Rare and interesting car sightings

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Merc1107
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by Merc1107 »

Back in November, saw a nice Saab 900 Classic while waiting around Cockburn Central Station. Occasionally notice the odd 9000 about - quite a bit newer but seemingly rare in W.A. Used to have a neighbour down the street with a nice condition one in a darker colour. I'll bet they still have it, being older and all.

Have also noticed a BMW E28 (first generation 5-series, so 82-88) parked in Highgate.
Still registered, and sometimes not there, so has escaped the wooden blocks for now, it seems. Even has "LPG" tags on the plate... Wonder how well it runs (if at all) on the gas.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by Swift »

scott wrote:They look like FG MK II XR6 wheels to me, but they do look a little out of place, they should of hunted down some original spec period alloys, but anyway.
Spotted an immaculate looking bright yellow XC Fairmont Wagon as I was driving in Ettalong Beach yesterday arvo in my NC Fairlane Ghia.
Boy it has been a long time since I have seen such a sight. I have memories of a teacher's husband who had the same colour XC Falcon wagon back in 1980 and as a seven year old I used to notice it. It had the extra round driving lights in the grill and I thought it looked grand!
The car I saw today had those big square headlights staring at me in the rear view mirror and was sporting the Fairmont GXL alloys. Maybe it was a GXL wagon I saw! Stunning car.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by Swift »

Spotted a KE Laser like my silver one so took these shots of them together. They must have very different histories since they left the Homebush factory all that time ago.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by CCCC »

Spotted a Holden Nova and Holden Apollo in the same week in Newcastle on a visit.
Unfortunately no Toyota Lexen.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by Swift »

CCCC wrote:Spotted a Holden Nova and Holden Apollo in the same week in Newcastle on a visit.
Unfortunately no Toyota Lexen.
The other day when I took my Laser for inspection, there was a silver T3 Lexcen (VR equivalent) parked at the mechanics and it was on gas. paint was a bit "sunstroked".
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by scott »

Saw an Nissan XFN Ute here in Melbourne, according to the original rego plates, it was registered at the tail end of 1989 or the beginning of 1990. No rego label to confirm age.

You can still see a lot of JM Apollos (equivalent to wide body Camry) still around, in very good condition. Also seen running about in the past few months was a Ford Maverick.

Only joint venture vehicle I have not seen recently was a Ford Corsair.

Seen on Ebay was a Datsun 1600 ute, a 1986 model, never knew they still had them new in 1986, check out the log book pic in the photos, confirms it's age.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1986-DATSUN- ... Sw33hZAbR-

Also an EL GT up for grabs for a cool 80 grand

https://www.australianmusclecarsales.co ... d-new.html
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by boronia »

Honda S800, at the Penrith truck show yesterday.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by Swift »

^ looks like that engine has some sort of fuel injection. Quite a technical looking engine bay for it's era.
Honda have always been more adventurous with their engine design and pulled it off well.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by Heihachi_73 »

CCCC wrote:Spotted a Holden Nova and Holden Apollo in the same week in Newcastle on a visit.
Unfortunately no Toyota Lexen.
I saw a white "VR" Lexcen two days ago in Mitcham (Vic of course). There are two Holden Apollos (a wide body and an "SV21") and a Nova near where I live.

Speaking of badge engineering, is it time for Holden to throw in the towel yet? It makes no sense that they are still trying to flog things with the lion on it when the exact same cars/trucks are being sold from their original dealers e.g. Isuzu sells the D-Max/MU-X instead of rebadging it as a Holden Colorado. Even if Ford isn't making anything in Australia, they are still called Ford everywhere else. When the very last Commodore/Caprice etc. leaves the showroom, GM should retire the Holden brand and change them to Opel or Isuzu dealers. Both Opel and Isuzu have had car dealerships (the latter known as "Isuzu Ute" to differentiate it from their truck range) in Australia, although Opel didn't last long.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by scott »

Saw a burgundy VR Lexcen of 1994 vintage (going by the original number plates) and with a good original paint job on Burwood Highway in Wantirna and a green JM Apollo (Wide body Camry equivalent) in good nick in Glen Waverley. My old VR Lexcen was silver and badly faded. The ones with good paint survive and the white ones tend not to show their age.

I think Holden will not be the same after the Aussie Commodore goes, their sales results are not good now, the Opel derived models are being killed by Toyota. Maybe things may be better if they went back to rebadging Toyotas again!!!
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by scott »

Saw a very nice VQ II Caprice of around 1992 vintage today in white, while walking past a car yard, car yard guy not very friendly, so did not suss it out too much, but it looked good and original, right down to the original Eurovox audio unit and correct rims and correct size tyres. Those Caprices are bloody rare.

He had a yellow circa 1985 JD Camira, $2,900.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by Swift »

Hes got to be pulling our leg to expect that for a Junk-mira. I wonder if it's one of the injected ones that was made to take the now defunct super leaded petrol? They were considered the best performing.
Still, I would expect very low kilometres and a near flawless body for near on 3 grand.
It would be best sold to a collector as I can't remember the last time I saw a Junk-mira on the road here in NSW.
I used to admire the sound an automatic version would make even though I read the first carburettor ones that came out in 1982 were gutless piles of the proverbial s+++.
My friend told me his sister's wagon was a rocket. Must have been the leaded efi version.

PS. There is a beautifully kept metallic brown VJ Valiant sedan I see regularly in my local area.
It sometimes tows a trailer and I got to hear it going for the first time the other day and it was a manual hemi 6 with a sporty exhaust note like it had headers installed. A bit of a sleeper.
I should be able to get a photo soon. A group if young guys eyed it when it was parked one time.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by scott »

I managed to get the rego number of the Camira into my phone, did an online rego check at it netted a build date of 9/85 and an engine number starting with 18JU, so it was a leaded petrol version.

We had one of the first 1982 JB Camiras, bought new in early 1983 and it was a manual one, and it was gutless, especially with a full load and airconditioning on. I read a 1983 Wheels road test and their test Camira, with three people on board and fairly light luggage, needed around 3500rpm and lots of clutch slip to get going. Ours got us to Noosa and back, but burnt oil and needed the rings replaced at only 3 years old, but after a trip to Canberra, where it stuffed up, caused us to lose confidence in it and it was replaced and put up for sale, it took 3 months to sell.

Wheels have their archive up at http://arc.bauer.x-cago.net//vw/edition.do?year=2017 , it is incomplete at the moment, but there is a lot there.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by Swift »

scott wrote: I read a 1983 Wheels road test and their test Camira, with three people on board and fairly light luggage, needed around 3500rpm and lots of clutch slip to get going.
I read that it was not a tractable engine and it needed lots of revs to access it's horses. A type of engine that was opposite in character to what Australians liked in a car at the time and it affected sales.
The efi leaded version must have gifted the Camira a flatter curve as it was lauded as a fantastic motor after the much hated first.
The Camira, particularly the JB model was a handsome car with a good concept let down by local build quality. One good thing I recall was the modern backlit dash these cars had. They looked good from outside.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by scott »

Found a classic 1986 XF Fairmont Ghia for sale

https://www.australianmusclecarsales.co ... -ghia.html

It is ULP, as indicated by the repeater lights in the bumper and the ADR37 stamp on the compliance plate, as a Feb 86 build, one of the first ULP models.

Might of been attending my first day of Kindergarten the day it was registered.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by Swift »

Wow, they want a lot for it sheeezzz!
Don't like the colour, my favourite being either silver or that mauve silver a few came in.
Good to see it's still a series one going by the black topped bumper.
The series two were more rust prone, going by my observations.
I now prefer the XE Fairmont Ghia to the XF Sega computer game school of luxury, though very impressively high tech looking for a 1984 release.
I always loved the classy American style chrome power window and power door lock controls of the XE over the plain black rocker switches in the XF.
My personal holy grail find among this generation of Falcons is an XD Fairmont with the power windows option a surprising amount had.
Wierdly, I never saw any XF Fairmonts with them. I think it must have been because they came as an integrated package with the digital dash exclusive to the Fairlane/Fairmont Ghia/LTD models.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by scott »

I consulted my phone book sized XF workshop manual and looked up the paint code on the compliance plate, W=Olympic Gold Metallic.

My neighbour had a 12/87 build 2/88 registered (one of the last) GL Wagon and it was a different shade of EA type gold, so must of got a new range of colours by series II time. I remember as a kid watching him back his boat into the driveway with it.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by crazyturbo76 »

Heihachi_73 wrote: Speaking of badge engineering, is it time for Holden to throw in the towel yet? It makes no sense that they are still trying to flog things with the lion on it when the exact same cars/trucks are being sold from their original dealers e.g. Isuzu sells the D-Max/MU-X instead of rebadging it as a Holden Colorado. Even if Ford isn't making anything in Australia, they are still called Ford everywhere else. When the very last Commodore/Caprice etc. leaves the showroom, GM should retire the Holden brand and change them to Opel or Isuzu dealers. Both Opel and Isuzu have had car dealerships (the latter known as "Isuzu Ute" to differentiate it from their truck range) in Australia, although Opel didn't last long.
You'd think they'd do that but brand recognition is a very important thing in this world. People are more used to Holden being our local GM representative than Opel or Chevrolet (even though there are people who slap Chevrolet badges on Holden vehicles). After nearly seventy years of said marque's existence, you'd think people would take not too long to comprehend the fact that a Holden is now an Opel? Keep in mind GM finally pulled out of Europe this year by selling Opel/Vauxhall to PSA, so changing badges is a bit more impossible nowadays; even then I'd still imagine Holden would borrow a few cars from Opel's lineup despite the change in management.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by Swift »

They should just replace Holden with Chevrolet.
Holden fans identify with Chevrolet as a GM "icon" much more than Opel, ad attested by all the Chev badges appearing on Holdens anyway, like they are auto exotica, even though Chevrolet is positioned as a common bread and butter brand in it's home market.
I think replacing Holden with Chevrolets would be a hit here, though many would see it as offensive but too bad, there is no point anymore.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by boronia »

Opel tried to go it alone here, but didn't last too long.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by CCCC »

Metallic burnt orange VK commodore vacationer station wagon , in superb condition , just needs rear hatch polishing , driven by old smoking lady ,
seen her a few times now ,gets on the freeway at the south only entry Berowra and heads down Pennants Hill road , turns off to Epping.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by Swift »

There are probably a large group of young boys eyeing it with the intent of bastardising it, should they get their hands on it some day.
Luckily, there's a growing movement of restoring cars back original from modified state.
Saw a beautiful faithfully repainted metallic olive coloured XC Ford Fairmont V8 with its original metal wheel covers, parked in Beauchamp Rd, Matraville. Will try and post a pic. I suspect this car had been modified and is now fixed up.
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by CCCC »

Swift wrote:
scott wrote: I read a 1983 Wheels road test and their test Camira, with three people on board and fairly light luggage, needed around 3500rpm and lots of clutch slip to get going.
I read that it was not a tractable engine and it needed lots of revs to access it's horses. A type of engine that was opposite in character to what Australians liked in a car at the time and it affected sales.
The efi leaded version must have gifted the Camira a flatter curve as it was lauded as a fantastic motor after the much hated first.
The Camira, particularly the JB model was a handsome car with a good concept let down by local build quality. One good thing I recall was the modern backlit dash these cars had. They looked good from outside.
And to think it got a few car of the year awards from memory,
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by Swift »

CCCC wrote:
And to think it got a few car of the year awards from memory,
Leyland P76!
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Re: Rare and interesting car sightings

Post by Swift »

Here is the XC-llent Fairmont I found.
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