Australian Cars In The UK

[JeeExEll]

Those wheels used to be called Turbo-Vecs (by Wolfrace) in the UK.    '100+ Turbovanes' were similar.  Most likely many others too.

The General Lee had similar style, internet says they were American Racing Vector Turbines.

Being Oz wheels I'd guess MorrisItal's Cheviot wheels for the win.

[davocano]

On 1/26/2020 at 2:24 PM, MorrisItalSLX said:

I recall a thread here a while ago where some shitters attended a banger race (Stan Woods Memorial?) that had a Holden HQ wagon go around the oval, it stood out to me as it had a seemingly rust free tailgate which is quite the rarity.

Not from that thread but one of my flickr friends caught this one:

[Tadhg Tiogar]

On 1/31/2020 at 9:57 AM, JeeExEll said:

^ But what's that in the bottom left of the pic?? . . . 

 

There were two of them . . .

The Scottish Falcon XB GTs.   Link to more info -

http://www.aus-ford-uk.co.uk/html/the_scottish_gt_s.html

Both cars scrapped long ago but 'number plate' refers to a driving school at Ingliston near Edinburgh. Connection with the race track or just advertising for a driving instructor from that area?  Don't know.

Some cars are clearly wasted on their owners. 

[Snipes]

Yeah 'cos 70s Fords don't just rust do they?

[sheffcortinacentre]

For several years during the 90s there was a locally owned white ford laser S ( Mazda 323) was nearly new, running around chapel st Leonards on the Lincolnshire coast.

[mitsisigma01]

Am I allowed to enter with my made in Australia, Mitsubishi Sigma wagon, built June 93 registered uk January 96.... Would of posted a picture but phone update seems to of taken lots of oldish pictures 

[mullett471]

On 2/1/2020 at 10:31 PM, flat4alfa said:

Nice

I do like those wheel too. Do they have a name?

As mentioned above..Cheviot Turbo

[Steviemillar]

On ‎1‎/‎27‎/‎2020 at 6:11 PM, flat4alfa said:

There was this one

Although I'm not convinced it's a Monaro. 

Definitely HQ front, but because of the four headlights it's either a genuine LS Sedan (unlikely) or a Premiere (most likely)

I think this is a Holden Kingswood?

There was a blue UK registered Holden Kingswood for sale at a salvage place 8-10 years ago, the Holden had had a small electrical fire apparently where the wiring loom went through the bulkhead due to chaffing of the wires. I did bid the seller £2000 however I think he wanted £2500 for it. The ad disappeared soon afterwards.  I did see a photo of a blue one of these in a collection of photos taken at a small car show a year or so ago on a forum (maybe even on here), I can't find the pic, may well have been the same car.

Edit : I reckon this is the car, the registration number seems familiar ….

[flat4alfa]

5 hours ago, Steviemillar said:

Edit : I reckon this is the car, the registration number seems familiar ….

Yes they are both Holden Kingswood, but that (lovely!) blue one is an HZ not an HQ

The sheetmetal of the front clip is different (squarer peak), as are the front wings to accommodate the different sidelight/indicator unit

It's worth around $20k Aus now!  Which is why the only UK Monaro (HQ) I knew of was exported back some years ago

Mind you, vehicles have always held their value much better in Australia

[flat4alfa]

This '78 GTS is one of the two HZ in the UK

[flat4alfa]

Another shot of NFC 259S

[FakeConcern]

This Ford Falcon Station Wagon is often at Cooden Beach...

I suppose it's Australian...

[sheffcortinacentre]

Yep an AU 1.

[flat4alfa]

On 2/8/2020 at 9:26 AM, FakeConcern said:

I suppose it's Australian...

Yes, 2002 Falcon built at the Broadmeadows plant in Victoria

That would make it a AUIII. 

I think the spec is Futura?

 

The DVLA sheila says:

Model: Ford Unknown
Colour: Green
Fuel Type: Gas Bi-Fuel
Engine: 3984cc
Registered: 06 June 2008

[volvoman]

Some very cool Aussie cars here,  Ive actually been in/driven some of them too!

I grew up in Oz, as in Perth W.A. My parents took us there in 1973, so i remember all the old 60's/70's cars.

We used to sit at bus stops(as kids) an watch all the cars drive by, an try to name all the models.

My older brother, had an EJ Holden sedan, with a 192 engine in it(i think?) he also had a HT Holden Panel Van, decked out like they did in the 70's.

My dad had loads of early Fords...my mate was driving at 15, he had a HR Holden, then he bought not one, but 2 Leyland P76's.

We had some fun in those Leyland P76's too (he had both white an orange coloured ones) He lost control on a Golf coarse fairway once at 3.00am in the morning, the car spun around a few times,then came to rest hitting a small tree! His older brother was worst than him though, he was following/racing a Corvette one night (he was driving a 2 door Valiant Pacer) bench seat in the front, with my older brother an sister, i was in the back seat with his younger brother. He was pissed up speeding, he smashed the Pacer into the back of a Datsun 200B, missing the Corvette! We were all dicks back then, we didnt know any better.

I returned to England when i was 16, but went back out to Auss, twice in the 80's.My 1st car was a bright yellow HG Holden Kingswood Sedan, it had a 186S engine in it, mag wheels, twin chrome ehausts. Then i bought a Gold HQ Holden Station Wagon.

A great time in my life, an never will i forget all those cool 70's Aussie cars, that were a big part of my mispent youth.

[volvoman]

Forgot to mention, back in the 90's we used to see a parked up old Ford Falcon, on the A21, on the way to Hastings, past T/Wells.

Also local to me, i used to see (driving around) a bright orange either Falcon/Fairlane or Fairmont 70's sedan.

An old friend of mine, owned one of those Holden Utes, the more modern  "Maloo" type.

In the next street to me, i guy owned a black Monaro, it was a beast, i never saw it move, i kept telling my son i would knock/call for it one day, but then it vanished, never to be seen again. I doubt i could have had enough money to buy it, but i bloody wish i  knocked for it now!!!.

[Austat]

Just received these Auto Car magazines from 1972 this afternoon. Looking through one of the magazines, I came across this advert in the "American Cars" section:

[sierraman]

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-reviews/15679/ford-falcon-xr6-turbo

[Snipes]

Off topic, but that AutoExpress article links to the new Capri conecpt;

[Austat]

Here's an interesting article taken from Wheels Magazine, December 1971 about Australian exports:

"The future of Australia's motor industry is good, ..." how times have changed haven't they?

[Austat]

48 minutes ago, Sir Snipes said:

Off topic, but that AutoExpress article links to the new Capri conecpt;

Looks awful.

[sierraman]

It’s a scirocco no? 

[Conan]

52 minutes ago, Austat said:

Here's an interesting article taken from Wheels Magazine, December 1971 about Australian exports:

"The future of Australia's motor industry is good, ..." how times have changed haven't they?

 

This is indeed very interesting. Back in the 60-70's Australia exported many models to various countries around the world. To countries which imports were the mainstay, these Falcons and Holden were the intermediate step between quaint European model and Landyacht. Not quite economical, not quite barge. They were quite popular for that exact reason. Then a few years back the demand for these export stopped (maybe because the rise (and fall) of premium European mid-level such as E-Class and 5-Series?) and the industry faltered.

 

p.s. the Asian Model T (I believe it's later called the Fiera? that had Kent engine which I'm not sure came from Australia) mentioned in the article failed. I think the only lasting attempt of those local content car is the Toyota Kijang of Indonesia which later evolved into a proper comfortable MPV from the basic sheetmetal on wheels. But this is another topic now.

[Datsuncog]

3 hours ago, Conan said:

Back in the 60-70's Australia exported many models to various countries around the world...

But this is another topic now.

Mmmm… I wonder if any Mazda Roadpacers ever managed to make it over to the UK?

Yup, it's an Australian-built Holden Premier HJ shipped without an engine over to Japan, where it was then fitted with Mazda's 13B AP Rotary engine (seen in the RX-4 and RX-5).

It also received lots of other goodies such as central locking, a built-in Dictaphone, and a fridge in the boot - creating an instant 'flagship sedan' for Mazda, who until this point had nothing in their range lineup to compete with the luxury Toyota Century, Nissan President etc.

The deal with General Motors meant that Mazda avoided the expense of developing their own large car platform, while GM got access to Mazda's rotary-engine know-how - GM had pulled the plug on their own Wankel unit research by this stage, but they were still interested in seeing if the technology was viable.

I'm told the Roadpacer AP was a touch underpowered, with the 1.3 litre rotary unit struggling to move the 1.5 tonne body. The small-displacement engine was, however, supposed to keep the car in a low tax bracket, ensuring its sales success.

But, in something of a twist, the Roadpacer fell foul of the further intricacies of Japanese taxation law.

The big Mazda found itself subjected to a special 'wide car tax' - "one of those curious and mysteriously changing imposts the Japanese government used to ensure the country's entirely open market would remain almost completely free of imports", as motoring writer Tony Davis puts it. 

I can only assume that the same problem applied to the high-end Isuzu Statesman De Ville, which was itself a rebadged Holden Statesman HQ.

This additional sales tax meant that the Roadpacer cost twice as much as the domestic market Mazda Luce (RX-4), and torpedoed any hope of significant private sales - although different company car tax laws meant that it was still economically viable to purchase as a fleet vehicle.

Yet even so, the dismal sub-10mpg fuel consumption (Mazda claimed 24mpg initially), and obviously un-Japanese origins of the Roadpacer meant that there were very few takers.

Only about 800 Roadpacers were built between 1975 and 1977, well below Mazda and Holden's sales projections of 100 cars a month.

Even then, unsold stock continued to clog the sales networks for another two years - before finally being disposed of at ruinous discount, since by 1979 Ford owned a quarter of Mazda and no doubt wondered what the hell they were doing selling a rival's cars.

Most of them seemingly ended up with Government departments as transport for senior officials and, as was customary due to strict Japanese vehicle testing regulations, were scrapped after being withdrawn from service.

Survivors are therefore exceedingly rare, although I recall Classic and Sportscar reviewing one in Australia in a 1991 article - so it seems that at least one made its way home.

And one currently lives in the Frey family's Mazda Museum in Germany, so...

[Conan]

If one does think the Roadpacer would be a tad underpowered, Mazda also plonked the same Rotary engine in a bus.

 

 

An engine known for lack of torque and for producing noise like thousand bees going through it, propelling a massive bus. I'd like to ride one just to experience the exhaust sound.

 

Way off topic now, but it's always required to be mentioned along with the Roadpacer.

[JeeExEll]

Not 'Australian car in the UK' but it's a 1980 Torque TV series road test of the 'Granada style' Falcon XD 3.3.

 

[quicksilver]

What a fascinatingly weird thing that Mazda Roadpacer is. I particularly like that it was called the Roadpacer AP for 'Anti-Pollution' when it had a rotary engine notorious for burning oil. If there are any in the UK, our resident Wankel guru @Philmanns is the man who'd know.

[Philmanns]

On 2/10/2020 at 3:53 PM, quicksilver said:

What a fascinatingly weird thing that Mazda Roadpacer is. I particularly like that it was called the Roadpacer AP for 'Anti-Pollution' when it had a rotary engine notorious for burning oil. If there are any in the UK, our resident Wankel guru @Philmanns is the man who'd know.

@quicksilver I don’t believe there are any here. I know of one in Germany. 

[mullett471]

On 2/10/2020 at 7:05 PM, Austat said:

I'd pay that for it..you're looking six figures ($AUD) for these now!

[mullett471]

Not my photo..just found it on a Flickr page..rare colour too..XB GT 351