[SS-Traveller]

Our weeklong visit to Tasmania at the end of June this year included a few hours at the National Automobile Museum of Tasmania at Launceston. We were not expecting a large car & bike collection, Launceston being a small town with a population of around 77,000 (Tasmania has a population of 5.73 lakhs), but it turned out to be quite impressive.








The collection in the museum is an eclectic mixture of old and new vehicles, with the newest being 2021. The reception area itself is quite interesting, with a 1958 Messerschmitt KR200 and a 2008 Ariel Atom on display.

This KR200 is powered by a Fichtel & Sachs single cylinder 191cc engine producing 10 horsepower, enough to propel the 230 kg three-wheeler to a top speed of more than 90 kilometres per hour!








This 2008 Ariel, the Atom 3, is fitted with a Honda K20 engine as used in the Civic type R, fitted with the optional supercharger and weighs just 462 kg. This car is believed to be the only road registered Ariel Atom in Australia. Atoms are in production currently in the UK as well as under licence in the USA. There have been eight variants of the Atom, including the Atom 500, an extreme version, featuring a 3.0 litre V8.








Apart from this, the reception area has an extensive collection of model cars, memorabilia, collectibles, books, old magazines and trinkets, some of which are for sale.






































For entering the museum, one pays and gets these 'tokens', which open the entry door!




Here we go!

[SS-Traveller]

Once inside, we meet this immaculate 1956 Cadillac Coupe De Ville, and a bright red fire engine, a 1929 Dennis G Urban Pumper.





Entering service with the Launceston Fire Brigade (LFB) on 26th February 1930, the Dennis is powered by a 4-cylinder White & Poppe petrol engine. It features a rear mounted Dennis no. 2 turbine pump and the first live hose reel to be fitted on an LFB appliance. For most of its working life, the Dennis was based at the brigade's Central Station. Initially it served as first turnout but after the arrival of a more modern Ford v8 Pumper in 1937, it became the carrier of the brigade’s wheeled fire escape ladders until its retirement in 1977. After decommissioning, the appliance was leased to the Veteran Car Club of Australia, Tasmania. In 1983, it was transferred to the Tasmanian fire service museum. Total restoration began in 2011 to its original condition in the early 1930s.









This car, a 1965 Rolls -Royce Silver Cloud III Flying Spur Sports Saloon (Chassis No. CSC.67.B) is one of only 52 produced (35 right-hand drive) with an alloy body built by H.J Mulliner Park Ward Ltd to the same design as the Bentley S3. The official Rolls-Royce records show that this car was fitted with a number of optional extras, a 9201 Radio, electric windows on all doors, emergency hand window winder, a Hirschman electric aerial, Dunlop tubeless tyres and Continental springing. The car was shipped to Australia in 1981 before changing ownership in 2017. It has now travelled 42,000 miles since new.





Another Rolls Royce in the collection, a 1949 Silver Wraith Touring Limousine, with coachwork by H J Mulliner & Co. This is one of 46 cars delivered new to Australia.









Closer to the Indian heart was this 1960 Royal Enfield Constellation, whose engine was essentially two 350cc RE Bullets, with two separate cast iron barrels and twin alloy heads. This model first arrived in 1958, and was the only RE model branded as an Indian Apache for the US market.

[SS-Traveller]

A part of the museum's collection, consisting of Australian muscle cars, was displayed in the appropriately named Hall of Muscle, with cars ranging from the 1960s to the present day.



The 1970 Chrysler Valiant VG Pacer had a 4.0L 6-cylinder Hemi engine, and could reach 180 km/h. Chrysler built it as a low-cost competition for the V8-powered Ford Monaro & Falcon GT, aimed at the young buyers - at A$2798, it cost A$400 less than its competition in those days.




This 1973 Ford Falcon XA GT, with 300hp, a 4-speed gearbox and limited-slip differential, still has its original numberplate.


This 1971 Ford Falcon XY GTHO was the undisputed king of Australian muscle cars, with present prices for original survivor cars exceeding A$1,000,000. The Falcon GT was built for one specific purpose, to lap Mount Panorama at Bathurst quicker than anything Holden or Chrysler could produce. The car on display has a 5.8 litre V8 engine. Only 300 GTHO Phase IIIs were built from May to November 1971.


1973 Holden Torana LJ GTR. Holden and went in search of ways to bring the small body big performance model to Australian buyers to capture the growing "youth" market Holden needed a smaller cheaper performance package than the Monaro. It was released in October 1969 as part of the 6-cylinder Torana range. January 1972 brought the restyled LJ Torana range. Externally the changes were minimal, but the chunky new grill and triple element tail lamps lent a 'mini-Camaro' look to the compact Holden.


1976 Holden Torana LX SS. This was a specially ordered car in Papaya Orange with Chamois interiors, with a 308 cu.in. engine & 4-speed gearbox.



Some more interesting cars on display in the museum:

1956 Austin Healey 100/M with high-compression head and 110 bhp output. Donald Healey and his son Geoffrey designed the car and showcased a prototype at the 1952 Earls Court Motor Show. Sir Leonard Lord, Chairman of Austin, was so impressed by it that he proposed it to be manufactured at the Austin factories, hence the name.





1967 Austin Healey 6000 LS2. The classic Austin Healey shape disguises the fact that it is powered by a 6.0 litre LS2 V 8. The car is fitted with 8-inch-wide front & 9-inch-wide rear wheels, and sticky performance tyres.





1956 AC Ace Bristol. The vehicle on display was shown by AC Cars Limited at the 1956 Earls Court Motor Show. It was then purchased by the wealthy owner of a prosperous rubber plantation in Malaya. Once his car had arrived, it was raced in the Macau Grand Prix and the Singapore Grand Prix, as reported by motoring magazines at the time. He then sent the vehicle back to the United Kingdom for performance enhancements. The car passed through several hands throughout Asia before ending up with an Australian Navy sailor who allegedly transported the vehicle to Australia on the HMAS Melbourne. The current owner purchased the car in 1985 in a state of disrepair. It was restored by Geoff Smedley, the founder of the museum, and has been enjoyed since the Bristol badge denotes the two litre, six cylinder power plant from Bristol cars of the era.





1974 Holden Monaro GTR. The Monaro was produced between 1968 and 1977, and later between 2001 and 2005. At the launch, Holden described it as the first sports machine to be designed and engineered in Australia. This body design is often now considered one of the best-looking body designs to come from an Australian product. The car on display is finished in its original Aquamarine colour and features gloss blackouts as per original.


2007 Holden Commodore V8 Supercar, built by Gary Rogers Motorsport. This car ran in the Supercars Championship in 2007 as the #34 Dean Canto car. It was then used at the Sandown and Bathurst Endurance races by Greg Ritter and Cameron Mclean. The car finished 9th at Bathurst in 2007. It also ran in the 2008 Endure Races at Phillip Island and Bathurst. The car was retained as a spare in 2009 and 2010 before being fitted with a back seat and used as a ride car.



1977 Ford Falcon XC Cobra (‘Bathurst Cobra’). In December 1977, Ford built 13 special-order modified XC hard tops for race customers, to compete in the 1978 Australian Touring Car Championship. The modifications to the 13 hardtops form the foundation of the 30 special and extremely rare Option-97 (nicknamed ‘Bathurst Cobra’) Hardtops, with build plates 002 to 031. The Bathurst Cobras featured a larger radiator, driver-switchable twin thermofans, a gearbox oil cooler, additional suspension bracing and reworked wheel housing to accept the massive racing rubber. Distinguishing the 30 Bathurst Cobras is the large, functional rear opening bonnet scoop. The car on display is cobra #009, and presents in largely original condition.



1960 Chevrolet Bel Air. The vehicle on display is a 4th generation Bel Air produced from 1958 to 1961. In Australia, Chevrolet competed directly with premium European brands such as Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar. A large fleet of Chevrolet Bel Air sedans were also used by the Australian government, including by some prime ministers during the 1960s! Australian market Chevrolets were either locally assembled or built in Canada and then imported, depending on the model.







1963 Ford Galaxie Sportsroof. Produced between 1958 and 1974, the Galaxie was offered by Ford, with a variety of powerplants throughout the production run, ranging from economy 6 cylinders to behemoth V8 engines with capacities up to seven litres. To improve the performance of the Galax[e in NASCAR, Ford put in production in mid-1963 the Sportsroof, which featured a roof two inches lower than usual, improving aerodynamics. This led to Ford winning the 23 Grand National NASCAR races in that year alone. The ultimate offering of the Galaxie in the early 1960s was a limited production run of around 210 lightweight sports roof cars. They featured seripped interiors, lightweight bucket sheets, fiberglass body panels and a high-output 425 horsepower engine, making the car a sensation in street racing and on the drag strip in the United States.




Alongside the Galaxie is a 1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am. The Trans-Am was produced between 1969 and 2002 as an enhanced version of the Firebird. The F-body platform was shared with the Camaro, and this same platform continued to be used in pretty early 2000s. The car on display was auctioned new with the 400 cubic inch (6.5 litre) Pontiac V8. This car has travelled just 54,000 miles (86,000 km) since new, remaining in the original left-hand drive configuration, even after being imported to Australia.




A couple of more contemporary muscle cars:

2021 Shelby Mustang GT500 Golden Ticket. This is equipped with a handbuilt 5.2 litre supercharged Predator cross-plane crank V8. Producing 760 horsepower and 625 lb-ft of torque, sent to the rear wheel through a 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. From a standstill, the GT500 can reach 60MPH (100 kph) in 3.4 seconds, with a top speed of 186 mph (300 km/h).



2018 Shelby Mustang Super Snake White Body. Power is rated at over 800 hp (600 kW). Shelby claims the car will accelerate to 60mph (100km/h) in just 3.5 seconds. The power plant is based on Ford's Coyote, 5.0L V8. The Super Snake is equipped with a supercharger. The wide body package includes new body panels that add approximately 4" to the track in the rear, and 2.5" to the front.




1973 Alpine A110 (Dinalpin). Alpine was founded in the mid 1950s by a garage proprietor named Jean Rédélé, who began achieving success with lightweight aluminium bodies with Renault 4CV underpinnings, in the Mille Miglia and Coupe des Alpes (aka the Alpine Rally). The first Alpine model was the A106, a fibreglass-bodied car based on 4CV mechanicals. The car achieved a number of racing victories throughout the 1950s, later evolving into the A108. By 1963 this model had evolved into the iconic A 110, using parts from the new Renault R8 including the 1100 cc Major engine, or an optional Gordini power plant producing 95HP. Later, the 125hp R16-TS engine boosted top speed to 130 mph (209 km/h). Notable performances of the A110 include a victory in the 1971 Monte Carlo rally. Driven by Swedish driver Ove Andersson. The Alpine, a 110 was also built under licence by Mexican company DINA, a bus and truck manufacturer. These cars were branded 'Dinalpin'. The vehicle on display was produced in Mexico and was imported privately to Australia.


Mundane cars like the 1965 Nissan Cedric 1500 Deluxe sedan also find a place here. A four-speed manual transmission with the top three gears synchronized was standard, with a three-speed manual fitted to 1900 versions. The Cedric replaced the Austin A50 Nissan was building under licence from Austin Motor Company of England, which was called the Nissan Austin, and also benefited from earlier vehicles built by Nissan, called the Datsun DB Series. All models were equipped with white-wall tyres.




1977 Holden Gemini TC

[SS-Traveller]

1973 Citroen DS23. This is the actual car that won the 1974 London-Sahara-Munich World Cup rally. Of the 70 cars that entered the race, only 19 finished. And of those 19 cars, only five had managed to travel the full distance. The course covered approximately 18,000 miles (~29,000 km) and began in London, then traversing the most gruelling terrain through Africa.

Most contestants failed to complete the southernmost leg of the rally, with aerial searches having to be conducted to find missing participants. Some competitors in desperation went off-route and found their own way out of the African continent. Throughout the rally, the car was driven by three keen Australians, Andre Welinski, Ken Tubman, and James Reddiex. The car survived the gruelling rally despite many close calls with disaster. James Reddiex summed up his experience with the car: It went fantastically well. It went better than I hoped, but as good as I expected.

The car had another exciting chapter opened in 2013 when it completed the 2013 Peking to Paris rally, a rerun of the 1907 race, which begins at the Great Wall of China and ends in the streets of Paris.

[SS-Traveller]

1975 Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2, Chassis No 18415, barn-find in Hobart, Tasmania in early 2023. The first Ferrari with automatic transmission.

Ferrari launched its 365 GT4 2+2 in 1972 at the Paris Salon. Total factory production of this V12 was just 521 units plus three prototypes. Its direct replacement, maintaining the wedge-line Pininfarina styling, the 400 Series was launched in 1976. 502 cars designated 400 GT were manufactured until it in turn was replaced by the 400i in 1979. The car on display 365 GT4 2+2 chassis number 18415 started out life as a March 1975 manual car in Argento silver. However, what makes this car unique is that it was retained by Ferrari as its “Esperienze” (experience) car, becoming the first pre-production car of the 400 Series and being fitted with, amongst other things by the Factory, automatic transmission. Up until the launch of the 400 Series Ferrari had never produced a production car with automatic transmission. Of the 502 Ferrari 400 Series built between 1976 and 1979, 355 were delivered to their new owners with the optional General Motors Turbo Hydramatic 400 automatic gearbox.

18415 is accompanied by complete Ferrari factory engineering documentation from when it came off the production line at Maranello on March 12, 1975 until it was sold in 1980 via Achilli Motors in Milan. This car remained in Italy until 1996, when its new owner took it to Japan for a short while before being brought to Australia by that same owner. The last time it was registered, as proclaimed by the sticker still on the front windshield was in Lombardy in Northern Italy in 1996, and it was last serviced on 22nd July 1996 at 46,653 kilometres. It has sat in a dry shed in Hobart, Tasmania for some 20 years, in good condition, but slowly gathering dust until earlier this year. This true barn find car is still matching numbers, despite all the changes made by the technicians at Maranello.













Another Ferrari in the museum's collection is the 1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 "Daytona". The engine is a 4.4L version of the Colombo V12, producing 347hp in this guise. The unofficial "Daytona" name was allocated to the car by the media after Ferrari took 1-2-3 positions to win at the 24 hours endurance race of Daytona. The "Daytona" featured in the hit TV series Miami Vice was actually a replica built on a 1960s Chevrolet Corvette chassis.

[SS-Traveller]

1958 MG MGA. This car on display has been modified and fitted with the aluminium block 3528CC Rover V8 engine, originally designed by General Motors, mated to a five speed Toyota gearbox (MG first offered the V8 in the MGB in 1973). This car was built over a 10-year period, and also features Porsche Brembo brakes with slotted rotors, as well as widened wire wheels. A far cry from the MG cars we can buy in India today!




1967 Honda T500 Utility. Developed in Japan to comply with Kei class regulations as the T360, the T500 was the more powerful version intended for export markets. It was powered by a 531cc inline four-cylinder engine capable of 38 hp with a top speed of 65 mph (105 km/h). The mid-mounted engine was a slightly detuned version of the engine used in the Honda S500 sports car, driving the rear wheels through a 4-speed manual gearbox. The Honda T500 offers seating for two in its small cab, it has a 400 kg (882 lb) load capacity, and the engine is accessed by lifting a bench inside the passenger compartment. This was one of 4 T500s imported into Tasmania by Honda dealer Lloyd Casmpbell.




Of course, Australians always loved their 'utes'! This 1928 Ford Model A 'Roadster Utility' was restored in the 1970s with the tray being imported from Canada, while the cabin and chassis were sourced locally in Evandale. After the lengthy conversion to a utility was complete, the vehicle was used in the 1970s and 1980s to build a family home in the Tasmanian Township of Kayena. The vehicle has since been continuously used both as a utility vehicle and a well-preserved classic It recently received a light restoration to ensure it remains usable for years to come.


1911 Hupmobile 20. This car was originally sold new to a person in Longford, Tasmania.


1911 Berliet 12HP Roadster. Marius Berliet started his experiments with automobiles in 1894. Single cylinder cars were followed by a twin cylinder model in 1900. Berliet started to build four-cylinder automobiles featuring a honeycomb radiator, and with a steel chassis frame instead of wood. In 1906 Berliet sold the licence for manufacturing his model to the American Locomotive Company. Before World War I, Berliet offered a range of models from 8CV to 60 CVS. The main models had four-cylinder engines, and there was a 6 cylinder model of 9500 cc. A 1539cc model (12CV) was produced between 1910 and 1912. Passenger car production ceased in 1939 and the company went on to produce trucks only.


1936 Fiat 500 'Topolino'. Fiat's original 500, commonly known as Topolino (or "little mouse", the Italian name for Mickey Mouse), was first seen in 1936. The Topolino was one of the smallest cars in the world at the time of its production, and was the first foray into a sector that it would eventually come to dominate in Italy. It was initially equipped with a 569CC four-cylinder engine mounted in front of the front axle The radiator was located behind the engine, which made possible a low nose profile. With about 13 bhp, the top speed was about 53 mph (85 km/h). After World War II, production resumed, and the Topolino soldiered on until 1955. Although it was more expensive than first intended, the car was still very competitively priced and more than 500,000 were sold. The car on display was personally imported to Australia in 2001.




A common site in garages in the early 1930s, the small air compressor was revolutionary when introduced in the mid 1920s, having made the hand pump obsolete. This is the now famous Michelin Rubber Man pump made at Luchard, Paris in 1926.


Boiton Hill was a popular hill climb track in Launceston between the 1930s and 1950s. The fastest bikes climbed the hill in about six seconds, while the slower ones took around 14 seconds. The tyre on display was a popular DIY modification by those in search of more traction and better times.

[SS-Traveller]

Some motorcycles:

1936 Harley-Davidson. Presented in original unrestored condition, the motorcycle has been with the same owner for the past 55 years. Its first owner operated Patman & McDonald, Launceston's only Harley-Davidson dealer at the time, as shown in the poster. This motorcycle with sidecar attached was clocked on 2-Mile Beach at 92.7 mph (149 km/h) in 1939. In 1930 the 74 cubic inch (1,210cc) VL Flathead replaced the old JD Big Twin. The VL had a single down tube frame and total loss oiling, culminating in an 80 cubic inch (1300cc) version (VLH) in 1935. In Seven that engine was redesigned to include a recirculating lubrication system and designated the Model U, and it went into the same frame and running gear configuration as the Model E Knucklehead, which had originated in 1936.






1908 Peugeot 3½ HP. The vehicle on display was the 5th registered motorcycle in Tasmania, remaining in the care of Tasmanian owners since it was first registered by Leonard C. Pitfield, in the Hobart suburb of Glebe, all those years ago. Today Peugeot is known for their cars, so it may come as a surprise to know that Peugeot was the first company to mass produce motorcycles, beginning production in 1898, during a pioneering age for the motor industry. Many of their early motorcycles were powered by De Dion-Bouton powerplants and achieved a great deal of success in competitive motorcycle events. The very first isle of man tt was won by a Peugeot-engined motorcycle.


1911 Dot motorcycle. The Dot Cycle and Motor manufacturing company was established in 1903 At first, only bicycles were manufactured in their factory near Manchester, in England. But by 1906 they had constructed their very first motorcycle with a pigeon engine. In the early days of motorcycle ownership, dot was framed for their sporting machines, winning the Isle of Man TT twin-cylinder class in 1908 against other manufacturers, most of which were much larger and better established companies. Although Dot never repeated that TT win, there was considerable success in the TT and other road racing events over the next 20 years. The motorcycle on display is frame number 108. It is powered by a 1000 cc JAP V-Twin.


1946 Indian Chief. The Indian chief was first introduced in 1922 by the Hendee Manufacturing Company and the subsequent Indian Motocycle Company from 1922 to the end of the company's production in 1953, and again from 1999 to present. The Chief was Indian's "big twin", a larger, more powerful motorcycle than the more agile Scout used in competition and sport riding. The Chief was introduced in 1922 to replace the Powerplus, although the Powerplus was continued under the "Standard" name until 1923. The Chief had a bore of 3 1⁄8 inches (79 mm) and a stroke of 3 31⁄32 inches (101 mm), giving a displacement of 61 cubic inches (1,000 cc), as the Powerplus/Standard had. Unlike the Powerplus/Standard, the Chief was not offered with rear suspension initially, but from 1940, the Chief frame was modified to include plunger rear suspension. In the same year, all Indian models were restyled with large, decorative fenders.


1972 Honda QA50. Japanese motorcycle manufacturers were the first to mass produce minibikes The earliest mini bikes were made by DIY mechanics in the 1930s. Most of these early one-of-a-kind minibikes were fashioned from bicycle frames and small petrol powered engines. By the early 1960s, Japanese manufacturers were developing minibike designs and engaged in mass production. Honda marketed the QA50 series as a youth model minibike. It featured patented Swivel-Lok handlebars that folded down as the bike would fit in the trunk of the family car. It was available from 1970 through 1972 as the QA50 K0, and had an OHV single cylinder, 49cc engine with an automatic clutch and two speed transmission. For model years 1973 through 1974, Honda re-dubbed each year's QA50 as K1, K2 and K3. The only difference between model years were the colours.

[SS-Traveller]

The automobile collection at the National Automobile Museum of Tasmania is quite extensive, and they keep changing the displayed vehicles. More details can be read about, at their website (https://namt.com.au/). I do have many other pictures and details. Though I have tried to highlight the interesting ones, do ask if you spot any other vehicle in the background that might interest you, and I'll see if I have close-up pictures and details of the same.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Mile_Breaker]

The museum has come alive through your pictures and description and literally felt like a virtual tour. Fell in love with 2018 Shelby Mustang Super Snake White Body. Thanks for sharing !

[bullitt1]

That's a lot of pictures. Thanks for sharing. Any Shelby Mustangs are special, but Ford Falcon is terrific in its own right. The Falcon modified Interceptor in Mad Max is one of the best movie cars.

[Jeroen]

Thanks for sharing, very interesting museum with quite a collection. Excellent photography too. Learned some new things. Never knew about that Royal Enfield. Or the name for my beloved Alpine A110.

Jeroen

[Toni]

Mod note: Post edited to fix quote tags, please Preview before Posting. Thanks.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Once inside, we meet this immaculate 1956 Cadillac Coupe De Ville, and a bright red fire engine, a 1929 Dennis G Urban Pumper.
Attachment 2483185

Attachment 2483266

I have fallen in love with this pristine Cadillac. This brings back some of my old memories when I was a kid of the big the Impala or Dodge waiting for us at Cooch Behar Airport when visiting with my grandmother to her father's place in Dubri, Assam.

Thanks SS-Traveller for sharing.

[Jekyl87]

Going through this was so enjoyable. Your few lines about each picture really added to the experience and made my morning today. Thank you.

[KPS]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Our weeklong visit to Tasmania at the end of June this year included a few hours at the National Automobile Museum of Tasmania at Launceston.

Thank you so much such wonderful presentation. The cars appear to be in great condition and your write up made viewing this thread more enjoyable.

I assume this is mostly a static display. Do you have the option to drive cars by paying a fee?

Cheers
KPS