Austin Kimberley Reviews

It's the most depressing year in modern history but it's become a boom time for classic cars as pent up, and locked down, enthusiasts push up prices of collectable Holdens, HSVs and blue-chip Europeans.Auctions have cleared up to 97 per cent of cars offer

That's the car, not the big road in Texas, and its plusher sibling, the Wolseley 24/80. And before you ask, 24/80 means 2.4 litres and 80 BHP (that's 59kw in today's currency).The six cylinder Freeway/Wolseley combination was developed because in 1962 the British Motor Company (BMC) was losing the sales battle against Holden, Falcon and Valiant with their UK inspired and decidedly underpowered 1.6 litre four cylinder Austin A60s, Morris Oxford, and Wolseley 15/60. This trio had remained almost unchanged since their release in 1959.Lacking cash to develop a new engine, local BMC engineers simply added two cylinders to the existing four cylinder motor, boosting power by 35%.The marketing folk called this 2.4 litre engine the “blue streak” and the advertising slogan shouted out to customers to “make way for the Freeway”.What potential customers actually did was to make their way directly to a Holden, Ford or Chrysler dealership and BMC's dreams of a sales bonanza fell short. After only selling 27,000 units production was terminated in 1965. By comparison, Holden sold 154,000 of the EJ model in just 18 months.The problem for the Freeway was that by 1962 its shape was outdated. Italian styling guru Batista Pininfarina had penned the original design in the mid 1950s. He gave the BMC cars a slightly wrapped windscreen and modest tail fins. Trouble was by 1962 the Freeway was too tall , too narrow and just too much of 1959 when compared to the longer, lower, wider , more stylish and more powerful competitors.Mind you, Pinnifarina made lucrative use of the BMC design. He used the same styling template for the Peugeot 404, the 1957 Lancia Flaminia and the Ferrari 250GT Pininfarina. If you do not believe me, take a look at a Peugeot 404 and a Freeway. Both come from the same cookie cutter. Alternatively, you can Google it. There are websites devoted to this very subject!Freeway enthusiasts refer to the cars as the ‘BMC Farinas’ and you'd be surprised at the strength of their following and legion of devotees. Go to any “All British” car club show and I guarantee you the most prolific marque on display, with the most enthusiastic supporters, will be Farina styled BMCs.David Burrell is the editor of www.retroautos.com.au 

The odometer on this 1956 Austin FX3 reads "92434" miles (148,758km)'', most of which were done in service as a taxi in London until 1971 when it was decommissioned. Rolls-Royce engineer Rainer Keissling bought the taxi in 1971 for 120 pounds (about $177) and drove it to Germany where he lived. He then brought it to Australia in 1984 when he emigrated with his family. "He just had a love of vintage cars,'' says one of his three sons, Chris. "Every time he went to England on business, he'd come back with spare parts like a starter motor in his luggage.'' When his father died about five years ago, the car was given to the three sons - Rainer, Christian and Bernard - who set about restoring it to its original condition. "It had been sitting in a shed and just slowly fell into disrepair,'' Keissling says. "Dad couldn't do any more to it because his health was failing. "So we took it upon ourselves to restore it. Bit by bit we've repaired it and put it back into running order.'' Keissling also ran an engineering business like his father, so most of the spare parts that were unavailable were fabricated by him, right down to the steering box bushes. One of the biggest jobs was replacing the notorious "Prince of Darkness'' Lucas Electrics. "They never really worked properly from the start, but we've got it working properly now,'' Keissling says. "Over the years we've spent at least $5000 to $10,000 restoring it. It's hard to say just how much we've spent. It's been a passion thing rather than a cost thing.'' Current value is estimated to be between $15,000 and $20,000. "It's hard to find an accurate value. It's not super rare, but has a lot of sentimental value.'' The brothers have used the car for family and friends' weddings, including Chris and his wife, Emily. "It drives really well,'' he says. Like all London taxis, the front wheels turn almost 90 degrees giving it a small turning circle of 7.6m diameter so it can negotiate tight London streets and tiny parking spaces, but it has no power steering. A unique feature is the built-in Jackall hydraulic jacking system which is similar to the on-board system used by V8 Supercars. There is also a mechanical override to pump up the jacks by hand. The FX3 is fitted with mechanical drum brakes with rod operation and is suspended by beam axles on leaf springs. It was the first model with a separate driver compartment with the luggage riding shotgun. In the back is a bench seat with two single rearward-facing seats. Keissling says the taxi meter was unhooked from the gearbox when it was decomissioned, but has now been reconnected to drive the meter which ticks over at six pence for every one and one-third miles. He says fuel economy is "pretty good because it's a low rpm diesel'' and the car has a top speed of 100km/h. "It's not fast, but it has good pulling power in first and second gear,'' he says. "It's hard to drive with no synchro on the downshifts and no power steering, but once you get the hang of it it's not too bad.'' Austin FX3 Year: 1956 Price New: 1010 ($1500) Price Now: $15-20,000 Engine: 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder diesel Body: 4-door, 5-seater (plus driver) Trans: 4-speed manual with no synchro in first Did you know: Austin built 12,435 FX3 taxis from 1948 to 1958, most of which were licensed in London and some other British cities. Got a special car you'd like featured in Carsguide? Modern or classic we're interested in hearing your story. Please send a pic and brief info to mark.hinchliffe@carsguide.com.au  

The low-slung two seater was unashamedly aimed at the growing American market and for the next seventeen years the Healey came to epitomise what a high-end sports machine ought to be. Donald Healey was in his mid-fifties when he developed the stylish two sports car in conjunction with Austin. For many years previously Healey had developed, designed, sold and raced various sports cars which carried his name. They were usually combinations of someone else's engines, gear boxes, frames and components over which Donald would wave some of his magic. After World War Two, Healey came to realise that America was a vast untapped market for sports cars. He tried his luck with a bulky grand tourer. It had a Nash 6 cylinder engine and styling by Italian Pinin Farina ,who had been commissioned to design the larger Nash passenger cars. Only 500 Nash Healeys had been sold when, in 1954, the arrangement with was terminated when, when Nash and Hudson merged to form American Motors Corporation. Meanwhile, Austin Motor Company's Chairman Leonard Lord was having his own American experience. Lord was responsible for the Austin Atlantic (A 90). Remember them? Once seen, never forgotten. A British made convertible, four cylinder motor and three headlights, making it look like a 1948 Tucker. Lord thought they'd sell up a storm in the USA . They did not. Consequently, Austin had quite a few spare 4 cylinder motors sitting around. It required urgent attention and Lord still harboured ambitions of success in the USA. So did Healey. Together they decided that the Atlantic engine would serve as the base for a car to be positioned in the American market under the expensive Jaguar XK 120 and above the cheaper MGTD. In essence, Healey contributed the technical knowledge and mechanical excellence while Lord contributed the motor and the money. Designed to be left and right hand drive from the start the new "Healey 100" reached the 100 mph mark in tests and was immediately acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic. Light in weight, it handled as a sports car should. Everyone loved it. Everyone still does. Throught out the next 15 years Healey improved the car, inserting a 6 cylinder in 1959. In total Healey sold over 70,000 examples between 1952 and 1968. Stories differ about the demise of the Healey. Most fingers point at British Motor Corporation (BMC) for refusing to re-engineer the car for 1970s American safety regulations. Healey even built a prototype to show the timid British executives that it was easy to do. But BMC stood fast. No more Austin-Healey. That meant Donald and his team were free to look elsewhere, to Jensen. And that's a whole other story. www.retroautos.com.au

What stories it could tell. The odometer on this 1956 Austin FX3 reads "92434" miles (148,758km)", most of which were done in service as a taxi in London until 1971 when it was decommissioned.  Rolls-Royce engineer Rainer Keissling bought the taxi in 1971 for 120 pounds (about $177) and drove it to Germany where he lived. He then brought it to Australia in 1984 when he emigrated with his family.  "He just had a love of vintage cars," says one of his three sons, Chris. "Every time he went to England on business, he'd come back with spare parts like a starter motor in his luggage."  When his father died about five years ago, the car was given to the three sons - Rainer, Christian and Bernard - who set about restoring it to its original condition.  "It had been sitting in a shed and just slowly fell into disrepair," Keissling says. "Dad couldn't do any more to it because his health was failing.  "So we took it upon ourselves to restore it. Bit by bit we've repaired it and put it back into running order."  Keissling also ran an engineering business like his father, so most of the spare parts that were unavailable were fabricated by him, right down to the steering box bushes.  One of the biggest jobs was replacing the notorious "Prince of Darkness" Lucas Electrics.  "They never really worked properly from the start, but we've got it working properly now," Keissling says. "Over the years we've spent at least $5000 to $10,000 restoring it. It's hard to say just how much we've spent. It's been a passion thing rather than a cost thing."  Current value is estimated to be between $15,000 and $20,000. "It's hard to find an accurate value. It's not super rare, but has a lot of sentimental value." The brothers have used the car for family and friends' weddings, including Chris and his wife, Emily.  "It drives really well," he says. Like all London taxis, the front wheels turn almost 90 degrees giving it a small turning circle of 7.6m diameter so it can negotiate tight London streets and tiny parking spaces, but it has no power steering.  A unique feature is the built-in Jackall hydraulic jacking system which is similar to the on-board system used by V8 Supercars. There is also a mechanical override to pump up the jacks by hand.  The FX3 is fitted with mechanical drum brakes with rod operation and is suspended by beam axles on leaf springs. It was the first model with a separate driver compartment with the luggage riding shotgun. In the back is a bench seat with two single rearward-facing seats.  Keissling says the taxi meter was unhooked from the gearbox when it was decomissioned, but has now been reconnected to drive the meter which ticks over at six pence for every one and one-third miles. He says fuel economy is "pretty good because it's a low rpm diesel" and the car has a top speed of 100km/h.  "It's not fast, but it has good pulling power in first and second gear," he says. "It's hard to drive with no synchro on the downshifts and no power steering, but once you get the hang of it it's not too bad." Austin FX3 Year: 1956 Price New: 1010 ($1500) Price Now: $15-20,000 Engine: 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder diesel Body: 4-door, 5-seater (plus driver) Trans: 4-speed manual with no synchro in first. Got a special car you'd like featured in Carsguide? Modern or classic we're interested in hearing your story. Please send a pic and brief info to mark.hinchliffe@carsguide.com.au

But at the recent Spring Historic meeting a woman took the honours in the Aussie Special event. Newcastle’s Brenda Hunter claimed her win as she powered her 1958 Lasos Holden around the track.Adelaide’s Ian Motley finished second in the Aussie Special Regularity field. He was glad to be back on the track after a disaster earlier this year.Motley rolled his 1958 Austin 7 in April on the first turn at Mallala – and was presented with a Roll over Certificate for his efforts - but he was thrilled to make a return to compete.“It’s a real buzz to race this beauty around the track,” Motley says.The oldest car in the Aussie special field marquee allocation was Noel Wilcox’s 1932 Austin 7 Cardwell special.Terry White’s 1947 MGTC Special was the oldest of the MG collections. The 1947 MGTC travelled from Victoria parked inside White’s Ford Transit while trailering his friend Chris Farrell’s 1949 MGTC special.Although the Aussie Specials was the main attraction at the spring meet, the Production Touring cars saw a lot of action.In group N, Phillip Woodbury’s 1971 Mazda RX2 chipped an Apex seal in the practice heats which sent him home early for the weekend.While Joe Dominello’s 1963 Austin Cooper S came off course in Race 1 with throttle problems, he managed to get his car back on the track for the last race of the day. 

"It just caught my eye and had a nice, timeless shape," says Joe Jarick, 61.  In 1970, Jarick bought one of five Healey 100S race cars brought to Australia for $500 from a Mackay owner. It was in bits and stayed like that until Jarick sold it for $4500 just four years later while living and working in London. He used the funds to buy a complete 100S from Portugal for 2600 pound.  Jarick made a good profit on his first 100S, but it was later put together, restored and sold for $750,000. Yet Jarick isn't tempted to tart up his 100S for a massive profit.  "This car isn't worth that because it has a lot of warts," he says. "Like me it's not all that flash these days. It's got stone chips and torn upholstery but it's all original upholstery.  There is nothing on this car that is not original except for the spare coil and the indicators.  It's been painted and had new discs but not a lot of other work.  "I like it to look like it's just been on the race track." And racing is what this vehicle is all about.  The S in its name refers to the famous Sebring race track in America and 50 of the cars were used in endurance races such as Le Mans and Mille Miglia. The aluminium race car features a 132 horsepower four-cylinder 2.6-litre Westlake engine with twin SU carbies, an alloy head, an original 20-gallon long-distance race fuel tank in the boot and British Lucas electrics. Jarick proudly wheels his 100S out of the garage and tries to fire it up, but it won't spark.  "I think you put the kibosh on it mentioning the Lucas electrics," he laughs. However, a quick clean of the points and it's firing again, ready to relive its glory days.  "I've had it 36 years and I've never been tempted to sell it," he says.  "It was the first car in production with all disc brakes and a driver's seat belt." Jarick has raced it in a few Lucas GP rallies and in the historic demonstration races at the 1996 and `98 Australian GPs.  "It's a long-distance racing car not suitable for sprint events," he says.  "I'd like to go in some sprint events but in a short circuit I'd never get out of first because of its tall gearing (2.92:1)." Jarick loves his old English white and loberlia (blue/purple) 100S, but also has two restoration projects sitting in mates' garages.  One is a 1904 8 horsepower, single-cylinder de Dion Bouton and the other is a 1938 Lancia Aprilia road car that belonged to Ferrari racer Mike Hawthorn, Britain's first world GP champion in 1958. But it's the Austin Healey marquee that holds pride of place in Jarick's heart.  He joined the Sydney Austin Healey Owners' Club when he bought his first 100S, but he soon founded a Queensland branch.  The local branch celebrates 40 years with a show and shine at the Queensland Maritime Museum on July 4 from 10am to 2pm.  And you can bet Jarick's 100S will be there, warts and all.

His shed and under his house are packed with various vintage cars, mainly Rolls-Royces, in various forms of restoration.  The retired architect, now 77, says he doesn't restore them to concourse standard.  "I just want them to be able to run on the road," he says.Gargett started his love of old vehicles when he was a student at the Queensland University in 1954 and bought a 1926 Austin 7 utility for 35.  "It was a lot of fun but very primitive. But at least I learnt a lot about mechanics with that one," he says.But he claims his first "real vintage car" was a 1928 French Amilcar sports car he bought for 15 after uni when he joined the Vintage Car Club of Queensland (VCCQ)."I brought it home on a trailer and in bits in a box, but we got that going for some years," he says.His next purchase in 1961 was a 1925 20 horsepower (15kW) Rolls-Royce costing 220.  "It is fully registered and its six-cylinder engine is still running smoothly," he says.  "I don't drive it as often as I used to."His love of Rolls-Royces continued in 1963 with a 1920 Silver Ghost for 700.  "I had it out for our daughter's wedding and after the wedding I went to change the oil and a 1/4-inch bolt came out with the oil so I haven't been game to use it."I've stripped down the motor and am ready to put it back in now."  He then departed from Rollers but not too far with a 1924 Bentley Speed three-litre he bought for 500."The bloke apologised and said it wasn't worth it but he needed the money."  The Bentley remains a challenge to drive having the accelerator in the middle, another throttle on the steering wheel, gear lever on the right of the seat and the handbrake on the outside of the vehicle.  "It takes a bit of getting used to," he saysGargett claims his interest in British luxury saloons came from his father who "always admired them".  "It's not what they do, but the way that they do it," he says.  "I haven't had them valued because I'm on a pension."Anyway, people would need to spend some money to get them all back into good condition."  He also owns a 1972 Rolls-Royce Corniche with a 189hp (140kW) 6.75-litre V8 engine which would cost "well into the five figures just to do the motor up to running condition".He bought it in 1982 for $50,000 and used it every day until he put it off the road with engine failure.  The car also sports Queensland's first concessional registration number plate, "Qld Vintage 001".In the late 1960s the VCCQ authorised Gargett to discuss the possibility of concessional registration for cars built before 1930 with the government.  "In those days if the cars were not fully registered we had to arrange for a temporary permit for the weekend including insurance and we were supposed to return the permit on the Monday," he says. "A waste of time and money but nothing we could do would convince Main Roads to change their attitude. I think the permit cost us 10 shillings.  I received an introduction to a person from the Treasury and was telling him of our concern. He was surprised as he could see that the system was costing them far more than the fee they were charging."Talks with more government officials resulted in the establishment of concessional registration based on membership of a relevant club, use for club events, maintenance including testing within a reasonable distance from where the car was garaged and approved charity events.Today there are more than 15,000 vehicles in Queensland on concessional registration.  "I think the fact that one of my cars is registered as VIN 001 (now VN 0001) supports my summary of the position," he says.

Millions of dollars worth of history's finest cars of all shapes and sizes will go for auction this weekend at the close of the Australian International Motor Show.All eyes will be on the 1971 Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III, which is expected to sell between $600,000 and $800,000 with the value of Aussie muscle cars going through the roof.This could set a record price paid at auction for a Phase III, the previous sitting at $683,650.“It's one of the nicest Phase IIIs we've ever had on offer,” Shannons national auctions manager Christophe Boribon says. It features racing legend Allan Moffat's signature on the glove box.While seems like a lot of money for a car, it's an old number plate that is expected to be the biggest seller of the event. Organisers believe the No.6 plate will attract $1 million-$1.5 million.A 1929 Hudson Super 6 'Model L' Dual-Cowl Phaeton has a range of $100,000 to $140,000.A classic 1972 LJ Torana XU-1 Sedan is expected to be sold for $85,000 to $100,000.For '50s style, try a pink 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Seville “Cool 57” Custom (LHD). Restored in 87 days, it's priced at $70,000 to $100,000.But it's not just the big cars going under the hammer. A 1929 Austin Seven Wasp Sports is up for grabs, expecting to attract $10,000 to $15,000.The auction starts at 2pm on Sunday at the Australian International Motor Show; dont miss out.How much do you think the Falcon GTHO Pase III will go for?  

Racing legend Peter Brock drove many race cars in his long and successful career. And with his passing late last year, the value of his classics increased dramatically. So it's not surprising that what could be the most important car of his life, where he first began his racing passion, has been valued at a massive $400,000. Or is it surprising?It's not a vehicle from the muscle car family and there's no V8 power under the bonnet. The only race track it's been on was a self-made dirt course on the Brock family farm.It has no brakes and has been sitting in pieces for more than 50 years.But now, the 1929 Austin 7, the car where the racing legend learned to drive at the age of 12, is driveable once again.After six months of hard work, restorer Peter Denman has returned the car from Brock's childhood to its original form.As a friend of Brock's and with his wife as the director of the Peter Brock Foundation, Denman put his hand up for the job.He used four photographs that were taken at the time by Brock's older brother Neil, to help in the restoration process.The photographs of the engine, chassis and rear end allowed him to recreate the car as closely as possible.“The car was remarkably complete except for a few items,” he says.“The original engine was on it and the chassis was the original. It needed quite a bit of cutting rust out and so forth.”Denman says that despite its small size, there was considerable work involved, including a rebuild on the front and rear ends, the gearbox and repairing the engine.The engine was in a poor state and was split in half, so Denman had to call on the Austin 7 club to help weld it together so the original engine could remain in the car.Another obstacle Denman faced was the flooring. As the original had rotted away, he used wood Peter had collected to make his own furniture in recent years.Brock's younger brother, Lewis Brock, last weekend re-enacted the image of Brock racing around the family farm in his first car.He says the image of Peter and his dad working on the car is etched in his memory.“I won't forget it, all the boys were involved in varying degrees, but it was Peter's car. He did the work on it,” he says.Lewis fondly recalls Peter getting into trouble from their mother for cutting the body of the car with an axe. He says she was more concerned about the damage to the axe.Lewis believes he and Peter were the only two to have driven the car as youngsters and the one time he got behind the wheel, he ended up in a palm tree.“I was struggling to get my legs down to the pedals,” he says.Lewis says his brother had to fine-tune his skills of going down through the gears and putting it into a slide in order to stop.Brock drove the car until he was 16. Although many decades have passed, Lewis says the noise of the engine is still identical from their childhood.“It's fabulous,” he says. “When we started the engine, my uncle Sandy was there ... we looked at each other when the car fired up and said that's the same noise.”Both Lewis and Denman describe it as interesting to drive, Denman claiming it feels like a “rocket ship”. “It only weighs probably 200kg.“It's very, very low to the ground, it's something that you couldn't describe,” he says.Lewis is concerned over the lack of brakes and says he won't be driving it again until brakes are installed.The previous owner bought the car from Sandy Brock 45 years ago and had it sitting in the roof of his factory for most of that time. About 10 years ago he discovered it was Brock's first car.Lewis says Brock knew about the car, but didn't have any plans to reclaim it. But after Brock's death last year, the owner decided to sell it and it was purchased and donated to the Peter Brock Foundation by a supporter.“Peter would be rapt,” Lewis says. “He would think it was a hoot and he was probably sitting on the back axle watching me drive it. That's what it felt like.”If Brock's history was taken out of the picture, Denman says the car would be worth a lot less.“The car itself is probably worth $2000 if you wanted to buy one, for the chassis, the engine, that's what you'd pay,” he says. “It's the history of the car, the car is complete.”The Peter Brock Foundation will now display the car at different shows and racetracks around the country and it's likely to end up in a museum.“When Peter signed signatures he'd put on posters `follow your dreams',” Lewis says.“That's where it started for him, he turned it into something to hone his skills in.”And Lewis says Peter would want everyone to see it. While this might have been his first, there are many more cars where Brock mastered his driving skills. According to the fans and collectors, Brock would have raced more than 100 cars during his time on the track. The most valued and important of those would have been his victories at Bathurst.Queenslander Peter Champion has a collection of 32 Brock cars, both ones he raced and road registered models.He's collected the cars over the past 15 years and believes they would be worth between $6 million and $7 million.The collection includes a replica of the Austin A30 Brock raced in 1967, a project Brock's step-son James Brock completed for Champion. The first Bathurst car Brock raced, the 1969 Monaro is also in the collection, as well as the 1974 L34 Torana and the 1982, 1983 and 1984 Bathurst-winning Commodores.He also has the Ford Sierra and the 2002 Motorola-sponsored Commodore that he raced at Bathurst. And Champion this week said he and his team are currently rebuilding the car that claimed Brock's life.“I'm guessing they're worth from half a million to a million each, that's what people say. I don't get involved, they're not for sale.”As Brock's friend, navigator and competitor, Champion wants to share his collection from Brock's career with the public.“I'm building a museum which I have been doing for a number of years. Peter was involved in with me for quite a few years. A lot of the personal stuff, he gave to it,” Champion says.“The reason he was an icon was because he always had time for people, he always stood there and signed autographs, he stayed well after dark.”Champion says the museum should be opened in Queensland by the end of the year.Fellow Queenslander, David Bowden, has his own slice of Brock history. He owns the Bathurst-winning A9X Torana's from 1978 and 1979, as well as Brock's 1987 VL Commodore. He says that although the value of the cars has increased with Brock's passing, Bowden's not comfortable talking about what they're worth.“It's so hard, he was such a good mate to everyone, that I hate talking about things like that,” he says.The value is not important, Bowden says, as he wouldn't consider selling them at this stage. He says he's spent too much money building up his collection to sell them.“I don't expect to jump on for a quick profit,” says Bowden, who often sends his cars to Bathurst so the public can see them.“Brocky” did his last hot lap at Bathurst in the 1979 A9X Torana. Where are they now? Brock's classic cars 1967 Austin A30 original lost, replica owned by Peter Champion1969 Monaro (Bathurst third place) owned by Peter Champion1972 XU-1 Torana (Bathurst winner) owned by Glen Amos1973-74 XU-1 Torana sold last year for $500,000 to an anonymous Melbourne buyer1974 L34 Torana owned by Peter Champion1975 Torana (Bathurst winner) lost1978 A9X Torana (Bathurst winner) owned by David Bowden1979 A9X Torana (Bathurst winner) owned by David Bowden1979 Commodore (Round Australia trial winner) owned by Holden1980 Commodore (Bathurst winner) claimed to be owned by Rowan Harmon1982-83 VH Commodore (Bathurst winner) owned by Peter Champion1983 VH Commodore (Bathurst car) owned by Peter Champion1984 VK Commodores (Bathurst winner and third) owned by Peter Champion and the Bathurst Museum1986 Commodore Spa 24-Hour Race owned by Peter Champion1987 VL Commodore (Bathurst winner) owned by David Bowden1988 BMW (Bathurst car) unknown1989-1990 Ford Sierra owned by Peter Champion2003 Monaro 24-hour race winner owned by Rob Sherrard2006 Daytona Coupe owned by Peter Champion