Classics by the Beach: Sunday the 6th of November, 2016

UMPH was very pleased to make a return to Sandy Bay's Classics by the Beach after an extended mainland break. Adding to his enjoyment was this, Daniel's lovely GC Galant hardtop, which has only been in Tasmania for a few weeks.

According to Daniel, who also has a four-door GC Sport-Pack and has owned other Galants, the car is a genuine two-owner affair that he bought, sight unseen, from New South Wales. All he's done to it so far is to give it a bit of a spruce-up, had new brake reservoirs installed and fitted the cool white-walled tyres seen in the photos above and below.

The car's first owner - a classic 'little old lady,' apparently - only sold it about six years ago to a bloke that had intended doing it up. However, it ended up sitting in a shed, unused, so he on-sold it to our lucky Tasmanian.

And what a buy it was! UMPH is a bit of a Galant-nerd himself, having owned his 1975 hardtop since 1981, so he can spot a straight, original example in a heartbeat (for details, please go to: https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=8785050677549329683;onPublishedMenu=overview;onClosedMenu=overview;postNum=6;src=postname). This one totally fits that description!

It has everything: a Japanese import version grille (all hardtops were manufactured in Japan and imported to Australia, whereas the sedans and wagons were locally produced); genuine hardtop-only hubcaps; stainless steel mudguard surrounds; factory-fitted front and rear mudflaps; and all its badges. It also features an amazingly tidy interior with all original cloth, vinyl and carpets, and including the console-mounted clock, in-dash tacho and three-spoke sports steering wheel that were also featured in the Galant Sport-Packs of the time.

The body is very straight, the panels are all well aligned and there's only some very minor rust. The chrome is also a treat - especially the front bumper, which Daniel has taken some pride in polishing - as is all the other bright-work.

Daniel was not the only person that wanted the car. Fortunately, that second owner was discerning enough to reject an offer from someone who planned to fit the car with a V8, favouring Daniel's bid and promise to keep the car original instead.

So what's in store for this lovely forty-plus year old Japanese classic? Not that much, according to Daniel; he wants to touch up a tiny area of rust on the rear apron but, apart from that, he plans to keep it pretty much as it is. Its previous two owners are likely to be relieved on that front. UMPH is, too.

Ford Landaus are, essentially, coupe versions of the flagship LTD range (please also see: https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=2598135056354801211;onPublishedMenu=overviewstats;onClosedMenu=overviewstats;postNum=18;src=postname) and were based on the Aussie XA and XB series Falcons of the early 1970s. This very fine example's owner, Phil, says that he's had it for the past nine years. It is totally original and standard, save a custom exhaust system, Hotwire front wheels and matching, but bespoke, 12-inch rears. Owning a tyre shop probably isn't a bad thing.

Most older (well, not that old - 5o-ish plus!) car lovers will remember the Rootes Group's Humber Super-Snipe range. The venerable British salon shown here is actually a Humber Sceptre which, according to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humber_Sceptre), was a sporty variant based on the Hillman Minx. Reference to on-line images suggests that this particular car was a MkII, meaning that it was manufactured between 1965 and 1967.

A bit of detective work reveals that the rego labels and parking permits in the images above and below tell of the car's interesting history. Working from newest to oldest, it appears to have been in Tasmania since 1981 but, before that, a series of University of Auckland parking permits - dated 1977 and 1981 - suggest that it spent time living across 'The Ditch', as Aussies and Kiwis like to refer to the Tasman Sea, and that in 1976 it was registered in Victoria on mainland Australia.

This fabulous, stripped down Volvo P1800 looked amazing. It's not Hobart's only example; the other - Michael's pristine blue version - graces Classics on a semi-regular basis (please see: https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=1489911664731834261;onPublishedMenu=overview;onClosedMenu=overview;postNum=13;src=postname). There was also a very nice red one for sale a while ago but UMPH hasn't seen it for a while (please refer to: https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7165367970551834236#editor/target=post;postID=8348989909250527120;onPublishedMenu=overview;onClosedMenu=overview;postNum=61;src=postname).

Fans of rear-wheel drive Japanese coupes would be hard-pressed to find a much tougher example of the Toyota Celica than this early example. Fitted with a Nissan (yes, a Nissan!) twin-cam motor and what looks like a turbo-charger, it also features slotted four wheel disc brakes and, if UMPH heard correctly, coil-over suspension.

The go-faster engine and stop-quicker anchors are nicely complemented by big front and rear spoliers, and the gold-coloured multi-spoke wheels look really nice, too. The interior appears largely standard but it does look good.

Please enjoy the following photos. If you can tell UMPH about any of the vehicles depicted - or you'd like to comment on the other cars shown in today's post or elsewhere on this blog - please drop him a line, via the comments section. He would love to hear from you!