My first Car was a 1946-48 Wolseley Mod. 18/85, 6 Cyl with twin SU Carbs on her ! She was capable of doing nought to 60 MPH in a little under half an hour, and she was the exact model 'motor' you often saw on early B/W English TV Police Shows, particularly 'Gideon of Scotland Yard' (c. 1950-53). Always with a large Bell mounted on the front, near side, guard, which rang with a loud shrill, whenever they were in pursuit of some miscreants.

She cost me the princely sum of 125 Pounds, and I purchased her in early 1959. After I joined the Army. I urgently needed transport in those days, and she filled the bill very adequately too ! She was upholstered fully in Leather, and was a joy to ride around in, with this enormous, extremely comfortable back seat, also in full leather too.

Her only real problem was most evident in summer months. She had an electric fuel pump, which often failed in hot weather. Though easily rectified by giving it a light tap with a spanner until you heard it 'ticking' away happily again !

Naturally she was equipped with massive running boards, and a full wood dash which set it off very nicely indeed. My several (old) girlfriends loved the 'beast' as I lovingly called her, because of her room and comfort in all the seats. The Wolseley emblem, fixed to the top of the magnificent radiator use to light up at night, and looked a real sight driving about town ! Another instance in summer, she tended to boil quite easily, which proved a real nuisance. One needed to add water very slowly while the engine ran, lest you cracked the head ?

Gentlemen, the car was most definitely built for comfort, if you get my drift ? C'mon Ladies, you're an integral part of this discussion ? Please, provide us all with your memories of your first Car ?

MG A 1600 Roadster, 1960 in red. I wanted British racing green, but red was available. The mechanical engineering faculty provided the engine port and polish, extra fruity exhaust and a warm camshaft - unheard of in an almost new car in those days.

Next purchases were the tweedy jackets to go with it LOL

The passenger seat never got cold :) The joys of university life.

Hi o sung, glad to see you back on the air. It does look as if you've been ferreting in my memories again.

My father had one of those, but had to change when he moved to Sydney, & had to do the peak hour run. Although beautiful, they were too leisurely for the peak hour battle. The TV show Foyle's War featured a prewar version of them.

My first was a 1936 Morris 840. A small tourer with a little side valve engine, naught to 60MPH did not exist, as it could not make 60MPH, except down hill, with a strong tail wind.

If you had your Wolseley at Kapooka in 59, we may have passed each other no the road. I had my little Morris at Uranquinty, No 1 RAAF flying training school, for some of 59.

I was the only navy type with a car there, so although designed only for mum, dad, & a couple of kids, all six of us navy types doing our flying training there used to pile into her to go to Wagga on Saturday nights. I well remember how, overloaded, she used to wallow across the tight railway bridge outside the Kapooka entrance.

She unfortunately died one night in Wagga. We had had a few at Romano's hotel, & decided it was safer to stay the night, rather than drive back to base. The next morning, after a heavy frost, the pool of dirty water under her testified to the freezing having cracked her radiator & block.

As we were about to ship to Perth for jet training, I gave her to a RAAF type as she stood. Never did hear her ultimate fate.

O Sung, you brought back memories of learning to drive on my father's pre-war Wolseley.

However my first car was an MG VA which many people have not heard of. A one and a half litre 4 seat tourer with twin SUs. I wanted a two seater TC but couldn't afford one in the 1950s but the back seat in the tourer proved to be of great benefit in my misspent youthful courting days. In those times it was one of the few places the twin considerations of persuasion and location that were available !

I later pulled the whole engine out and reconditioned it and remember carrying a new crank shaft home on the bus and then installing new shell bearings. Nowadays I wouldn't have a clue about electronic ignition and fuel injection. Those were the days when many owners did these things for themselves due to lack of money. Nowadays people expect to go out and buy new cars.

Dear o sung wu,

My first car was a rather tired '54 Vauhall Velox done in a particularly unattractive washed out canary yellow.

I reckon I use to walk in circles because my right leg looked like it belonged to a horse due to the number of times I use to have to pump the brakes as I came up to an intersection. Hills were even more interesting. Gears for brakes was the order of the day. There was no syncro in first and bugger all power to pull you through on second if you chose that option when nearly stopped. Still it was a veteran class when I owned it and once I even polished up the chrome and took it to a car show one weekend. Got an encouragement/sympathy award.

My girlfriend hated it.

Don't see too many on the roads nowadays but watching the World's Fastest Indian sure brought back memories.
http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_36729-Vauxhall-Velox-E-1953.html

When I read Morris 840 I imagined you meant A40 (as in Austin). It was only after I found a photo of an 840 that I realised I may have seen one in a movie some time.

Did the windscreen hinge forward? Neat.

snake, "MG VA"

Lovely.

csteele...... yeah pumping brakes and rack and pinion steering bring back memories too. Wrestling all those controls without power was good training. My MG VA was a 1938 model but funnily enough supported a four point hydraulic jacking system operated from a spot under the floor on the passenger side. Just dial the point you needed to raise, and then pump away with a handle to raise the wheel of the tyre you wanted to change. A really useful innovation.

Dear o sung wu,

The first car that I drove was in Los Angeles
and it was a Pontiac GTO - bronze in colour,
which I enjoyed very much. It was automatic,
comfortable, and easy to drive. We currently have
two cars - a red 1983 Ford Fairmont XE - which my
husband uses, loves, and refuses to replace.
And the family car - a Holden Statesman -
which is great on longer trips.

I would love to one day get a classic two door
Merc - but it's only a dream and won't be happening
any time soon.

Yes I got that half wrong onthebeach, it should actually have read 8 48, meaning rated at 8 horse power. They must have been kidding, or had a good sense of humor.

I don't know if the windscreen hinged forward. It was a tourer, not a sports car. I did once try to lower the hood, but when I started folding it, I could see it was so old & stiff it was going to crack, & left it alone.

I take comfort from the fact the cars some of you first owned were made 40 years before I was even born.

Austin a40, breathless, often, but my pride and joy in about 1959 as another said.

Mine was an AP5 Valiant, we once brought home a fully grown Anglo Nubian billy goat in the back seat and I removed the back seat entirely and put a big toolbox in for all my gear. Good car, you could fill the boot with bricks or sand, fix it with a basic tool kit and I think only did an alternator and a gearbox for the whole eight years or so I had it.

http://www.chargerclubofwa.asn.au/production-detail.asp?iProductionID=25

A big thank you to everyone of you, for putting a belated smile on my ugly dial !

There's something about our first car ? The care and love we put in to it, the cleaning, servicing, everything. Has anyone ever had to use the crank handle because of a weak battery ? What I did as the battery aged, I'd always park on a decline, and 'clutch start it' when necessary.

My car was one where you could wind the windscreen out, about six or eight inches, from the bottom. The problem was, as I was to discover to my peril, when closing it, it would not seal correctly, for some reason ? Thus I had leaks oozing through the corners and bottom of the thing ! Urgent discussions with an auto glazier revealed, the only reliable method of fixing it properly, was to seal it shut !

You see, this lovely vehicle's superstructure's framework or substructure was mfg'd entirely with wood, with the sheet metalwork attached thereto. Therefore, as the car aged the entire body twisted and distorted somewhat, thus many of the 'angles' of the body, never actually remained 'true' !

Interestingly, I never received a TIN the entire four years I owned her. Pulled up once or twice, once because the left headlight had worked loose, and was pointing high up to the heavens ? It amazed the coppers who helped me to tighten it up ! Today, I'd probably be shot !

As HASBEEN remarked, it was not great in traffic jams in very hot weather - the electric fuel pump needed to be tapped each time it stalled, or you couldn't hear it 'ticking' through the firewall.

And as CSTEELE mentioned, my right foot and leg grew enormously strong, with all the exercise associated with the constant 'pumping' of the brakes !

And of course, it always leaked in rain, but I loved her nevertheless.

THANK YOU EVERYBODY !

1954 Skoda sedan, 4-cylinder, rolled it within a week. Never got to use the back seat.

Joe

Yeah the goat was the most exciting thing that ever happened in the back seat of my Valiant, I used to borrow my mum's UC Torana for romantic outings.

Dyslexic as usual, that Morris was an 8 40. Yep right at last.

After that there was a gorgeous 34 Pontiac Super Chieftain, soft top 2 seater, with a dickey seat, which despite the name was not suitable as a love machine, A Singer equally unsuitable for such tasks.

I may be a slow learner, but I finally get it right. My first new car was a Simca Around, complete with some of the first lay back front seats, giving a sha, oops, I mean camping body.

Hi LOUDMOUTH; J of MELBOURNE & LEXI...

LOUDMOUTH...When I was much younger, I used to dismiss the Skoda as a heap of communist rubbish. Til later, I met a very well qualified Automotive Engineer, and he said the Skoda was a brilliant car, it was just they weren't particularly worried about quality control. Now that the brand is part of VW, it does prove his summation as being fairly close to the mark ?

J of MELBOURNE...You actually surrendered your valuable back seat to a goat ! Mate I've heard it all ! If anything, a Goat would prove the most novel ?

LEXI...My mental picture of you is a very attractive, feminine lady with a very sharp intellect - Destroyed in a moment by your admission that you drove a giant 'muscle car' in Los Angles ! Venice Beach to be exact, no doubt ? If I was asked to guess, I would've speculated along the lines of something like a battered ol' VW, which would suit your Bohemian, almost avant-gardist image of an intellect on a sabbatical year in the States ? I never was much of a detective.

SNAKE...Your MG VA sounds very exotic. I must admit I can't conjure up an image of what your car looks like, but I can envisage the suspension system, being not unlike that of the early Mini Deluxe (1963-66) with 'Hydro Elastic' suspension, which was simply adjusted (pumped up) every service. A system well before it's time I reckon ?

An emerald green VW, 1959 model, bought second-hand in 1964 in Melbourne, when I was a student at Monash (after I'd learnt to drive practising on boyfriend's Citroen Goddess). I can't remember how much it cost.

The VW made it overland to the head of the Murray River (actually the Indi) near the remains of a crashed DC3. I also remember driving from Adelaide to Canberra in 40 plus heat - we had to tie the rear engine cover open to cool the engine!

I kept it till 1971, then handed it on to my mother-in-law in Canberra, and she passed it on to a student. At a conference in Canberra in the early 1990s, a young man introduced himself - he was the current owner of the green VW. Alas I don't know what its final fate was, but I like to think it's still ferrying students around somewhere.

Dear o sung wu,

Sorry, I gave the wrong Pontiac name earlier.

My husband has just corrected me as to what it
was. It was a Pontiac Le Mans. And I drove it
all over the place in Los Angeles.

Thank You for your kind words. I'm not sure if I fit
into the "bohemian" description. I am a bit of a dreamer.
Except that I dream of rather strange things like a
month in Italy, season tickets to the opera,
a book I've been dying to read, and the time
to read it. Even as a child I loved playing "fantasy"
games. One day I hope to drive all over this great
country of ours in my two-door sports - until then ... (sigh).

Hi Lexi,

I had you pinged for a Nissan Micra, gorgeous cars to drive. I drove my dad's around for years until i had to pass it over to one of my kids (sigh)

Love,

Joe

Good evening BELLY; LEXI & COSSOMBY...

COSSOMBY, your little green VW would last an eternity I reckon, regardless of how many owners have had it. Keep the good oil in her, give her the basic services, and she'll go forever. I've owned a beetle in my life time, 2nd hand of course, and they're a marvellous reliable little car, that'll last and last and last ! To my knowledge, there's never been a movie made, that outnumbers the many appearances of that, of the humble VW beetle ! An absolute legendary classic, in my opinion !

BELLY, you're rather quiet on this particular topic ol' man ? I sincerely hope your OK ? I reckon in your lifetime and job experience, you would've had many interesting cars or M/V, incl. light trucks, (Utes) and Motor Cycles in your time ? Back in the late fifties and early sixties, times were much better, and more predictable I believe ? And that applied to our cars ? There was a certain inevitability about everything then ? What do you think BELLY old man ? They say we should NOT continually reflect back upon our previous life experiences. Because it's not good for our mental health apparently ?

And Dear LEXI, I think I can almost evoke a vision of you and your dear husband, roaming around Australia in some classic and, ever so elegant, two seater 'Morgan' or similar ? With a powerful alloy V8 set up in her ? Wind flowing through your hair as you cruise along the by-ways and highways of Aussie. A beautiful hand built British marque with no two 'Morgans' built exactly the same. Not quite the same as a Pontiac Le Mans, but a terrific little two seater, without doubt !

Please excuse me. My eyes are very tired, thus this becomes quite blurred.

My first was a 1949 #000013 off the line Holden sedan, black in color and quicker on the getaway than the Parramatta police in their bike and sidecar. Cost me fifty pound and I finished up using it for rolls at the WQestmead stock car track.
Someone told me that today it would be worth aroung $50,000.

1966 EH Holden, light blue ,column shift cost me $700 cash in 1972,I'd been in Australia for 2 yrs and just moved to Adelaide from W.A. and the folks I was sharing a house with recommended a Holden so I went with it even tho' I didn't have a license at the time, I learned to drive in that car and as I worked in a service station ( a proper one, where I'd wash the customers cars windscreen, check oil, water, tyres etc) the mechanics taught me how to look after my car and troubleshoot problems before they got bad etc and as a 22yr old female became quite popular with the guys 'cos I could do 'car talk', lol!, don't make 'em like that anymore, I drive a '96 VS Commodore nowadays and she's immaculate with driver and passenger side windshields,sheepskin seat covers, mags and only got 165,000 on the clock ,reckon she'll see me out,hubby calls it his car but it's MINE!!

o sung wo , mate I am ok, a few mounth,s ago I would not have bet on being here.
While under care the big bad C has been discounted so good there.
The Barma Forrest Virus seems to be the problem, some get over it fast.
Only on early and once in afternoon.
Subject is bringing back those memory's and I read every time I am here.
Was very much a petrol head in my youth SU carbys and metal flake paint.
Would not have suited the old a 40!
While others went for the FJ Holden to play with I went to mark 2 Z cars.
Before my total love affair with a 1953 Chev.

A bit of humor.

My very first vehicle was a tricycle, I was about three and it probably was a hand me down.

You didn't say motor vehicle, did you! Lol.

Mid 60's twincab VW for $50.-. Got stuck right at the lights of Woodville Rd-Silverwater Rd (Syd) with the battery on fire. Traffic bailed up for a good 5 minutes. Problem, loose battery cable, whacked in a 3" nail & off I went only to get booked for speeding down Silverwater Rd when I took off to escape any possible repercussions from all the hootin' & tootin' behind me.
Then an hour or so later going up Lane Cove or thereabouts on a rather steep hill & at the lights again I had to ride the clutch in 1st gear because the brakes failed & I had cars behind me.
Not funny then but hilarious since.

Dear Joe (Loudmouth),

The Nissan Micra would have been a lovely car to drive.
And practical as well. However, living in Los Angeles
at the time - we got a very good deal on
the Pontiac Le Mans and we made a good deal on selling
it as well when we left to come home to Sydney.

Dear o sung wu,

Funny that you should mention the Morgan. I had a real
thing for British cars (and men) at one stage. They represented
style. What's not to like about - MGs, Triumphs, Rovers,
Morgans, and E-type Jags?

Lexi my sweet, may I suggest you don't buy a Morgan, most of the others would be fine. I think their very harsh suspension would not to be to your liking, particularly at any time when you were unwell.

I raced a Morgan +4 in 63/4, & used it as daily transport. I loved it dearly, however each year at Bathurst, which was getting pretty rough back then, it would crack it's front mudguards on the bumps down Conrod straight, & require welding repairs.

A while back I bought a Honda S2000 [kind of an up market MX5], to fill in while my Triumph spent almost a year off the road having air conditioning fitted, & a new paint job. It came with the number plate Morgan, which I had to return.

The owners wife told me he had bought a new Morgan in 96, they picked it up from the factory, & toured the UK Germany France, & Spain in it, before shipping it home. Back here she found it rode far too harshly, on our less good roads, & did not like going out in it.

He replaced the Morgan with the Honda, so they could enjoy trips together, but kept the Morgan number plate for sentimental reasons.

I did not meet him, he was overseas on business, but I got the impression he was a really nice bloke.

Incidentally I can see you hooning around LA in a bellowing great Pontiac. Some of your jokes do give a hint that you are not quite the goody goody, that some here have you pictured.

While I am attached to sports cars I love airconditioning even more. On top of that you never could leave anything in an open vehicle, or with the rag cover up.

There is a joy in some direct feedback from the mechanical components, but as Hasbeen says, you want your spine intact, not compressed, after a trip.

Once we all strived for the feet at near the same height as the hips seating position, with the obligatory (but silly) arms stretched out to the wheel. However there comes a time when knees bent and a more upright seating posture is king, and easy entry and exit are of keen interest. Sight and reaction time are helped by a higher position in the cab. Auto? Yes!

So the modern LandCruiser is nice for a trip (and doing the hard and very interesting yards), while the manual six geared Toyota 86 garage queen is for good days, a mountain run to share the picnic basket and view, with comfy chairs, folding table and cotton check gingham table cloth (blue) with napkins. Once that was just a picnic basket and blanket (and a roll in the hay after summer wine and cinnamon apple pie). Sadly, times change and the MG A was sold so long ago.

Dear Hasbeen,

Thanks for the advice about the Morgan.
What a life you've led.

I imagine the stories
you could tell and all your life's experiences would
make for great reading. Ever thought of putting any of them in
writing? For your children and grandkids? I for one
would buy your book. You've led an interesting life.

As for me being a "goody two shoes?"
Well I was a very shy young girl.
In some ways I am hyper, and like to make things move,
but there is a spot of calm deep within me, from which
I don't stray too far. I love tenderness. But it is the
rarest emotion one encounters.

Hi onthebeach,

Your MG may have been sold some time ago
but I bet you'd still go for an Orchard
Grower's Apple Pie (with or without cinnamon). ;-)

My first car was a 1958 FC Holden:

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=1958+holden&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=8a2NUdygCOzxiAeJmIG4Dg&ved=0CC8QsAQ&biw=1666&bih=954

(If any car manufacturer wanted to stop making a new model every year, and just make nothing but 1958 FC Holdens, they would be on a winner.)

However by the time I got it, it was a bit declined in years and rather decrepit. It was not improved when I sprayed fish oil on all the rusty bits, thus making it both very ugly and smelly. But it was my car, and I was happy with it. Very roomy, big bench seats, you kind of bounced around inside.

Also when buying it, I forgot to check whether I had enough money to run it. I didn’t. So one day I set out when the brakes were dodgy as usual, and returned when they were non-existent. Luckily I glided to a park near my home. At that time I thought mechanical repairs were optional, but it turned out the car didn’t go without ‘em; which happened all the time.

I must have got it going somehow because it was parked in a No Standing zone when I decided at last to disown it. Not having much understanding of the world, caused by attending university, I thought that was the end of the matter. I was proved wrong by the accumulation of penal fines.

But at that time, I also thought the payment of fines was optional. So they went on accumulating until I got a girlfriend who understood the true extent of my folly. She had a friend who was a naughty boy in the sense that he would lead police on high speed car chases, and then duck down a driveway to thwart pursuit. When you’re 20, this is thought to be very clever.

He also engaged in car re-birthing, by which cars would disappear from one place, and re-appear with incriminating details changed in another place. He bought my car, for the amount of the accumulated fines; and without a backward glance I considered myself well quit of the noble beast that had served me so unwell.

Hi there CHRISGAFF1000...

You are going well back in time there matey ! A Parramatta 'outfit' with a fat ol' 3rd class sergeant in the sidecar, both rider and passenger wearing their leather caps ! That would be well before the 'first fleet' sailed into Sydney Cove ?! :-)

REHCTUB...Yes indeed, a 'tricycle' might well be included in the definition of a vehicle, for these purposes ? LOL.

HASBEEN...I've heard of the famous plus 4 and plus 8 in the legendary Morgan, though I've never had the joy of driving one regrettably. Did thousands of miles up 'n down the Hume Hwy. in the veritable Cooper S all at departmental expense.

Hi there LEXI...I don't for a moment believe HASBEEN when he described you as being less than a very quiet, demure young, gentle lady in your days of study in big, 'brassy' Los Angles ! I know you would've avoided at all costs, those hedonistic activities of your peers !

I would agree with you, HASBEEN could write an excellent account of his formative years, the only problem is, he'd probably end up in the clink for breaking all those ladies hearts that would've actively pursued him, attired in his brilliant Naval Aviators Uniform !

Far be it for me to engage in gossip. But it was said during his days at Uranquinty, he enjoyed the epithet, 'passion pants' amongst all those eligible young (rich pastoral) ladies in Wagga ?

In fact if my memory serves me correctly, whilst we were trying to hitch a ride into town from Kapooka, there was many a time we saw this '36 Morris 8-40, coming from Uranquinty's direction, scream past us in a cloud of exhaust and dust. With this handsome Navy type at the wheel, with a stunning young girl in the front, and two beauties seated in the back...? One can only conclude who that might have been eh LEXI ? Far be it for HASBEEN to cast aspersions about your earlier days in LA...? They say these Navy Officers are always 'Bounders' amongst the fairer sex !

G'day BELLY...

I'm delighted to hear that your Medico has cleared you of the 'Big C' ! Still at our age we need to watch ourselves very carefully at times.

You inferred your Austin A40 was a bit of a jalopy, true ? Notwithstanding, there were many of them around and proved pretty reliable for an old side valve four cylinder. Like many of the old Rootes and BMC M/V's they were remarkably tough for their small engines and heavy bodies. Similar to the old Vanguard, another heavy body with a small motor. As well as the old Morris Oxford, lacked power significantly, so overtaking proved most dangerous unless you had a very clear road ahead.

Another nice old English saloon was the Humber Super Snipe. If I recall, the government often used them for VIP's, because of their long, sleek lines, and back seat comfort and room.

Hi INDIVIDUAL...

Not so funny when it happens to you, but extremely funny when you look back ! Apart from girls, I don't reckon there was anything that worried a young bloke more, than problems with his 'wheels' ? A young fella's car was everything to him. Independence, freedom, coming of age, in fact everything I believe ?

And g'day to you, COSSOMBY...I reckon your VW is probably still going strong, ferrying students out and about reliably ! They're bullet proof the old Bettle, as long as you use good oil, and give it a bit of a service now and then ! The only gripe I had with them, was their extraordinarily direct steering - watch out, or you'd put it on it's roof !

Thank you all very much for you brilliant contributions, I really appreciate them.

Hi there JARDINE K JARDINE...

What a fantastic account, on your first Car, the indubitable, 1958 FC Holden, an icon of it's time ! There's something about your first set of wheels. As I said earlier, for a young bloke next to girls, a car was the next most important thing in your life ! It doesn't matter what it looked like, drove like, even smelt like, it was yours, a statement of your independence, a coming of age almost.

On my 18th birthday, my girlfriend and myself were returning home from a night out. I got stopped for allegedly going through a Red.
Which I acceded too. The copper booked me even though the traffic lights were very confusing, (later removed entirely!) and an absence of any traffic due to the hour of the night. My girlfriend was in tears, telling him it was my birthday, nevertheless I was breached and I was in my military uniform. It didn't make a shred of difference to the copper.

There was no 'on the spot' penalty notice, so a trip to court ensured and I was fined equivalent to almost a weeks wage. Did it dampen my love of driving the old Wolseley, not for a moment. But I was forever careful NOT to disobey 'traffic signals' again, you can be sure of that.

A fantastic account, thank you JARDINE K JARDINE.

Saussie
My dad's cousin bought an EH Premier brand new just after he got married, as far as I know he's still got it, I saw him in it about 10 years ago and it's still in mint condition.

O sung, you do flatter me, but actually the facts were quite different.

At Uranquinty we had a trainee pilots club. One of the laws was that when you had your first solo you had to put a pound on the bar.

That represented a lot of beer back then, & as this happened in batches, as new intakes got that far with 10 or so going solo each week for a while, we did have some drunken nights.

This often led to groups sitting around boasting about their prowess with the ladies. Some had apparently slept with every lady in Oz, at least twice.

Some of us quitter ones would listen in amazement, wondering if there was even a trace of fact in all this. Then you would suddenly find a pause, with all eyes turned to you. They were asking for your contribution. Mine was always the same, "Sorry fellers, I'm a virgin, no body has #### me".

I think quite a few thought I was kidding.

On the car theme, we had one officer, a member of the British aristocracy there, come out to mix with us colonials, who drove a huge great 1923 Rolls Royce. Now that car was always filled with the most beautiful ladies.

Lexi,

Thank you for the kind thoughts. I do enjoy my picnics and apple pie is obligatory. I make it. Never invite a lady (wife included) and expect her to put the picnic together.

Jardine K. Jardine, "Not having much understanding of the world, caused by attending university, I thought that was the end of the matter."

We were all so innocent LOL I only share some of my classics over port or brandy and a good campfire.

Hi there HASBEEN...

Nevertheless, whatever the facts proved to be ol' man, like you I'm sure, I really enjoyed those days even though I received a thoroughly good kicking, during 'interval' behind the Picture Theatre in Bayliss Street (the one nearest to the Station), there was little doubt, I deserved it ? I reckon RTB Kapooka, helped make me more of a man than the silly, stupid youth I was, before marching in ?

As this Topic appears to have now waned - I must say in conclusion, the WORST car I ever owned, was a new XH Ford Ute, with a straight six in her ? The reason being, we wanted to tow a small Caravan, 'til I got sick at least.

The reason I chose a Falcon Ute, much of my working life we drove a mixture of Commodores and Falcons, most of which were driven into the ground. Though what helped make up my mind, was driving a brand new Falcon while in 'Traffic'. It was the most powerful Falcon road car available back in c. 1975-78 and we used them mainly for pursuit work. They had a slightly modified suspension, fitted with high performance tyres, and equipped with the standard 5.8 V8 engine back then.

This thing could shift big time, and proved quite popular with the troops. Because these vehicles were pretty well thrashed, and tyre pressures were run always 8 to 10lbs higher than what the manufactures recommended, (for handling at speed) they went through tyres very quickly.

Anyway, I always favoured the Falcons over the Commodores since then (as do many taxi drivers), until I purchased my own 'new' XH Ute ! Which turned out to be a bad decision, a real heap in my opinion - far too many problems for me to enumerate ad infinitum, for you all here !

Thank you everyone who consented to contribute to this light hearted little Topic. There's an immense amount of technical knowledge out there amongst all you good people. I've said so often, I learn so much from you all !

O sung, through the 60s I was in the plastics industry, & racing as a hobby. We supplied materials to the companies manufacturing components for GM, Ford & Chrysler, & were involved in design & post production proving of components.

I always found that if a component could profit from the use of a hose clamp, GM would always fit one. Ford would fit one if they thought they couldn't get away without it. Chrysler would only fit one, after failures in the field demanded it.

When later I drove for both Holden & Ford in the Bathurst 500, I found the same thing.

The 327 Monaro in 68 was a full package, gentle & forgiving if you made a mistake, & after a bit of development before the race, reliable & capable of finishing the race in good condition. This is why they finished 1St 2Nd & 3Rd.

The Ford GT HO was on the other hand a bit of a lash up, as quick as the Holden, but a nasty vicious thing that was always looking for a way to bite you. That in 500 miles they all found a way of biting their drivers was why the Holdens won again.

Thus I always had a soft spot for Holdens, although preferring smaller cars for most applications

Hi there HASBEEN...

Upon reflection, though Falcon's 6cyl were almost bullet proof for us ordinary drivers, the rest of the car seemed poorly assembled or something ? The rattles, squeaks, & knocks, even with cars that were almost new, really amazed me. So in hindsight, I'd have to agree, the Commodore seems to be a much better built car.

The cars you would've drove at the Bathurst 500, were completely worked over - almost rebuilt. Together with the best auto-engineers in the country working on them. Though I spent almost 2 years with the STP Cooper S, and later HWP, driving the 5.8, V8 Falcon, it wouldn't be able to hold a candle to anything that had been prepared and entered in Bathurst ?

You'd be topping the 300kmh mark down 'Conrod' straight, wouldn't you HASBEEN ? I've forgotten what we were taken up to, in terms of top speed, during our pursuit training at the old St Ives, Driver Training School ? Possibly around the 140-150 MPH ? Actually, it wasn't so much achieving a high top speed, rather our ability to SAFELY control and handle a vehicle during a pursuit. And to intercept the speeding offender quickly, before he, and as a consequence yourself, achieved much higher, more dangerous speeds.

Today of course, as a result of some serious (fatal) accidents, Hwy. Patrol members, have much more restrictive, 'interception protocols' of speeding drivers. In fact all 'urgent duty driving' has been heavily curbed as a result of a number of fatal accidents, both of police and other innocent road users, as well as the original offending driver. So no more 'high speed' intercepts, unless the member can robustly justify his actions.

In fact, in the last ten years or so as a detective, I'd NOT had the occasion to 'speed' anywhere in an official M/V. The intelligent use of VKG proved a marvellous facility, and certainly faster than any motor car.

Not so quick in those days o sung, don't forget these were stock standard production cars that raced in the 500 in those days. They were doing something between 128 & 132 miles per hour.

A funny little story from then. We were so worried about them having to be absolutely stock we were not game to remove the little bit of black carpet in the center console.

No water supply for the driver, or anything like that in those days, & some drivers did most of the race. I did 121 laps in the Monaro.

To keep our mouths moist we carried a few Granny Smith apples in the console, putting them back after a bite, where bits of black carpet stuck to the bitten bit. Unfortunately after a few bites they had bits of black carpet all over them.

I don't know who started it, but an apple fight ensued, with drivers chucking bits of used apple, covered in carpet hairs, at each others cars, & a few flag wavers, until the ammunition ran out.

That was the great apple fight of 68, previously only known to the people involved & the pit crews, many of them no longer with us.