It seems to be every couple of weeks we hear of a mint condition A9X Torana, Monaro or GT-HO hitting the market for a monumental price, and they don’t seem to be having many issues finding a new home. So, with the Australian car manufacturing industry officially closed for business, which cars of more recent years will replace the classics of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s in another 50 years’ time? Well, in this article we take a look back at the cars produced in Australia since the turn of the century, and create a very short list of cars that might just be considered a classic in the future.
Ford Falcon FGX XR8 Sprint
The FGX XR8 Sprint was the most powerful Falcon ever produced, thanks to a 10 second overboost feature that elevated power specs from 335kw/570nm to a mammoth 400Kw/650Nm in short bursts. It was a final farewell for a model that had a long and illustrious history on both public roads and the race track. The final Falcon was a fantastic representation of what the Australian car manufacturing industry was capable of; not only was the car blisteringly fast, it was comfortable, looked good inside and out and rivalled many of its European counterparts in refinement. It will hardly be a surprise when the value of this car increases over time.
Holden CV8Z Monaro
The CV8Z Monaro was the final offering of the reincarnated Holden Monaro in the 2000s. It featured a beefed up 5.7 litre LS1 producing an impressive (for the time) 260kw. While the car was essentially a coupe version of the SS Commodore, the more compact appearance made the Monaro appear a considerably more sporty option than its full sized brother. Prices are already rising on good condition CV8Z’s, with the 6-speed manuals the pick of the transmissions.
HSV GTSR Maloo
The HSV GTSR Maloo is the fastest V8 Ute in the world, and as such will hold a special place in the heart of local car enthusiasts for many years to come. Truly one of a kind, the supercharged V8 ute features a host of goodies including 20inch forged alloy wheels, oversized brakes, bi modal exhaust, an impressive suspension setup and a torque vectoring differential. All these goodies result in a ute that stands out from the pack, creating a monster that looks just as home on the worksite as it does cutting laps at a track day. A cult favourite among young males, the Maloo will remain a desirable purchase for the foreseeable future.
Ford Tickford TS50 T3
In general, the AU Falcon was not a terribly attractive car, and thus nor was it a terribly popular car, so by the time the BA come along most were happy to see the back of the oddly proportioned AU. The shining light, however, of the AU range was undoubtedly the Tickford enhanced range of TE50, TS50 and to a lesser extent TL50 Falcons. The pick of the bunch was the TS50 T3, which featured a hand built 5.6 litre V8, lowered suspension, and an all at the same time outlandish but understated body kit. While power may have been down compared to its direct competition – the HSV Clubsport; an absurd amount of torque ensured that in real world situations, the TS50 could bat well above its average. While the AU may not be popular across the board, among die hard Ford fans, it doesn’t get a lot better than this!
HSV W1 GTRS
How could we end this list with anything other than the W1? Less than a year since it was announced, all 300 have been snapped up and the prices are blowing out on the open market, with some selling for around a hundred grand over their $169,000 asking price! With the Corvette ZR1 derived LS9 and performance mods everywhere you look, this car is a true track monster, producing an enormous 474Kw and 814Nm. Expect to see a number of these HSV’s tucked away under wraps, only to surface many decades from now with a truly ridiculous price tag.
Do you have any cars that you think should be on this list? Head over to the Rare Spares Facebook page and let us know in the comments below.
There are some great car companies around the world with iconic names to match. The origins of these companies are well known to car enthusiasts, even though many have since been bought out or sold. The Brits have Rolls Royce and Bentley, the Germans have Porsche and Mercedes Benz and the Italians have Ferrari and Fiat, and so on and so forth. These brands evoke images of their country of origin, whether it’s a Silver Shadow majestically passing Big Ben, a Carrera 911 storming down an autobahn near Stuttgart or a Fiat 500 zipping around the Colosseum in search of that perfect espresso.
Here in Australia, we have exactly the same scenario as our European cousins. Holden and Ford have established a proud national heritage too, however the names of some of our car models have a history originating from a culture that itself, has been around for over forty thousand years. And that of course is the Aboriginal culture belonging to the traditional owners of Australia.
A shining example of this is the beloved Monaro, which is Aboriginal for ‘high plain’ or ‘high plateau’. In 1967, Holden was having trouble coming up with a name for its new coupe. But as luck would have it, Noel Bedford, Holden's Technical Designer was on holiday and as he drove through Cooma, he passed the ‘Monaro County Council’.
“It said ‘Monaro County Council' in western-type lettering that reminded me of 'Marlboro Country' and Camaro. It seemed to me so simple and logical. Why didn't somebody think of it before? I was quite excited and couldn't wait to get back to work,” Noel explains. And the rest as they say is history.
Another true Aussie automotive icon is the Holden Torana, which like the Monaro, has its name originating from Aboriginal culture. Meaning ‘to fly’, it also has alternate meanings in other cultures such as Hinduism and Buddhism.
Unfortunately, not every car name with Aboriginal origins becomes an icon. So it was with the Camira. Billed as a “Supercar” in the early 1980s when released, it never really lived up to the hype. As a result, the Camira, meaning ‘wind’, never went on to achieve the status of the aforementioned legends above.
A more recent example of continuing the indigenous theme is the Maloo. John Crennan, the ex HSV Managing Director came up with that one after reading a book on Aboriginal Australians. Released in 1990, the Maloo, meaning ‘storm’ or ‘thunder’, was released in 1990 as a performance ute. It went on to become famous in 2006 when the Z series Maloo R8 broke the world record for the fastest production performance Ute.
Without doubt, these great Aussie auto icons, named after words from one the of oldest, if not the oldest surviving culture in the world, evoke images of our great Australian landscape, just like the European auto icons do in London, Stuttgart or Rome.