(first posted 6/4/2017) After a very long delay it is time to complete the tour of the Castlemaine Lancia Rally, because there were some pretty interesting non-Lancia cars in attendance as well! And they weren’t all Italian.
I’ll start with the first car I came across upon getting to the show, this 1974 Lamborghini Uracco. This smaller Lamborghini was rather overshadowed by the Countach, and never sold in the sort of volume that I assume Lamborghini would have wished for. It has a mid-mounted V8 engine and one of the smallest back seats you are likely to see. It looks like the wheels may from the later Silhouette.
There was a whole line of Lamborghinis beyond this, including another Uracco plus a heap of modern Gallardo, Hurracan and Aventadors, and a DeLorean for good measure. But no time to check them out, more interesting cars were on offer as you can see in the previous instalments from the show!
Next was quite a more modest machine that is probably a rarer sight on the roads today. I’m not sure that the Fiat 127 was terribly popular in Australia, but there were over 3.7 million built in total. It is fwd of course, with a 900 or 1050 cc engine.
Next were a pair of Dinos. The 308 GT4 was a jarring follow-up to the 246 with its angular Bertone styling, but I think it has aged well. I can imagine that the US-market bumpers don’t help in this regard however.
Jumping to the other side of the oval is a row of nice cars for the Sunday Drive, with one obvious stand-out. I suppose it may terribly cliché to focus so much on rare cars like this Fiat 2300S, but modern cars like the Mercedes here will have their turn.
The Fiat 2300 coupe debuted in 1961, 2 years after the sedan range it was based on. Overall styling is attractive, with the height of the body section due to the sedan origin the artfully disguised by the chrome strip along the lower edge. The engine is a twin-carb pushrod inline six making 130 bhp in S form.
The interior is classic Italian of the era, definitely no compromise there. One item of note is that from 1963 the car had dual-circuit brakes.
You may also have noticed the classic Nardi steering wheel; here is a close-up of Signore Nardi’s signature!
There were several Ferraris, but this 365 GT4 BB and 458 provide an interesting contrast of nearly 40 years-worth of technological advancement. The BB stood for Berlinetta Boxer, but I learned recently that the engine was not strictly a boxer. Only 387 were made before it was superseded by the 512 BB. The 458 is much more conventional and much less compromised than the engine-above-gearbox of the older car.
There was a large group of Alfa Romeos, with quite a variety on display as shown by this Alfasud Ti and 105-series 1750 GTV coupe.
Seeing an Alfasud in this condition is pretty rare given their infamous rusting habit, and I think it might even be unrestored as I think the final 1982-84 Ti hatch with its 80 bhp 1.5L boxer would have been recognised as an instant classic from day one.
I think that the 2000 GTV that followed the 1750 is generally regarded as slightly less-well regarded due to the longer stroke of the engine making it less willing to rev (I wonder if this is over-exaggerated hair-splitting pickiness?), plus I don’t think it has the same racing heritage as the earlier car. I do like how the Alfa shield is formed by the grille bars though!
Right next to these were the GTC featured at the start of this article plus a Giulietta Spider. Both beautiful cars, with the GTC being notable for its almost unicorn status with less than 1,000 built before it was judged to be superfluous next to the Duetto. Interestingly the Giulietta is a pretty rare example too, because they weren’t built in RHD before 1961 and replaced by the otherwise-identical 1600 cc Giulia in 1962.
Alongside these cars was a 2600 Sprint (1964-66 in RHD form), which is a very unusual car in that the sedan was the least popular variant, selling just 2,092 versus 6,999 coupes and 2,255 convertibles.
The styling is recognisable as early Giugiaro, while the engine was a twin-cam 6-cylinder producing 145 bhp and with a standard 5-speed gearbox good for 124 mph.
The weight means it is a grand tourer rather than a ‘proper’ sports car, but with an interior like this who is complaining? If only modern cars could look like this, including the view out!
Near the entry to the oval things get a bit racier, in the form of a Lotus Seven, or at least a replica. Four foam filters indicate a pair of Webers (or individual throttle body injection), while the bonnet hump indicates a more modern, taller engine than an original Seven. The low screen matches the harnesses, roll bar and racing numbers.
The same competition accoutrement adorns the next car, a Bolwell Mark IV. Bolwell was a small sports car company based in Moorabbin, Melbourne, and the Mark IV was the first commercial model from the four brothers, with over 100 built from 1962-64 (200 according to some sources). Most were powered by a Ford 4-cylinder engine, although others were possible including Holden and Falcon sixes, with the engine placed further back than usual, alongside the driver’s legs. The interior shows some badges from the nearby Mount Tarrengower hillclimb.
The final car I’ll feature is perhaps the most valuable here, a 1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Mille Miglia spider. The decals relate to this car’s frequent outings in the Targa Tasmania, so it gets used and hard!
Lancias are interesting cars, and attract interesting people – you can guarantee there is an interesting story behind this Holden Rodeo 4WD pickup with a third axle conversion. The low height of the body indicate this rig probably sees some serious highway mileage, which is confirmed by a South Australian registration plate; at least 220 miles from home, possibly closer to 400.
Castlemaine is an interesting place, with a lot of history and now antique dealers etc, but it is also a major centre for hot-rodding. This Fargo truck was one of quite a few old vehicles I saw on the way out of town, and the old chairs on the back plus its apparent immobile state point to the former industry (antiques) rather than the latter.
I hope you have enjoyed my coverage from the biennial Lancia Rally; it is due to be held again this October!
Related Reading:
Car Show Classic: 2015 Lancia Rally At Castlemaine Part 1
Car Show Classics: Lancia Rally At Castlemaine Part 2
Car Show Classics: Lancia Rally At Castlemaine Part 3
Car Show Classics: Lancia Rally At Castlemaine Part 4
wow, quite a few alfa unicorns down there! i especially like the sky blue 2600 sprint with the cream interior. thanks for sharing.
What an incredible selection!! The Urraco looks good with the newer wheels. I’ve never seen a Fiat 2300 coupe in person, been fascinated by them since childhood. Are those the correct hubcaps? Love the Alfa 2600 Sprint. Thanks for a great series. The Lancias in the earlier episodes are awesome.
The car looked original enough, and google shows some other cars with the same type so I expect they are original.
The Fiat 2300 coupe is kind of close close to a six-cylinder classic pony car in mechanical layout. Pushrod inline six in front, leaf-sprung live axle at the rear. Although the Fiat does have a 4-speed manual as standard (and only) equipment; also Chrysler-style torsion bars up front.
By all accounts I’ve read (never even met somebody who owned one), the Fiat Coupe won praise for its roadholding and handling – goes to show that maybe Ford could have made the Mustang (or Chrysler the Barracuda, or Chevy the Camaro) a world-class handler without going for an expensive all-new drivetrain and rear suspension.
The handling point is interesting. If you had the ‘fast’ steering box on a Mustang you had a chance at least, but the lack of rack & pinion steering is not the be-all and end-all for driving pleasure. Perhaps the larger, cast iron engines shoulder a large part of the blame? But with the Shelby front suspension tweaks for the Mustang and similar for the Camaro, they did well in racing.
In the mid 70s I was stationed in Sigonella, Sicily for a few months “courtesy” of the U.S. Navy. While there, a co-worker asked me if I might be interested in buying his car….an Alfa Romeo 2600 convertible. I had no idea how rare that car was but I did hear him say, QUITE OFTEN, how difficult it was to find parts for it and how expensive those parts were. Needless to say, I wasn’t about to scoop up his headache.
Strangely, I would see a “twin” to that Alfa about 6 months after I returned to Jacksonville.
I rented a Fiat 127 on my 1st trip to Sicily. Small outside, not all that roomy inside, but a fun car to drive.
Would love to own an Alfasud, or at least have a chance to drive one. As it is, I’ve never seen one “in the metal”.
Nice to see a Fiat 127 among the exotics, that certainly has been a long time !
Late 1985/early 1986 my brother bought a 1978 Fiat 127 1050CL as his first car. Lime green, like the ones below. Only minor rust, and with a high-revving screamer under its hood.
All around it was a much, much better car than my 1982 R5, which was in the same segment. And not only because the little Fiat had a substantially bigger engine with moar powah.
Yep, that 127 is a rarebie but nice to see. Rome was lousy with these in the 70s on our vacations there. Every time I see the Urraco I fall further in love. Agree with pikesta – those wheels look good on it.
Also nice to see a Bolwell.
The Urraco in real life is even better than the Matchbox one I clung to as a kid. Don Andreina, you’re very good at explaining styling matters; any thoughts as to why the Urraco looks so well-proportioned and the really quite similar Ferrari 308GT4 (the “ugly Ferrari”, as Wheels magazine once called it) doesn’t really work?
What is it about Italy and bending metal to attractive shapes that nowhere can manage?
Great shots of a great show. Never sent the GTC Spider before, and I’m not quite sure it looks like a true sports car really. Still pretty desirable, specially in the Aussie climate, which even lets Alfasuds live on..
I suggest the Fiat 2300 coupe answers the question of where Roy Axe took his inspiration for the Sunbeam Rapier/Arrow rear window from, as the Barracuda has been denied and doesn’t quite fit time wise. Lovely looking car
I am not sure if it was this GTC, but I heard a story about one that was stored for years under a cover, sitting suspended on two timber planks above an empty swimming pool.
Here is another shot of the GTC from the front – I shouldn’t have left that out! It probably isn’t a ‘true’ sports car, being a 4-seater & a converted coupe, but still very nice.
On the Alfasuds – don’t be deceived, 99% have rusted away here too. This one must have been a garage queen from day one. I saw a 1981 4-door Alfasud (not a hatch?) at an historic race meeting a couple of weeks ago, a survivor car that had some rust but was restorable, and I gather that one spent many years off the road in a shed.
Wow. These posts take me to my happy place. I visited Castlemaine a year ago on my way through the countryside to Maldon and a farmstead deep into Victoria.
I also owned a red Scorpion, which I wrecked due to the infamous brakes in the front end. I still remember the serial number. Hit a jersey wall head on at 70mph and walked away. Great crumple zones in that car – like a Volvo.
Love these — especially the 2600 and 2300S coupes, both such masterfully done shapes. Some love for the little 127 too. Funny how they all went away when i wasn’t looking.
Great photos, John. I have long reckoned the GTC to be the prettiest Alfa designed in the ’60’s. There’s something about the greenhouse on the coupe that has always has me wanting to lift up the saggy bum and lower (or shorten perhaps) the roofline. It’s a long way from being an ugly car, but the GTC is actively pretty, and of course fixes my roof issues. Looks just as good top up too, btw. There was for years a white one parked on Wellington Parade in East Melbourne which used to enliven my dull tram ride. Worth large money now, as only 99 were RHD. Incidentally, does it intrigue any other Australians on this site just how many quite obscure Euro cars were a) sold here despite mammoth tariffs and b) that turn up as survivors? Were they all (in Victoria) Western District sheep graziers still riding high on big wool prices? Is it the Italian heritage up around the Murray River that accounts for the Italian exotica? I’m always curious, because in suburban Melbourne as a ’70’s kid, I just did not see these cars. (And, being a snob bored to death by the local cars, I was sure as hell always looking out for them!)
Most of the designs here, are genuinely beautiful.
Some genuinely gorgeous cars from that era. A wonderful simplicity of line – it’s all in the proportions.
I’m a big 127 fan – they simply drove so well. Aside from minor surface rust on the doors/wheelarches, they were pretty stoutly-made too.
The 1050 was a lovely engine, derived from the 124A unit. Biggest solecism was the oil galley for the OHC head ran semi-externally and one was forever changing head gaskets to prevent it leaking all over the exhaust/driveshafts. Otherwise one was followed by blue smoke…
My understanding is that flat-12 cylinder engines in cars and airplanes are never boxers. The crankshaft is in the shape of an inline 6, but each rod journal has two rods. This allows the crankshaft to be much stiffer. Some folks describe the 12 as a 180 degree V12. The placement of the transmission below the engine was unfortunate for performance reasons.
Great photos and write up. I loved seeing the Urracco and the 127 so close together. I happen to like the GT4, though it is not a sinuous beauty.
“The BB stood for Berlinetta Boxer, but I learned recently that the engine was not strictly a boxer.”
I don’t know how the Ferrari “BB” engine is designed.
There are two ways to build an “opposed” engine, the difference involves the way the crankshaft is designed–the rod throws in particular. Opposed “Boxer” vs. 180-degree V.
One way is to have separate crank pins, 180 degrees apart, for each pair of opposed cylinders. The pistons of the opposed pairs move out toward the cylinder head together, and they move in toward the crank together. This preserves the balance of the piston motion, but requires greater offset of the opposed cylinders–one bank will be farther ahead than the other due to both the rod width AND the addition of material in the crank to connect the opposed crank pins. Therefore, the overall length of the engine is increased. This to me is a proper “boxer” engine.
The other way is to have a single, continuous crankshaft rod journal for each pair of opposed cylinders, exactly like a typical V8, or a Harley V2. The typical V8 has one cylinder bank a little ahead of the other, based on the width of the rods. But if a fork-and-blade rod arrangement is made, (Harley, some aircraft V-12s, etc.) the cylinders “can” be in-line with each other. An opposed engine with shared rod journals is a “180 degree V”, in this case a 180-degree V12. The construction is the same as a 90-degree V8, except the cylinder banks are spread farther apart. This means when the “right” bank piston is closest to the cylinder head, the “left” bank piston is closest to the crankshaft. This affects engine balance, but makes for a more-compact engine lengthwise and potential weight savings on both the block and the crankshaft.