posted by Scott on May 7
1953-56 FJ Holden Special Sedan
“She’s a Beauty Mate!”
The FJ Holden is one of Australia’s most iconic cars from a bygone era, and was known as The ‘New Look’ Holden.
At the time Australians were becoming wealthier and could easily access credit, and so when the much anticipated FJ Holden came on the market in 1953 it sold in record numbers making it one of Holden’s best selling models.
The FJ was basically a revamped version of the 1948 FX Holden, which was the first Holden sedan, and kept the same 45kW 6-cylinder engine as its predecessor – and 3 speed manual transmission. At the time it sold for $2046 and there were around 170,000 produced in 3 different models: Standard, Business and the Special sedan.
Aussies loved this car (and still do today!) as it provided good performance, low maintenance, and great value for money.
This particular resoration has a very tastefully enhanced interior, set off beautifully with – you guessed it – a wooden steering wheel! : )
A 1953 FJ Holden interior with its original paint and upholstery. Photo: Dragi Markovic.
The Original look:
posted by Scott on May 7
EJ Holden [1963-1965]
EH/EJ Holdens have a place in the hearts of many Australians, and they are an ingrained part of Australian motoring history. Many people will remember going on family picnics, watching a film at the ‘drive-in’, or being driven around in one as a child by their grandparents. I remember my grandmother picking me up in her brown EJ holden in a small town in Tasmania when I was 10 years old, and the front bench seat was HUGE!
Back then there were no disc brakes – only drums, and the gear shift was on the steering column!
the EH/EJ holdens benefited from a larger and more powerful engine than their predesesors, and came with the 100HP 149ci or ‘powerful’ 115HP 179ci ‘Red Motor’ – both 6-cylinder single-carburetted engines. The 179ci motor was only available with GM’s Hydra-Matic automatic, since the earlier 3-speed manual gearbox they produced was not strong enough for the increased power of the newer model.
These Holdens have become iconic in Australia as a picture of hopes, dreams, and freedom – and many car clubs have formed around these collectible models.
The model in the pictures is a true to original restoration (except for the wheels), but of course has its interior enhanced with a wood grain steering wheel!
posted by Scott on Jul 18
This is an great blog from a guy named Jeff about the complete restoration project on his 68 Triumph Spitfire. A great example of a classic car with a wood steering wheel and woodgrain dashboard, which totally suits the character of the car.
His blog makes for an interesting read as Jeff describes each problem he encountered along the way, and how he resolved those issues. He has included pictures of all the stages, and does a fantastic job of restoring this classic to pristine condition, and eventually winning some car meet comps.
If you love classic cars, then you will greatly enjoy reading Jeff’s story.
See his blog on the TotallyTriumph site : http://www.totallytriumph.net/spitfire/projects2.shtml
posted by Scott on Jul 12
356 2000 gs Carrera 2 (Coupé and Cabrio)
www.theignitionpoint.co.uk
This Porsche has a 1966 cm³ ‘4-Zylinder-Saugmotor’ engine, with 96 kW/130 HP. Its factory specification acceleration from 0 – 100 km/h is 8.9 s
The Carrera 2 was the top model of the 356 series, and the first series of Porsche with disc brakes which were Porsche’s own design.
The sport version 2000 GS-GT has doors and hood covers made of alloy, a wood steering wheel, side and back windows made of plexiglass, and rear seats and bumper horns are missing. Engine performance is raised up to 114 KW (155 HP) at 6600 rpm.
Image Credit : Wouter Melissen
posted by Scott on Jun 4
The Allard Motor Works makes a modern hand-crafted version of the famed British competition roadster that stirred crowds in Europe and North America in the early 1950s.
They make a beautiful open wheeler roadster – the J2X MKII in limited numbers of 100 each year.
The J2X MkII has a choice of engines right up to the Chrysler Hemi 6.1-litre (600 bhp), weighs in at 975kg, and can accelerate to 60mph in 4.6s – which equates to an amazing power to wieght ratio.
This car is classic in its style, and would be the ultimate possession of any motoring enthusiast. This vehicle has a sports dashboard steeped in motoring history, and of course features a mahogany wooden steering wheel which gives all that much more to the classic look of this car.
Source:
Allard Motor Works
posted by Scott on May 28
Many classic sports cars came with wood steering wheels as standard, such as Porsche and Ferrari.
Click the links to see larger images of these cars…
www.theignitionpoint.co.uk
