MiniMort

Some spots in Darwin: Bad photo of a Holden Statesman, which I don't think I've ever seen in the flesh before. Proton Jumbucks are surprisingly very common, but this is the only bright yellow one I've seen - like a knockoff Felicia Fun. Driven all the way up from Victoria, a 1995 Mazda 323 A pretty late ('84) Mk1 Land Cruiser And finally, a 1976 Holden Kingswood Utility

Pretty sure they're based in Izhevsk, Russia - ZAZ was the Ukrainian car brand. Definitely have also heard that IZH cars were better built, though. And they had the unique Moskvitch hatchback - the IZH 2125:

They had square lights since about 1969, but the 2140 with it's fancy tech (and Girling brakes!) that would have made it much more desirable was the one the UK didn't get. But because they were withdrawn from sale here in 1976, it is easy to forget just how long production of the 412 continued. I know someone from the USSR who sold their 1979 2140 for a brand new IZH 412 in 1990, and even then you could still buy a new one at the end of that decade. Apparently the Samara that replaced it felt like a spaceship.

Average wage was a little over £3,600, so probably the real wages equivalent of paying a smidge under £30k. Basically then the equivalent of some flashy nearly-new BMW or Audi coupe thing.

On the subject of classified ads... ...it seems that some Dacias were sat on the forecourts for a few years.

Not quite photographic evidence but here's a classified listing of one from 1991. If you're wondering it was only £2,995, for a then-recent sportscar!

I went to Rome on a press trip earlier in the week, and had enough time to go car spotting in the city! No first generation Pandas with the off-set grille, I'm afraid - though this late 80s 1000 Super was incredibly stuff-free by Roman standards. Good to know there are still plenty of Fiat 500s around the city. Is that an early Panda door mirror? The modern day version of the 500 is undoubtedly the Ami. They are literally everywhere over the city with all manner of orange or green stickers on them, but I do like the boggo trim-less version. Not so many French cars in Rome, but this early Twingo certainly caught my eye. As did this Lancia Kappa, a car I don't think I've ever actually seen in the flesh before. But my favourite find of the day was probably this Alfa Romeo 75, a posh family saloon that still didn't come with a passenger door mirror!

When I was learning to drive (in a 2016 Citroen DS3 as it wasn't long ago) my instructor told me she started in 1987 with a K10 Micra and went through a tonne of K11s. However she switched to Citroens when Nissan launched the K12, which she described as being 'just ridiculous'.

"The LF7 4.3-liter V8 diesel was on the menu as well, producing 90 hp." This sums up American cars of the 70s perfectly.

Off topic but that reminds me of how at about this time of year, every year without fail Strictly Come Dancing wheels out an 'American car' as a prop that totally isn't a Volvo 740 with some chrome bits grafted onto the front... Anyway, rapidly back onto topic, I flew out of Hong Kong airport the other day and was amazed to know they had a model car shop just before customs. I regret to inform you I didn't buy the faux-Lego transformer Toyota Crown Comfort... ... but I did get a New Territories spec version of the latest Toyota Comfort.

I mean they appear to be selling care...

Day two in Bali wasn't quite as fruitful for car spotting, but then again was a shorter trip overall - and sadly not in a Land Rover. Still, I was very surprised to see this Ford Laser. Being ignorant, I always thought they were only sold officially in Australia. How wrong I was - they built them from CKD kits in Jakarta! Despite there being lots of Japanese vans from the 70s and 80s, cars are not so common. As such, I was pleased to see an old Corolla - complete with some aftermarket add ons. This Starlet felt a little less loved. In fact you see quite a few old cars with expired number plates (they all feature a month and year at the bottom, a bit like our old tax discs did). Here's another Toyota Kijang, this time in SUV flavour. I like the GRAND ACTION graphics - maybe a special edition? Finally, is it a Chevrolet Blazer? No! It's actually an Opel Blazer, the Indonesian version - made between 1995 and 2005.

So, time for country two - Indonesia. Specifically we stayed in Bali for two days, and did a Land Rover tour on the first. I expected we'd be ferried around in a late-ish old-shape Defender, but we actually got this! It was a very 70s Land Rover Series III Station Wagon WITH the optional Tropical Roof! These are fairly common around the island - Toyota Kijangs. They're not unique to Indonesia but were built locally. The Suzuki Carry seems to be the van of choice for the Balinese but all kei vans are common. Here's a 70s Daihatsu Hijet for instance. And an even older Colt! It's not all Japanese vans, though. Locals seem to like a 90s BMW. Bimmers Auto Garage was doing a roaring trade. And if you saw the WTF is that thread lately you'll know that this little sportscar stumped me. Turns out its a Fiat-based Moretti Spider! Maybe not Pebble Beach spec but certainly rare!

Let me give you a little advice. If you want to spot cars, don't go into the Australian bush. We went to Litchfield National Park (about 120km south of Darwin) and, despite the beautiful views of waterfalls and massive termite mounds), there are just no cars on the roads. You do see a few old off-roaders though, like this Pajero. Lots and lots of Land Cruisers too. Everything gets bull bars here, god forbid you hit a stray kangaroo with your Echo. Here's a lovely Ford Fairmont from the late 90s. Sadly I'm unsure if it was the really snazzy Concorde model with the 5.0 litre Mustang engine though! And the last find of Australia is this Holden Commodore SV6 Ute. It was built in 2017 so one of the very last.

Sir! A lot of respect to you! Well done!

I thought exactly that too! But it doesn't have the same tail fins either. Quite odd. Also the headlamps are slightly recessed from the very front. Its a bit like a Renault Floride but it doesn't have anything to show its rear engined, plus looked a bit smaller than that.

Spotted today in Bali. Lots of 70s Japanese cars and vans about, but it's left hand drive so maybe something European?

I can tell you I saw the grand total of one. As far as South Korean cars go, you're tripping over thousands and thousands of Hyundai Getz's though. Saw a few early 00s Elantras and Accents too.

Can't say I've seen any of those, and I've left the last port in Australia. Bugger.

Wow thanks for all the info, and shame about the t-shirts! The Valiant completely escaped my mind!

Blimey so it is! I remember it was right before Covid. And thanks, in Darwin tomorrow - the last of Australia for the time being.

Well well well, everyday's a school day. Must rewatch some of his trip to Aus and New Zealand clearly!

Airlie Beach and it's surrounding area has been best so far for finding old rubbish. We met up with a friend there so were able to go to the more off the beaten track towns. This looks like a Dollywobbler-spec Falcon, only it isn't. It's actually the classier Fairmont. Little more than a trim level, but I like the snazzier grille. Something a little lower end is this Ford Laser Sedan. I think it works better in booted form, compared to the hatch we saw earlier. Getting shiter. A 2009 Proton Jumbuck. Interestingly it's the third I've seen during my stay in Australia. I guess it was cheaper than most utes on the market. But not as popular as one of these, a 1974 Toyota Hilux that seemingly spent its days driving up and down the high street of Proserpine because I saw it loads of times. I feel like this has been the most Autoshite spot of the holiday so far, though. It's a 1983 Daihatsu Scat (or Wildcat, or T.A.F.T if you will). I like how the bull-bar is taller than the bonnet. Finally, something that has stumped me for a few days. What is this 60s wagon? Initially I thought it was a Falcon but they all had round tail lights (to my knowledge). Doesn't seem to be a Holden either. Any help would be appreciated!

Brisbane was a fun place, even if we did have to go through a massive industrial estate before getting to the city from the cruise terminal! Bull bars on cars are much more common here, and not just to make your 1993 Tarago (yes, it's not a Previa!) more rugged apparently. Drivers here have a real problem with kangaroos darting out in front of vehicles at night. I know someone that had £1,500 of damage caused by one. Late 90s Camrys are really popular too. Wagons like this Conquest are a little harder to come by mind. Here's a high performance Falcon XR6. Whilst the fast Commodores used V6s, these Falcons have in-line sixes which are apparently really reliable. As for something a little more useful, this 1997 Commodore Wagon was pretty neat. Note how some of the plates have burgundy text and others are dark green. Well, buyers here can choose the style of their plates. I've seen white text on a pink background on some! Another one of those Pulsars, this time with the classier 'slatty' chrome grille! And a wonderfully shite Hyundai Accent Coupe.

Right then, shirt tails of Sydney before getting on the cruise ship. I'm not sure what it is but I'm still finding it strange seeing any European car here, even though they sell Skodas, Renaults, Citroens etc just like they do anywhere else. This 1970 DSpecial took me by surprise, though. And here's a really crappy late night phone photo of another thing that excited me - a 1978 Holden Kingswood Wagon. In case you're not clued up on your Aussie cars, the Kingswood was more or less the Commodore's more executive brother. This HZ generation would have had 'radial tuned suspension', of which Modern Motor magazine wrote 'great handler spoiled by the car'. Please excuse the 'picture pictures' here, I've been taking photos on my camera and uploading them to my laptop... only I no longer have Wifi on their, just my phone. Anyway, with that in mind here's something that's very Autoshite - a 1998 Daewoo Lanos, that was parked over the road from the cruise terminal. It was joined with this lovely 2003 Pulsar, which is actually very common here. These ones were Japanese-made, but the liftback version (Almera to us) came all the way from the UK.