charger or Hardtop in it. Used to have AMC on subscription but it looks like all my copies have been chucked out while waiting to come over here

[Jon]

An update! I told you this would be an occasional series.....

 

 

Here's a slightly oddball article covering a series of events that just wouldn't happen today; a family of 5 packs up, travels the world, somehow buys a domesticated version of a military only vehicle directly from the manufacturer, then travels through war zones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice bonus of a BF Goodrich ad showing a modified Bedford CF Bush Boss.

 

Ha ha, Bush Boss.

[Jon]

Here's a couple of now sadly scene-taxed vehicles which are also susceptible to tasteless mods, so let's bask in the nostalgia of When Things Were Better.

 

 

No, this isn't a review of second hand utes - you really could buy a Holden which looked like this in 1983; they carried on making them until 1985!

 

 

 

Lovely action shot of the Holden there, especially since it's a V8, to further add to its anachronistic nature. 

 

 

 

Still, who wouldn't chose the 5 litre V8 (308 ci) over the standard 202 (3.3L) inline 6, when it's a mere $297 extra?!

 

 

 

Since I own a 1979 Commodore which currently has a 308 motor sitting in the garage waiting to be fitted, I obviously have a bias towards the GM ute. However, I reckon I'd have been hard pushed to have dipped in to my pocket for something so outwardly dated back in 1983, especially as I'm a fan of the XE Falcon styling, which is arguably prettier than the XD it replaced (and buck the trend, as most facelifts are usually uggers). 

 

I still need to own a ute, especially as the concept is pretty much dead now, what with Falcon production now ceased after 50+ years and Commodore production ending next year. Can't say that a double cab truck a la Hilux, Navara, BT50 etc. is really in the spirit of things in my eyes. Soz.

[sheffcortinacentre]

Do you have anything on the falcon au2 tues?