Media Release
The National Automobile Museum of Tasmania situated at 86 Cimitiere Street Launceston is currently showing the sensational Fabulous Fifties feature theme display. This spectacular collection features nine classic cars and three motorcycles from this defining decade of motoring.
Many cars that later became all time classics were first released in the 1950s and the 1955 Austin Healy BN1 in the museum gift shop is a classic example. With an impressive run of competition success, the Austin Healey has become a British sports car legend. The magnificent example on display is the very first model of the line, an enchanting timely reminder of sporting motoring half a century ago.
The incomparable Volkswagen Beetle was introduced into Australia in 1953 and went on to become one of the most recognisable cars of all time. The 1956 Oval window car on display is a stunning example fitted with the rare option of a rag top. The design doesn’t look much different to the last of the original bodied cars sold here twenty years later in 1976. Thousands of Beetles still proliferate our roads a testament to their rugged reliability.
The fifties saw General Motors Holden cement it’s place in Australia’s own motoring history by establishing itself as a market leader. The FJ Holden released in 1953 became an Australian icon celebrated in music and film and is one of this country’s most recognised cars. The first Holden Panel Van was based upon the FJ and the Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania has kindly lent the museum an original service vehicle for the display.
Today we can relive a typical fifties breakdown scene at the museum with the RACT FJ Panel Van set in a diorama with an original 1955 Chevrolet. This Chevrolet was sold new in Launceston and has had just two owners since. The 1955, 56 and 57 Chevrolets are synonymous with fifties America but were only sold in small numbers in Australia where they were marketed as the up-market model to the Holden. Ford’s Customline was sold against these Chevrolets and the display also features an Anniversary 1953 Model preserved in its original condition. This car has seen competition in our own Targa Tasmania rally.
Other uniquely Australian exhibits include the Goggomobile Dart, a most unlikely sports car, which was produced by Buckle Motors in Sydney between 1957 and 1961. Approximately 700 of these unique vehicles were built on the chassis and mechanical platform supplied by Hans Glas in Germany. The Dart on display is a magnificent reminder of fifties carefree motoring, micro style. Also uniquely Australian is the stunning Tilbrook Sidecar attached to an equally impressive 1954 Norton ES2 motorcycle. Rex Tilbrook forged his own place in Australian motorcycling history producing an impressive range of accessories and sidecars as well as some magnificent motorcycles that are now highly sought after collector’s items.
The Jaguar name is synonymous with classic cars produced over many decades but it was in 1955 that the first saloon with a monocoque body was released and thus started a line of sporting saloons with a character and presence that is unique to the marque. The 2.4 litre saloon on display, later referred to as the Mk1, is undoubtedly one of the finest examples you would find anywhere.
Equally as impressive and set as the stunning centrepiece to this display is the sensational and very rare Jowett Jupiter. These unique British sports cars powered by a 1.5 litre flat four cylinder engine were built on a tubular chassis in very small numbers and quickly established a formidable record in competition with three successive class wins at the Le Mans 24 hour race. The car on display is an absolutely stunning example of a unique piece of fifties British motoring history.
Motorcycling in the fifties was dominated in the main by British marques and the performance benchmark was set by the incomparable Vincent Black Shadow. These machines are held in the highest regard as one of the most collectable motorcycles of all time. The Vincent on display is in “as-used” condition and has a long competition history in Tasmania. In stark contrast to the Vincent, the gentleman’s motorcycle of the fifties was the Triumph Speed Twin, half a century later, the bike on display looks fit for the discerning professional to ride away.
Undoubtedly one of the most sensational cars released during the fifties was the Ford Thunderbird. The two seater Thunderbird of 1955-1957 has become a design icon, a romantic piece of fifties America that inspired countless songs and many films. The magnificent 1957 Thunderbird featured on display is a fitting testament to the model finished in rare Thunderbird Bronze and powered by the legendary Ford V8. The Thunderbird was not marketed as a sports car but as a personal luxury car and sold against a backdrop of what many saw as over-styled and over-chromed land yachts, the Thunderbird stood alone, sales boomed and a legend was born.
So take a trip back in time today, to a decade of automobile legends. To a time before speed cameras, when petrol was cheap and we went for that Sunday drive, when cars were works of art and we could fix them ourselves. This wonderful period comes to life with the Fabulous Fifties display at The National Automobile Museum of Tasmania, the home of one of Australia’s finest constantly changing displays of classic cars and motorcycles open every day (Except Christmas) for your enjoyment.
Further details contact Phil Costello on 63 348888.
