CarsRemember - "There are no strangers in the world - only friends we haven't met yet".
Rob has always been interested in cars. Like most young men, my first cars were old and falling apart. But several of them were classics. Like many young people in Australia coming of age in the early 1070's, my first car was a Morris Minor.
I also owned a black MG 1100 which was the MG clone of a Morris 1100, but had leather upholstery and a slightly more powerful engine. Next I had a Chrysler Valiant "S" model. The "S" model was the second Valiant manufactured in Australia. It followed the "R" model which had a fake spare wheel in the boot lid. Chrysler wisely did away with that style in the "S" model.
I traded the Valiant on a red MG "B", series one. The MGB was, and still is a true classic. Mine went beautifully, leaked oil everywhere (a feature of all British cars and bikes). It was real head turner.
In the mid-seventies I went through a phase of the then new rage - 4 wheel driving. I traded the MGB for a Toyota Landcruiser because I went to live in Darwin for 6 months after cyclone "Tracy" blew down more than 40% of the buildings. I was young and single and working in the building industry, which is the type of person they were looking for to help rebuild the city. After I returned down south I attended agricultural college for 3 years and, like all students I drove a heap.
I finally saved up enough money to buy a Datsun 260Z. This was a very fast, typically Japanese car of the late seventies. It was great car for a young bachelor. When I met Noline and her two children, the baby's car seat didn't fit in the back of the "Z" so it had to go.
The Cooper "S" (Click on the thumbnail for a larger image)
We won't mention the standard family station wagons we drove until
1994. But in 1992, with the children almost grown up, we could afford
to buy another classic, a 1970 Morris Cooper "S" - a "Mini".
Legendary performance helped the Cooper "S" winning many motor races,
rallies and other events in the 1960's and early 70's.
Unfortunately, we had to sell the Mini to pay for an overseas trip we had planned for several years. It is a decision I have come to regret ever since. It was a beautiful car.
The Fiat X19 (Click on the thumbnail for a larger image)
When
we had saved up enough money I decided I wanted to get another convertible,
so I bought a 1982 Fiat X19. This little Fiat is an interesting car.
Designed by Bertone of Italy in the mid-1970's, it was originally intended
to be a new, small Ferrari. But apparently Ferrari decided against
it and Fiat bought the design.
The X19 uses a mid-mounted 1500cc engine and 5 speed box. The hard top roof comes off and very cleverly fits into the "boot" in the front. There is also a small "boot" behind the engine compartment. We sold the Fiat in April 2000.
By 1995 the children had grown up and left home, so we traded the family wagon on a 1991 Saab 900. This two-door hatchback had plenty of power, thanks to a turbo-charger, and great fuel economy.
It seemed to be perfectly designed for highway cruising which is where we mainly used it. We do a great deal of long distance driving and in that car you can set the cruise control and relax. We both suffer from bad backs but we drove a thousand kilometres in a day in the Saab with no ill effects. It only has a two litre engine but is faster than many V8's, a remarkable feat from a car weighing 1.7 tonnes.
I liked the styling of this model Saab 900 better than the shape introduced in 1992. In many ways I think this car will be regarded as a classic in the future. We sold it to another Saab enthusiast when we knew our new family was on the way. We bought a mundane Toyota Camry wagon for the new family.
With the addition of two children to the family in February 2000, we have just swapped the Fiat sports car for a Peugeot 306 . It's easy to see why this is one of the most popular cars in Europe. A medium size car with lots of room inside but small on the outside, it handles beautifully and is very economical.
