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.