Favourite Australian muscle car (lots of pics Dial Uppers..)
Discussion
Well we have done the Yanks, time for something else 
No mega power oval racer specials here, most of these had to earn there way via 'the mountain' (ok ok, so only some of the following did it that way)
enjoy.
Falcon XR GT, the first of the GT's any colour you like as long it's gold
The infamous XY GTHO, fastest four door in the world for a brief period I believe
Torana A9X, V8 RWD hatchback, take note BMW...
Torana GTR XU-1, david to GTHOs goliath
XC Falcon Cobra, you'd never mistake it for anything else
HK327 Monaro and the new one
VK Commodore SS Group A 'Brock'
VS Commodore GTS-R, AKA 'that yellow thing'
HSV VT GTS, one of the best lookinh HSVs ever
Falcon BA XR8 GT Ute, diabolical
Falcon BA XR8 GT-P, finally the falcon gets the V8 it needs
F6 Typhoon, embarasses the V8s with ease, dont mention the clutch though...
HSV VY GTS
HSV VY Maloo, Holden does better utes IMHO
AU XR8, outgunned but still a nicer drive than the commodore.
Better throw in a 1 tonner so my dad isn't disappointed
WB Statesman
Fairlane, another pimp mobile
Falcon XE ESP, last gasp of the V8 falcons before that dark period when no V8 was available
Torana SLR5000, small saloon, V8 power
VL SS Group A 'Walkinshaw', very distinctive with it's aero package
HSV Coupe 300kw, enough said
The humble VL Turbo (included since it's such a popular tuner car)
The HQ GTS Monaro, the mighty 'Q an old fav
Valiant VG Pacer, ah the old valiants....
VN SS Group A, everycar thief's wet dream in the early '90s
Barely worth including, (FWD, heresy!) but at least they made an effort I suppose
E49 Charger R/T probably the best Australian muscle car of its era, the XY GTHO and XU-1 are very close runners up though
Oh well that will do for now, someone else can do the rest.
No mega power oval racer specials here, most of these had to earn there way via 'the mountain' (ok ok, so only some of the following did it that way)
enjoy.
Falcon XR GT, the first of the GT's any colour you like as long it's gold
The infamous XY GTHO, fastest four door in the world for a brief period I believe
Torana A9X, V8 RWD hatchback, take note BMW...
Torana GTR XU-1, david to GTHOs goliath
XC Falcon Cobra, you'd never mistake it for anything else
HK327 Monaro and the new one
VK Commodore SS Group A 'Brock'
VS Commodore GTS-R, AKA 'that yellow thing'
HSV VT GTS, one of the best lookinh HSVs ever
Falcon BA XR8 GT Ute, diabolical
Falcon BA XR8 GT-P, finally the falcon gets the V8 it needs
F6 Typhoon, embarasses the V8s with ease, dont mention the clutch though...
HSV VY GTS
HSV VY Maloo, Holden does better utes IMHO
AU XR8, outgunned but still a nicer drive than the commodore.
Better throw in a 1 tonner so my dad isn't disappointed
WB Statesman
Fairlane, another pimp mobile
Falcon XE ESP, last gasp of the V8 falcons before that dark period when no V8 was available
Torana SLR5000, small saloon, V8 power
VL SS Group A 'Walkinshaw', very distinctive with it's aero package
HSV Coupe 300kw, enough said
The humble VL Turbo (included since it's such a popular tuner car)
The HQ GTS Monaro, the mighty 'Q an old fav
Valiant VG Pacer, ah the old valiants....
VN SS Group A, everycar thief's wet dream in the early '90s
Barely worth including, (FWD, heresy!) but at least they made an effort I suppose
E49 Charger R/T probably the best Australian muscle car of its era, the XY GTHO and XU-1 are very close runners up though
Oh well that will do for now, someone else can do the rest.
johnjr said:
Don't know much about Aussie muscle (would like to learn) but some of the look really nice!!
seems they're mainly Holden and Ford though
johnjr
Some are Chryslers
I could mention the Leyland P76 I suppose, something little more British than American, was something of a disaster though.
More info on this essential piece of Australian Automotive history
www.webtrade.com.au/p76/
Brilliant!
I was a kid growing up in Melbourne in the early 70's and the XY GTHO, the Monaro and the Charger were all responsible for major early stirrings of a petrol/pistonhead type.
Sadly I could never get my Dad to understand so he flew the British flag by ferrying us round in a two tone green Austin 1800 "Landcrab" ...oh the shame of it...
I was a kid growing up in Melbourne in the early 70's and the XY GTHO, the Monaro and the Charger were all responsible for major early stirrings of a petrol/pistonhead type.
Sadly I could never get my Dad to understand so he flew the British flag by ferrying us round in a two tone green Austin 1800 "Landcrab" ...oh the shame of it...
Great line up of pictures there. Hard to include them all but Id say the old RX7 might get hounarable mention for battles it had with more conventional muscle.
The WB there looks to actually be a 1-tonner/ute with a Statesman front end - popular conversion. No rear windows or C pillars in the picture see.
PB
The WB there looks to actually be a 1-tonner/ute with a Statesman front end - popular conversion. No rear windows or C pillars in the picture see.
PB
Ahh - wondered how long it might be for the aus cars to turn up!
Since being in Aus (jan) i have been buying Australian Muscle Car Magazine. Am really enjoying it, its a great read and lots about bathurst etc...
For me the GT-HO and the XA/XBs are the best.
I can see me coming away from this country with one as a momento!
Only half-regret so far is that although i went to bathurst this year, we weren't able to see the classic races beforehand to see some of these old beasts out there...
If you can pick up a copy of the AMC mags anywhere, I'd highly recommend it, they are a great read.
Since being in Aus (jan) i have been buying Australian Muscle Car Magazine. Am really enjoying it, its a great read and lots about bathurst etc...
For me the GT-HO and the XA/XBs are the best.
I can see me coming away from this country with one as a momento!
Only half-regret so far is that although i went to bathurst this year, we weren't able to see the classic races beforehand to see some of these old beasts out there... If you can pick up a copy of the AMC mags anywhere, I'd highly recommend it, they are a great read.
Magna? It's not bad, but not really a "muscle car".
>> Edited by Jungles on Monday 14th November 04:31
johnjr said:That's because most of Australian-bred sports cars were developed for/from our old touring car championships. Nowadays, they're known as the V8 Supercar series. Even back in the 60s to 80s, the dominant contenders were Fords or Holdens, even though Jaguars, Volvos, and Nissans were also involved.
Don't know much about Aussie muscle (would like to learn) but some of the look really nice!!
seems they're mainly Holden and Ford though
johnjr
>> Edited by Jungles on Monday 14th November 04:31
One of the coolest vehicles on the planet i have ever seen are the Aussie panel vans commonly known as panos,the times ive been out in Oz i always look out for them and they are a combination of a Statesman up market car and a van...sounds odd at first but when you see them they are COOL.
Some of them come with 5 litre V8's cool mettalic paint,chrome wheels and the rear has a split opening..you often see the beach addicts and surfers cruising along the ocean roads with the top of the rear opening up and the added murals,paintwork and chrome glistening in the sun accompanied by the throbbing cruising noise of the V8
There was one featured in "Mad Max"....ohhhh i want one
And another,
>> Edited by ZR1cliff on Monday 14th November 12:38
Some of them come with 5 litre V8's cool mettalic paint,chrome wheels and the rear has a split opening..you often see the beach addicts and surfers cruising along the ocean roads with the top of the rear opening up and the added murals,paintwork and chrome glistening in the sun accompanied by the throbbing cruising noise of the V8
There was one featured in "Mad Max"....ohhhh i want one
And another,
>> Edited by ZR1cliff on Monday 14th November 12:38
308mate said:
..and there's really no excuse for the Magna getting a show here at all. Only thing that has to do with muscle is the ones you need to combat the torque-steer.
Yeah I know, but it's the only vaguely performance related home grown car they do, the AWD version is much better, but not all that fast. I just thought I'd put it in since most wouldn't be aware of it.
308mate said:
Great line up of pictures there. Hard to include them all but Id say the old RX7 might get hounarable mention for battles it had with more conventional muscle.
The WB there looks to actually be a 1-tonner/ute with a Statesman front end - popular conversion. No rear windows or C pillars in the picture see.
PB
There are two forms of 'ute'. The one Tonner, which is arguably more practical as it has a separate cab and chassis with a flat tray (or like most people, get a custom built one) so they can carry all sorts of loads. The 'Ute' has fixed sides which are integral to the body and so is not as versatile in some ways, but has other uses such as carrying sand and equipment.
Ute
One tonner
I did consider the RX7 and other old rotaries like the R100, RX2, RX3, RX4, RX5 etc are all quite popular on the street machine circuit as well, outside of Japan and the US, Australia (and NZ) is probably the next largest market/following of mazda rotaries. I also considered some other cars that were somewhat unique to Australia even if they were foreign cars, The Cortina had a falcon 3.3 and 4.1 Straight six instead of the V6 in other markets (dog of a car, but great for burnouts and acceleration), the Escort had the 2.0L as a standard engine, and the 1.6L and under versions were always kent engines not pintos (only the 2.0L was a pinto). We also had a 4 door RS2000, our RS2000 wasn't as hot as the Euro version though (we did get 25 in 1975 but they are almost all racecars).
Pulsar (aka Sunny) ET
Cordia GSR Turbo, the WRX of it's day
The Nissan Pulsar ET was apparently slightly unique to Australia, Mitsubishi Cordia's are another one that although not unique are something most people in Europe are unaware of (you did get the Lancer EX turbo though, much better car IMHO). Also the Datsun 1600 is another very popular car here for modifiers and rallyers, though less so as they become rarer. Also got the R32 Skyline GTR officially (only other country to do so I think) and also the S15 silvia/200SX.
The Holden Gemini is another popular machine, I don't know what it's called over here though.
Datsun 1600, most run FJ20DETs, CA18DET or SR20DETs these days
Korean cars are also much more popular here, Hyundai Excels (Accent) have a huge range of tuning kits, twin throttle bodies, turbo and super charger kits, six speed gearboxes etc.
We also got this, a Lancer GSR, not an Evo, but a 1.8L Turbo AWD car that looks incredibly anonymous, they dumped it just as the WRX became a hit
They also dumped the Galant VR4 at the same time. 
ZR1cliff said:
One of the coolest vehicles on the planet i have ever seen are the Aussie panel vans commonly known as panos,the times ive been out in Oz i always look out for them and they are a combination of a Statesman up market car and a van...sounds odd at first but when you see them they are COOL.
Some of them come with 5 litre V8's cool mettalic paint,chrome wheels and the rear has a split opening..you often see the beach addicts and surfers cruising along the ocean roads with the top of the rear opening up and the added murals,paintwork and chrome glistening in the sun accompanied by the throbbing cruising noise of the V8
There was one featured in "Mad Max"....ohhhh i want one
And another,
>> Edited by ZR1cliff on Monday 14th November 12:38
Ah the Panel van, my dad had a few, holdens like the above plus some earlier models, part of the whole 70s thing, car as freedom etc etc, my dad being a carpenter fitted it out with bed and cupboards and shelves as a home away from home on his various surfing trips.
I think his was a HT like the one in this link, but it had a worked 202 with a datsun 240K gearbox and was loud enough to get several tickets from the police for noise pollution
These days he is more into One Tonners. www.powerhousemuseum.com/previous/cars_panelvan.asp
Got some more links here,
www.madmaxcars.com/sold/
www.aussiecoupes.com/max.html
Give me yer fugin ice cream.....with nuts on it?
Some more on here,i forgot they used to be referred to as Sandmans aswell
www.infresments.com.au/VANSw2/home.shtml
www.madmaxcars.com/sold/
www.aussiecoupes.com/max.html
Give me yer fugin ice cream.....with nuts on it?
Some more on here,i forgot they used to be referred to as Sandmans aswell
www.infresments.com.au/VANSw2/home.shtml
Only the Sandmans were referred to as Sandmans. Some of the Panel vans and utes were sold in a variation from the factory called SANDMAN. Ford had a little-known equivalent called the SUNDOWNER. If you stuck Sandman graphics on your non-Sandman Panel van, you (rightly) had scorn poured on you. Kind of like if you put SS stickers ono your commodore but its really just an ex-pursuit job. Ummm...I actually did that.
I actually had a 253ci (4.2) HX Panel Van. The 4 speed (4 on the floor) used to get stuck in 1st and reverse simultaneously. Id let the clutch up and the whole thing just sat there and rose-up on its suspension like a cat arching its back. Used to cruise the coast road in Perth with mates in the back and the tail up (of course!).
Also had an HZ Kingswood Wagon (3 spd traumatic), lowered, 5-spoke kidney-bean mags, repanelled the far-back interior with MDF and some nice chamfered screws
PB
I actually had a 253ci (4.2) HX Panel Van. The 4 speed (4 on the floor) used to get stuck in 1st and reverse simultaneously. Id let the clutch up and the whole thing just sat there and rose-up on its suspension like a cat arching its back. Used to cruise the coast road in Perth with mates in the back and the tail up (of course!).
Also had an HZ Kingswood Wagon (3 spd traumatic), lowered, 5-spoke kidney-bean mags, repanelled the far-back interior with MDF and some nice chamfered screws
PB
308mate said:
Used to cruise the coast road in Perth with mates in the back and the tail up (of course!).
Hey well i never 308mate when i think of the coastal road in my mind its when i was in Perth,i used to borrow my girlfriends parents old Holden Station wagon to go cruising with the GF and remember taking a coastal road high up at night that looked down over the glinting Indian Ocean and the city,listening to local radio with Billy Joel's "Dont go Changing" playing....all the time i was looking out for the panos.
Good imfo on the 'Sundowners' by the way.
far as I'm concerned, the Sandman & V8 utes are Aussie icons & the sooner Vauxhall bring in more HSV's the better for you lot in the UK, beleive me. I have the only GTS Coupe in the UK (as far as I know?) but the Holden/HSV's certainly get some attention on the road. Mine will be up for sale in March if anyones REALLY interested in a bit of pure Aussie muscle! (details via my profile, pix below)
http://au.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/julianhorsley/album
http://au.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/julianhorsley/album
Hasbeen said:
Great post, & great memories. Its a pity, from my point of view, that you didn't have a 327 Monaro to put in there. I did 121 laps of Bathurst in one in 68, & have loved them ever since.
Well there was one in there, Not sure what happened to the photo though
Heres another anyway
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