The Cars of the 60s A History of Cars Manufactured and Assembled in Australia during the 1960s

Gavin Farmer looks at the history of car manufacturing and assembly in Australia in ‘ Cars of the 60s’ . Following the boom times of the fifties, the sixties became a decade of consolidation on the one hand and a series of challenges on the other, some economic and some political. It marked the beginning of a very real challenge from Ford on GM-Holden as well as from Chrysler and several Japanese manufacturers who had quietly entered the Australian market. The decade began with a Federal Government credit squeeze which created difficult times for the whole industry. The sixties saw the beginnings of Australia’ s power wars with the likes of the Ford Falcon GT sedan, Holden Monaro GTS coupe, and the Chrysler Pacer sedan. The big story in Australia in the sixties was the emergence of the compact class of car epitomised by the Holden Torana that evolved out of the dull Vauxhall Viva. By 1968 it had been developed by Australian engineers into a compact six-cylinder car that opened a new market segment missed by its rivals; Ford entered the small car market with a dual attack. It was also in the Sixties when the Japanese manufacturers really established a foothold in Australia.

Born in 1945, Gavin has been married for over 50 years, has two adult sons, and three adorable grandchildren. He lives in the picturesque Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Gavin is a major author and publisher of histories of cars from the Australian automobile industry.

Acknowledgements 6 Introduction 7 Chapter 1: General Motors-Holden 11 Chapter 2: Ford 27 Chapter 3: Chrysler 65 Chapter 4: British Motor Corporation 89 Chapter 5: Rootes Group 111 Chapter 6: Australian Motor Industries 125 Chapter 7: GM Vauxhall, Chevrolet and Pontiac 153 Chapter 8: Volkswagen 161 Chapter 9: The Niche Makers 173 Continental and General 173 NSU 176 Citroë n 177 Renault Australia 178 Canada Cycle and Motor Company Ltd 186 Buckle-Goggomobil 193 Zeta 194 Willys Jeep 197 Land Rover 198 Nissan-Datsun 199 Appendices: Specification Comparison Charts 206