KINGS OF THE ROAD: 50 CARS THAT DROVE AUSTRALIA

Toby Hagon and Bruce Newton Published 2018 by Pan Mcmillan, which supplied the review copy Reviewed by Mark Holman

The title might be a bit unimaginative and has been used before, but this is an enjoyable book and quite timely with the recent demise of Australia’s own car-manufacturing industry (about 30 years after ours disappeared). The concept seems simple enough, although choosing and ranking the 50 most significant vehicles in Australia’s motoring history probably wasn’t easy, and everyone will have their own opinion!

The top three comprises the Holden 48-215, the Ford Model T, and the Toyota Land Cruiser; in fact, those three marques fill the top 13 places. But there is plenty of variety and a bit of imagination in the authors’ selections. The Goggomobil is here, as is the Thales Bushmaster, which is a successful military vehicle. Leyland made it, both with the P76 and the Tasman/ Kimberley models. Many of the entries are larger SUVS, reflecting both the rugged Australian landscape and the numbers of ‘grey nomads’ who apparently head off on long treks in their retirement years. The 1966/’67 Repco-brabham is the only racing car in the 50; the Mini, the Mini Moke, and the VW Beetle and Kombi made it, too. The book also includes some separate groupings, such as cars from the movies ( Mad Max anyone?) and Australian concept cars. On top of all that, there are some lovely facts throughout the book; for example, did you know that the first car to circumnavigate the Australian continent was a second-hand Citroën 5 CV in 1925, the Goggomobil Dart’s windscreen is the rear window from a Renault Dauphine, and the Mitsubishi Pajero is marketed as the Montero in Spain (read the book to find out why!)?

With 214 large pages and tonnes of photos, this is a fascinating trip through the Australian motoring landscape.