Unique Cars and Parts: News Archive

The Votes are in for the Top 12 TV cars:

Believe it or not, the Dodge Charger from that mind-numbingly bad TV show "The Dukes of Hazard" has been voted the TV car most people would like to drive. At Unique Cars and Parts, we are left shaking our collective heads and wondering if the US on-line poll would bring up the same results if it were held here in Australia. Why not send us your suggestions - and restore our faith in humanity! Click here to view the results.

Can you guess the manufacturer of this car?

And no, it does not belong to Noddy! The 1952 Datsun Sports was that companies first attempt at manufacturing a 2 seater sports-car, although we are not sure how many made it into production. One thing we do know is that it was the companies dogged determination to create a dominant and successful sports car that would see the early 70's release of the now highly prized and collectable "Z" cars.

Seat Cordoba Cupra Sport:

The Cupra Sports offered exceptionally good value over the base models for the modest extra $5K asking price. A sweet 2.0 litre engine producing 110kw was always going to be the biggest attraction, but there was no denying the body kit made the average look exceptional. The Cupra Sport is the latest car to be listed in our gallery pages.

The case against "Touch Parking":

Enough to make any car lover cry, see if you can view the following sequence and avoid shaking your head and wondering how, and why? The how was a Holden HSV, and the why was, we are told, an overzealous driver taking it for a test drive. We would suggest that the gentleman concerned re-acquaint himself with the brake pedal!! Image1, Image2, Image3, Image4, Image5 and Image6

A very unique police car indeed!:

According to this friendly "Bobby" (click image at left to enlarge), 2 Wolseley Six-Ninety's were imported into Australia by the Victorian Police in 1958 but were found to be less suited to local road conditions than the home grown Holdens and Falcons. This was just one of the displays shown at the annual RACV British and European Motoring Show on Sunday 21.03.05. We hope to bring you several very interesting stories from fellow car enthusiasts over the coming weeks...

Holden HQ Accessories:

We admit it - we have a soft spot for the HQ (it features in our "Top 5" Aussie collectables list!). When it was released it looked and felt thoroughly modern, and the accessories list allowed the purchaser to further glamorise their car. Today we expect as standard such things as an anti-glare rear view mirror, and for many years it has been compulsory for all new cars to be fitted with a left hand exterior mirror. If you own a HQ, now you can see just what was, and was not, a genuine factory accessory by checking out the Holden HQ Accessories Brochure.

Lost Marques - Gone but not forgotten:

We recently received an email claiming that our car gallery pages only cover cars made by manufacturers still in business. While this is far from correct (we cover important contributions from Cord, Sunbeam, Leyland Australia, and Edsel to name a few), we thought it a worthy inclusion to write a series of features covering the lost marques of last century. We are only too well aware that such an endeavor will invariably prove controversial; some will claim that some manufacturers simply merged with others and their name lingers on. Our first feature covers Lagonda, a British Marque that was acquired by David Brown in 1947 and merged with Aston Martin. Click here to go to the 'Lost Marques' page, and remember to check back regularly as we update those that are lost forever…

Biggs and the HK Monaro Connection:

In 1965 Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs broke out of Englands Wandsworth prison, and the following year entered Australia via Darwin. He choose the Adelaide suburb of Glenelg North as his first "hideout", moving a year later to the Melbourne suburb of North Blackburn. Although it is widely reported that Biggs only received a $200,000 cut from the A$5 million booty, he spent wisely purchasing a gleaming new silver HK Monaro. As INTERPOL closed in on Biggs, a tip off would see him drive his Monaro along the Hume Highway to Sydney - where he promptly boarded the next flight to Rio. It must have broken his heart to leave behind such a lovely new "motor".

Our .PDF Gallery continues to grow:

Thanks to the efforts of our many contributors, our .PDF brochure gallery continues to grow. Our thanks to Fiona Robinson from Malvern, Victoria for her valuable contributions of Volvo 120 Series literature. Even if you don't own one, the images from these 60's brochures are sensational - our favourite is the guy washing his new 120 at the beach while the family takes a dip. Click here to go to the .PDF file section.