16 Holden Sandman
Something that was perhaps a unique Australian phenomenon was the panel van and its 1970s moment in the sun. This was when a strong youth culture adopted the humble tradesmans mobile workshop/toolbox to take it to the beach or the drive-in. The Australian iteration of the panelvan was, like the ute it was based on, a step apart from similar vehicles available overseas – these were not solely the domain of fleets and tool-of-trade buyers. With the rear compartment decked out with a mattress, surfboard or even velvet and mirrors, the vehicle became a “Shaggin’ Wagon” (cruder terms also existed!) that struck fear into the hearts of parents of teenage daughters. The stickers say it all – “If the van’s rocking, don’t bother knocking” and “Don’t laugh, your daughter could be inside”.
http://www.sandmanowners.com/sandmaninfo.htm
17 1978 Holden Torana A9X
The last hurrah for the Australian muscle car, the Torana A9X was the result of touring car racing’s homologation requirements although in theory the need to build special vehicles had been removed back in 1972 with the new “Group C” regulations. Modifications were then allowed to production vehicles for racing – but the key point was it had to be production-based. With the 1974 introduction of the LH model Torana, which featured an unprecedented range of 4, 6 and 8 cylinder engines, Holden’s motorsport weapon of choice became the 5L V8 SL/R 5000. V8 power and slick racing tyre grip levels soon exposed weaknesses in areas such as the rear axle – hardly surprising as it had its origins in the original Opel unit designed for a 4 cylinder. So the car evolved, with larger wheels under large fibreglass bolt-on wheel arches with the L34 “option pack” and then a stronger axle with the A9X. This option pack also featured the deletion of rubber rubbing strips in the bumper bar, which sounds strange until you find out this was to ease the installation of sponsor’s signage on race cars!
Like the earlier XU-1, the A9X was a very well-balanced race car. Much lighter than its Ford Falcon opposition, its smaller engine was more than compensated for in being allowed to run similar size tyres. It should not be a surprise that Australian touring car racing almost became “Formula Torana” for a few years. The highlight was Peter Brock’s 1979 Bathurst 1000 victory by a triumphant 6 laps – even setting a new lap record on the final lap to underscore his dominance.
http://www.a9xclub.org.au/abouta9x.html
http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au...ana_lx_a9x.htm
18 1989 Giocattolo Group B
Yet another Australian sports car that never quite made it, the Giocattolo was the work of Paul Halstead, who had earlier been the Australian agent for De Tomaso cars and former F1 designer Barry Lock. The car was a modified Alfa Romeo Alfasud Sprint bodyshell with a mid-mounted engine – originally this was intended to be powered by the Alfa V6 but changed to a Group A version of the Holden 5L V8 – not only did this give substantially more performance but it was also much cheaper! The car was more sophisticated than it may first appear – body panels were made from Kevlar, and the suspension was completely redesigned.
The Giocattolo was also severely affected by inflexible government regulations geared only at the large manufacturers. Import duty designed to protect local industry meant the ZF transaxle cost $35,000 per unit – of course there was no local alternative, yet no exceptions could be made to assist a local manufacturer… A highly ambitious follow up vehicle was on the drawing boards in 1989 when the operation wound up in the face of the recession, featuring a carbon fibre body worthy of a true supercar as the Alfasud origins of the Group B’s body did it no favours.
http://www.giocattolo.com.au/