Southern Motors sell off

Those that know their motor racing history will remember the AUSCAR races that brought NASCAR-style oval racing down under. AUSCAR started in 1986, with the Calder Park 'Thunderdome' serving as the series' premier venue, although Adelaide's International Raceway paved oval and road courses were also employed. The series saw a number of changes, including reverting toAmerican-style race chassis' and running formats, until the series closed for good in 2001. However, back in late 2004 there were plans afoot to revive AUSCAR, and in a move to re-establish the 'Australian' content in the series,Holden's new Monaro was selected as new series' racers. It's believed seven Monaros were purchased by Thunderdome management in May, 2005 as starter cars for the series, but the concept was cancelled before they could stripped out and converted into bonafide stock cars. As part of a clean out of a number of classics in Southern Motors possession and the personal collection of proprietor, Bill Jane, four of these Monaros are now being offered for sale. All are standard-spec 2004 V2 CV8 models, with 5.7lt V8 engines and manual transmission.

All have travelled minimal kilometres as GM executive cars. The red model pictured has only 6284 kms on the clock, with the highest mileage of the four being only 10,000 kms from new. One silver, one black and two red Monaros are on offer. If a late-model Monaro doesn't float your boat, how about a classic '65 Mustang GT convertible? Jane bought this Mustang from the US a few years ago, after it had served as a show car for the past 30 years. The previous owner, a noted Mustang collector, had actually bought the car for his wife. She was a horse lover, so he thought the 'Mustang' with 'Pony' interior would've been the perfect match. Wrong! As the seller put it when it went for sale in Las Vegas, "wife likes horses, not horsepower!". Obviously, after being a show car for so long, this particular 'Stang is in immaculate condition, and has only covered 49,826 miles from new. A classic of a different kind from Jane's own collection is a 1967 Mercedes-Benz 250SE sedan. This particular car was once owned by a metal fabricator who specialised in aircraft restoration. Jane found out about the 250SE while trying to secure an equally impressive MGB from the same restorer.

The quality of the restoration, and the care it has been given since, is reflected in its winning seven class wins in Mercedes Benz concours events, the most recent being in 2006, when it was entered on a whim and still came away with the trophy! While the 250SE is undoubtedly special, it pales in the luxury stakes next to the Aston Martin Lagonda. A 1985 model of this distinctly styled and innovative saloon is arguably the piece de resistance of the vehicles on offer via Southern Motors and has an interesting history of its own. Back in 1982, Jane was involved in the genesis of an Aston Martin dealership being setup in Victoria. A number of A-M sportscars were sold through this franchise,but for those who wanted some real luxury with their performance, the Lagonda was hard to beat. Readers who know the history of the William-Towns designed Lagonda will be aware of the impact it caused upon its debut in 1977, as well as the bad reputation the early Lagondas earned for their innovative, but temperamental electronics and all-digital dash layout. However, it was certainly the opulent society car of its time.

Jane recalled a visit to Monaco for the F1 Grand Prix in the early 80s where Lagondas outnumbered the Mercedes, Porsches and Rolls-Royces in the forecourts of the Monte Carlo casinos! Of the 645 Lagondas built, most went to the USA and oil-rich enthusiasts in the Middle East, making it a rare sight in Australia. This particular car was sold new to Keith Williams, the Queensland-based developer of Hamilton Island fame, who kept it for over a decade before trading it. From there, the car came back to Victoria where it has remained. While it looks impressive from the outside with its factory wire wheels, whiteline tyres and red paint, the interior - with its single-spoke steering wheel, 'Star Trek' dash, walnut trim and orgy of red leather upholstery - is certainly more breathtaking. With its 5.3lt V8 (the same engine used in the A-M sportscars) the Lagonda can do 0-100kph in under 10 seconds and hit a top speed of over 230kph, so its certainly no sedate cruiser! This Lagonda still drives well, although Jane advises it's not one for the backyard tinkerer. The electronics and inaccessability of such basics like the battery shows that Towns didn't have mechanics in mind when he designed the car.

Also, if you want to know how many kilometres you've covered, forget trying to find it amongst the lights and proximity switches on the dash.Mileage is actually recorded on a separate gauge - under the bonnet! Of interest to Volkswagen enthusiasts are a trio of VW Kombi buses. These as VIP courtesy buses for the first F1 Grand Prix in Adelaide, before performing a similar function at the Melbourne F1 events. They were then used as promotional vehicles at the Thunderdome before being retired a few years ago. All are the later model 'bay window' style Kombis and are largely complete, but have suffered at the hands of vandals with some missing and damaged panels across all three vehicles. Another trio of 'utilitarian' vehicles are also up for sale in the form of F100 ex-ambulances. These particular vehicles are all 1988 models and first served as company ambulances at one of BHP's mining sites in New South Wales, before performing a similar function at the Thunderdome. All three have covered minimal kilometres.

Two are still based at the Thunderdome, with a third located in South Australia. Of the Victorian pair, one is still 90% fitted out with all its emergency equipment, while the other is 50% fitted out. Other notable cars from the collection to be sold off include an impressive 1971 Cadillac El Dorado convertible, 1938 Buick coupe, restorable Mk II and Mk X Jaguars, and an LC Torana. On that snapshot alone, the collection is diverse if nothing else! Southern Motors would welcome further inspection of all these cars from interested enthusiasts. So if any of the aforementioned vehicles take your fancy, refer to the Southern Motors advert in this issue, or contact Bill Jane on 0418 312 333, or Kim Jane on
0418 351 591.