[1972 Mini Clubman GT]
Ownership: 1975-1977
1275cc engine with twin-carburettors.
Fun to drive.
It covered many trips in South Africa incl. Durban
and Swaziland.
It was my 5th Mini
[1958 AH ‘frog-eye’ Sprite]
Ownership: 1976-1978
South Africa – restored from a box of bits.
Concours condition.
2nd in National AHCC Concours.
Beautiful car to drive with only a 998cc BMC
A-series engine.
Red interior and hard-top included.
[Austin Healey Sprite Special]
Ownership: 1976
Basically an Austin Healey Sprite with a fibreglass
Lenham GT bonnet.
It had an uprated engine and was designed to look
sportier than the ‘frog-eye’ Sprite but in my opinion was a lot uglier.
It didn’t last long before I sold it.
[Austin Healey wrecking (for spares)]
Ownership: 1976
The car on the right was basically used for any
spare parts that were missing from the (soon to be) Concours example on the left
[Honda 125cc motorbike]
Ownership: 1977-1978
Off road trail bike.
Used extensively in the bush veldt and mine dumps around
Jo’burg
|
Rosie riding the bike at Tyrone |
England 1978 - 79
[1968 VW Kombi - converted]
Ownership: 1978
Purchased outside Australia House, Fleet St., London for £1,000 for
15,000 mile trip around France, Holland, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Corfu and UK.
It had been converted with kitchen and sleeping
arrangements.
Very comfortable and cheap accommodation – car
parks, fields and beauty spots a speciality!
[1965 Morris Minor 1000]
Ownership: 1978
Owned for 3 months after I got back from touring
Europe, until I left for Australia.
948cc engine. Single carburettor.
It blew up its engine on a steep hill on the daily
commute to Croydon UK one day.
Australia 1979 - current
[1966 Holden HR]
Ownership: 1979-1980
First car in Australia.
Straight-six 161cu in motor (2.6L) with bench seats
and 3-speed manual gearbox with column change on the ‘stick’.
It was full of rust – not a penny spent on it.
[1971 MG Midget ‘1275’ Mk 3]
Ownership: 1980-1981
My first sports car in Australia.
1275 cc detuned version of the Cooper S engine with
65 bhp made for a sporty performance.
Sills painted black, wire wheels, recessed black
grille, and squared off taillights like the MGB.
This was our mode of transport when LeeAnne and I
first started dating.
Again, the 6 year gap before buying my next classic
was due to getting married and buying our first house in Australia.
1981 - 1990
[1978 BMW 520i]
Ownership: 1985-1987
Smart and luxurious.
M20 6-cylinder engine with Bosch L-jetronic fuel
injection and Getrag 4-speed manual transmission.
Sheepskin seat covers made for comfortable driving.
Joined BMW Club 1985
[1968 MGB MkII]
Ownership: 1987-1989
Classic English sports car. Indigo blue. 1800cc
motor with twin SU carburettors.
Concours condition with aluminium rocker cover,
wire wheels, overdrive and a beautiful exhaust note you could listen to all
day.
Joined MG Car Club 1987
[1973 BMW 3.0S]
Ownership: 1987-1990
Classic BMW of the ‘70’s.
E3 sedan with the new M30 straight-6 engine. Twin
Zenith 35/40 carburettors.
Toured Victoria from Merimbula to Apollo Bay and
north to Echuca, in 1987, with Mum and Dad.
[1957 MGA 1500]
Ownership: 1989-90 ‘HGH 000’
Another classic. Also Concours condition. Purchased
from MG Workshops in North Road.
Wire wheels, badge bar and luggage rack on the
boot. Beautiful lines of an English sports car from the 50’s
1500 cc engine fitted with twin SU carburettors
produced 72 bhp Lockheed drum brakes on all four wheels. Top speed of 97.8 mph
and accelerated from 0–60 mph in 16.0 seconds
1991 - 2000
[1979 BMW 730i]
Ownership: 1991-1998
E23 sedan with M30 straight-6 engine and Bosch L-Jectronic
fuel injection produced 181 bhp.
Comfortable German highway cruiser – top of range,
cost $40,000 in 1980 (as much as a house). Top condition with sheepskin seat
covers front and rear.
[1972 Jaguar E-Type Series III V12 ‘2+2 Coupe’]
Ownership: 1990-1992
Stunning performance from 5.3 L V12 engine with 250
bhp and four Zenith carburettors.
Concours condition, with Webasto sunroof, chrome
wire wheels, ‘fantail’ exhaust and genuine sheepskin seat covers.
Joined Jaguar Car Club 1990.
Raced at Phillip Island in car club meetings
Qtr-mile sprint in 15.2 secs at Calder racetrack.
Top speed 135 mph and 0-60 in 6.8 secs
[1954 Austin-Healey BN1 100/4]
Ownership: 1992-1995
Another classic English sports car. Developed by
Donald Healey, based on Austin A90 Atlantic mechanicals and bodies made by
Jensen Motors.
2660 cc I4 engine and three-speed manual
transmission with overdrive on second and top.
Top speed 106 mph and 0–60 in 11.2 secs.
Purchased from The Healey Factory in Clayton. Also
Concours condition and it was sold to someone who exported it back to UK.
Raced at Phillip Island in car club meetings
[Cyclops Clipper Pedal cars]
Perfect little car for a future driver learning to
drive.
Now a collector item
[1966 Ford XP Fairmont]
Ownership: 1995-2005
Australian Car of the Year in 1966.
It featured 200 cu in Super Pursuit engine,
three-speed automatic transmission, bucket seats and a padded dash along with
carpets, perforated, colour-matched headlining, heater, screen washers,
chrome-plated interior mirror, interior door-operated lights, and
vacuum-assisted disc brakes. Venetian blinds, whitewall tyres, individual
reclining seats and fluffy dice.
A ‘Street Cruiser’ at home in Chapel Street,
Prahan.
2001 - 2010
[1990 MX5 Series NA1]
Ownership: 2005-2008
My 8th sports car.
Lightweight two-seater roadster with a 1.6 L dual
overhead cam inline four-cylinder engine, producing 115 bhp.
Electronic fuel injection with a vane-type air flow
meter and electronic ignition system.
0-60 in 8.3 secs with a top speed of 126 mph.
It featured a 5-speed manual transmission,
lightened crankshaft, flywheel, and aluminum sump with cooling fins.
Independent double wishbone suspension on all four wheels, with an anti-roll
bar at the front and rear, four-wheel disc brakes, ventilated at the front, on
alloy wheels with 185/60HR14 tyres.
Reminiscent of the British sports cars of the 1950s
& '60s, such as the Lotus Elan and MGA.
Mine also had MiniLite wheels with some negative
camber. A very exciting car to drive, close to the road and with brilliant
handling.
Joined MX5 Car Club 2006.
[1989 Mercedes 2.6 300E]
Ownership: 2008-2014
Exceptional German engineering – with many advanced
automotive features. It had multi-link rear suspension and one of the lowest
coefficients of drag of any vehicle at the time, due to its aerodynamic body
that included plastic molding for the undercarriage to streamline airflow
beneath the car.
2.6L M103.940 IL6 overhead camshaft engine with
4-speed automatic transmission and semi-electronic fuel injection (Bosch KE-Jetronic)
producing 168 bhp with a top speed of 134 mph.
Perfect condition. MBTex seats.
Remote c/locking, e/windows, cruise control,
carphone, sunroof, ABS, alarmed.
Joined MB Car Club 2008.
Very comfortable luxury cruising.
2011-2020
[1988 Mercedes 300CE Coupe]
Ownership: 2014-2022
Regn ‘DAH 1’
Finest German engineering from the 80’s – 30
years old and it drives like a new car.
3.0L M103 IL6 overhead camshaft engine with
4-speed automatic transmission and CIS-E semi-electronic fuel injection (Bosch
KE-Jetronic) producing 185 bhp with a top speed of 140 mph.
Concours condition.
MBCCV Concours Class winner 2015, Class 3rd Place 2019.
Class Show/Shine award winner 2016.
Low mileage (165,000 kms), one owner car.
Top of range in 1988; cost when new $130,000.
Leather, electric memory seats, electric windows,
cruise control, Becker radio, sunroof, ABS.
Interior of the 300CE.
Sportline steering wheel, Zebrano woodgrain dash
and console, leather seats with memory function.
A very comfortable car.
Engine bay of the 300CE.
Rocker cover and exhaust manifold re-painted. Radiator
polished.
Very clean car!
A previous owner had fitted MBTex interior, incl armrest and head rests, Sportline steering wheel and replaced the steel wheels with 15-hole Gullydeckel alloy wheels.