Ok guys here are a few photos!
We classic Isuzu owners met up in the Harbourtown car park, just across the road from the starting line, so we could get all lined up together. Unfortunately the organisers had other ideas and split our convoy up right down the middle; and we don't really know why.
Anyway, we started out together....
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001 - 03 - Isuzus in car park.JPG [ 58.63 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
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002 - 05 - Isuzus in car park.JPG [ 99.32 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
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Josh's Bellett auto with Danielle Browning's 1969 Deluxe.JPG [ 73.67 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
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Paul Harvey's 1968 Bellett GT - 02.JPG [ 98.98 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
There are always awesome cars at the start at West Beach; unfortunately many of the cars enter then turn around to come home from Birdwood straight away. Rather pointless, I feel!
The next two shots are our mate Brenton, first posing with our mate Darren's BMW 2002 (he took the photos that are on the Garage of Awesome website), then next with his own 1964 Cadillac Coupe DeVille.
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BMW 2002 - Brooke and Darren - 01 - with Brenton.JPG [ 88.37 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
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Cadillac 1964 Coupe Deville - 02 - with Brenton.JPG [ 66.95 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
I get really bored of GTS Monaros; they're like an expensive rash. Sure, they're cool, but they aren't as rare as people think as many have been preserved. However base model and LS Monaros are both thin on the ground; plenty have been street-machined and plenty have just been plain old killed off.
This HG-model Monaro is super awesome. When the 'new' Monaro came out in 2003, people complained it was nothing but a 2-door Commodore. Well, this base-model proves that the original Monaro REALLY was nothing more than a 2-door Kingswood!
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Holden HG Monaro 186 base model - 02.JPG [ 82.81 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
Meanwhile, we spied this HQ Monaro LS entering. The LS was pretty much a Premier-spec Monaro, complete with twin-headlight front end.
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Holden HQ Monaro LS - 01.JPG [ 87.33 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
Some people may remember Craig and his cool beige Colt 1100F who attended the Adelaide Bellett Nationals in 2009. When I saw this one, I thought it was him, but it turns out this was another guy! I rang Craig to tell him and he was disbelieving... then he came over and met the guy and realised they already knew each other.
If you're wondering about the ribbons, they were available as part of a charity thing for cancer.
Good sentiment I understand, but they did detract from the awesomeness of the cars a bit, I thought. I like seeing the cars as they were when they were new and they didn't come with ribbons!
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Mitsubishi Colt 1100F fastback - 03.JPG [ 93.28 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
West Beach also yielded a pair of super-cool Honda S600s; both a coupe and a convertible. God-damn I love these things.
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Honda S600 convertible - 02.JPG [ 101.21 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
There were some awesome Toyotas there too; this Corona Mark II was pretty tidy. I used to get taken to school in one of these every day by my neighbours.
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Toyota Corona Mark II - 01.JPG [ 98.07 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
This Crown ute ruled pretty hard; this shape Crown is among the best. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the ute was Aussie-specific. I saw one at a Jap show in the USA in 2010 and that one turned out to be ex-Australia anyway, so that didn't clarify the situation!
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Toyota Crown ute - 01.JPG [ 82.2 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
This Iso Rivolta Lele was a really rare piece of Italian tin. My GOD I get sick of some Euro cars and their owners, but how COOL is this car!!?
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Iso Rivolta Lele.JPG [ 81.98 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
Here's another awesome Euro; the Trojan 200 3-wheeler! Like the BMW Isetta, the entire front opens up like a space-hatch!
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Trojan 200 - 01.JPG [ 108.96 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
The early Bluebird; the B410 looks a stack like the Bellett at the front!
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Datsun Bluebird B410 - 03.JPG [ 79.63 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
Be still my beating heart..... Prince Skylines....
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Nissan Prince Skyline GT - 01.JPG [ 91.14 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
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Nissan Skyline GT - 01.JPG [ 63.22 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
We pulled over along the way for a bit to try to get some of the other guys to catch up and saw some really interesting things go past.
Check out this Ford Consul Capri. These pre-dated the Mark 1 Ford Capri and had problems with reliability. They look pretty space aged!
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04 - Tapleys Hill Road - Ford Consul Capri.JPG [ 106.23 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
In Gumeracha, I saw this car go past. This would be one of my favourite Holdens that ever existed; not the HR Holden specifically, but THIS HR Holden. This was built in Left-Hand-Drive and delivered new to Hawaii to a serviceman. He moved to Washington DC and took the car with him, then to Pine Gap in the Northern Territory. The owner then moved back to the USA and left the car here. It spent about 25 years in storage and is now back on the road. It is totally unrestored and original. And AMAZING.
It still sports a Washington DC Government parking permit on the rear bumper....
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11 - Gumeracha - Holden HD Special Left Hand Drive.JPG [ 109.49 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
Up at Birdwood, there were a couple of cars in the concourse area that took my fancy. The GAZ Volga 21 from Russia was uber-super-ultra cool, however there are already photos up somewhere I'm sure.
This SAAB Sonnett was pretty cool though; I've never seen one in the metal. They are a tiny little thing and have the most massive wheels for their size! How's the stud-pattern! How's the wedgeness!
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SAAB Sonnett - 01.JPG [ 114.09 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
Also amongst the concourse cars was another Prince Skyline, the only 100% original looking one with wheelcovers.... sex.
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Prince Skyline - 02.JPG [ 136.12 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
This Nissan Cedric was for sale. I told Ross he should buy it, but he did not. Instead, another guy I know bought it! It was a really cool car as well; original condition with some minor wear. They look a bit under-wheeled, but otherwise, I mean, what a car. If only I had a Bellel; then we could cruise in our early 1960's Jap family sedans!
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Nissan Cedric - 03.JPG [ 124.93 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
Finally, some of you may have noticed that I've been a bit lacking in posts recently. This is because my darling wife had a little boy, who we've named Joseph Carey.
Now please bear in mind he was not due until 18 October 2011, the doctor told Sarah he was pretty much baked and looked to be getting too big, so if she's like to drop anytime she should feel free. I asked, nay, PLEADED with her to keep her legs crossed until after the Bay to Birdwood, which she dutifully did.
This is a photo of Sarah at the Bay to Birdwood 2011 with only three more days to go until Joseph arrived. So she's mega-pregnant and she was HUGE. I don't think the photo fully conveyed that!
She came along (she requested she get to ride in the Florian due to its high levels of comfort!), hung out in the shade on a picnic rug with a couple of pillows and dozed most of the day. She ruled!
Love you babe!
<sorry for the mush>
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Sarah with Isuzu Wasp - 01.JPG [ 113.16 KiB | Viewed 33318 times ]
Cheers guys,
Dave