[Dale409]

Brett

I remember the JWF Itala from deep in my memory, thanks for re-awakening it for me.

Singer chassis were often re-bodied as there were quite a few of the 1500(?) roadsters imported after the war but most suffered terminal cracking of the body behind the door which if left untreated often resulted in the whole back end of the body falling off which could be quite exciting if in motion. The T series MG's were also commonly used as a base for a fibreglass body either with the original engine or with a Holden transplant.

Other interesting Aussie sports cars from the period include The Buchanan which had an in housed designed chassis with transverse lee spring front end and either a Ford Consul or Zephyr engine in various states of tune. The body was a 2 seat coupe and was made in fibreglass in one piece - bonnet, wings roof, boot and scuttle and internal bracing all laid up in one operation with only the doors, boot and bonnet lids made up separately.
I don't know if they made many of these however an open version was very popular as a kit body for use over the buyers own chassis.

Perhaps the best known is the Buckle which was a handsome 2 seat coupe using a combination of in-house bits with Zephyr mechanicals and a triple carb set up. I'm not sure how many were made but certainly less than 20 and probably less than 12.

Buckle motors became the Australian agents for Goggomobil imported the chassis in I think CKD form and made the bodies in Australia from fibreglass. They of course went on and developed the 2 seat mini sports version known as the Dart, one of which I drove on another test drive. One could you brilliant handbrake turns with complete equanimity. A really fun little car but having no doors it was a bit difficult to enter and exit, especially on a wet day. The seats and a very simple vertical pivot which by pushing back and lifting up in the one motion raised the seat several inches to make entry and exit a bit easier. Towards the end of the run they introduced a pair doors, hinged at the bottom and which dropped down.

The prettiest of all, to my mind was a car called the Ascort which was basically a re-bodied VW which featured a double skinned 2 door 4 seat body and tuned engine. It was made to a very high standard with leather interior and great attention to detail and was certainly a much nicer car than any of the Karmann variants. I went for a test drive in a used one being sold by a car yard and found it a very nice car to drive with really nice finish and fittings. I forget why I didn't buy it but I was tempted.

In the late sixties and seventies Bolwell produced a range of kit cars which were light and often fitted with V8's and were quite well regarded. Some of the early hard top versions had the alarming habit of the roof lifting from the top of the windscreen at speeds above about 80mph. The roof would not blow off, just lift leaving a six inch gap between it and the windscreen. Once you slowed down the roof would drop back into place and there would be no sign that anything untoward had happened. I suppose it was a non-mechanical form of speed limiter. ;-)

Their final model was the Nagari which was sold as a complete car with a Ford V8 and was very well received. Unfortunately changes in regulation requiring crash testing and all sorts of other draconian restrictions and requirements all but put and end to low volume car production in Australia. Bolwell switched from cars to fibreglass contracting making boats, shower cabinets and a multitude of other thinks. They announced last year that they were going to re-enter car making with a modern Nagari but I don't know the current position.

Every few years there is an announcement of a new sports car/GT maker about to launch, they usually haven impressive prototype to show and then fade away.

Probably the most successful has been Elfin set up by Garrie Cooper in SA in the 1960's to produce formula Junior cars and sports racing cars they continue today under Walkinshaw's wing, having moved to melbourne they now build limited runs of a V8 clubman and streamliner which sell for around the $AUS100000.00 mark.

Oops, I seem to have got a bit carried away there, I only intend to talk about Singer chassis.

Cheers

Dale