VALE Paul Halstead

Paul Halstead, one of Australia’s most individual and innovative automotive personalities, has passed away. The man behind some of Australia’s most ground-breaking performance vehicles, and the founder of Sydney’s famous ‘Toy Shop’ exotic car dealership, died on 6 February, aged 80.

With a head for business and a heart for cars, Halstead’s success in the computer and IT recruitment industry allowed him to buy the Australian distributorship for De Tomaso cars and set up the Toy Shop in 1984. Halstead would supply Aussie-made 351 Cleveland V8s to De Tomaso in Italy, while an association with former F1 designer, Barry Lock, would result in the ‘La Pantera Bianca’ racecar that dominated GT competition.

Halstead’s next – and most famous – automotive venture was the Giocattolo Group B. Taken from the Italian word for ‘toy,’ the Giocattolo broke cover in 1986. Inspired by the Alfa Romeo Sprint 6C prototype, with engineering once again led by Barry Lock, the Giocattolo featured a Holden 5.0-litre V8 and ZF transaxle, with the body rebuilt using Kevlar panels. The Giocattolo’s most famous inclusion was a bottle of Bundaberg rum and two shot glasses in the tool kit!

Despite a price tag of $92,000, the Giocattolo found buyers, with 15 built before ‘Giocattolo Motori’ was wound up in 1989.

Halstead then returned to the IT industry, built his wealth back, then led a redesign of the Holden Monaro. Along with a 427ci Corvette V8 tuned to deliver 900hp (670kW), the ‘HAL’ Monaro featured a lowered roof and widebody treatment, all in steel.

In 2015, Halstead and Lock started work on the ‘Marcella’ (named after Halstead’s wife) three-seater hypercar with a radical W16 engine. Using two 7.0-litre LS7 Chevrolet V8s, canted at 45 degrees and fitted to a six-speed transaxle, the W16 produced an estimated 1400hp (1043kW). Lack of funds stopped the Marcella from progressing further, with the project still in limbo at Halstead’s death.

Never short of ideas or ambition, Paul Halstead will be remembered for his unique contribution to the Australian automotive industry. JUST CARS extends its sympathies to Halstead’s family and friends.