Here’s What I Learned At An Australian Cars And Coffee

As you may have read in my latest Project Cactus update (another is coming later this week), I attended a Cars & Coffee in Dubbo, New South Wales back in early September. It served as an introduction to Australian car culture, and my was it eye-opening. Two of the main things I learned were: 1. In Australia, four-doors reign supreme. and 2. In Australia, the Bathurst race is sacred. Here, let my Australian host Laurence Rogers and me tell you all about this amazing car show in the small city of Dubbo and about Ozzy car culture at large.

In the U.S., two door cars are the most sought after vehicles in the performance-car space, while four-doors tend to be considered relatively “uncool.” Look at Chevy Bel Air and Ford Falcon values, and you’ll see that it’s the two-doors that are more desirable. Four-doors have always been considered family cars, and two-doors have always been the “sporty” versions. Oftentimes people would ask me if my Plymouth Valiant was a four-door or two-door; when I answered the former, I’d always hear a disappointed “Oh. Well that’s still cool.” Even my four-door Jeep Cherokee XJ garners a similar response when I mention its extra set of closures.

I myself, however, find that there’s just something cool about a practical car that can haul five people and also lots of ass; Australia has always understood this, and that becomes obvious when you realize that the most legendary vehicles in the country’s history have four-doors. The XY Ford Falcon GT, for example, commands absurd coin:

The two above were at the Cars & Coffee; they looked beautiful. Obviously, value depends on how original they are, and details on trim and all that, but the point is that four-door muscle cars like this can command well over $100,000 USD. Here’s one for just over $100 grand:

And this one costs over $250,000 USD:

Can you name an American four-door muscle car worth that kind of scratch? It just doesn’t exist, because in the U.S., four-door has always equaled “uncool family car.” Obviously, there are exceptions, and German and Italian cars can sideskirt that rule, but by and large, the expensive four-door cars in the U.S. have been luxury cars, not burnout machines.

So that’s the first thing I learned at this Cars & Coffee: Australians’ dig cars like this XB Ford Falcon:

And this Holden Torana SL/R 5000:

A genuine one of these can go for over $300 grand.

Falcons are pretty much Australia’s Ford Mustang. They’re cheap (well, pre-COVID) V8 power, and in Australia, having a V8 is a huge deal. Check out this XE Falcon; this is like Australia’s Fox Body Mustang:

I spoke with tractor repair-wizard Gordo about his EL Falcon, a former police vehicle. He loves this thing, and even let me drive the V8, five-speed family-hauling muscle car. It was awesome:

In addition to four-doors getting love that they sadly don’t receive enough of in the U.S., Australian car culture also revolves around Bathurst, a legendary race held just a few hours from Dubbo. There’s not enough time in the world to adequately describe the epic race, so I’ll let Neil Crompton do that in this short documentary:

Two of the most legendary racing drivers in Australian history are Allan Moffat and Peter Brock, the latter of whom is named “King of the Mountain,” after the racetrack, the Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit. Moffat won the race four times (including once in an XY Falcon GTHO) and Peter Brock won nine times, multiple times in a Holden Torana similar to the yellow one above and once in a Holden Torana GTR XU1 like this one:

You may be wondering why a little 1970s coupe like that, which only pumps out about 190 horsepower out of an inline-six, can be worth over a quarter of a million dollars , in much the same way as you may wonder how those XY Falcons, which are just 351 Cleveland-powered sedans, can be worth upwards of half a million bucks. Obviously, rarity of special editions is a factor (many of the cars you see at shows are regular Toranas or Falcons dressed up as the racing versions), but the main thing is that these cars are associated with racing victory at Bathurst. And in particular, they’re associated with racing legends. Any vehicle that won Bathurst, especially at the hands of legends like Peter Brock and Allan Moffat, is worth quite a chunk of change, even if the car doesn’t look particularly special to a layperson.

Anyway, those are a few things I noticed during my first week diving into Australian car culture. Now it’s time for someone who actually knows Australian cars well to give us a bit of a tour. Take it away, Laurence!:

Hey, It’s Laurence Here

Hi Autopians! Dave has asked me to give some notes on what we saw at Dubbo Cars and Coffee. Please note that I’m more of a Chysler and Subaru/JDM bloke, so not all the information in the video such as model year is likely to be 100% accurate.

The first vehicle, a CL-series (1976-78) Valiant Utility (‘Ute’) is the last of the line of utes that Chrysler Australia produced, stretching back from the Coupe Utilities of the 1930s that were assembled by Adelaide coachbuilder, TJ Richards.

This ute has a CL/CM Regal grille instead of the standard plastic honeycomb but otherwise appears original. Chrysler Australia was so strapped for cash (they were perennially 3rd or lower on the sales charts) that the rear tailgate will fit David’s utes with no modification (only the outer skin is different), and the bumperettes are solid versions of the same that once housed the rear indicators in VE/VF/VG models (‘68 to early ‘71) . Like all Aussie Valiants, this rides on what is known as the ‘A’ Body platform which makes parts availability and mods quite easy for suspension and brakes.

The WB-series Statesman De Ville (1980-84) next to it also represents the last-of-the-line for ‘full-size’ Holdens, as by the last 70s Holden downsized to the Commodore which was a heavily-modified Opel Rekord. These vehicles aren’t particularly common, and more have been parted out for their drivetrain (usually a 5L/308ci V8) or their front sheetmetal has been taken for a Holden Ute, bonnet ornament and all! Like many luxury cars in the States, these were commonly bought by people approaching retirement or that were well-to-do and an imported luxury car like a Mercedes-Benz sent the wrong message (such as local politicians or rural businesspeople).

The EH Holden ( in a lovely blue colour!) is a landmark car in the eyes of many Aussie car enthusiasts. The prior Holdens looked more like downsized Chevrolets (particularly the FE to EK series from 1956 to 62 look like Tri-Five Chevs that shrunk in the wash!) and ran the ‘Grey’ Holden inline six which was an ancient design by the Sixties with a four-bearing crank and without full-flow oil filtration. The EH featured the new

Holden ‘Red’ inline six, which was a big step up to modernity with a seven-bearing crankshaft and hydraulic valve lifters. As mentioned in the video, this Holden remains very popular is it was often the first car for many of the Baby Boom generation, like in many ways for Gen X/Y the VL Commodore is that car that everyone on their Provisional License seemed to have because they were cheap and offered decent performance (myself included!).

The 1977-80 HZ (not a c.1975 HJ as mentioned in the video!) next to it is an improvement in leaps and bounds on the EH. Whilst commonly powered by the same inline six but suffering from smog regulations (this one appears to have the 253 V8, aka the “Thongslapper’ from the noise they make through some exhaust systems), these last-of-the-Kingswoods have Radial-Tuned-Suspension for tighter handling, a greater emphasis on safety with collapsible steering columns and disc brakes available on all four corners. For a long time Holdens of this shape (‘71-’80) were dirt-cheap, and with their high numbers they were seen on almost every street in Australia. The more everyman counterpart to the luxury Statesman De Ville seen earlier, when Holden downsized to the Commodore during this period in reaction to the two oil-shocks the fleet markets responded by mostly switching to the boxy XD/XE/XF Falcon to retain rear legroom and as a result Holden had a rather tough entry to the 1980s.

Until recently, it was not uncommon to still see these Holden Utes on building sites or driven by shearers and other farm workers (particularly in One Ton or ‘Tonner’ configuration). Again as much a symptom of their high numbers and low cost as their reputation for toughness, these utes can lay claim to helping build modern Australia as much as any other. Featuring a full-frame construction, these workhorses have frequently run through multiple drivetrains in their service life and keep on kicking. If Australia was to feature a vehicle on the national flag, this would be a prime candidate!

Like mentioned in the video, unlike Valiant utes the Holden utes had a void behind the seat that was essentially sealed by a metal wall instead of the vast storage area made possible by being based on a wagon platform that was a feature amongst the utes made by Chrysler Australia. Curiously, the French Government once impounded an earlier Holden Ute as they suspected this inaccessible area was being used to smuggle drugs!

Aussies love their American muscle as much as Americans do. Depending on if the vehicle was imported after it turned 25, it can either stay left-hand drive or be converted to right-hand drive. An advantage with vintage US iron is that they mechanically often have similarities to Australian vehicles, and so Aussie steering setups and even dashboards were often used in the conversion process. The Mustang is now a global car, so it doesn’t suffer from the same extreme cost in conversion, but the Ram and Silverado (plus limited numbers of Camaros)  are imported and then disassembled at a factory and then converted to right-hand drive which raises their cost significantly. As F-trucks, Challengers and other vehicles are imported on a more ad-hoc basis, their conversion costs are much higher and thus they are much more expensive overall.

The c.1985 XF Falcon is an example of the full-sized Falcons that Ford made throughout the 80s, also in wagon, ute and panelvan form. These in many ways stole the thunder from the Commodore as they dominated fleet sales which was a huge deal at the time, often making up 50% or more of annual purchases for either marque. With styling based on the European Ford Granada, these vehicles were very popular with rural buyers as well who wanted a tough vehicle that could seat six and tow heavy trailers with ease. This era Falcon had a reputation for eating door handles if the doors had sagged, country petrol stations used to stock these door handles in bulk!

I don’t think there is much more I can say about the ‘Barra’ (shown above) that hasn’t already been said. Dubbed “Australia’s 2JZ” by many, these feature several improvements and hard-won lessons from Ford Australia’s long history with inline sixes and severe-use with fleets and other owners over decades. Named for the beloved Barramundi fish (or “Asian Seabass”), this engine features a very over-built bottom end and reputation for long life and ability to withstand high horsepower with very minimal modification.

The GTR XU-1 Torana is another legendary Australian car. The winner of the 1972 Bathurst 500-mile endurance race (itself at the heart of the appeal of many Australian classic cars modern valuations) at the hands of the now-revered Aussie motorsport legend Peter Brock over the all-conquering Falcon GT-HO, this giant-killer had the Holden ‘Red’ Six with triple carburetors. This one is in the fantastically-named colour, Plum Dinger! Originally based on the Vauxhall Viva, with the nose stretched to fit the inline six, these cars have been sought after for decades and still inspires songs to this day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrkuo0y8gMU

The XW/XY Falcons are another highly sought-after vehicle in Australia, commonly turned into mockups, replicas or tributes of the GT models. So much so, it is unusual to even see a XY that doesn’t have a ‘shaker’ bonnet scoop and the GT stripe package at car shows, even on the utes which were never available as a GT!

Like mentioned in the video, coupes were rather uncommon overall in the Aussie car scene, with more people choosing performance in their sedans instead so that the whole family could be included or as a work-vehicle with a bit more fun. Once the Big Three (Holden, Ford and Chrysler) essentially abandoned coupes altogether by 1978, high performance was only available in a sedan or in some cases, a ute until the reborn Holden Monaro hit the scene in the early 2000s (and still sold in limited numbers).

Another iconic first-car for earlier Baby Boomers, the FJ Holden also has a firm place in the heart of Aussies. Commonly modified with parts from the period, these have such a hold on the culture that Holden made a concept vehicle in the early 2000s based on this model, known as the Efijy. There is even a low-budget 70s movie based on a young ‘hoon’ modifying one and chasing girls.

The LH & LX Torana were the follow-up to the smaller LC/LJ Toranas that spawned the winning GTR-XU1. The LH was successful at Bathurst in ‘75 and ‘76, whilst the LX also won back-to-back in ‘78 and ’79 with the A9X performance package which was only available in a hatchback body. Another legendary Aussie vehicle that is frequently imitated, the flares and reverse-cowl scoop were factory items.

Next up is a vehicle I am sure many Autopians will recognise, the ‘XB’ Falcon Coupe, aka the ‘Last of the V8 Interceptors’ from the Mad Max movies. The Falcon coupe was also successful at Bathurst in XA guise (‘73 and ‘74, the sedan version of this vehicle is next to it in red) as well as XC (‘77), these vehicles are worth serious money in any condition. This vehicle has been with the same owner for over 20 years and multiple builds, it even survived a garage fire!

The last vehicle we spoke about at Cars and Coffee, the c.1997 VS series Commodore SS V8 was also a Bathurst winner in 1997, with the similar VR series Commodore also victorious in 1995 and 1996. These were based on the Opel Senator platform (earlier Commodores were based on the smaller Opel Rekord), a return to a larger vehicle for Holden and a return to utes in 1992 after the last WB-series utes in 1984.

The last vehicle, seen at the pub after-party is a 1970 VG Valiant Pacer Hardtop. The body was imported as a knock-down kit from the US (and some from Mexico which have a different, extended C-pillar), these were Chrysler’s entry into the youth-oriented, budget-performance market of the late 60s and early 70s which was hotted-up everyday models with lairy stripes and features like a tachometer, floor-shifter and bucket seats. The advertising for these followed similar hallucinogenic lines as the Plymouth Roadrunner.

I hope you enjoyed this introduction to Aussie classics. I’ve gone on for nearly 2,000 words now and barely scratched the surface of these vehicles and there are many more Aussie legends that weren’t in the video!