Classics by the Beach: March, 2024

Info on the John Goss Special version of Ford's XB Falcon hardtop is a bit sketchy when it comes to production numbers, with Wikipedia suggesting that there may have been as many as 800 built in two runs of 400 each (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goss_Special). However, Survivor Car Australia magazine reckons the total was 700, as follows:

Thanks, Jon!

And then there's this excellent Tasmanian Featured in Five video - also courtesy of Jon, as is the black and white image that follows - that supports the final figure being 700 cars: https://youtu.be/gG8zUyJ8hTQ?si=yGlQD9lCOZpJHea6. It's really, really well produced and is definitely worth watching!

Most fans of Aussie muscle know the rest of the story: Built to celebrate Goss's 1974 Bathurst 1000 victory, as well as Ford Australia's 50th anniversary, they were based on a Falcon 500 shell and equipped with a 302 cu Cleveland V8, either a four speed floor shift or a three speed T-bar auto and featured the GS Rally Pack option's three spoke steering wheel, sports instrumentation, vented bonnet, faux side vents and 12-slot wheels, as shared with the GT of the time. Unlike the GT, there were no four door JGSs made.

It's also well known that JGSs came in only two colour schemes: Apollo Blue on white or Emerald Fire on white (with matching white bumpers and wheels), the latter being beautifully illustrated on today's lead car for March, 2024's, UMPH coverage of Classics by the Beach. They are further distinguishable from GT hardtops by their lack of grille-mounted driving lights.

What might be lesser known, however, is that some JGSs were sold with extra dealer-only accessories - Wikipedia suggests that Sydney's McLeod Ford was a prime exponent of the practice - including front and rear spoilers, brightly coloured cloth seat inserts and "wild tape striping" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horn_car). Might the very, very unusual rear spoiler, and orange and white stripes on the bonnet shown above and below, suggest that this factory-fresh looking example is a Horn Car, as such optioned-up machines were known? To my shame, I failed to photograph its interior and thus can't show you the seats' fabulous orange woven inserts that possibly add weight to this theory. If you can confirm or dispel this, please let us know in the comments section.

This signature was located on the driver's side top surface of the rear spoiler.

This mid- to late-'80s XF Falcon van was in great nick, presenting as a much newer vehicle. It appeared to be absolutely stock, if you ignore the era-appropriate Hot Wire wheels, and even maintained its three-on-the-tree gear shift and bench seat.

Also super-schmick was this Suzuki Swift GTi. Its duco was truly lustrous, the panels were ultra straight and the interior was nearly pristine. The only departures from standard would seem to be a set of very tasty alloys and a lovely Momo steering wheel. Whoever owns it can be justifiably proud!

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U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

EJ or EH Holden? (Up-dated December, 2022)

EJ or the later EH? Several years ago, I posed the question: Can somebody please explain the difference between an EJ and an EH Holden ute or van? The response at the time wasn't overwhelming, so I did a bit of Googling and ferreting through my photos and came up with my own rough guide to EJ and EH identification. Sedans and wagons are easy to tell apart ; the EH's vertical rectangular tail lights are a dead give-away. However, the workhorse versions of both models share the rear-end treatment of the earlier EJ, making it harder to identify one from the other. No super obvious hints here. Or here ... . It turns out that the main clues are in the placement of the front H O L D E N lettering and GMH lion emblems, the style of the radiator grille and the width of the vents in front of the windscreen, with all EJs - sedans, wagons, utes and vans - having one combination and the EH line-up having their own . So what exactly are those diffe

Vick Auto Prima Fiat X1/9 Brakes: An Owner’s Assessment

At the end of 2022, I fitted a set of Vick Autosport Prima front brakes to my mildly worked 1.5 litre Series 1 Fiat X1/9 . I was fortunate, having picked them up at a very, very reasonable price, brand new but surplus to the needs of a fellow X1/9 Australia member who had imported them from the US. The kit included: New single pot callipers , new vented rotors (standard X1/9 front rotors are smaller, non-vented items), DOT approved stainless steel brake hoses, and all the necessary mounting hardware. They are a value proposition, being particularly well priced compared to other manufacturers’ packages - even at RRP - with everyone I’ve spoken to saying they’re made to a high standard, too. Here's a link to a piece that I wrote about them at that time, including some costings: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-x19-gets-prima-brake-upgrade.html . Initial Assessment: I was a little underwhelmed by the brakes' performance, finding that although they had a tiny

Random # 301: Nanna-Spec KE36 Corolla

Once upon a time - six or seven years ago, actually - there was a lovely pale yellow GC Galant station wagon getting around Hobart. It was totally nanna-spec; its paint was umarked, the chrome work and hubcaps were immaculate, and its very original interior was pristine. Then someone stuck feathers in its dashboard. Next, the windows were adorned with Tibetan prayer flags. And a hubcap went missing. And the the rear bumper was pushed in, mangling the bodywork behind it. And a mudguard got dented. And rust set in. I fear for this sweet, innocent KE36 Corolla. Somebody please save it before it's too late. Nanna needs you to do it. U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) Photos by GlamRock.

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