1.         Sunbeam Alpine/Tiger V8 380HP Supercar

Take one early 1960s 900kg British sports car, shoehorn a 380HP 302 Ford V8, beef up the driveline to suit with bullnose close ratio 4 speed toploader & 9 inch LSD, vented discs all round, rack and pinion steering, 15" Globe alloys, outrageous flares and bonnet scoop, Recaro seats, race bred suspension, considerable chassis reinforcements, stop counting at $50,000, prepare for competition in the Targa Tasmania, and you have a weapon of mass destruction!

 

2.         Prince Skyline GTB

Mention the name "Prince", and most people think of a funky African-American rock star whose voice still hasn't cracked, but in 1960s Japan, Prince made competent, but boring cars and light commercial vehicles.

In 1964 Prince launched the Skyline 1500, a basic 4 cylinder sedan that (kind of) resembled the not yet released Datsun 1600. Prince aquired the rights to the old 1950s design OHC 6 Mercedes engine, fitting it into their own version of a Nissan Cedric, called the Gloria. In a very bold and unprecedented move, Prince then stretched the nose of the Skyline 1500 by a massive 8 inches forward of the firewall (!) and installed the same engine! Determined not to do anything by halves, they also upped the compression ratio, modified the head and camshaft, fitted 3 magnificent 45 DCOE Weber carburettors, dropped in a 5 speed gearbox, LSD, finned rear brake drums, massive 99 litre tank with quick-fill cap in the boot, Nardi style woodrim wheel, full instrument dash, and straight through exhaust, to produce a not too shabby 127HP from a car weighing roughly the same as a Ford Escort. Did it go? (do eskimoes wear leg warmers in winter?) The Skyline S54 A200 BE3 GTB was a very competitive race car in Japan, much less so in Australia, but set a precedent for high performance 6 cylinder Nissan Skylines such as the 'Godzilla' GTRs that continues to this day. 

In 1967, the car formerly known as Prince became a wholly owned subsidiary of Nissan Motor Co., and Prince still designs and manufactures high performance Skylines under its own name even now. Over 300 Skyline GTAs (2 barrel carby only) and GTBs were sold new in Australia, it is believed around 10% of that number survive. This example was 'rescued' from a farm near Taree NSW and is undergoing a sympathetic restoration.

3.         Triumph TR8

Before slipping forever into obscurity, British Leyland's Triumph arm turned a pretty ordinary excuse for a sports car (the TR7) into a hairy chested road rocket (the TR8). Not just a logical forward numbering exercise, the TR8 was basically a TR7 stuffed full of 3.9 litre Rover V8, mostly sold in the US for less than two years, and available in coupe or convertible form. They went like stink, but handling and brakes were apparently a bit ordinary. Heaps of TR7s have received the TR8 conversion (kits are apparently available in Victoria and the original 5 speeds supposedly can handle the extra torque and horsepower). My car is one of the 'backyard' TR8s. Jolly good show, old chap. 

 

4.         Leyland Marina GT/4

Stop laughing! Prior to its imminent implosion in October 1974 Leyland R&D actually turned out a couple of interesting cars. The Marina 6 was a logical competitor for every other Australian and Japanese small car stuffed with a 6 cylinder motor (Torana, Cortina, Centura, 240K, 240C, 2000 Mk2 etc), and ran the OHC P76 with surprisingly little modification. Leyland wanted a sportier model with a bit more go, so developed the unique GT/4, the only 6 cylinder Marina to ever be fitted with a 4 speed trans. It also featured twin SU carburettors, headers, performance camshaft, T/C alloy wheels, sports instrumentation and steering wheel, and distinctive striping. The GT/4 was available in 2 door and 4 door varieties. It was due for release about the time that Leyland went belly up, and consequently, very very very few were sold, possibly in the single figures. Leyland was also developing an all alloy V6 of 3.3 litre capacity, basically a sectioned shortened 4.4 litre V8. This thing would have been carnal. NSW Police tested standard straight 6 cylinder Marinas and reported they were quicker than triple carbed GTR Toranas, but not as stable at high speeds. The rest is history.

5.      Leyland Marina GT V8 Coupe

As if one muscle Marina wasn't enough, Leyland Australia briefly romanced the idea of shoehorning in a 4.4 litre alloy P76 V8 into the cramped little Marina engine bay (as you do), and making the car a potential Bathurst winner. It was the 'muscle car' era, after all (that or we can blame the early 70s excesses of free sex and cheap LSD). A Marina 4 was dangerous, a 6 meant you were slightly unhinged, a V8 meant you had a death wish! All this in a car with a chassis dating back to the 40's Morris Minor torsion bar suspension!! Fortunately, commonsense did prevail and Leyland engineers decided 8 cylinders was probably 2 (more likely 4) too many.

 

6.       Mk1 Cortina GT Coupe

You're looking at what is officially the oldest car in the collection, an exceptionally rare (for Australia) 1963 Ford Cortina Mk1 GT Coupe. You could literally count them on both hands. This is the model that Harry Firth used as a base for the unique to Australia Bathurst winning immortal GT500 of 1965. In their day, these were untouchable, with 1500 GT motor, hi lift cam, ported head, extractors, close ratio "remote control" 4 speed floor shift, front discs, widened (slightly) steel rims, low ratio sprint diff, radius rods, full instrument dash, and more. BUT NO SEATBELTS!!!! or crash padding! My car was fitted with a 1600 Crossflow head, twin Weber 40 DCOEs, RS box, 14" Superlites and 1/2 roll cage, and was a successful race car in central Qld.

 

7.         Ford Escort RS2000 Mk 1 'Rally'

 

In 1975 Ford imported a batch of 25 RS2000 Mk 1 Escorts for competition use. Most were raced or rallied, but a few became street cars. This is NOT one of those vehicles, although it features a lot of the RS2000 homologated 'group B' goodies, such as twin 44 IDF Webers, World Cup crossmember, adjustable pedal box, LSD, RS 4 spoke alloys etc. This is possibly a reshelled RS2000, as it was used in rallying. The round light grille, 'type 49' shell reinforcements, mild front flares, bumperettes, 6 clock dash etc have been retained, with additions such as full roll cage, 5 speed Celica gearbox, Stratos seats, race harnesses, removed rear seat, foam filled remote fill fuel tank, bonnet pins etc. The weird colour (Magenta) was my idea. Sorry.

 

8.         Ford Escort RS2000 Mk2  "X-Pack"

The X-Pack was a popular option on British Ford Fiestas, Escorts and Capris in the mid to late 70s, and had Fred Ford enthusiast hooking up like Roger Clark or Tony Pond around the backstreets of Kent. Box flares and wide RS 4 spoke alloys looked the part, and minor engine and suspension tweaks livened up the party. Of course, Ford Australia had to get into the act, building a blue 2 litre GL coupe and this nifty Pine'n'Lime RS2000 to spice up their stands at 1979 Motor Shows. By the time the bean counters had crunched the numbers, the Aussie X Packs would've carried a whopping 25% premium over their less endowed brethren ($6,600 basic RS2000, $8,300 X-Pack RS2000!) The public loved the look of them, but weren't willing or able to cough up the extra dough, and the cars became one-offs. The RS2000 was sold through a Canberra Ford dealer, and had about a gazillion owners before I stumbled across it in 2001.

 

9.         Ford Capri RS3100 Spa Special

Ford Britain did a humorous thing. It announced its highest performance Capri ever the same day as OPEC announced the first of several fuel crises.  To homologate its RS3100 Capri for racing in Europe (to try and break the dominance of the BMW 633) it had to build 1,000 of 'em. It fell a little way short at 249, and still couldn't give them away. So in July 1974 it shipped 50 of them to Australia, convincing us what a great weapon it would be for Bathurst. Barry Seton raced one. So did Dick Johnson. A few others were used in competition, but most became street cars. About 20 - 25 survive. This is one of them. 3100 means 3 litres bored 10". It also runs unique 4 spoke alloys, SL/R 5000 type ducktail rear spoiler, chin front spoiler with RS3100 printed back to front (very fab), quad lights, twin black bumperettes, vented front discs, flared front guards and more. I get so many offers on this thing, but it's not for sale.

 

10.         Ford Capri V8 'Perana'

South Africans like their cars fast. Basil Green was the Springbok equivalent of Peter Brock HDT, shoehorning 5 litre V8s into cars originally designed for a 4 cylinder. Green modified the front firewall and steering to have the engine sitting back and low to assist handling and steering, and the result is a very nice, quick, great handling car. You could have auto or manual, and a choice of 5 snappy colours. 500 were built, all numbered and featuring the 'BG' prefix. Many are being imported into Australia, but I decided to build my own.

My car is an original 1970 V6 in True Blue which currently sports a 250 hp 289 Windsor V8, C4 auto, XY shaker, 15" Superlite wheels and more. It was actually the first car in my collection, being purchased way back in 1997. The car had sat untouched in a shed since 1980, had been converted to V8 in the 1970s and was in rust free, rip free, time warp condition. It's the best Capri body I have ever seen. 27000 miles from new!!! One day I'll even finish it!

 

11.         Ford Sierra RS Cosworth BBR

 Back in 1986 Ford unleashed onto an unsuspecting public a car which so dominated motorsport worldwide for so long it has no equal. The Sierra RS Cosworth and RS500 featured a humble 2 litre fourpot block attached to a stunning 16 valve head, T03 turbocharger, fuel injection, T5 box, LSD, variable rate power steering, 15" alloys, massive rear wing, full body kit, 240+HP, just magic. Anyone who was anyone raced the things - Moffat, Brock, Johnson, Richards, Seton, Longhurst, Perkins, Carter, Grice.

Meanwhile, the original owner of my Moostone Blue meanie took delivery in late 1986, waltzed into his local tuning shop with a blank cheque, and uttered 3 simple words - "Make it go". Brodie Britain Racing weaved their magic on the heads, turbo, injectors, cams, filters, exhaust and other secrets no one knows to wring out more than double the original figure - try 530+ HP. (Apparently Dickie Johnson used to wring their necks to the tune of 800+ HP!!) A succession of enthusiast owners got their money's worth, and one of them moved to Australia(and brought the car with him). More Australian enthusiast owners followed, until one of them drove into a small tree, causing minor damage to the front left. I bought it from the subsequent owner (still damaged) in Melbourne on a business trip August last year. I'm still waiting for the repair bits to arrive. D'oh!

 

12.       Valiant VG Pacer Hardtop Automatic

In the late 60s early 70s it was considered a bit effeminate to drive a muscle car fitted with an auto trannie. So very few were built. The VG Pacer was the only model offered in a hardtop (much rarer than the sedan) AND an auto (much rarer than a manual) Production numbers aren't known, but are believed to be in the double figures. All Pacers, except a handful of late VHs ran a 3 speed 'dog leg' floor shift manual box with no lockout in reverse (where first is located in a 4 speed box), so the auto Pacer saved owners the embarrassment of reversing into cars idling behind them when taking off at traffic lights.

 

13.      Valiant VG Pacer "Track Pack" E31 11 second 'sleeper'

In the VG series Hemi Pacer, there were 3 versions of the sedan available - 1. the base 2 barrel Pacer, 2. - the "Track Pack" E31 2 barrel, and 3. the "Track Pack" E34 4 barrel. Track Packs were built for Bathurst and featured the huge J42 32 gallon tank, bored motors (245 taken to 251 cubes), close ratio 3 speed floor shift, delete brake disc shields, and delete horn rings(!)

All were quick(ish) in their day, but certainly responded well to a bit of tuning. This car looks bog stock standard on the outside, but lift the bonnet and you'll find an E49 Charger spec 265 with 650 Double Pumper Holley, Crane valve train, extensive head porting, bullet proof bottom end, 4 speed E49 box, and 11 sec E.T. time slip in the glovebox! Yes, I know I should turn it back to standard original blah blah blah, but 11 seconds! That makes it the 2nd quickest car in the collection!

 

14.       Valiant VH Pacer 'E49'

 In 1971, VH Pacers were officially the fastest 6 cylinder 4 door cars in the country, not relinquishing the title until the VN Commodore of 1988. Officially, VH Pacers ran a mild 265 Hemi 6 with 2 barrel Carter carby, the same as a base model R/T Charger, but 2 were ordered from the factory with the full 6 Pack gear. This is not one of the 2. Previous owner "Max" is a Chrysler nut from way back, and heard that his friendly Chrysler dealer down the road was keen to unload a D360 prefix 6 cylinder Hemi. For those in the know D360 is a factory replacement motor used for both E38 and E49 Chargers (D363 is the E38 OEM engine code, D364 is the E49 OEM code) and features all the trick bits of the original. Max fitted the correct carbies, manifold, extractors, linkages and air cleaners, and proper E49 4 speed box, and this thing eats VN Commodores for breakfast!

 

15.       Valiant VJ Charger R/T V8

 It was time for Chrysler to get serious about building a Bathurst winner. 340 cube V8 ''Six Pack" 'Cudas and Challengers were blitzkreiging everything Stateside, and Chrysler Australia wanted a piece of the action. They also knew Ford and GMH had a few tricks up their sleeve and weren't going to cop another hiding. So they imported about 350 crate motors, plus A833 4 speeds and special Detroit locker type differentials, dropped the whole shooting match into a VG Pacer sedan, got the Geoghegans brothers to fang around in a shortened VG 'mule' ute, and called the whole exercise 'R&D'. Apparently the 340 went like stink but couldn't corner or brake, so it was time to fiddle some more.

The Supercar Scare hit the fan and Chrysler denied the existence of the hot rod V8 R/T Charger, choosing instead to fit all of the 340 V8s into their luxury spec "SE" E55 Chargers, all based on the upmarket 770 model, tied to an auto tranny and vacuum cleaner exhaust pipe. 335 were sold in VH and VJ form. Chrysler officials still deny the R/T V8s ever were proposed, but we know better. These cars resemble what my reliable sources say would be the finished product, based on drawings and descriptions of the time. The brown car is a VJ 340 4 speed, the blue one a VH 340 "6 Pack" 4 speed, approx 400 BHP!

 

16.       Holden Torana GTR XU-1 V8

The GTR XU-1 was a very competitive little car with its screaming six and triple Strombergs sucking air. But down Conrod Straight it had no chance against the mighty GTHOs. The solution? Cubic inches. All 308 of them. The GTR XU-2 (or GTR XU-1 V8, depending on who you listen to) was an absolute weapon, and with very minor modifications and its proposed twin 17 gallon tanks with rear fuel fillers on both guards would've been a serious Bathurst contender.

Then that bloody Evan Green story (Sydney Morning Herald, June 1972) hit the headlines and that was the end of it. Holden reverted back to the 6 cylinders until the release of the LH in 1974. My car is the only XU-2 that wasn't destroyed (I wish) - actually it's a fake, but it does have the big V8, M21 box, LH Torana V8 diff and radiator, extractors, big exhaust, twin fuel fillers, Sprintmaster mags, and full XU-1 equipment. And yes, it is rather quick.

   

17.       Ford Falcon GTHO Phase 4 (OK, replica)

Everyone knows the story of the aborted Phase 4 GTHO XAs. There has never been a more controversial car in Australia (just ask the blokes that own them). I'm not going to weigh into that debate, but I think my XA GT is rather special. It's a March 1972 early build car with the correct 15" Bathurst Globes, 4 wheel disc brakes, modified Phase 3 fuel tank, no options from the factory, and looking magic in Wild Violet with white trim. The motor is a bit of a mystery, but it ain't standard. In fact, it's very hard to drive in top gear around town, which is part of the charm. Beautiful. Not for sale!

(pic coming soon)

18.     Valiant VJ R/T? 

When American William Ballthrop took over from David Brown as Chrysler Australia MD, he promptly implemented the P.I.P. (profit improvement program), a whole heap of cost cutting exercises intended to return Chrysler into the black. A range of 56 model variants in the VH series was drastically cut down to 18 in the VJs, the most notable absence for we petrol heads was the R/T. Officially the R/T was never available in the VJ series (unofficially 4 made their way out the door, but that's another story), but if you ticked the right boxes, the boys at Tonsley Park, SA would happily build you the next best thing. This car is a Sunfire Yellow 1974 VJ Valiant with options A54 and E48. In Chrysler speak, A54 means "sports appearance option", effectively all of the R/T appearance goodies, including ROH 5 slot alloys, machine turned tacho dash, strobe striping, flip fuel cap, 3 spoke wheel and more. E48 was the cooking 265 Hemi complete with 3 magnificent 45 DCOE Weber carbs, and 4 speed box - basically a mild 'street' version of the small tank E49.

 

19.       Chrysler Centura 4.0 R/T

The French developed 4 cylinder Chrysler 180 was the basis for Chrysler Australia's toe in the water 6 cylinder Centura. After extensive (and expensive) front end restyling and restructuring to accommodate the Hemi 3.5 or 4.0 litre six, Chrysler forgot to develop the car to go around corners or stop correctly (in fairness to Chrysler, Holden and Ford used the same oversights with their respective Torana and Cortina 6s). The Centura is best remembered for its sensational straight line performance (particularly when retrofitted with a 4.3 (265) Hemi and multiple carbs) and unbreakable diff (popular with hotrodders, V8 conversions into smaller cars etc). In fact, for a time, perfectly good 6 cyl Centuras were purchased solely for their rear ends, and the rest of the car was sent to the crushers. A real cult car in some circles, this car is my 'wot-if' exercise, with 265 Hemi, mild cam and headwork, 4 barrel Holley, steel sports wheels and 'bumblebee' stripes.

 

20.      Chrysler GLX

By the late 1970s, no one wanted big cars. Period. Ford and Holden were developing their new generation Falcon and mid sized Commodore, and industry 'experts' predicted we'd all be driving 'large' 2 litre 4s in place of 6 cylinder and V8 family cars we'd grown used to. Chrysler's (Mitsubishi's) own Sigma was crowned Wheels Car of the Year in 1977, as well as being the country's best selling car (yikes!) and Mitsubishi had a controlling share in Chrysler Australia. The lumbering CM Valiant was kept in production until sales had slowed to a dribble, before rolling out the last example in July 1981. After the death of the Charger in 1976 with the CL "Drifter", execs wanted to market a 'sporty' sedan - a 4 door Charger, if you like - and this is what they came up with: called the Chrysler GLX, it featured 6 cylinder or V8 power, 4 speed manual or console shift auto, and Charger features including grille, steering wheel, full instrumentation, suspension tweaks, houndstooth fabric seats, 14" Hotwire alloys and special striping and badging. 122 were built and sold slowly.

 

21.      Hillman Hustler R/T

Chrysler wanted to celebrate the surprising win of Andrew Cowan's Hillman Hunter in the 1968 Sydney to London marathon, so the stylists came up with this little creation. Front on, it looks like a VG Pacer that spent too long in the sauna. It was basic mini muscle at its best, featuring identical running gear to the previous model's GT and shared with the current model Royal 660 (read twin Stromberg carbs, alloy head, performance headers, and a few other minor tweaks), but with rubber floor mats, basic instrumentation, plain black steel rims, and lots of lairy stripes and blackouts. It was marketed as a mini Pacer, and came in many LOUD colours, but sales were dismal. For me, it was the absolute HARDEST car in the collection to find, but well worth the wait, considering this example ain't exactly stock. Let's start with the 2150 stroker motor, match ported Holbay head, twin Weber 45DCOE carbs, 2 1/4" exhaust, XU1 Torana LSD and front brakes and widened rims. It was used by its previous Bendigo owner as a very successful hill climb car. If I ever go racing, this will be the car I choose!

 

 

22.     Gemini ZZ/Z  CDT

It's just not fair. Per head of population, Australia is right up there with the Yanks with our penchant for hot cars, but we often got the dregs of what was left over once the good stuff had been allocated in its home country. In Japan, Isuzu marketed the sexy little Gemini ZZ/R and ZZ/T coupe, a 1.8 litre or 2 litre DOHC fuel injected LSD 4 wheel disc braked pocket rocket, while in good ol' Oz, we inherited our own version, the ZZ/Z (also known as the ZZ/Zzzzzzzzzz, accounting for its lacklustre performance which put people to sleep). OUR 'hot' Gemini featured a bog stock embarrassingly slow 1.6, 5 speed, open diff and absolutely no performance enhancements whatsoever. It DID feature a tacho dash, front and rear spoilers, white SL/E alloys, and some useless rubber guard "windsplits" left over from Brockie's run of VH Group 3s. Colour was anything you like, as long as it's Asteroid Silver.

Meantime Jim Faneco of CDT (Country Dealer Team) fame, took a stock TE SL Gemini off the lot, added twin 44ml Webers, ported head, extractors, and other fiddles, neat flare kit and spoilers, fancy red and blue stripes, SAAS wheel, and Rebel or Globe Bathurst mags to create the S2 Gemini. A milder S1 version was also available.

My car is somewhat of a hybrid of the two, with the looks of the CDT, and the performance of the ZZ/Z. Oh, dear! Might have to see what Mr Faneco is up to these days....

 

23.   Torana HB  "Brabham"  (pics on the way)

What's Australia's (then) largest auto maker meant to do when the first ever small car they've just launched is already looking like a dog with fleas? You add a bit of black paint and striping to make it look sportier, throw on twin carbies, a (fake) wooden gearknob on the slick shifting 4 on the floor, front disc brakes, and some 'wide' 12" x 4" rims. Then you get recent Formula One winner (Sir) Jack Brabham to put his name to the thing, and hope people buy it. In 1967, that's what Holden and Vauxhall did, marketing their respective "Brabham" Toranas and Vivas on the world champion's reputation. In the case of the Torana, there were 2 consecutive Brabhams, 1967 through early 1969, the series 2 car actually featured a GTR full instrument dash and Monaro fake wood wheel (to match the fake wood gearknob). The standard HB featured a 1.2 litre 4, which on a good day wheezed its way to 59bhp. The Brabham was good for 79bhp but still embarrassing. It did however, give us a taste of things to come, looking like an LC GTR XU-1's pre-pubescent little brother. 180 were sold, who knows how many are left? Meanwhile, Sir Jack was made an offer he couldn't refuse from Ford, and opened a Ford dealership in 1969, going on to market his own brand of performance cars that actually went.

24. XD Falcon Phase 5

Just when Ford has lost the performance plot, intrepid entrepreneur and car kit builder Bob McWilliam registered the name "Phase Autos" and built about 20 - 25 kits to soften the styling of the boxy XD Falcon. The cars started life as S Packs, Fairmont Ghias and ESPs, and were given deep front spoilers, wheel arch flares (street or Group B race style), BIG rear wings, roof spoilers, colour keyed grilles, and 'Darth Vader" style functioning bonnet scoops. Inside were lashings of black velour on Recaro seats, MOMO wheel and gear knob, big stereos, and more. Motorvation was enhanced 351 Clevelands. My car has all of the above plus LTD front guards and rear head restraints, Simmons alloys, 380HP Phase 3 spec 351, 31 spline toploader, Detroit Locker 31 spline 9", the whole enchilada. About 6 or 7 cars survive.

 

25.       XE Fairmont Ghia 5.8 ESP "NASCAR"  4 bolt mains

 In 1982 Ford killed off the V8 from its passenger car range (and immediately regreted it). The ESP was the only car you could order with 5.8 litres of motorvation, but my car was built after the biggest V8 motors had run out. The original owner (that's the guy I bought this off) had to wait several months before the car could be completed. Ford imported a couple of hundred 4 bolt mains blocks for Nascar racing, because it was found that these would rev higher and be stronger than the standard units. It is understood that these units were not intended for passenger car use, but a number of them did find their way into selected late XDs and XEs. No special numbering was used, and the original owner only discovered the motor was a 4 bolt when he removed it from the car for a quick freshen up!

 

26.     Brock Lada Samara

If ever there was a car to prove the late and great Peter Brock had a sense of humour, this is it. Only problem is, we think he was serious. Fresh from his public divorce with Holdens over his strange little Energy Polarizer (which also makes us think he must have had a sense of humour), Brock was approached by a little Russian carmaker and asked to kindly pre-deliver and Australian comply a few thousand of their vehicles. As car making gigs weren't exactly thick on the ground those days, and knowing he had a lot of debt to repay from his former HDT days, he said 'yes', and the dear Russian folk repaid their debt of gratitude by, er, naming a car after him. The Lada Samara was a 3 or 5 door hatch or sedan, with a 1.3 litre transverse engine powering the front wheels, driving through a 5 speed box, and represented very basic motoring. Build quality was woeful, and Brock spent on average 12 hours per car rectifying faults that should never have left the factory.

The "Brock" Lada featured 13" Delta alloys, colour keyed bumpers, SAAS sports wheel, rear lip spoiler, single slot grille (almost looked like a VK Group A - NOT!) and a 'Samara by Brock' badge on the rear hatch. No mechanical advances were offered over the standard car. The most collectable Lada of all (almost a contradiction in terms) was the Brock Lada "Cabriolet", also known as 'the skip bin'. Nobody knows (or cares) how many were built, and Brock got the hell out of there less than 3 months after he'd started. His next gig? Modifying EA Falcons!

                       

27. EA Brock "Proto"/EA Fairmont Ghia Brock 'SE'/ NA Fairlane Brock

As if putting his name to a Lada wasn't enough, Brock jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire, simultaneously upseting BOTH Holden and Ford supporters with this machine. Originally an idea by Modern Motor magazine to boost magazine sales, a brand new silver EA 5 speed S Pack was delivered to Brock's Lada HQ, where PB weaved his magic, including full bodykit, 16" alloys, Genie headers, low restriction exhaust, lowered Bilstein suspension, trick seats and steering wheel. The car was sponsored by Mobil 1, and was given to an Adelaide 18 yo whose parents made him sell it. Now it's part of the collection. (It's the one on the far left.)

Encouraged by enthusiastic media (and Ford dealers waving cheque books), Brock agreed to produce 500 individually numbered cars, including S Packs, Ghias, Fairlanes, even a ute and Telstar and Maverick (!) but the project ran out of steam (and orders) around the 127 mark.

GMH and Brock kissed and made up, Ford got into bed with Tickford, and everyone lived happily ever after?

 

28.       EA Falcon 'SVO' / EB Falcon XR8 'SVO' by Mick Webb

 The other bloke tendering for Ford's performance gig was Mick Webb. Long term Allan Moffat mechanic, Mick knew a trick or two about getting Fords to go. In 1989 he took a brand new EA Falcon S Pack 5 speed, added a T04 turbo, fiddled with the injectors, added a performance extractor/exhaust system, then took on all comers in a Performance Street Car Magazine organised muscle car shootout to determine the fastest Aussie muscle car of all time. Contenders included a Phase 3 GTHO, 350 HT Monaro, VL Group A Walkinshaw Commodore, XA GT RPO83, VK Group A, E55 and E49 Chargers, and a brand new SV89 Commodore. Over the quarter mile he wiped the floor with every single one of them, posting a 14.1 second pass.

 

Which is all very well and good, except my vehicle is not a turbo EA S Pack. It's a naturally aspirated EA auto S Pack (which all of the above vehicles will very easily beat over a quarter mile). SVO goodies include neat 16" colour coded alloys, grille, subtle front spoiler, shadow grey paint, extractors and sports exhaust, MOMO SVO steering wheel, and discrete badging.

The white car is actually a December 1991 EB 1 of 2 SVO XR8. Ford had just reintroduced the V8 (yay!) in 5 litre Mustang Windsor form, and Mr Webb was keen to develop its performance. Ford management had gone from ultra conservative 'don't touch the engine's internals' with the previous model EA to 'what the heck' with the EB. Putting out around 200kw, this auto eats my manual modified EB GT for breakfast!

 

 29.       Ford Falcon GT BA #191

 So, Aussie car manufacturers don't make any one-off cars any more, eh? Don't believe it! You probably already know I'm the proud owner of EB and EL GT #191, both purchased second hand. Determined to make sure that lightning would indeed strike three times in the same place, I ordered a new BA GT at the 2002 Brisbane Motor Show in February. The only problem was that BA Falcons didn't exist at that time, and no one knew for sure if the GT was going to be reintroduced... except my mate Mark who at the time had a mole inside Ford. All of the dealers at the show stand were putting on the dumb act, then I pulled out my cheque book and offered them some money. I purchased a car which did not exist, I didn't know if it was going to be made, or when, or how much it would cost, or anything, except (and I made the dealer, Wayne Bennett of Southside Ford write this on the order form) it HAD to be build #191 and a manual, with my chosen colour and trim and options.

 

The way it works is you pick a build number, you get whatever colour and options come with that. Or, you pick your colour and options, you get whatever build number comes with that. Not both. Well, Wayne pushed the deal through (I owe him a beer), the 191 tag had to be taken off the FPV production line and the car built around it. It totally messed up their production schedule and nearly lost a couple of people their jobs, but I got number 191, in Blueprint, with leather, 6 stack premium CD, stripes and floor mats, just like I ordered it. And it's a magic car.

 

30.    Ford Falcon Cobra XC #343   Ford Falcon BF GT Cobra #343

Faced with dismal Falcon Hardtop sales leading up to the release of the new XD, Ford followed the recommendation of company founder's great-grandson Edsel Ford Jr and released the audacious loud-striped Cobra. The car became an instant hit and sold out within days of launch. 2007 saw Ford and its performance partner FPV decided to cash in on both the classic Ford 1-2 Bathurst victory with Allan Moffatt and Colin Bond 1977 and the anniversary of the 1978 Cobra with the limited release (400 sedans, 100 utes) GT Cobra. A classic XC plus sedan and ute examples of the new Cobra were given a parade lap around Bathurst before the 2007 race, and all units sold out in around 1 1/2 days! Some people bought 2 and put 1 on eBay for up to almost double the asking price!! My cars are both build #343, the XC is a 302 (dealer upgraded from new to 351) with auto air and steer, retrofitted with Bathurst front spoiler and bonnet scoop and 8" and 10" x 15" Performance Challenger alloys. The BF is a 6 speed tiptronic auto. Don't they look phat together!!

 

 

31.       Holden HG Monaro GTS 350 Coupe "Command Performer"

 If you have a collection of old 1970 Wheels and Motor Manual motoring magazines, turn to the rear outside cover. There you'll probably find the right rear 3/4 shot of an HG Monaro GTS fanging around the Lang Lang banked test track, under the heading "Command Performer". The car was a Lakeside Green with Sandalwood (off white) trim and Powerglide auto, identical to mine. No, it's not my actual car, (although Holden made 6 such cars (Monaro GTS colours featured the names of popular race tracks, ie Indy Orange, Brooklands Blue, Monaco Maroon, Sebring Orange etc) in this combination, mine being the only one manufactured and sold in Adelaide! I purchased the car from the 4th owner in the Barossa Valley in 2000, and the car still had its original plates and log books. It is also rare to find an auto with a big tank.

 

32.       Holden HQ Monaro GTS 350 Coupe "Purr-Pull"

 You wonder what styling departments of the 70s were on, don't you? Don't you just love it! Someone actually thought a lurid pink/purple colour that looks like something Jimi Hendrix threw up after a bad acid trip, with 20 metre wide white stripes would be quite the fashion statement. Compared to the clothes and home furnishings of the day, it probably was!

It's official: this is the only Purr-Pull white stripe HQ GTS 350 Coupe ever made, especially ordered by a (colourblind) fisherman in Wollongong. He drove to the boat ramp, he fished, he drove home again. He drove a paltry little 45,000km. He died, leaving the world a better place for muscle car nuts to appreciate weird coloured Monaros.

 

33.       Ford Anglia 105 E  'GT'

Okay, there's no such thing as an Anglia GT, but if there was, this thing would be pretty close. Anglias were an extremely common sight in the 70s, and a large number were modified to save owners the embarrassment of being dragged off at traffic lights by skateboarders, BMXers and lately motorised wheelchairs. This car too has succumbed to an engine transplant, in the form of an Escort OHC 2 litre. The same selfless Escort donated its auto transmission, front and rear suspension, brakes & diff. The original quaint strip speedo has been replaced by a neat 6 clock Escort Twin Cam unit. 7" Cortina widies and caps are fitted with deep dress rims. Very 70s retro cool.

34.     Volvo 284 GTS

Just when you thought you'd seen it all, an enterprising trio in the mid 70s, Sydney-based Lakeside Enterprises (in no way connected with the Brisbane race track of the same name) modified 6 top of the line 264 GL Volvos to Holden V8 power. Three ran 5 litres (308), the other 3 ran 4.2 litres (253). Transmission was the popular Holden Trimatic (traumatic), and bringing up the rear was the unbreakable standard Volvo disc diff. Creature comforts included leather trim, air conditioning and power steering, alloys were standard (this example features later model aftermarket alloys), as was a thermatic fan to assist cooling. This is my IKEA yellow example. Volvo was approached but was disinterested at best, hostile at worst. Lakeside pressed on, believing there was a market for affluent buyers who wanted to tow a boat, caravan or horse float but who wanted European class and sophistication. They got it wrong! Total Lakeside Enterprise production: 6 units. Bankruptcy came swiftly late 1976.

 

35. Mini Cooper S Turbo

AMCM has always had a soft spot for Minis, since Jeff's brother built a hot little Cooper S replica in the 70s, so when this baby animal turned up on eBay early '09, it was a 'must have' acquisition for the museum. Featuring an intercooled MG Metro Turbo 1440cc motor running 20lbs boost (!), close ratio 4 speed, massive flares covering 7" x 13" Superlite alloys (not shown in photo), Mota Lita wheel, Paddy Hopkirk seats and racing harnesses, this little jigger means business, lighting up the front wheels with a massive 120BHP!

36.    Ford F350 Car Transporter

If you're gonna travel all around the country snavelling rare muscle cars, you gotta bring them home in style. AMCM found this retro jigger on eBay in Dandenong, Victoria, complete with 4.7m 'banana back' tray. In the swinging 70s, race teams actually used these things to transport their race cars and tools and spares to and from events. Motorvation is the mighty 351 4V Cleveland (on LPG, so I can afford the fuel), 4 speed manual (gear shift is about 6 feet in length), dual rear wheels, 4 wheel drum brakes (!!!), recirculating ball steering (!!!), bench seat, very HEAVY manual steering and clutch, and absolutely NO creature comforts whatsoever. We usually find volunteers to go out and pick up cars in it, my former driver Eddie had an argument with a kangaroo outside Moree and wrote off the front grille and bumper and dinged the passenger guard (you should see the kangaroo). It now sports a new 1979 "Louisville" front end. I'm thinking of going the whole 'Cobra' paint scheme. Any suggestions?