Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rosco663]

Gidday all,

I came across this old photo of our local heros who were taking part in the Redex Round Australia Reliabilty Trial (Looks like the signwriter needs to spellcheck ) in the early '50's with an FJ Holden. A good turnout of wellwishers also present. I just love the extra large windscreen visor - but unfortunately for them they didn't have a podium finish



Cheers
_________________
Rosco

[Rick]

Cracking photo, there've been a few references to the Redex trials on here in the past, I guess they were big events in the 1950s?

RJ
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[Rosco663]

Yes Rick very big in the 50's. it captured the whole country's interest. More info can be found here:

http://www.bobwatsonrally.com.au/rats.html

There is an old (showing my age here ) Australian movie called "News Front" featuring in part the Redex Trial, which is very entertaining. Especially when the cameraman sets up his tripod on part of the course after seeing the previous entrant involved in a roll-over incident. The next car though the stage also rolls over - sees the camera setup - then tries to blame them .The movie also covered Aussie life at that period - well worth a watch.

Cheers
_________________
Rosco

[Keith D]

In the first Redex trial (1953) a 63 year old lady known as Granny (Winifred) Conway, entered her 1950 Austin A40 tourer that she normally drove to the tennis club. She tried to get sponsorship from Austin dealers and they laughed at her. An elderly lady in a basic car, whatever next! So she entered without any sponsorship just because she had always wanted to drive around Oz.

She was not placed, but she and her car completed the course without any breakdown or drama while the country's top drivers had more crashes and horror stories than you could poke a stick at! Austin dealers in Oz were so thrilled with her result that they presented her with a brand new A40 Somerset convertible and she became a celebrity. (And very well deserved!)
And for the record, she was born in Willsden, London!

Keith

[Mog]

My late mate Frank Thomas went around in two of them . I think he drove a Peugeot . In his later years he drove around Australia , with his wife, in an A model Ford. Don't know the year of the car. He always told me that he had been around Australia 17 times !