Innholdsfortegnelse for #248 17-03 i Just Cars

Two unique vehicles from Australia’s motorsport past are set to go across the auction blocks this November in Melbourne. Mossgreen Auction’s ‘Collector’s Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia’ auction this 27 November will feature rarities like a 1938 Lancia Astura cabriolet, 1934 Lagonda M45 Rapide, ’67 TVR Tuscan, 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I and race-spec 2007 Dodge Viper GT3, but it’s the ‘Aussie Special’ racers that are expected to attract significant interest. Both vehicles, the 1928-29 Chamberlain 8 and 1955 Molina Monza, come from a private collection and were featured in the National Gallery of Victoria’s 2015 exhibition on the history of the Australian auto industry - ‘Shifting Gears: Design , Innovation and the Australian Car’. CHAMBERLAIN 8 The product of the innovative Alan Hawker Chamberlain and his brother Howard, known as “Bob”…

The JUST CARS Historic Touring Cars will be in Melbourne at the end of Cup Week for the 25th Historic Sandown, with two big grids set to provide classic thrills at the November 4-6 event. With cars from bellowing Camaros to screaming Minis, the diversity of these immaculate old racers in shape, size and sound reflect the heritage days of Australian touring car racing from the ’50s to the ’70s - a much different spectacle than today’s stickered-up Supercars. Two grids will split the 60+ entry to give the best like-for-like competition. Both groups will have a morning qualifying session and afternoon race on Saturday, November 5 and two races on Sunday, November 6. BIGS. . . . In the big bangers, ten Mustangs, five Camaros, five Falcon GTs, two…

The first Aussie Falcon will always hold a special place in the hearts of Ford fans. And now, with Australian manufacture of the Falcon at an end, “early birds” like this 1961 model XK Deluxe sedan will become even more cherished and highly collectable. LATE CHANGE Barely a year after the Falcon made its American market debut as an “import fighter”, it reached Australian shores as a last-minute replacement for the British Ford Zephyr. Ford folklore has it that the Zephyr (MkIII) was all set to be Ford Australia’s challenger to the dominant Holden until a Ford Australia team, led by the then Managing Director, Charles A. Smith, visited Ford HQ in Dearborn in late-1958, where they were shown the new Falcon, then in its final development stage. Dearborn felt…

The XB series is regarded by many, including this writer, as one of the best of the classic Aussie Falcons, while the XB hardtop – well, that was just sex on wheels! There’s something about the XB’s more aggressive front end treatment (which was the only major styling change) that sets it apart from the XA Falcon that preceded it, as well as the XC that followed. There must have been plenty more people who shared my opinion of the car when it was new; of the classic era Falcons (XK – XF, as defined by JUST CARS ), the XB was the second-best seller behind the XF, shifting 220,765 units in less than three years on the market. “The car had been residing in a mate’s…

Following the community motorcycle workshops that have sprouted in a number of cities over the past few years, a Sydney man is aiming to bring the same concept to the four-wheel world in the form of the ‘GreaseShed’ community garage. The vision of Stuart Warren, the GreaseShed aims to be Sydney’s first high-end community workshop space for DIY motoring enthusiasts - a place where like-minded car buffs can come together to repair, customise, clean and detail their vehicles. To make the vision a reality, Warren is calling on Sydney’s motoring community to contribute to a crowd-sourcing campaign, hosted by Indiegogo. The campaign – #RAISE4GREASESHED – launched on 4 September and aims to raise enough funds for GreaseShed to lease its first property. The facility aims to provide essential gear like…

Some people choose a particular make and model to go historic touring car racing because they reckon it’s the right tool for the job – to win races. Others choose the same car they saw their childhood heroes racing back in the day, or the car they’re able to afford now that they couldn’t then. And then there are those wedded to a brand and model - heart and soul. FAMILY FORD Nagambie’s David Forbes fits squarely into the last category. His grandpa, William Forbes, bought the Nagambie Motor Garage in 1922 and sold new Fords from this humble set-up in country Victoria from 1926. William’s sons, Bruce and Lindsay, took over the business in the early ’60s - just after the XK Falcon had arrived to take on Holden’s…

Amongst the early Falcons, the 2-doors are the favourites these days, followed by the sedans and wagons. The “commercial” Falcons from the first generation (XK – XP) can get overlooked and of those, the panel vans are probably the rarest of all. Unlike later generations of Falcon, when the panel van became a lifestyle vehicle (as evidenced by the Sundowner), vans like the XP pictured were still working vehicles – and only working vehicles! As such, they were usually driven hard, driven often, and more often than not, driven into the ground, so to find a solid and complete survivor is a rare thing. BLUE MOONAMBEL Original, untouched XP panel vans appear once in a blue moon, but in this case, maybe that should be a ‘Blue Moonambel’ as this…

The All Ford Day South Australia (AFDSA) has been an annual event in the Festival State since 1979. While Adelaide is blessed with many great events throughout the year, March in particular, can be a very busy time, with other main events such as the Clipsal 500, Adelaide Festival and the Adelaide Fringe held in the same month as past AFDSA events. After a lot of consideration, the All Ford Day SA Team decided to move this year’s event to later in the calendar; specifically 18 September and a great new location in the heart of the city at Bonython Park. CELEBRATING THE FALCON Throughout the AFDSA’s 37-year history, milestones of the Ford Motor Company have been celebrated. Continuing that trend, the theme for 2016 was ‘Age of the Falcon’.…

SILVER FOX – IN BARE METAL It’s appropriate, in this ‘Farewell to Falcon’ special edition of JUST CARS that we’re looking at a Resto My Ride winner that’s a Ford. But this isn’t just any Ford; it’s a desirable 1969 XW GT sedan in Silver Fox paint – or at least it was, as the owner, Travis Bath, explains. “I brought this, my dream car, in 1999 in parts and high fill. It’s a car that dad and I were going to restore together. “I was brought up as a Ford man and my dad and I restored a couple of cars when I was growing up.” When his father passed away in an accident, Travis was devastated, especially now, being a father himself. “I have told my second son,…

We’ve collected a bunch of classic Aussie Falcons - some original, some restored and some modified – to reflect not only the diversity of cars available to Falcon fans and the breadth of the Aussie collector car hobby, but also classics that you’re likely to find advertised with JUST CARS. Enjoy this special selection of special Aussie Falcons. If you think you’ve got a special Falcon, share it with us – email details and photos to: feedback@justauto.com.au  or post to: Locked Bag 34, Geelong, VIC, 3220.…

Even the most ardent Holden and Chrysler fans would have to admit that, when discussing the greatest locally-built muscle cars to prowl the streets back in the early ’70s, there wasn’t a bigger stick than a ‘HOey’. From the iconic ‘shaker’ cold air induction to the fat racing stripes, Coke bottle hips, driving lights, spoilers, heavy duty Top Loader four-speed manual and the heaving Thee-Five-One in front, the GT-HO is the poster child for the golden era of Australian-built performance cars. “The GT-HO is the poster child for the golden era of Australian-built performance cars.” SOFT START The original XR GT Falcon wasn’t anywhere near as lairy, despite having launched a scant three years earlier in 1967. Australia’s first performance V8 sedan, the XR GT was…