The most unusual car you've ever owned...

[MEANZ06]

Mine, a late 60's early 70's volkswagon trike I built from a piece of scrap metal when I got it...

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/1152.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/1153.jpg


what odd or unusual cars/bikes/trikes have you owned?

[Disco Muppet]

A Discovery? :wasntme:

[33chinacars]

Lada Niva Ute :D:D:angel:

[d3syd]

Another Niva owner here. Gave it to my brother who uses it as a paddock basher. It is slowly rusting away, but still runs.

[landychris]

Morris 8 soft top ute, Austin 8 coupe, VW beetle baja ute, Vanguard panelvan, Morris Oxford van, Alfa Romeo Giulia Super
landychris

[V8Ian]

Mazda Bongo van.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=50753&d=1347008257

[Hall]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2015/11/315.jpg
My old Dyna hybrid. It is the only one ever made like this. Wish I was rich enough to have kept it and owned the ute. Do miss it every now and again. Was a P.T.A to work on, unstable of road and no power steering, but was a fun thing to have owned.

[d3syd]

Wow Bongo Van! Haven't seen one of those since I was a kid. Rare!

[V8Ian]

Wow Bongo Van! Haven't seen one of those since I was a kid. Rare!
They weren't so rare back then young Syd. :mad:;)

[Bigbjorn]

They weren't so rare back then young Syd. :mad:;)

And wouldn't have improved with keeping. Rubbish then = rubbish now.

I had a few oddball cars back in the late 50's through 60's. Auburn s/c straight eight roadster. Dumped it. Worth six figures unrestored now. Chrysler C8 mourners coach, a nine seater, weighed 51 cwt, 22'6" long. A few other prewar orphans bought because they were cheap and I was an apprentice.

The real odd one was the McDonald-GMC Special. Old speedway driver and car builder, Fred McDonald, built it. Chassis fabricated from thin wall 3" square tubing offcuts from scrap bins, much modified GMC truck engine 5 point something litres, many different gearboxes over a period in an attempt to find something that didn't weigh a ton, had decent ratios, and stood up to the GMC. Built as a replica of a J2 Allard with similar independent front suspension. Evil handling and an excess of power. Lots of fun though. It was a two seat sports roadster with the scuttle section and doors from a pre-war Morris 8.

[d3syd]

I like her cute little sunken eyes.....:rolleyes:

[bee utey]

Aah, the Mazda Drongo van! I remember the Wheels Magazine straight line brake test of small vans, the Drongo was shown pirouetting on one front wheel, about to flip! Never owned one meself :eek: .

Oddest car I owned was the Fiat 850 "Sport" coupe with the 903cc rear mounted engine. At 7000rpm you could just reach 100mph. I took the restrictive muffler off and put a short hot dog cannon-style through the back panel. Awesome screaming noise without much performance, evil handling moderated by some fat wheels and stiff rear shocks. Luckily got rid of it before it killed me.:p

[V8Ian]

And wouldn't have improved with keeping. Rubbish then = rubbish now.
I can't argue too strongly against that statement Brian, but I had a soft spot for it. It made a net profit that rivalled the White, tax deductability of $6 pw for $100 gross return.
Rust was the big downfall, with proper care and maintenance, they were mechanically bulletproof.

[SuperMono]

The blue one.....

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/1140.jpg

[d3syd]

The blue one.....

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/1140.jpg

That's SMART looking ;)

[zwitter]

Ford zephyr MK IV de Luxe 1969
3 litre Essex V6, independent suspension all round, 4 wheel disc brakes, 4 on the floor, extractors, biggest bucket seats like 44gallon drum size, two tone paint, big sway bars, Koni sports shocks and a heater you could cook with!

Made a huge sound!

Every one kept calling it a Rambler...no

No parts.

Tooth came off the fibre timing gear, had to buy a race part from capri engine builder for 400quid!

Rear discs minimum thickness, had to get pattern made then cast and machined.

Rear wheel bearings imported from Italy

Uni joints found at a swap meet in UK on holiday.

Wife hated it, probably would have killed myself in it eventually.

Gee I miss the old girl.....

James

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Gary S11]

Cj 3 B jeep, 1964 F250, rambler hornet, ek Holden, and last a 1972 Haflinger
I like to be different, Gary

[Graeme]

My first car was a BMW Isetta which had a single front-opening door and my #3 was a Jowet Bradford (or was that Bradford Jowet?) which was a van with a flat 2 cylinder engine. #2 was a common Austin A30.

[JDNSW]

Quite common at the time - 1955 VW ute.

Performance? With 36BHP and a payload of one ton - better not be in too much of a hurry.

John

[marko66]

Hi All

i have an unrestored 1940 ford coupe ute, a burnt Triumph 2500s 4 spd + electric overdrive - burnt. A burnt 67 f250, an xa falcon with no rust - na just kidding about the rust :D and a series 3 swb trayback, and vw trike that looks evil compared to the nice one at the start of the thread , does a gyrocopter or a hovercraft count

I agree with Brian that the things that were horrible back then havent got a lot better - but thank god for bosch electrics :D


Regards Mark

[jerryd]

My strangest car was a 1954 Austin Metropolitan, I remember it used to go round corners on two wheels :D and the gear linkages would constantly get tangled up.

[lebanon]

A Volkswagen 181 similar to this one, unhappily not a single picture left of it.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/1125.jpg

[olbod]

My first two sports cars, an MG tc and an Austin Healey 100s.
Nothing unusual about that except my TC was a 1947 model, every other TC owner I ever met claimed theirs was a 1948 !!

Robert.

[ramblingboy42]

had a '53 FJ ute. used it as a shooting vehicle. ended up with a joey gearbox and F100 dual rear diff. ran old ford galaxy tyres which I got from a local tyre dealer for free.it went pretty well anywhere and got blown up in Mad Max 2

[MEANZ06]

My first two sports cars, an MG tc and an Austin Healey 100s.
Nothing unusual about that except my TC was a 1947 model, every other TC owner I ever met claimed theirs was a 1948 !!

Robert.

Very cool cars!!! :cool:

[Bigbjorn]

That is an Austin-Healey 100, not a 100S.

[Old Farang]

A 1933 L type MG. It had a 6 cylinder overhead cam engine driven by the vertically mounted dynamo at the front of the engine. Also had a central greasing system, mostly for the spring trunnions if I recall correctly. Man should be castrated for selling it--the stupidity of youth!

Also had a Bongo van for awhile in later years, and a civilian model Austin Champ. :(

[Chucaro]

My first two sports cars, an MG tc and an Austin Healey 100s.
Nothing unusual about that except my TC was a 1947 model, every other TC owner I ever met claimed theirs was a 1948 !!

Robert.

Robert! if you have them now in your garage you have a fortune :eek:

[Chucaro]

Back in 1979 when overseas for a job I used to have an Austin A40 sport like the one in the photo.
In Australia, in 1970 I have 3 Triumph Herald, one registered, one for parts and the other on progress.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

[V8Ian]

Back in 1979 when overseas for a job I used to have an Austin A40 sport like the one in the photo.
In Australia, in 1970 I have 3 Triumph Herald, one registered, one for parts and the other on progress.

http://www.austinmemories.com/page7/page14/files/page14_4.jpg
Bodied by Aston or Jensen IIRC, leaning toward Jensen.

[Bigbjorn]

Bodied by Aston or Jensen IIRC, leaning toward Jensen.

Aluminium body by Jensen, twin SU carburettors. Last one I saw was abandoned in Clay St. New Farm sometime in the 60's or early 70's. The ally body made them even less durable than the normal A40. Had all the other A40 built in problems.

[V8Ian]

Aluminium body by Jensen, twin SU carburettors. Last one I saw was abandoned in Clay St. New Farm sometime in the 60's or early 70's. The ally body made them even less durable than the normal A40. Had all the other A40 built in problems.
1200cc of raw power eh Brian? :D

[Chucaro]

Correct is a Jensen design. It did not give me small problems, just before my return to Oz the crankshaft break in two and I run out of time to repair it an bring it to Oz :(

[d@rk51d3]

Another Niva owner here. Gave it to my brother who uses it as a paddock basher. It is slowly rusting away, but still runs.

And another Niva.

Except we replaced the standard "motor" with a Fiat 2L DOHC.
:burnrubber:

[Hymie]

I had a Nissan Cedric.

[V8Ian]

I had a Nissan Cedric.
I'm impressed with your frankness Hymie, if I'd had one I wouldn't be admitting it. :p
Crowns were much better. ;)

[Chops]

My first car was a 63 Beetle. Awesome little car, got caught by dad doing a donut on Authurs Seat (Vic). Bad move,, but a lot of fun, would love to have it now, they fetch big dollars these days.
Ex FIL did up an old Ford Prefect to original condition, used to get me to drive it around for him,, top little car to drive, had nice soft suspension, probably very dangerous in the hands of a 19 year old,, but very smooth ride in her.
Also had a Fiat 132 (?), looked like the old square Datsun 1600's,, double overhead cam from memory with twin carbs. Went fast and chewed through the juice like a V8 :eek:

[460cixy]

Renault 10 and fiat 600 van very similar to a Mazda drongo but much much better

[Bigbjorn]

Correct is a Jensen design. It did not give me small problems, just before my return to Oz the crankshaft break in two and I run out of time to repair it an bring it to Oz :(

That engine used to regularly run No.2 bigend bearing. Probably something to do with your broken crank. Other endemic problems were blowing head gaskets with monotonous regularity, making gudgeon pin tracks up No.3 bore in spite of the pin being clamped in the rod, short exhaust valve life.

[uninformed]

My mates neighbor was loading a "Hup Mobile" onto a trailer yesterday. I had never heard of them before....

My SIII swb truck cab was about it for me......unusual in the fact that at 25 years old I was the 3rd owner.

[Cruiserlux]

My first car - 1969 Isuzu Florian

[olbod]

That is an Austin-Healey 100, not a 100S.


Brian, my healey had the oval grill and if you look at the pic, it shows the louvered lid. similar to the pic below.
Of course mine was never set up in race trim.

Cheers.

Robert.

[Bigbjorn]

Brian, my healey had the oval grill and if you look at the pic, it shows the louvered lid. similar to the pic below.
Of course mine was never set up in race trim.

Cheers.

Robert.

I don't want to start a fight but I will stake my reputation on it being a 100, not a 100S. Pointers- Drum brakes. All 100S had four wheel discs. Wheels- All 100S other than "replicas" or fakes had Dunlop knock off aluminium disc wheels al la DType Jaguar. Body doesn't look right. 100S had aluminium bodies made by Healey. Windscreen is normal 100, not the small fixed screen used on 100S. Did it have the Weslake cross flow aluminium head and a straight four speed box without overdrive?

[olbod]

Brian, it didn't have an overdrive and I cant remember what it had in the donk.
I wont argue either, all I can say is that it had what it had.
I dont know where it came from originally.
Perhaps it was some sort of bodgie or replica.
If it was, they were quick off the mark. Pic was taken in 1958.

Cheers.

Robert.

PS: I do remember that the damn tailpipe kept hitting the ground.

[olbod]

Brian, the one in my pic in race trim was a 1955 model.
It had wire wheels and disc brakes, but I think it was a replica.
It is confusing because I met a lot of Healey owners around that time and a lot of them had the oval grill, most purchased new.
If not a 100s, what then ?

Cheers.

Robert.

[MR LR]

My mates neighbor was loading a "Hup Mobile" onto a trailer yesterday. I had never heard of them before....


Hupmobile is one word :) they're an American car, quite common in Aus as they were/still are very solid

Just out of curiosity was it Veteran or Vintage??


As for me; I built a 'Edge Products' Minisprint dune buggy in 2010, just being overhauled at the moment. I'm only 18 so that's all at the moment lol, my tdi Disco is pretty exotic in the school carpark though :angel:

If you were to ask about the family i couldn't list them all haha... I'll get my act together next year though ;)

Cheers
Will

[uninformed]

Mate reckons its late 1920's. It has wooden spoke rims if that helps?

[MR LR]

Mate reckons its late 1920's. It has wooden spoke rims if that helps?
Yeah well it would fit into that period, they had wooden wheels from the earliest up to the 30's.

[jerryd]

Here's one for the "Austin Healey " purists amongst you :)

It belongs to a friend of a friend who own half a dozen Healeys between them.
It was created from a crashed healey, it's a very nice driving car too

[River]

Fiat X19 , a damm lot of fun :)

[Landy Smurf]

you had 19 fiats wow you must like them

[101 Ron]

One the small end of the scale.
A 1946 corgi folding motor scooter.
next
An Enfield electric car( ex victorian electricity commission) and sold on to Giltraps Museum.
The Enfield was interesting as it was alloy skin with tube steel chassis and speed control was via compound electric motor and voltage switching.
It had a household 240 volt meter near the rear seat to tell how much or little it was costing to run.
larger side of things the current.
Stalwart amphibian is a odd one.

[Chucaro]

you had 19 fiats wow you must like them

:D
The Fiat X19 is also known as the Bertone

http://world-viewer.com/data_images/fiat-x19-bertone-five-speed/fiat-x19-bertone-five-speed-10.jpg

[DefenderJim]

Lefthooker 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback and a 1973 Mercedes 220 for me..:)

[George130]

Fiat x1/9 or Bertone :D.
It is currently sitting on the drive with no gearbox. Engineer I know has said he can salvage the case and diff but the rest is not reusable:(.
Otherwise my first car was an austin 1800 mkII

[inside]

Interestingly lot of people here were into European cars makes sense that LR is a progression of this as we want to see and do more around Australia. My most unusual car would have been an Alfa Sprint. Not really unusual but really easy to work on and handled exceptionally well. This is similar to the one I had.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=2DR77VlYTqE

[Redback]

I had one of these, Triumph 2.5PI in silver blue, the shape grows on you.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/1049.jpg

Baz.

[bigcarle]

Morris Marina T.C :o that i still have and a Morris Nomad :o that is going to make way for a Leyland Marina 6cyl
i got the Land Rover Discovery to have an all loosely Leyland fleet


50823

50824

50825

i also know of someone with 11 Nissan Cedrics :o:o, a LLoyd Alexander and another P76 member with a Nash Metropolitan;)

[DieselDan]

I had one of these, Triumph 2.5PI in silver blue, the shape grows on you.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/1049.jpg

Baz.

Nice!
I love these old Triumphs, my dad had about 3 of them over the years in the 70s and 80s when I was a kid. I mainly remember the mark2 versions with the front end similar to the Stag.

Apart from the S3 Lightweight I learnt to drive in (which I've still got), the most memorable other car I had was a 1986 Austin Metro 1.0L!
Not exactly unusual in the UK in the 80's but a bit, well, ....rubbish! :D

Dan

[DiscoWeb]

My first two sports cars, an MG tc and an Austin Healey 100s.
Nothing unusual about that except my TC was a 1947 model, every other TC owner I ever met claimed theirs was a 1948 !!

Robert.

Olbod,

In the the late 1950s my father use to race an MG TC 1500, i believe he still held the track record for under 2.0lt "Hill Climb" at the Mt Druitt track as it was torn down.

He had plenty of photos of him racing that MG, he use to love it. !

George

[olbod]

Olbod,

In the the late 1950s my father use to race an MG TC 1500, i believe he still held the track record for under 2.0lt "Hill Climb" at the Mt Druitt track as it was torn down.

He had plenty of photos of him racing that MG, he use to love it. !

George

George, in the early 50's, us kids used to peddle our bikes from Horsley Park to Mt Druit to watch all the bike and car races. Used to sleep in a pumpkin bag when the 24 hour races were held there. The first of those held was won by a Pommy team in a Jag XK120, I think. My favourites were, Jacky Robinson in his Jag and Clive Adams in the Prad.
Used to love watching Jack Brabham in the Redex special, unbeatable.
As we grew older we belonged to a motor cycle club and raced bikes there. I used to race a rigid frame Silver Star BSA. Loved that thing. It used to double as my short circuit bike with a few alterations, like replacing the clipons and seat. My later short circuit bike was a 500 AJS.
Dont have any pics from Mt Druit but I have a couple from Bossley Bush and Arcadia. BSA and Ajay.

My reference to my my TC contained a typo, they claimed 49 models not 48.
Do you have any pics of your Dad and his TC ?

Cheers.

Robert.

[DiscoWeb]

My reference to my my TC contained a typo, they claimed 49 models not 48.
Do you have any pics of your Dad and his TC ?

Cheers.

Robert.

Just did a quick google search and found this article from Lionel Ayres, a name i remember from stories which references Dad.

http://www.mgccq.org.au/nostalgia5/Lionel's%20story.pdf

At the top of page 5 there is a photo (No. 81) of him racing the author in his fiberglass Buchanan bodied MG TC. I have seen photos of him racing at Bathurst and Warwick Farm and others.

Sounded like a very backyard but fun scene, he was not mechanical but could drive !

Sorry to hijack the thread for everyone else, for the record, my most unusual car was a late 1980's Fiat Regatta 100, what a POS, nothing worked was mostly broken down and really did not drive that well when on the road. Happy to get rid of that !!



George.

[olbod]

Just did a quick google search and found this article from Lionel Ayres, a name i remember from stories which references Dad.

http://www.mgccq.org.au/nostalgia5/Lionel's%20story.pdf

At the top of page 5 there is a photo (No. 81) of him racing the author in his fiberglass Buchanan bodied MG TC. I have seen photos of him racing at Bathurst and Warwick Farm and others.

George.

Thanks george, that was an interesting read and filled in a few gaps.
The Buchanan body was a beautiful thing.
The mold was taken from Tom Sulmans Aston Martin. Tom was a pioneer of Australian motor sport. He tragically died from a racing accident at Bathurst in 1970 whilst driving a Lotus Climax.
Anyway, the Buchanan body came from a bloke involved in the development, one Nathaniel Buchanan. He was the grandson of my alltime Hero, Nat Buchanan, noted bushman and drover, who died in 1901.

Thanks.

Robert.

[crash]

72 AMC Hornet - nicknamed the Smurf Mobile due to its lovely blue color.
Still own and in need of restoration - 52 Fargo ute and 74 Satelite Sebring Plus

[MEANZ06]

72 AMC Hornet - nicknamed the Smurf Mobile due to its lovely blue color.
Still own and in need of restoration - 52 Fargo ute and 74 Satelite Sebring Plus

I'd like to see pics of the '72 Hornet... :)

[PhilipA]

I had a Honda N600G, 45BHP at 7000RPM. It would do about 90Mph and scare the bejeesus out of my passengers.

50905

Regards Philip A

[Sleepy]

I notice a few mentions of Lada Niva's . Mine wasn't unusual it was crap!

My unusual car was a 1970 Toyota Crown Wagon with Electric Rear Window and cable pull overdrive. We used to call it the Thunderbird - after the TV show not the T-bird. It used to make this "whine" that sounded like Thunderbird 2 taking off. [until the diff blew up and I learnt they put oil in diffs too:(]

My 101 is unusual except to another Land Rover person;)

[Rosscoe68]

umm, where to start.
Mini's x a few
Morris Nomad hatchback.
Nissan Homer van with holden 6cyl and Torana rear diff and big Sunraysia's
several Fiats, 124Sports, 850 Sports, 850 Special Sedan, 600 Multipla are the more unusual, owned a 500c Topolino for a short while and onsold it unfortunately, would like to still have that one. plus several mundane Fiats, 131, 132 etc.
several Lada's, including the obligatory 2ltr Fiat converted.
Hillman Hunter Royal
Toyota Corolla KE25 Coupe
Toyota T18SE Hatchback
AE86 Sprinter :)
Toyota Corsa GP Turbo, 1 of only 6000 ever made and only for the JDM, plus another Corsa that we converted to a turbo with Starlet GT running gear.
Toyota Soarer GT 3ltr Turbo
Toyota MKII
these were before all the import rage and were quite rare back then.
CA Lancer Hatchback - not too many of them around either.
Landrover Discovery TD5 with no oil leaks ( ok, i lied, but that would have made it unusual )

[Hall]

Hey Sleepy I had a 1969 crown ute. Was a 4cyl 2ltr ute that weighed in at over 2 ton. So had the power of a four and the fuel economy of a 5ltr V8. Is the only vehicle that I have known to be tripled paneled. Removed a inner panel to gain access to knock out one of the many many dints it had only to find another panel in the way. Chasis was a massive box section flat X frame unit that would have been more suited under a large truck. Only kept it long enough to realize I was contributing to the world fuel crisis and sold it.
Cheers Hall

[101 Ron]

Hi All

i have an unrestored 1940 ford coupe ute, a burnt Triumph 2500s 4 spd + electric overdrive - burnt. A burnt 67 f250, an xa falcon with no rust - na just kidding about the rust :D and a series 3 swb trayback, and vw trike that looks evil compared to the nice one at the start of the thread , does a gyrocopter or a hovercraft count

I agree with Brian that the things that were horrible back then havent got a lot better - but thank god for bosch electrics :D


Regards Mark

A gyrocopter counts if you drive it on the road.
I was forced down one day and decided to drive home with the rotors tied up.
Cars do the strangest things when they see a gyrocopter on the road coming the other way.:D:D:D:D

[landychris]

Morris 8 soft top ute, Austin 8 coupe, VW beetle baja ute, Vanguard panelvan, Morris Oxford van, Alfa Romeo Giulia Super
landychris

add.... Wolseley 4/50, Triumph Mayflower, Puch Moped, Rovers P3 75, P4 75, P4 90, Skoda 120L, Austin 7 Ruby, Austin A30, Fiat 125S, Fiat 500 bambino, MGB Mk 2:), Ford Capri, Hillman Minx, Humber Super Snipe Mk4 and 5, Cortina Mk1 Estate, Austin 1800 "land crab" best seats ever, Escorts Mk 1's and 2's, Lada Niva... all unusual in their own special way.
landychris

[UncleHo]

Had a 1965 Toyota Crown Custom Sedan,3 on the tree and 2 speed elect overdrive,(which freewheeled) full tinted glass including w/screen,light green tint,1900cc 4 cyl of M-B origin,drum brakes unboosted, straight out of the early 50's Humber parts bin,first model with full coils,truck quality chassis,manual steering,did 190,000miles in it,took it off the road in 99,brakes were not up to 1990-2000 standard,when trying to stop with other traffic on 4x discs :eek: 30 miles to the gallon,light under bonnet,light in carpeted boot,glove box,+power point for shaver,top dash mount clock,in seat arm rests front & rear metalic thread upolstery,4 h/lights, reversing lights,3 spd heater,curtesy lights on 4 doors, not bad value in 1965/6 when the Holden had the HD Premier and Ford the Falcon Futura at slightly higher price,good competition for the Nissan Cedric (4 cyl 4 spd) and Personel 6 sedans,& wagons

cheers

[V8Ian]

Had a 1965 Toyota Crown Custom Sedan,3 on the tree and 2 speed elect overdrive,(which freewheeled) full tinted glass including w/screen,light green tint,1900cc 4 cyl of M-B origin,drum brakes unboosted, straight out of the early 50's Humber parts bin,first model with full coils,truck quality chassis,manual steering,did 190,000miles in it,took it off the road in 99,brakes were not up to 1990-2000 standard,when trying to stop with other traffic on 4x discs :eek: 30 miles to the gallon,light under bonnet,light in carpeted boot,glove box,+power point for shaver,top dash mount clock,in seat arm rests front & rear metalic thread upolstery,4 h/lights, reversing lights,3 spd heater,curtesy lights on 4 doors, not bad value in 1965/6 when the Holden had the HD Premier and Ford the Falcon Futura at slightly higher price,good competition for the Nissan Cedric (4 cyl 4 spd) and Personel 6 sedans,& wagons

cheers
You forgot to mention the wind out quarter vents and electric arial. They were excellant value, I had four including M, 2M and 4M six cylinders.

[rick130]

Hey Sleepy I had a 1969 crown ute. Was a 4cyl 2ltr ute that weighed in at over 2 ton. So had the power of a four and the fuel economy of a 5ltr V8. Is the only vehicle that I have known to be tripled paneled. Removed a inner panel to gain access to knock out one of the many many dints it had only to find another panel in the way. Chasis was a massive box section flat X frame unit that would have been more suited under a large truck. Only kept it long enough to realize I was contributing to the world fuel crisis and sold it.
Cheers Hall

I learnt to drive on one of those !

I loved it, the poor, gutless thing :D

Dad bought it new in 1969 for work, alongside all his Holden panel vans (I was only just out of nappies) and every apprentice he had through the place had driven it into the ground, so was in a very, very ordinary state by the time I got to it in 1983.

It would actually do 85MPH if you had a long enough stretch of road, and i raced an E38 Charger once (I'm not joking) on the old Prospect Road when it was one way west bound as the then DMR where upgrading the Gt Western Hwy.

The Charger would blast past me under power, then I'd fly underneath him, all crossed up under brakes, and within three corners the reason I kept going underneath him was that I had terminal brake fade thanks to the twin leading front shoes :D

I learnt all about controlling slides on dry bitumen at well over the posted limit, how to control slides in the wet, how to try and pull up with smoking brakes/no brakes, how to drive without a clutch, how far sideways you could go on dirt without completely going right around, etc.
Can't remember being able to do handbrake turns though with the umbrella style handbrake :(

As you said, built like a tank and the perfect young idiots car as it didn't go terribly fast, didn't steer, brake or handle very well, so you learnt how to overcome poor characteristics and made the transition to the race track a non event when I eventually started racing. :angel:

[rick130]

Had a 1965 Toyota Crown Custom Sedan,3 on the tree and 2 speed elect overdrive,(which freewheeled) full tinted glass including w/screen,light green tint,1900cc 4 cyl of M-B origin,drum brakes unboosted, straight out of the early 50's Humber parts bin,first model with full coils,truck quality chassis,manual steering,did 190,000miles in it,took it off the road in 99,brakes were not up to 1990-2000 standard,when trying to stop with other traffic on 4x discs :eek: 30 miles to the gallon,light under bonnet,light in carpeted boot,glove box,+power point for shaver,top dash mount clock,in seat arm rests front & rear metalic thread upolstery,4 h/lights, reversing lights,3 spd heater,curtesy lights on 4 doors, not bad value in 1965/6 when the Holden had the HD Premier and Ford the Falcon Futura at slightly higher price,good competition for the Nissan Cedric (4 cyl 4 spd) and Personel 6 sedans,& wagons

cheers


You forgot to mention the wind out quarter vents and electric arial. They were excellant value, I had four including M, 2M and 4M six cylinders.

Yep, had forgotten about the wind out quarter vents !

The utes weren't assembled here by AMI but were fully imported and the build quality was beautiful, and so far ahead of the Holdens and Jeep Dad also had at the time.
As an 18yo I dreamed of pulling the 5R and installing the 2l 6 (M ?) and adding triple Webers, etc.
Dumb idea as the car was so heavy, but I was young.....

I've seen a '69 Crown ute driving around Tamworth occasionally and it brings back memories.

[disco2hse]

First car was a Morris 8 Series E. :)

Had to replace the floor boards because of the borer. Anything over 50mph (downhill and tail wind) and the rear seat would fall forward from the wind in the boot.

Windscreen had a little handle you could wind out to open it.

http://blueprintbox.com/watermark-gif.php?img=./data/media/175/morris-8-series-e-2-door-saloon-1939.gif

Another was a Nissan Silvia, back in the early 90's. Damn thing went like a streak of Weasels pee. Had two dizzies and two plugs per cylinder. Only 4 stroke engine I've had with a noticeable power band at around 160km/hr. Looked like this one in Osaka.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/914.jpg

One of my favourites was a three ton Austin lorry, with a straight six petrol engine. Same engine as the Wolsley, so parts were easy and cheap.

[Rosscoe68]

Another was a Nissan Silvia, back in the early 90's. Damn thing went like a streak of Weasels pee. Had two dizzies and two plugs per cylinder. Only 4 stroke engine I've had with a noticeable power band at around 160km/hr. Looked like this one in Osaka.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/914.jpg




at first glance i would have sworn that was a Toyota Carina/Corona Coupe
wonder who copied off who
:)


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/915.jpg

on second thoughts it was the Corolla coupe i was thinking of
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/916.jpg

[Bigbjorn]

Yep, had forgotten about the wind out quarter vents !

The utes weren't assembled here by AMI but were fully imported and the build quality was beautiful, and so far ahead of the Holdens and Jeep Dad also had at the time.
As an 18yo I dreamed of pulling the 5R and installing the 2l 6 (M ?) and adding triple Webers, etc.
Dumb idea as the car was so heavy, but I was young.....

I've seen a '69 Crown ute driving around Tamworth occasionally and it brings back memories.

Some were imported and some were assembled in Evans Road, Salisbury, Brisbane in the same plant that assembled Jeeps. Imported ones had a diecast grille, local ones had a stamped sheet grille. Not sure now whether all had the then fancy radio with front and rear seat controls or only the imports.

The first Coronas hit the market about them and were touted as a rival for the Cortina GT. Brian Power, a Toyota dealer, and well known racing driver found out the hard way about the eff awful handling. He took their demonstrator for a fast fang and lost it on a bridge in Zillmere Road. Poor thing had a diagonal crease front to back in the floor pan.

[circlework]

Guess I'll have to stick up for the Aussie product. Seems that my early auto history was stuck between the big two, Ford and Holden. My only saving grace was that some were toward the 'fast' end.
A couple of cars I had that I'd sell my soul to have today ... HG Holden Monaro and a LH SLR Torana. [bawl]
Man, could they pull the girls! Sadly tho, most only wanted to drive them! :D :D

[disco2hse]

at first glance i would have sworn that was a Toyota Carina/Corona Coupe
wonder who copied off who
:)

on second thoughts it was the Corolla coupe i was thinking of


They do look similar, but the Silvia is bigger. Well, has a longer bonnet. I think that was really just the go-fast aesthetic popular at the time. ;)

[disco2hse]

Morris Marina T.C :o ...

Top Gear guys found something useful to do with Marina's. Catching pianos :D

Top Gear drops piano on Morris Marina! (HQ) - YouTube

[33chinacars]

A couple of cars I had that I'd sell my soul to have today ... HG Holden Monaro and a LH SLR Torana. [bawl]


Had a HK 327 GST Bathurst Monaro. If only I had it now [bawl][bawl][bawl]

Still have Holden Overlander

See a lot of Lada Niva's here too. [B]GO the Lada Niva 4x4 :):). Still got mine , just a bit rusty

Gary

[Barefoot Dave]

Hmm some very interesting vehicles.
My list is short and I wouldn't have thought particularly strange but as no-one else has waved the Toyo-Kogyo Rotary flag.
RX3 sedan (Painful restoration, miss it like a limb) RX4 sedan (a cheap project that never eventuated) an S1 RX7. All 12a which I was happy with, prob wouldn't be here if I owned a 13B Turbo!
I do miss the sweet handling of the 7..
First car was a JB Camira :eek:
Best 4WDing I've done was in that thing!!
Cheers, DAve.

[blitz]

A 2wd :D

[isuzutoo-eh]

Jap truck engine, English tractor gearbox, American designed diff converted to metric, Aussie bellhousing and a few other bits, saloon suspension...sounds like something made on a scrapyard challenge TV show.
My County would be the least homogenous car I have owned but I suppose nowadays my IIa is a bit less usual.

[bigdog]

Morris Marina T.C :o

Mine was the Morris Marina T.C. "Golden Jubilee" special edition with lots of go-faster stripes and a vinyl roof. Great in a straight line but did not like corners.......[bigsmile]

This had the MG 1.8 ltr engine which went quite well when it was tuned, particularly when the air-box was removed which did the engine no favours whatsoever:twisted: (well, I was 18 !!!)

Interestingly, I once heard that the 1.5 engine was in fact just as quick. To differentiate the two models the engineering department put a restrictor plate in the intake manifold to reduce the performance...............

Nice story if it is true........

[akelly]

105E Prefect. Had the OHV engine and four speed box, unlike the sidevalve and 3 speed in the 100E. Was a classic nannas car!

Got me to work and back for a couple of years, eventually dropped a big end and I moved on to an EJ Holden! Glutton for punishment...

[rick130]

[snip]

First car was a JB Camira :eek:

Best 4WDing I've done was in that thing!!
Cheers, DAve.

I used to know Wayne Bell, one of the fastest rally drivers this country has produced.

At one stage (late eighties) Belly reckoned the quickest he'd ever done the Putty Road between Singleton and Windsor was in...

A JB Camira :eek:

Just glad I wasn't beside him at the time :D

[bigcarle]

Quote:
Originally Posted by bigcarle https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/768.jpg (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/general-chat/158465-most-unusual-car-youve-ever-owned-post1756959.html#post1756959)
Morris Marina T.C :o

Mine was the Morris Marina T.C. "Golden Jubilee" special edition with lots of go-faster stripes and a vinyl roof. Great in a straight line but did not like corners.......[bigsmile]

This had the MG 1.8 ltr engine which went quite well when it was tuned, particularly when the air-box was removed which did the engine no favours whatsoever:twisted: (well, I was 18 !!!)

Interestingly, I once heard that the 1.5 engine was in fact just as quick. To differentiate the two models the engineering department put a restrictor plate in the intake manifold to reduce the performance...............

Nice story if it is true........

bigdog it is true
1500 OHC 'E' series engine was in the Nomad and the Marina,
in the Nomad (got one of these as well) with an 1 3/4in S.U. carb it made 73HP
the 1750 OHC 'E' series Marina engine only made 78HP with 1 3/4 in carb
(T.C. made 90HP;)) so to make a bigger difference in power output in the Marina the 1500 had a 1 1/2 carb PLUS a restricter plate that only had an 1in hole in it :o and it made 62HP. Leyland Australia dropped the T.C model later and put the 2620 OHC 'E' series (110HP) in the front of them to compete with the Torana, Cortina and Centura



Top Gear guys found something useful to do with Marina's. Catching pianos

i would like to do that to one of Clarksons cars..... maybe the Benz if he still has it but not the Rangy

[disco2hse]

100E. Was a classic nannas car!

Ahh, the chunderee. Now there's a classic.

More than once I saw blackberry nip all over the floor in the rear... and Stone's green ginger wine [tonguewink]

[sashadidi]

My uncle had one of these.
Borgward Isabella, I remember it being a very unusual car that attracted a lot of attention.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/newreply.php'do=newreply&noquote=1&p=1759782

[wagoo]

Many of the cars listed in this thread would be 'unusual' to those too young to remember them, but were quite common in their day. Disregarding my own LandRover derived creations,my own list is no exception, aside from an Ansamanwergenheimer 1 1/2 seater sports car, circa 1960's. looked sort of like a very shrunken Austin Healy Sprite with a single cylinder lawnmower style engine driving the front wheels. The remainder of my list is fairly common for the era I grew up in. 1928 Triumph super 7 sedan. 1948 Wolesley 18/85. 1951 Wolesely 6/80. Mk7 Jaguar saloon. Vanguard Spacemaster saloon and ute. Hudson Wasp.
Mk2 and 3 Ford Zephyr. Chevrolet C15 4x4(Blitz). Dodge 4x4 Weapons Carrier. Austin Gipsey 4x4. 1962 International Scout-worse 4x4 ever owned. F50 Daihatsu 4x4 fitted with Toyota 3B deisel and 5spd transmission (about as unstable as a Reliant Robin 3 wheel van). !970 UAZ469 (Russian military jeep I bought in Vietnam).
Although quite common, from a design/construction/engineering viewpoint, Series LandRovers are quite unusual/unconventional/crude even, when compared to most other vehicles.
Bill.

[numpty]

Many of the cars listed in this thread would be 'unusual' to those too young to remember them, but were quite common in their day. Disregarding my own LandRover derived creations,my own list is no exception, aside from an Ansamanwergenheimer 1 1/2 seater sports car, circa 1960's. looked sort of like a very shrunken Austin Healy Sprite with a single cylinder lawnmower style engine driving the front wheels. The remainder of my list is fairly common for the era I grew up in. 1928 Triumph super 7 sedan. 1948 Wolesley 18/85. 1951 Wolesely 6/80. Mk7 Jaguar saloon. Vanguard Spacemaster saloon and ute. Hudson Wasp.
Mk2 and 3 Ford Zephyr. Chevrolet C15 4x4(Blitz). Dodge 4x4 Weapons Carrier. Austin Gipsey 4x4. 1962 International Scout-worse 4x4 ever owned. F50 Daihatsu 4x4 fitted with Toyota 3B deisel and 5spd transmission (about as unstable as a Reliant Robin 3 wheel van). !970 UAZ469 (Russian military jeep I bought in Vietnam).
Although quite common, from a design/construction/engineering viewpoint, Series LandRovers are quite unusual/unconventional/crude even, when compared to most other vehicles.
Bill.

Agreed. I dont see a many "unusual" offerings amongst what has been listed.

Much like my own vehicles over time....VW Beetle, VW Kombi, Fiat 128 Sedan and 128 Coupe, Fiat 124 Stn Wagon and 124 Sport, Falcon Stn Wagon, Ford Laser, Mazda 323, Datsun 720 Dual Cab 4wd, LR Stage 1 v8 Stn Wagon. + what I have today.

[George130]

My mum used to have one of those 3 wheel mesersmidts (spelling). Apparently the rear wheel would lift of the road at 55 so it would slow down again. 2 seater with passenger behind driver.

[chrisandebreg]

1st car a 1954 morris minor (still in fathers shed fully restored) been finished for 24 years and still not even driven the length of the driveway, changed tact and now have 12 ford v8's of differnt years a rangie and disco along with audi, looking for help with the auto illness to cut back on a few

[rrturboD]

2 to mention ... still have them

1958 ID19 Citroen, beautiful car on the road, not lots of go, but fantastic handling, particularly on dirt roads. Mechanically very advanced, and hydropneumatic suspension was pretty simple to maintain.
1953 Bristol 401, 2l 6 cylinder, triple carby, aluminium body over tube steel space frame and solid chassis. Proper 4 seater pommy sports car. Parts still available from Bristol Cars UK!

[wagoo]

2 to mention ... still have them

1958 ID19 Citroen, beautiful car on the road, not lots of go, but fantastic handling, particularly on dirt roads. Mechanically very advanced, and hydropneumatic suspension was pretty simple to maintain.
1953 Bristol 401, 2l 6 cylinder, triple carby, aluminium body over tube steel space frame and solid chassis. Proper 4 seater pommy sports car. Parts still available from Bristol Cars UK!
Always loved and wanted a Bristol 2 litre as much as I did Landrovers back in the day. In fact I may never have got into LandRovers but for the toss of a coin back in 1969.Seriously it came down to, Heads buy the Bristol, Tails buy the LandRover, which were both for sale in the same car yard at the time. I sometimes wonder about the result of that coin toss. Did I dodge a bullet? Or did I cop the whole magazine?
Bill.

[isuzurover]

....Ansamanwergenheimer ....

Is this one a joke Bill?

[wagoo]

Is this one a joke Bill?
No Ben, it was a real manufactured car, only a handful made, from Germany obviously. There was a short article in the Melbourne Herald back in the mid 1960's about the original owner who privately imported it.I think it was mentioned that it was the worlds smallest legal 4 wheeled car that had the worlds longest name. I bought it for 10 quid a couple of years later as a paddock basher, but it barely had enough power to move on flat bitumin, never mind offroad.After the sheetmetal aluminium wheel rims disintegrated after about 10 minutes they were replaced with 10'' Mini wheels which reduced tractive effort even more. All in all it was pretty hopeless, but might have been worth a bit if it still existed today. And no, I can't find any mention of it on Google.
Bill.

PS.
Have any of the old timers owned an example of what truly was 'Australias own Car' ? The mobile washing machine. the fibreglass bodied front wheel drive 2 stroke lawnmower engined mini car built sometime in the 1960's named the Lightburn Zeta? TV advertisement showed them traversing what seemed like incredibly tough terrain for a road car.

[JDNSW]

I did not mention it - probably did not think it all that unusual. I owned, and still own, a 1974 Citroen DSpeciale, and before that a 1960 ID19 Safari. The ID19, an eight seater, not high acceleration, but fast - in my young and foolish days did Brisbane-Roma in under four hours in it - and it was reliable and fairly easy to maintain, although the engine was not long lived - new pistons and sleeves at about 80,000miles. According to the manual, the most economical speed was 70mph. The DSpeciale was also not all that high power, but could equal most contemporary four door cars up to about 100kph, where it would begin to pull away due to the better streamlining. And the lights are superior to most, with self levelling and steering lights. Unlike the earlier engine, the engine is very durable - at 180,000km it is barely run in.

And then there is the car of my father's I started to learn on. A 1931 Swift 10. Five seater fabric over wooden frame saloon body, 10RAC HP Coventry side valve four, mechanical brakes that worked, vacuum tank fuel feed, two wire Rotax electrical system, RH gate gear change.

John

[akelly]

I didn't realise it was a contest for the most unusual car. I thought it was 'what is the most unusual car you've owned'... If you've owned 5 ford falcons you could post up the most unusual falcon, right? Like if you had one that was a station wagon and the rest were sedans?

[wagoo]

I didn't realise it was a contest for the most unusual car. I thought it was 'what is the most unusual car you've owned'... If you've owned 5 ford falcons you could post up the most unusual falcon, right? Like if you had one that was a station wagon and the rest were sedans?
Yes, but mentioning Falcons or Holdens on this thread, that would be as boring as bat droppings .
Bill.

[akelly]

Ha! Yeah, I know... but what if someone here had the only Phase IV GTHO? Would that count as unusual?

I'm loving the list of cars - some real weird ones popping up. I was just worrying that people might not post because their car wasn't 'unusual enough', which would be a shame.

[jerryd]

Whereas my Metropolitan was the strangest car I owned, I think the most unusual car would be my JC Midge. It was fun too :)

This was built on a redundant Triumph Herald chassis and running gear, you sent a cheque for 40 pounds to John Cowperthwaite (JC) and he sent you a set of plans and some instructions :D
You basically built a plywood tub, skinned it in thin aluminium, got lots of period scrap bits from breaker's yards and created a sort of vintage looking car.

Mine cost a grand total of 900 pounds to build and put on the road, as you used the original chassis there were no engineers reports or anything required,it was simply a "re-body" of the original.

I ended up putting a spitfire engine with twin carbs in it and I used to race it on special track days, it performed very well too as there was no weight to it.

Here's a couple of pics of another example, mine was a bit tattier and had taller wheels and tyres :angel:

[pfillery]

The most unusal one I've has was one of the first pre sale test batch of Volkswagen station wagons brought to Australia in 1962 - there were only 11 of them and they were given to high profile companies to be used by reps etc to ascertain suitability for the model being sold here. The rep that drove mine was lucky enough to buy it after the test and kept it in his back yard until I saw it and bought it at the age of 16.

Wish I still had it!!!

[DiscoMick]

We had a cast-off WWII Jeep on the farm when I was a kid. It had a run of bulletholes down one side, a gun carrier mount on the front fender, was painted bright orange (left over paint in the shed), the brakes rarely worked and it kept jumping out of second gear. Got bashed around the farm - I learnt to drive on it. One day Dad parked it on a hill and the handbrake failed and it ran away over a cliff, where its probably still rusting away at the bottom.

[MR LR]

Ok so you want unusual, here goes

Arthur's
- 1905 6hp Rover
- 1912 Delahaye type 43 (1 of 3)
- 1918 Crossley 25/35
- 1948 Series 1 Land Rover (#1 in Aus, sold now)
A few others though not unusual really (well to me anyway)

Mal's
- 1907 Itala (the one that did Peking to Paris in '05
- 1909 S.C.A.T (Society Ceirano Automobilio Torino, same family as Fiat, Itala and Spa)
- 1914 Renault DG (first Renault with Electric lights)

Mine
- 1907 Rolls Royce Silver ghost






In my dreams

Nothing yet, just a Disco and the dune buggy I built, oh and a 1:3 Scale Sherwood Range Rover pedal car.


That's all off the top of my head, there's a lot of others that are old or different but you want unusual, and I don't feel like writing an essay

Cheers
Will

[Shortie]

My daily driver, until I purchased the Defender 90, was a Triumph 2500S Estate. One of only two in Australia and there were only 2,231 produced between 1975 and 1977 - and I sold it last year doh!



http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=51244&stc=1&d=1347966557

But I kept its older brother!!!! Unforttunately, Jake the wonder dog has gone to the big farm but I'm sure he would have loved the Defender 90.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=51245&stc=1&d=1347967599


I have some other Triumphs hidden away but don't tell my Mother

[flagg]

Alpina C2 2,7

Still have it, too. It's a blast to drive, but a liability if it rains.

[wagoo]

Alpina C2 2,7

Still have it, too. but a liability if it rains.
Bit like a LandRover then?
Bill.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Actually thinking about it. I actually owned a car that only had one diff! Bought it new, was hopeless off-road so I gave it to my sister-in-law after about 8 months.

Thats a most unusual car, at least for me it is. :p

[Sheppie]

1969 datto rally car, only standard part was the rear view mirror.
rolled in coffs harbour 7 years ago and still being rebuilt - amazing how kids slow u down
also had 2 Mk1 escorts, nissan homer, and an international B414 tractor 60's vintage and still going strong

[Gumnut]

Didn't anyone at all own a "gee oh gee gee oh - goggomobile" or V8 P76?

Just asking!!

Andy

[roversmith]

The kid just had his thirty first birthday,you tell me what the car is.https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/634.jpg

[p38arover]

Sunbeam Talbot 90 IIA like (but not as good as) this when I was 19.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/635.jpg

[lebanon]

I would say a Mercury Cougar Eliminator.


The kid just had his thirty first birthday,you tell me what the car is.https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/634.jpg

[poleonpom]

Citroen 2CV, bright yellow, toured Europe in it and had a big sticker of a duck on the bonnet that said "duck off". Also once owned a Maserati Mistral, I wish I still had that one!

[roversmith]

I would say a Mercury Cougar Eliminator.

Near enough,Mercury cougar XR7. 1969

[Aussie]

My father found a 1914 Dennis fire engine on a farm up at Benambra, it was used to pump water out of the murray for irrigation. It was in a bad way so dad asked the farmer if he could buy it. I remember as a kid dad took the Valiant station wagon with a tri axle trailer up and we towed it back, all 4 tonnes of it!!, The old Hemi aged a few years with that trip. It was a nightmare trip one which we laughed about for many years. When we finally arrived back home the old Hemi couldnt pull it up our drive way, so our neighbour kindly offered to tow it with his new jeep, He got half way up the driveway and smoke started pouring out from under the jeep, he'd burnt the clutch out. He was a very unhappy chappy, the old man was a truck mechanic so he fixed his clutch a few months later. Anyhow that was the reason we bought the Series 2A as at the time it was the only vehicle capable of towing the Dennis.

Dad (and I) spent 20 years restoring it and built a wheeled escape for it, its funny how as a kid little things get stuck in your mind, I remember he came racing in from the shed and called the family out to hear him start the engine for the 1st time, Me and him were stoked that it ran after spending months rebuilding it, but Mum and my sister couldn't give a stuff. From memory it was a 4 speed box and hard as hell to drive although the old man did it quite well.

It was stationed at Eastern hill and was No1 pumper, its pump capacity was 1000 G/pm and for that time was a huge improvement on the current pumpers. It also had solid rubber tyres which woulda been hell on the cobblestone roads in the CBD. We used it in the Moomba day parades and it featured in a couple of Australian period dramas, not sure if anyone remembers Carson's Law. Godfrey's house burnt down and we came thundering up the driveway.

The pic below is not our vehicle its exactly the same model and type, although it doesn't have the wheeled Escape. I have loads of pics but their all on slides and negatives, I need to convert them to Jpg.

When it was polished and cleaned it was a magnificent looking Vehicle, I remember spending hours in the shed with the old man fussing over it, and I'd gladly do it all again :)

[The Cone of Silence]

My current sunny day drive is a 1967 Austin Healey 3000 MkIII that goes by the name of 'Ruby'. Easily the most unusual car I've ever owned, but then I've only had 5.

Also had a 1972 Triumph Spitfire which was more "annoying" then "unusual".


Bobby

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=51287&stc=1&d=1348037649


http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=51285&stc=1&d=1348037649

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=51286&stc=1&d=1348037649