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| Tale from Oz |
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Every second year, there is a national Austins Over
Australia (AOA) get together at Easter, usually hosted by different
staes on a rotating basis. In 1995 it was in Wangaratta in Victoria,
which is about a 4000 km round trip from Brisbane. The restoration
was virtually complete, so driving down the Hume Highway another
mate reassembled the interior on the move. On the way home and coming
through Sydney, I noticed the brakes were making weird noises and
at a set of traffic lights, locked on. I just couldn't move the
thing for a while. It appeared that the pads were worn down to nothing,
so a new set (thank God the Triumph Dolomite was sold here) saw
me home. Turns out the hose pipe to the booster wasn't long enough
and petrol had seeped through destroying a valve, so the brakes
never released properly. Another couple of feet cured all that nonsense.
Other AOAs have been in Toowoomba in 1997, where Mrs F represented
the Austin Maxi Club and Canberra, where I took the 1800 instead.
The next event is in 2005 in Warwick, Queensland, where we are celebrating
100 Years of Austin. |
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By the way, it's interesting to compare the 1800 with the Maxi.
My 1800 is tighter, being a sedan rather than a hatch, with the
incredibly strong hull that they had. Also, dare I say it, the build
quality of the Aussie 1800 was much higher than the British ones,
so even after 120,000 miles on the clock, it's still as tight as
a drum. You can see it in the doors, which of course the Maxi shares,
with the glass tolerances and dust sealing, drain hole sizes etc
being more acceptable. However, by 1969 there were a few advancements
in Hydrolastic technology and I think the Maxi has a slightly smoother
ride than the longer wheelbased 1800.
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The best trip to an AOA was in 1999 to Adelaide. From Brisbane you
head west and go through towns like Cobar, Wilcannia and Broken Hill before
coming down through South Australia. Much of the country looks fairly
barren, but it's not the true 'outback'. I went in convoy with an Austin
A40 ute, whic could maintain an easy 100 kms an hour. Fot the Maxi, it
was a doddle to snick it in to fifth and lope along at 110 without any
strain. The only problem was to keep a lookout for kangaroos, as there
were dead ones about every 100 metres or so on the road. This is where
the Maxi comes into its own. For a car designed in the late 60s, it (and
the 1800) has that wonderful long-legged capacity to cruise safely at
high speeds all day without tiring out the driver. Try that in your Cortina,
Corona or Victor, mate.
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The true mileage isn't known, as I think it's a bit like grandad's axe.
(had five handles and six heads and it's been great). Certainly I have
done over 50,000 miles, without any major problems. I think it needs new
rubbers in the suspension and maybe new disc calipers. Engine parts are
reasonably OK, but apart from the doors and sills, body parts would be
a problem, because of none being sold here new. I have made several trips
to NZ recently, but they have scrapped all their old cars, so a ten year
old is a rarity. They chucked away all of their motor industry and now
import heaps of second hand cars from the streets of Tokyo. All good cars
until you try and find parts for them. Consequently, new parts for Maxis
are hard to find over there, but I have found a couple of small leads.
The previous owner flew to NZ on business a lot and brought most of the
parts that are now on it home in Qantas overhead lockers. A real high
flying Maxi!
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All in all, I hope Mrs Fawlty can carry on for a bit longer, but she has
probably been one of the best cars I have ever owned. I think overall
outlay and rebuild probably cost about $3500 (£1470 in your money)
over twelve years ago, so she really doesn't owe me anything.
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