Unique Cars and Parts: News

Clever or someone with too much time?

Probably both! Before you click the image at left to enlarge it, can you guess what this motorbike is made from? At first glance, we presumed it was those clever people from leggo at it again, but after a double take we realised it was made entirely from balloons. Which prompted us to try and describe it in one word - and the only one we could come up with is "safe".

Football, Meat Pies and Hartnett Holden Cars:

One thing is for sure, Holden fans owe thanks to Larry Hartnett (later Sir Lawrence) for saving the GM Australian operation. Hartnett was sent to Australia in 1934 by GM with a brief to "make it profitable or close it down". And save it he did, writing back to HQ “The economies achieved by Holden’s at Woodville put them, in many ways, years ahead of the rest of the world in manufacturing techniques." Following the war, and together with Jack Horn, he presented the government with the blueprints to manufacture the first true Australian car. And this is where the story gets murky!; Hartnett was soon to leave GM to form his own company in an attempt to build a cheap Australian "people's car", the official line being that he felt the Holden was not "Australian" enough. But there are some that have alleged to us that it was more the case that he felt snubbed by GM after the first car was called the "Holden", not the "Hartnett".

The Bridgestone Tyre Commercial - our pick of 2004:

Many would now be aware that car manufacturers have recently been regulated on what they can and cannot display on television. This has led to some rather clever ad's being produced, such as the Honda Euro Accord ad. However for us, the best ad of 2004 comes from the US, click here to view the Bridgestone tyre commercial.

The legendary Datsun 260Z:

4 years after the release of the extremely popular 240Z, Datsun would upgrade their "Z" car with a larger capacity engine and the addition of a longer wheelbase 2+2 option. But the tough US emission controls phased in during the 1970's would see the 260 replaced by the 280 within a year, while back home it would run for another 4 years. Unfortunately the "Z" had a rapidly expanding waist-line, and the lustre of the original was fast becoming tarnished. The 260Z is the latest car to be added to our gallery.

Holden HX Wagon - An Original People Mover

With sales of the traditional Station Wagon on the decline, some lament the rise in popularity of today's "People Mover". The HX Wagon's front bench seat was certainly not the last word in comfort, but it did afford a seating capacity of 6, and the wagon was far better able to blend into mainstream 9 to 5 traffic without blowing your "Family Man" cover. The Holden HX Wagon is our latest addition to the .PDF File section, click here to take a look.

Lightburn Zeta - Australia's own second car:

During the 1980's you could be forgiven for thinking many car manufacturers were turning their products into mere appliances - but if you were to wind the clock back even further (to the 1960's), you would find the Lightburn whitegoods manufacturer turning the appliance into a car! The Lightburn "Zeta" and "Zeta Sports" are now listed in the gallery section.

Australia's worst cars:

We would like to compile a list of Australia's worst cars. Do you have any experience with a lemon? Has the ownership experience left you bitter and twisted, or do you think you could share your stories with other readers? To get you started, we have some suggestions which we think may be worthy. Click here to see our suggestions, then please send your information, stories and images to us.

El Camino vs. Ranchero

After recently placing the GM El Camino in the car gallery pages, some Ford fans were quite miffed that we had not bothered to mention the Ranchero. While the El Camino was based on the Impala and Chevelle, the Ranchero shared origins with the Falcon, Fairlane, Torino, Thunderbird and LTD - and was in the showroom floors a full 2 years before the El Camino. The Ranchero was in production for 23 years, with over half a million being manufactured - and is now listed in the UC&P gallery.

The Mercedes SL Heritage, a new feature:

March 2005 was a record month for visitors to this site, with the Mercedes SL pages being among the most popular. We have written a new feature titled 'Mercedes SL Heritage' in recognition of the contribution Mercedes, and the SL have made to our motoring history. If you look closely at the image at left you will see drill holes in the SSKL's chassis. You will find out why, and many other interesting facts - click here to view the feature...

Leyland P76 - Ahead of its Time:

What was it that made the Australian press of the day so excited about the P76, and help it achieve the coveted Wheels Car of the Year award in 1973? Quite simply, Leyland had thought outside the square and introduced many significant advances, such as the first ever Australian made car to use an all-alloy engine, low weight (only 1250kg for the Executive model), safety features such as full-length side intrusion reinforcement on all doors, power-assisted front disc brakes (only offered as an option on the 'Big Three' sedans), concealed windscreen wipers, recessed exterior door handles and a front hinged bonnet. And its downfall can best be attributed to the marketing guys - who correctly pointed out that its boot was big enough to hold a 44 gallon drum! Most Aussies were left scratching their heads and asking why. If only they had instead worked out how many kegs could fit! Those that live in Victoria and are interested in the P76 should contact the Leyland P76 Owners Club of Victoria.