Comments by "John D" (@johnd8892) on "American Reacts to History of the Australian Car Industry" video.

  1. The right hand drive Mustangs in 1966 were converted with great difficulty at the Ford factory in Australia. Shannons story : https://youtu.be/svo0flmsgaw
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  2. Not quite how it happened at 19:20. No government ban but both federal and state governments said that make those cars and you won't get the tens of thousands of yearly fleet sales to government.
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  3. Regal was the 1965 introduced equivalent of the Holden Premier and Falcon Fairmont. By 69 they went long wheelbase with the Valiant VIP. to compete with the long wheelbase Fairlane. All before the Statesman. Last attempt to compete at the top level was the short lived Chrysler by Chrysler in 1972 with cheaper Regal and Regal 770 models in parallel but standard wheelbase. Regal was long lived trim level. 1965 to possibly 1981.
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  4. Chrysler by Chrysler in production longer that I thought : https://youtu.be/BX4CuuUw_FM
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  5. I think Ed heavily relied on that more comprehensive series from Shannon's.
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  6.  @milksheihk  when the FE finally had that body type Holden only called it a Station Sedan : https://youtu.be/M2LeZkLbzkI Did so officially until about the HT well into the sixties.
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  7. Photos of it exist with 1946 Michigan number plates.
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  8. 349 Charger as the E55 made but detuned and made an automatic only luxury version. Saw on YouTube driver geoghan talking about a few special Keith Black 340s meant for the race team. The E49 six did get sold with 302 HP and a four speed.
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  9. Yes, also the long wheelbase Valiant VIP was another that did not have the success of the 1968 Fairlane that he did not show.
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  10. Also a factor was that 500 miles was beginning to be too easy and take too short of time. So a longer 1000 km , or around 620 miles, was a tougher test and a loner race for TV and fans. These days even 1000 km over a bit quicker so that starting time becoming later so the finish and presentations add to peak TV ratings.
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  11. Studebaker story from Australia touching on its numerous early Bathurst attempts, often driven by Victorian Police : https://youtu.be/SHHTPLw-oNM More Studebakers here than Oldsmobile, Buick, Mercury, Plymouth, caddilac and Lincoln. Preferred Victoria Police car from 1962 to 1966. All V8 models assembled at Heidelberg West in Victoria.
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  12. At 18:20. Chrysler did make the race model Charger Ed pointed to with the 302 HP E49 Charger triple Weber Hemi sixes made in a run of a few hundred. What was stopped from sale was faster models like the Ford Falcon GTHO phase 4, Charger 340 V8 four speed and Torana GTR XU2 V8 five litre. And likely a few more in future pipelines like a 351 V8 Cortina if the phase 4 got beat by the Torana V8 However later on milder road models did get built but the racing rules did allow the cars to have much more engine mods for racing. Like the late seventies Torana A9X and Falcon Cobra coupes. Road versions sold with much less power by then but then much modified in racing..
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  13. Other than manufacturing Holden there were other GM makes Holden assembled to help GMH get near 50% of the Australian market around the 1960 peak years : https://youtu.be/QknV_aFJ6Mo I understand that Holden then was the most profitable division of GM for return on investment.
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  14. For a while here the Ford territory was the biggest selling SUV here. It was taken to the US to show head office. They were amazed and said it was the best Ford made at the time but did not find Ford' Aus with left hand drive exports. US head office and unions wanted all left hand drive markets for the US parent company.
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  15. Australian assembled Rambler AMX from the AMI Port Melbourne factory : https://youtu.be/xq7dM-AGmk0 One of just 25 made at twice the price of a Falcon GT or Monaro GTS at the time. Normal Ramblers made in larger numbers. Not called AMC here as too similar to AMI and we were just getting used to Rambler name. A step up in price over Holden and Ford but considered a luxury semi performance car. NSW police and government car for the Rebel and model before. Classic was it ?
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  16. From 10:42.. These 1948 Chevrolet cars were assembled by Holden, but all I have seen were four door Sedans or utes. My Father bought one in 1968 for $1. When new they were much more expensive than the Holden, so some people bought the cheaper ute version : https://youtu.be/QHp3uCxuIVc Well before the El Camino. Started in the thirties. First car I learnt in. All Chevrolet cars were six cylinder until 1955, but a 3.5 litre six unlike the more frugal 2.2 litre six being the only Holden engine until 1963 red motors. Ford were the main V8 people.
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  17. At 20:35 he showed the early sixties unsuccessful compact Fairlane. Assembled here from imported parts, so too expensive for a compact car here. Much more successful were the 1968 onwards Fairlane made here from Falcon parts but made to look much bigger using the station wagon long wheelbase floor pan and different four headlight grill and tail lights. Convinced many it was much bigger than a Falcon. Very clever lower cost , or higher profit, luxury car from Ford emphasising how Australian car companies needed to do more for less. GMH responded in a rush before the Statesman with the Holden Brougham. Cue your Brougham jokes. But just an extended boot, V8 and luxo touches. Did not look different enough from a Holden Premier, the previous highest trim level. The Holden Statesman also looked big but used so many standard Holden parts in the same way as the Fairlane did for Ford. Eg both used the same windshield as the base model smaller cars.
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  18. Left hand drive export Holdens advertisement from 1960 promoting the export levels achieved including LEFT HAND DRIVE versions exported to Hawaii among other LHD markets https://youtu.be/I5YReuF6BVA Possibly GM head office and US auto workers unions would prefer these markets to be supplied by Detroit later. Would love to know how the cars were received in Hawaii or if any survive In 1980 my brother travelled in Greece in a 1967 Holden Taxi that the driver was very happy with.
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  19. First local V8 in our size cars was in August 1965 for the Valiant Regal V8 when the 273 V8 option was introduced. Although really as the top of the range luxury model with automatic transmission only : https://youtu.be/cJC759IAQTo So not quite the same as a muscle car, but surprised many as even the standard Valiant 225 slant six with 145 HP was ahead of Ford Falcon and Holden from its introduction in 1962. The Valiant V8 could have won Bathurst in 1966 if enough V8 buyers had paid for the disc brake option to enable a disc brake version to be raced. So without being able to stop more reliably the drum brakes Valiant got beat by Mini Cooper S models that won and took positions 1 to 9 in the 1966. Astonishing result never to be repeated. Chrysler less interested in racing early on here.
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  20. Small cars in Australia had a significant market share in Australia even pre war. Australian bodied Austin, with convertible and UTE versions available : https://youtu.be/yBoWkq89h2M Lower purchase price and fuel cost an attraction for many. Stories and photos in my family of the pre war Austin Seven. Even the first car Peter Brock drove was an Austin Seven, but one he hotted up as a kid. The car still exists in this amazing collection : https://youtu.be/RhllAzdl0-Q
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  21. Seems Ed got lots of his inspiration from the excellent Shannon's end of an era series. Part one of four : https://youtu.be/5tC7yP9LmAE A few less mistakes than Ed and more detail over two hours.
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  22. Also lots of Rambler American, Classic, Rebels and a few AMX. Some used by NSW govt and Police.
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