(first posted 1/14/2013) Since today has become Brougham Appreciation day, we need give this brown baby brougham a bit of love.
I don’t take credit for finding it; Richard Bennett sent me the pictures, and tells me they’ve been posted at the Brown Car Appreciation Society or something like that.
I’m running out the door, so you all have free rein to explain its existence. I’m sure you’ll do it justice.
From different angles I see Chrysler products Aspen/Volare and Ford/Mercury Capri. Capri II I guess. But still bad from every angle, but it was the 70’s and there was much bad taste in automotive styling. As far as the RR and other knock offs, yeah, for the most part they were pretty bad, but while there may have been more than a little hubris involved, at least some of it was likely just some guy trying to make a buck with out working at a factory (when they still had them in this country) or trying to sell insurance. There is still the bad taste thing, but if it’s your own, your vision is clouded.
Thank god the great brougham epoch never really took off here, downunder.
Local Australian built 1980’s Ford Fairmont Ghia and Holden Commodore SL/E and Calais’ had a microscopic touch of class. Nissan Bluebird GXE and Mitsubishi Sigma SE were more comfortable smaller basic cars. Vinyl roofs, velour and more chrome trim, maybe alloy wheels, bigger engine options, air conditioning, power steering windows and doors. Metallic paint possibly. I was never impressed by 1970’s Fairlanes, LTD and Statesman, Caprices with their bordello interiors driven by coked out big bellied toupee wearing real estate and insurance salesmen.
While I was born in 1971, I remember my parents friends, family members and my friends parents vehicles being really awful. Sluggish, noisy, hot vehicles. Horrendousl awful Ford Fairmont XA 1972 coupe that was incredibly cramped, nobody could see out of but it’s 351 V8 sounded wonderful and went like stink. Holden Monaro’s with either powerless 202 six or torqueless 253 V8’s, Dad’s 1969 VF Valiant Pacer 225 slant six with 175 bhp which felt like a rocketship and my mum drove it within a inch of it’s life as her usual lifeless Morris 1100 needed heavy whipping all its 40 horses. But he traded it in (when my sister was born) for a huge 1972 HQ Holden Belmont stationwagon with its 173 6 cylinder 3 on the tree which he hated, top speed 20 mph downhill with a tail wind. Both my parents bachelor brothers driving Datsun 280zx and Mazda RX7’s. Aunties driving VW Beetles, noisy cramped smelly, what utter crap! Both Grandfathers driving awful 4 cylinder English cars (Hillman Hunter and Morris Minor, with the Hunter feeling lightyears more advanced than the similarily aged Minor).
My best friend Carl’s mum drove a pretty rare and beautiful deep yellow with black vinyl roof Holden HQ Kinsgwood Premier Station Wagon 253 V8 with dual exhausts and black interior which was always really boiling hot inside. Sluggish and really loud, you could always hear Carl’s mum coming miles away, a 308 V8 optioned would’ve been a marvilous motor car. My other best friend Paul, his dad drove a 1971 basic XW Falcon 500 station wagon with base 200 6 cylinder which felt spritely compared with my dad’s and Carl’s mum HQ station wagons. Holden should’ve sold locally the 250 thriftpower Chevy 6 cylinder which was available to exported Holdens.
Why Holden designed a 6cyl OHV motor not able to be increased in size beyond 202 cubes?? Is a bit of a joke really, but Fords falcon six wasn’t any bigger or better in the early 60’s. Atleast it was eventually expanded to 250 inches. Chrysler never offered the Valiant with the smaller slant sixes. So Holden had to build the 253 V8 to keep up with competition, used more fuel and had to work harder to keep up with Ford’s 250 and Chrysler’s 240 hemi six. The Chrysler 263 hemi 6 cylinder motor was the equal to both the 302 and 308 V8’s, while the 215 inch base motor was better than both the 202 and 200 in basic tunes.
Just checked the stats, 1969 VF Valiant sedan and 1971 Holden HQ station wagon. Wheelbase: Width: Length
114″ – Holden 74″ Holden 192.3″ Valiant – hardtop incredibly about 200″
108″- Valiant 70″ Valiant 192″ Holden
Completely irrelevant comment on the subject.
Does anybody know why the General Motors Holden red six wasn’t designed to be upgraded beyond 202 cubic inches? Or why Holden never built the Chevy II sixes in Australia?
Hello Paul,
I think this Commer TS3 story is very Interesting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commer_TS3
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffspiccies/24108646193/in/gallery-elsie-72157629177699288/