Category: Classic Cars

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MORGAN 4/4

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It may surprise some to know that Morgans remained in production largely unaltered for 50 years longer than any other car in the world. Yet hardly any two of the 15,000 or so four- wheeled Morgans built since 1936 were exactly alike as they had all been built by hand like traditional sports cars with a body, chassis and suspension dating from the early part of the century. The body panels, in particular, were worked by hand for the best fit, and were varied like the trim to meet the… Read more

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MARCOS 1800

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1965 Marcos 1800

Wood has seldom been used for the structural and stress-bearing parts of a motor car but in the Marcos, first appearing in 1959, timber was used for the chassis/hull, taking maximum advantage of improved techniques in plywood construction. The name Marcos was derived from the surnames of Jem Marsh and Frank Costin, and was first fitted to a cycle-winged car. Production versions, however, employed full-width styling. Ford engines of the 100E, 105E and 109E varieties were offered and although these could be, and were indeed, tuned, the excellent performance came… Read more

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CHRYSLER VALIANT DRIFTER

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  The Chrysler Valiant panel van was launched in Australia in April 1977. Although no-one knew it at the time, this would be the last new Valiant model produced by Chrysler in Australia. By the time the CL Valiant rolled around, the panel van market was booming. Between 1971 and 1976 sales of panel vans had doubled, due mainly to lower sales tax on these vehicles which were classified as commercials. When the Valiant panel van arrived on the scene, this market section accounted for 18.5 per cent of total… Read more

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PLYMOUTH ROADRUNNER SUPERBIRD

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‘Muscle cars’ of the late 1960s were probably introduced mainly for the spectacle of drag racing, which had become extremely popular in the United States at that time. Plymouth was always one of the leading exponents of the ‘muscle car’ and a lot of this was based around an engine – the astounding 426-111 Super Stock Hemi. This 90-degree V8 achieved much success for Plymouth and was the supreme drag-race powerplant, acquiring a legendary reputation. The Hemi engine was born out of the need for top racing performance. Once the… Read more

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JAGUAR MARK II

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Towards the end of 1959 Jaguar expanded its range of cars with the release of the new Mark II saloons. This provided a range of ten basic models which also offered a choice of transmissions and disc or drum brakes for the standard 2.4 and 3.8 saloons, XK150 series body styles and a wide range of exterior and interior colour schemes. The Jaguar range at that time comprised the large and luxurious 3.8-litre Mark IX saloon, the 2.4 and 3.4 standard saloons and the 3.4 XK150 and 150S as before,… Read more

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CADILLAC 370

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In 1930 General Motors introduced both the 16-cylinder 452 and the 12-cylinder 370 just as the Great Depression was gaining momentum, both in America and throughout the world. Of course, General Motors did not intend introducing these new models at a time of economic hardship but they had been in the planning stage for some time prior to this. Because Cadillac had lost its market leadership to Packard in the large car class in the 1920s, General Motors management set out to regain market share with a bigger and better… Read more

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GOGGOMOBIL DART

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The Goggomobil was a hybrid German-Australian car built in Australia between 1958 and 1961. The project was launched in Sydney by Bill Buckle who had earlier built and sold his own design, the Buckle coupe. For the Goggomobil, Buckle secured the rights to a small car made by Hans Glas of Dingolfing, Bavaria. The German product had an all-steel body but Buckle fitted his cars with fibreglass bodies. He offered three body styles: sedan, coupe and open two-seater The open version, known as the Dart, was Buckle’s own design but,… Read more

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SAAB 92

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In June 1947 Saab-Scania AB unveiled its first car to an expectant public, although the first lucky owner was not to take delivery of his little green, spluttering two-stroke Saab 92 until the beginning of 1950. In terms of appearance, the 92 was an oddity, even in an era when cars generally did not feature the more modern lines typical of most present day cars. In Sweden, the streamlined, dark-green model with the stubby nose became quickly accepted. The body consisted of a relatively small number of pressings of sheet… Read more

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RENAULT R12

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The original design concept for the R12 described it as a high-class, medium sized car for the 1970s. The Renault R12 was a front-wheel drive vehicle powered by a 1289cc engine which was built, over its model life in three body styles: four-door saloon, five-door estate and a three-door panel van. The saloon and estate were available in two versions: TL and L. In the R12’s introductory year Renault was the third largest motor manufacturer in Europe. The R12 was powered by a four-cylinder engine rated at 40 kW. This… Read more

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WILLYS JEEP

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Around 1938 as the situation in Western Europe worsened and the prospect of a second world war looked a possibility, the US Army indicated to all automobile manufacturers that they were looking for a light reconnaissance vehicle to replace the motorcycles previously used in this role. First to respond was the American Bantam Car Company who were invited to supply three test models in September 1939, but these were rejected as too light. Shortly afterwards Willys-Overland produced sketches of a concept vehicle which would soon be known to the world… Read more