Car

Years Owned

Notes

Photo

C1937 Austin 8 Tourer

1962-1964

Owned before I was licensed to drive.  Thrashed around unsealed backroads which taught me a lot about car handling.  Subsequently registered and driven to high school.

1952 Holden FX

1964

Beautiful one-owner example which was never the same after a collision with a farm truck.  Luxury after the Austin.

1957 Holden FE

1964-1965

Drove well but unexciting.

1964 Morris Cooper

1965-1967

Black with red trim.  Optional walnut dashboard.  Not an ‘S’ but still good performance and superb handling.

1961 Triumph TR3-A

1967 (5 mths)

My introduction to TRs.  Would have been better without the (suspected) cracked cylinder head.  Dosed it with Irontite and traded it on a TR4.

1962 Triumph TR4

1967-1968

Modified the engine extensively.  Repainted Wildfire Copper Bronze.  Chrome roll bar, wide wheels etc.  Competed successfully at newly opened Palmyra Dragway and unbeaten in class.  No photos unfortunately.

1967 Triumph TR4-A

1968-1972

1975-Jan 2013

Every option available except radio.  Surrey top, overdrive, chrome wire wheels, wood steering wheel, leather seats.  Only 3,200 miles when purchased for $3,200.

1970 Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV

1972

One of the sweetest handling cars ever, with that fantastic Alfa gearbox.  Also the standard rust in the rear wheel arches.

1971 Ford Fairmont XA 250

1973

Dull, but looked OK with the copper bronze paint and chrome mags.

1970 XY Falcon GT-HO (Phase 3)

1973-1974

Wish I still had it but could I justify so many dollars in the garage?  Bought for $4,200 with 4000 miles up.  Sold for $4,800.  One of the first nine Phase 3s.  Could have bought it back for $65,000 in 2001.  Current value $megabucks.

1966 Chrysler Valiant Regal VC

1974-1976

Bought a trailable yacht and needed a tow-car.  These were great cars in their day.

1972 Ford Fairlane ZF

1976-1982

First car owned with air conditioning.  Not as good at towing as the Valiant.  Turnover in cars slowing with time spent sailing.

1981 Volvo 244GL (3 speed auto)

1982-1988

First car bought new.  Built like a tank and drove like one.  Ugly, slow, heavy on fuel.  Why???

1985 Volvo 760 Turbo GLE

1988-2000

Much better than the 244.  Slow off the mark but once the turbo kicked in it had quite usable performance and was a comfortable tourer.

1968 Jaguar E-Type FHC

1991-Current

Teenage dream car – midlife crisis.  Classic in every sense.  Story elsewhere on the website.

1998 Mercedes Benz E430 Elegance

2001-2005

Bought with 50,000 kilometres up and driven another 80,000.  Beautiful car with outstanding performance and luxury.  Looked the part also with 18” AMG wheels.

2005 Mercedes Benz E350 Avant-Garde (06 Update)

2005-2013

Bought new.  In workshop five times in first seven months with mostly transmission shift problems.  Multiple engine problems since warranty expired.  MB Australia fixed some under duress.  A beautiful car to drive but always wondering what would go wrong next.  A victim of the merger with Chrysler and (hopefully past?) incompetent management.  Would never buy another late MB.

1989 Mercedes Benz 560SEC

2013-2014

A good example of a true classic Benz.  Built when quality was more important than profit.

2013 Jaguar XF

2013-2022

Premium Luxury 2.0 litre petrol.  Bought new to replace the E350 Mercedes.  Wonderful to have a car with low servicing costs and which doesn't break down .  In other words it's not a Mercedes. Traded on MY21.25 F-Pace Jan 2022.

2003MY Jaguar XK8

2015-Current

A 4.2 litre XK8 Coupe built 12/2002 but delivered new in May 2003 to its first owner in Adelaide.  Better photos to come.