8 Super Rare Australian Sports Cars

[@Greg....]

Todd Wilkes was behind the wheel of the giocattolo that ended both the car and his existence. Right, this was before WSID was built so the drags were on the eastern creek race track front straight. that went up hill but had a sand trap up top. Well the event, Todds giocttaloa wasn't stock, it had the motor out of his prior car in it, but the event was a speed run so the organizers decided to run it opposite, so down hill. Stuck throttle, 300+kmh, no sand trap. yeah that'll do it.

[@andgate2000]

Yeh...it was a dumb..piontless. accident.

[@tomwarrilow8598]

Just watched it absolutely insane wtf was going through organisers heads he had a blast tho to be fair the adrenalin rush slowing time and going out with a bang 🎉

[@jimcockburn4652]

Stupid decisions result in pointless fatalities. R.I.P. Todd Wilkes.

[@peterkalkhoven9861]

I got there late as I was working.. As I got there everyone was leaving Eastern Creek.. The event was abandoned.

[@chuckselvage3157]

Idiots all around.

[@jackmehoff1840]

Have a look at the Australian Holden Torana GTR-X (1970) concept car.....a stunning car that should have been produced en mass

[@curtisducati]

No , there should be an international law to stop all cars being built or designed in Oz , OMG ......

[@garrywest8511]

I've always liked the Nagari, I think it was in the early 80's, I worked for Mundy and Sons, in Hobart, Tassie, the owners son, Leigh Mundy had a Nagari roadster, I can remember him always having trouble with the law because there wasn't a place for the front rego plate. Tragically Leigh died in the Targa Tasmania, a great loss, RIP, Leigh.

[@Jackarooooo]

I saw a Nagari once, its funny that despite only being a kit car, we see them with more awe and excitement than an rare classic ferrari lol

[@jamesgovett3225]

You missed probably the best of the rare Aussie sports cars well probably Two! The first one is the Melbourne built fibreglass constructed “Perentie” a rare aussie sports car powered by a 350 Chev engine that looked a bit like a Chevy Corvette but was a four seater, one of these cars was used in the Australian mad Max movie, “Fury road” and the second car is the Queensland built performance car with a V8 powering it based on a Mazda MX-5 or what you call a Miata over there and was named the “ Bullet”

[@Circlotron]

Yep, the Bullet was a MX-5 powered definitely by a Toyota V8, I think 1UZFE. One of the two guys that built them was a friend of my brother. Saw a video of it when they drove it down to Melbourne to show it to some people. My brother used to say "not a bad effort for an electrician and a pastry cook".

[@mickvonbornemann3824]

Pretty sure the Perentie were Australian made 4WD & 6WD Land Rovers made for the Australian military. They had fully galvanised Chassis & Alloy bodies & Isuzu Diesel truck Straight-6s (turboed on the 6WD). Meaning even after nearly 40 years they still have buggerall corrosion issues so go between 20000 & 60000 AU$ at auction (depending on model)

[@Bellett64]

@@mickvonbornemann3824 different Perentie. You're right about the 4x4 and 6x6 military vehicles. They were based on Land Rovers but aside from the above modifications, they were also widened over a standard Defender. Amazing to think there was nothing off the rack that was fit for purpose, so we just built what we needed (well, a contractor did, but you know what I mean). The Perentti (different spelling) was a Corvette clone built on a Holden ute or panelvan chassis. To the untrained eye, they look like a C3 Corvette Stingray, but the Corvette has a single side window in each door, while the Perentti has an extra window behind that due to its 2+2 configuration. They're also looong for a Corvette. I can't remember how many were built; 17 pops into my head for some reason. Believe it or not, about a year ago I spied on while I was on the school run in the pouring rain. Absolutely lost my brain.

[@RebeccaKenworthy]

What about the Elfin road car and track cars from the early 2000's era, with LS1 power. The road car was just over 800kg's, the track car was around 730kg's... I saw their display shown at the Melbourne Auto show in the early 2000's from memory

[@curtisducati]

Oz cars are shocking , look like they were built in Nigeria ! omg

[@redhunterandgatherer2367]

We finished the last two Giocattolo's in our workshop that went to auction after the company folded...I recall my brother and I thrashing these beasts around the streets of Herston before we sent them to the auction rooms...man was it fun.. check the bottle of Bundaberg Rum and two crystal glasses in the repair kit...this guy had style..

[@RebeccaKenworthy]

It's such a shame they folded. I remember reading about them in an old sports car magazine in 1988. They claimed a 13.4 1/4 and the author of the story got to borrow one for the weekend and told a story about how he was accelerating at WOT around a sweeping curve with the crest of a hill right at the apex. While clipping the apex he came across a young girl doing a 3 point turn in a Beetle on the other side of this corner- he swore that in any other car he would have T- boned this girl, but these things had huge 6 pot calipers front with something like 345mm front rotors and some big 300mm 4 pot's at the rear. They had 10" wide front tyres and 13" wide rears from memory- with 3 piece Simmons rims... I've loved these cars since childhood, after reading the whole mag front to rear 1000's of times as a kid- these things were one of the wildest cars of the era... Oh, they also claimed in the article that they came with the 200kw Group A Commodore motor, but it COULD be option with a 410kw race motor if you wanted it... Todd Wilks and his JUDGE with his 1000hp turbo Holden motor was a highlight, RIP Todd- a hung throttle at those speeds would have been terrifying with that much power, while heading towards concrete barriers... Australia lost a motoring pioneer in Todd

[@1240enzo]

As others have commented the Bolwell Nagari was preceded by the MK 7 which ran a Holden 202 straight 6 with Triumph based suspension etc. The Mk7 was introduced in the late 60s while the Nagari was introduced in the early 1970s. Bolwell prior to the Mk7 built a small number of earlier models including the Mk4-Mk6. The introduction of the MK 7 was really the turning point for the company as its design included elements of the E-Type and Ferrari 250 GTO. Another Aussie sports car make you missed out was the JWF Milano, which included both an open top (convertible and later hardtop coupe).

[@PatrickCurrie1]

One car that you missed was the Buchanan. They were built in the 1950s and maybe the 1960s. Some models were Aston Martin based designs with Holden power plants and some were based on the AC from England and had Standard Ten mechanicals. The latter was called the Cobra so in fact Australia had the name Cobra long before the United States.

[@oldieman730]

I've loved the Nagari since I was a young boy and hoped to own one at some point. To me, they are an Aussie built 'Corvette'... just add side pipes.

[@daniellarge9784]

The Roadsters are particularly beautiful.

[@metricstormtrooper]

They're better than that, they were beautiful, fast and comfortable.

[@oldieman730]

@@metricstormtrooper Very true.

[@loti54]

Bolwell Nagari mate!!! the unsung hero of TRUE Aussie sportscars

[@alastairwatson3201]

The coupes you showed at the end of the Nagari segment were Mk7s, not Mk8s. The latter don’t have windows aft of the B- pillar.

[@petergoose8164]

Weren't they a pretty car.

[@RebeccaKenworthy]

What about the LS1 powered Elfins??? There was a track model abd a street model- didn't last long. From the early 2000's era

[@rogerramjet7729]

My dad has a ms8 clubman, its wild and fast given its stock ls1, and an absolute head turner. You basically can't park it anywahere as it draws a crowd. But it is a twitchy beast, it is a very short wheelbase and light. It would be good on a circuit, but normal roads you need to treat it with respect. And the clubman is rare - apparently circa 19 clubmans were built, but 100ish streamliners

[@RebeccaKenworthy]

@@rogerramjet7729 Very, very cool indeed! Thanks for sharing. They definitely deserved a mention in a vid about Australian supercars... Would love to experience driving one

[@MelodyMan69]

Bolwell Nagari. Never had the chance to get one. ! 😢

[@patypotato5522]

you forgot the ae112r corolla sportivo, only 110 made. pretty cool

[@WeerdWulf]

Coupé is pronounced COO-PAY not COOP Marque is pronounced MARK not MARKY 🙄😂😂

[@hobbymanx9200]

Both are correct

[@alastairdow4400]

Way to tell that computer generated voice

[@clasdauskas]

'Muricans

[@geoffb108]

​@@alastairdow4400yeah a dead giveaway

[@1one3_Racing]

But coopy is way funnier. It's just AI doing AI things.

[@rcnyoplait]

These are sweet!

[@nevillewran4083]

Embarrassing admission- I was so naïve about the reality of kit cars in the late 1970's, I pined for a Purvis Eureka. The fact they were leaky, creaky, slow, highly impractical & poorly built didn't deter me. I badly wanted one....until I grew up.

[@nevillewran4083]

@JohnH1 It was, but placed over a VW Beetle platform, with VW engine, it was a snail. And a joke.

[@kendircks4461]

a friend has one optioned with a 12A, with an earlier engine number than any Australian delivered Mazda 12A

[@nevillewran4083]

@@kendircks4461 I told myself if I had one, it'd be a chick magnet, women on the footpath would throw their phone numbers ...or themselves... at me as I passed. Now here I am, 89 years old and still virgin. _Damn._

[@BlueyChandler]

Interesting content. So great profiles there.

[@exF3-86]

One of my former race engineers in Australia worked on the Giacottolo prototype under Barry Lock (ex McLaren F1 and designer of the Kaditcha racing cars) and it was a very serious piece of kit. Way overengineered but thats Barry for you. The engine started like on the Walkinshsw VL Group A production line... And the rights moulds and design to the Ikara ended up in Greece

[@lucianene7741]

Nagari - Alfa Romeo Montreal Giocattolo - Alfa GTV Joss - Acura NSX Mirella - Honda Civic

[@bolwellcarclub7790]

The Bolwell Nagari Sports is a Roadster not a convertible! Ikara means ‘Throwing Stick’ NOT Meeting Place!

[@jesseallan3886]

Very interesting, I had never heard of most of them. You should check out another rare Australian car, the Goggomobile. (Seriously, that is its name lol.)

[@angusnz7910]

Was typing you didn’t cover the Mirella but you did get it. Was an amazing bit of kit, was hoping you had the full info on it. Austin Kimberly 2.2 6 cylinder turbocharged and 4sp manual, later changed to Mazda 13B turbo and lancia beta 5sp gearbox. I think from memory Citroen CX front screen and Alfa GTV front screen for the rear, and light emitting diodes for the dash. Think it was named after his daughter (odd name tho). Wish the molds were handed over to someone to manufacture…regardless of year mikes car was one of the greats

[@metricstormtrooper]

My boss owned a nagati drophead, after many traffic fines he sold it for 17k, you shoud the sheet steel chassis but still said it had a tubular soace frame, one Stupid error describing the first car, i cant wait for the others.

[@fruitopia6798]

Wasnt the Goggomobil Dart built in Australia?

[@MrWombatty]

Yes, but hat's featured in another video because having a small 2cyl motor definitely wasn't a sports car!

[@fruitopia6798]

Yes good point but if not a sports car then what was it, it was extremely light, like about a third of the weight of the average sports car, I know it did not have the top speed to drive on the highway but it must have had a decent power to weight ratio, isnt a 2 seater lightweight literally the very definition of a sports car?

[@Bellett64]

@@fruitopia6798 I've driven one and yeah, they're a sports car by the definition of the day. Pinging away, spiralling smoke from their little two-strokes. Gear shifter H-pattern was sideways, with 1---2, then 3---4 rather than the vertical gate we're used to. Was fine until I had to pull out into traffic and forgot momentarily. Crazy machine!

[@chuckselvage3157]

The Bolwell should have had a GT or GTHO motor in it. 0-60 in low 5 quarter in high 12 top speed 175-180 mph.

[@DarkMatter1992]

You left out the Bullet Roadster V8/V8 SS. Based on the Mazda MX-5, the front was extended and the engine replaced with a Toyota 1UZ-FE and a supercharger on some of them.

[@MrWombatty]

I know the Americans cut the 'e' off the end of coupe when they pronounce the word meaning they keep their chooks in them , but as the word is French in origin (coupé) the correct pronunciation should end in an 'ay' sound! A 'coopee' sounds like one of those dolls won at a fairground or showground! Also 'marque' isn't pronounced as 'marquee', because that's a tent for a wedding/reception/party!

[@baabaabaa-El]

I doubt they know what a chook is mate!! Only thing worse than the Yank accent is a robot Yank accent!

[@tonyriordan2853]

I have a mate with a Nagari. It's running a 400 small block chev .

[@pd07]

Awesome 🤩

[@metricstormtrooper]

That can't be helped.

[@chuckselvage3157]

So?

[@codeblue9004]

The Joss and Bolwell Nagari look the best out of all of them.

[@codeblue9004]

The Bolwell Nagari was a good looking car.

[@alastairwatson3201]

This might’ve been an informative, enjoyable video. However, the use of an AI narration ruined it for me; it’s made me question if the research was also outsourced to a fake brain. Please, please do your own research and narration or just don’t bother.

[@AndyViant]

351 Nagaris put out a LOT more power than 220 bhp :D

[@richmondhale5468]

You forgot the hurricane

[@stupidbird4U]

Worked at Holden back in the day when they had the hurricane and the XU2 in our apprenticeship workshop Matec. The XU2 looked similar to an RX7 Mazda but was built much earlier. The Hurricane had a lame 253 V8,the rear vision mirror was a tv monitor due to the lack of a rear window.🫣

[@JohnSmith-rw8uh]

@@stupidbird4U Yoou mean the GR-X that was the sports car Holden didnt make, it had an Xu1 engine in it. The Hurricane was a showcar, not meant for production, Nothing wrong with the 253, ok engines in their day

[@RichieRich845]

3:18 is an Alfa Romeo, thanks

[@hunterhomeservicesracing6453]

I was there the day he died .we had just finished saying this is so dangerous (on the night) I only told my son about the day it happened ,just before Todd’s accident there was a commodore that spun a flywheel ,it landed behind the grandstand

[@raybarnes3888]

There is a family of sports cars that goes by the name of NOTA.

[@davidmackieson4609]

Its an alfa its not even an Australian car its made in italy

[@1one3_Racing]

Bill Buckle. The used car guy.

[@loti54]

It's "super rare" because it was extremely expensive at the time. The Engineering was superb, I saw it at a motor show when they first came out but OMG it was made of unobtainium, too expensive by far....BUT I want one 🤣🤣

[@petermordan8861]

What about the Hurricane

[@shanebailey9128]

CONCEPT! Duhhh!

[@brucefield9237]

I've driven the Hurricane. Definitely not a road car

[@MichaelReynolds-o8q]

The gtr x was closer to production

[@TheDodgeFactor]

The Hurricane was basically built to introduce the first Holden V8. Crazy bastard's stuck the 253 in it though. Had a TV screen for a rear vision mirror, no cabin airflow, was hot as hell inside, but showed what the factory could do if they got adventurous enough. The GTR X was the one car that Holden fucked up with, royally. That should have gone in to production!

[@JP3_C6Z]

The AF2 has Foxbody Mustang GT wheels lol

[@Joe-jd4pn]

Is aloominum like aluminium?

[@trueaussie9230]

The British changed the 'num' to 'nium' to make it more 'pallatable' to their ears and minds. This is a rare occasion where the Yanks are guilt free.

[@Joe-jd4pn]

@@trueaussie9230 Who added the loom?

[@trueaussie9230]

@@Joe-jd4pn That's simply an attribute of accents. You'll find it in UK accents - if you listen. This is a popular example used in linguistics studies.

[@Joe-jd4pn]

@@trueaussie9230 So its just a product of having no front teeth. Ok. Got it.

[@DAT240Z72]

“Coop “A’s””. WTF is that? Maybe Coupe? (coop)

[@pd07]

Yeah!

[@shanebailey9128]

🤖🤖🤖

[@wobblyplanks]

Probably an AI commentary?

[@hobbymanx9200]

There are two ways to pronounce the word. Coop is more English-like and coupé sounds more French I guess. I say the latter. Both are correct. “Advertisement”, “garage” and such too.

[@robertnoakes6743]

French origin word, its pronounced coopay...

[@chiltonengineering1539]

And the Centaurs ?

[@yusufbilaldegirmenci7220]

I saw Joss JT1 on the internet

[@shanebailey9128]

That’s one to tell the grandkids about!😯

[@TheDodgeFactor]

Check out the article on the Joss and what happened when they had it parked outside the nightclub scene in Bourke St, Melbourne. Poor cops couldn't get a win that night because so many people were wanting to see what the hell it was.

[@markmark5269]

Your number 1 is a bit of nonsense really, yes, incredible looking, but that was it. Underneath that skin that had no operational windows and relied on air conditioning, was a mix up of old cheap used parts such as the engine and gearbox from a 1960s designed Austin Kimberly. 10/10 for styling, 2/10 for execution.

[@TheDodgeFactor]

Ignorance is bliss. It was never powered by any bloody Austin motors. The original was Holden red 6, then switched to Ford V8s. And Bolwell are still in business, making parts for all sorts of things. And not so long ago, built a new Nagari.

[@larrylongprong5219]

Forgot the Velacia.

[@dallasbrady967]

I knew the chap who made them, i had two of his custom made seats in my MGB.

[@larrylongprong5219]

@@dallasbrady967 old bloke in st ives has a red one, nice fella.

[@dallasbrady967]

@@larrylongprong5219 wow ! from memory his name was Ron, he was a good friend of my father, he suffered some kind of health issues. I went round to his place in Wentworthville NSW to buy the seats which were very similar to Lotus Europas. Also saw a chap come off his motorbike and bang into the side of his Velacia which I recall was based on an MGTF..

[@balex3211]

You should look up the Holden Efijy its a really cool looking car

[@beelancaster8115]

Theres a lot of car stories and videos - about 80% of them seem to be narrated by Americans that can't pronounce English words or car makes and models - the most irritateing one is JAGWAR its JAGUAR how its spelt ,

[@richardwhite9523]

Wheres the Purvis Eureka

[@JohnSmith-rw8uh]

not australian, built all over the world

[@MacRODesign55]

Oh FFS, get areal person to read the script, not a crappy US accented AI.

[@thekhan1987]

When talking about Australian cars mate, everytime you mention miles per hours and not kms you're just pissing off your non-american watchers, non of us know what tf you talking about when you say miles per hour, nobody uses that.

[@kencoker639]

My wifes cousin had a yellow bolwell running with a holden 202. He ran it in one if the first Taga Tasmania events. Not sure whatever happened to it. Nice little car.

[@TheDodgeFactor]

Probably the same car that a mate and I had around 1975-76, owned by a guy called Fergy. We kept it for around a month or so and then swapped it back to Fergy for a Jensen Interceptor and then swapped that back for an XC Cobra. We couldn't fit girls in the Bolwell and the Interceptor was a mechanical nightmare apart from the Chrysler running gear. And I know that there's still a few treasures still in Tassie, hidden away in various places all over the state.

[@marcbaur677]

2:29 full Name is Alfa Romeo Alfasud Sprint.

[@andrewgregor3692]

I used to have a red sprint, nearly bought a giocattalow in new farm for $35000 many years ago a decision I still regret

[@codeblue9004]

The Bolwell Nagari was a good looking car.