Please identify 60's - '70's surf wagon.

[Crusty Trucker]

 I thought maybe a custom Pinto or Vega at first, but the wheel opening "lips" and other details don't match. Might be a RHD foreign car as  steering wheel  does not seem to be visible in the photo. Top and side panels don't seem to match door contours either.What do you think?

[keiser31]

Looks like it's from down under.

[Ozstatman]

31 minutes ago, keiser31 said:

Looks like it's from down under.

Sure is, it's a Holden Panel Van. Think it might be an HG Holden, but the more experienced will know for sure.

[nzcarnerd]

It is a Holden and could be from the HK, HT or HG series. The grilles are different, and there are detail engineering differences, but they are the same from behind.

 

Link here to the first HK and links there to the subsequent models.  - Holden HK - Wikipedia

[Stude17]

Looks like a 1969/1970 Holden HT Belmont Panel Van to me.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Stude17
More info. (see edit history)

[Fordy]

Holden HK-HT-HG Nationals 2018 - gallery (whichcar.com.au)

For those of you not living in the best country on the planet who don't know much about the rest of the world. (Yes, I know, we all think we live in the best place)😊😊

[Dandy Dave]

31 minutes ago, Fordy said:

Holden HK-HT-HG Nationals 2018 - gallery (whichcar.com.au)

For those of you not living in the best country on the planet who don't know much about the rest of the world. (Yes, I know, we all think we live in the best place)😊😊

I have to come and visit sometime. There's also a big Fordson tractor following in the land down under. 

[nzcarnerd]

I haven't been able to find any production volume statistics but I would guess that the panel van was the lowest selling model. Holden moved a total of just over half a million vehicles in the HK, HT, HG production era, but maybe only a few thousand panel vans?? I don't know that they were sold new here in NZ, though there may have been a few special order imports. I think the few I have seen have been private imports.

 

This 1971 Belmont panel is recorded as being first registered in NZ on 8 October 1971. It has a 308 Holden V8 and has been fitted with the front clip from one of the higher spec models, quite a common mod for lower range models.

 

 

 

The only other panel of that era I have in my files is this much upgraded 1971 model which was privately imported in 1978. This one also has an upgrade front clip - Monaro fenders and a Premier grille - and has been repowered with a 350 SBC.

[nzcarnerd]

The Belmont was the base model Holden in that era and came standard with the smallest engines - a 1621 six in the HK and HT and a 173 six in the HG.

 

The only slightly more expensive, and larger engined, Kingswood model sold in much greater numbers than the Belmont.

 

The base Belmont grilles which the panel vans would also use were - 

 

1968-69 HK - 

 

 

1969-70 HT - 

 

1970-71 HG - 

 

 

[8E45E]

And the 1973-'74 Leyland P76 was designed to compete with those cars.  One of British Leyland's worst product failures.

 

Craig

[nzcarnerd]

10 hours ago, 8E45E said:

And the 1973-'74 Leyland P76 was designed to compete with those cars.  One of British Leyland's worst product failures.

 

Craig

Quote from the wiki page - "-due to the first real fuel crisis and demand far exceeding the supply, Leyland rushed the assembly process with the first of the P76s to come off the assembly line, resulting in poor build quality and some reliability problems. The combination of the rushed assembly, fuel crisis and strikes at the component manufacturers' factories, resulted in the Leyland P76 being labelled a lemon, despite receiving the Wheels magazine Car of the Year in 1973. By 1974, sales of the P76 had slumped and BMC decided to end the production of the P76. Although the P76 has been labelled a lemon in Australian motoring history, it is viewed by some as an iconic Australian car and has a loyal following."

 

The V8 version especially was highly regarded and here in NZ the survivors have a 'loyal following' as in Oz.

 

I guess in some ways the P76 was Austrtalia's Edsel.

 

Only a handful of the Force 7 coupes survive.

 

I think the surviving wagon is the only one left of three prototypes.

 

 

[8E45E]

7 minutes ago, nzcarnerd said:

The V8 version especially was highly regarded and here in NZ the survivors have a 'loyal following' as in Oz.

Of any car British Leyland ever made, the P76 was probably the most 'American'-like of all of them.   It was marketed as one would find in the US, an entry level inline 6 and a more expensive V8 in fancier trim.  It would have fit between intermediate size and compact in the North American market for size.  

 

One must wonder how well it would have sold in North America under the Austin label, above the then current smaller 4-cylinder Marina, had it remained in production longer and got the quality control issues sorted out.

 

Craig

[Fordy]

1 hour ago, nzcarnerd said:

I think the surviving wagon is the only one left of three prototypes.

I have seen a wagon on the roads of Adelaide on and off. It appeared to be unrestored. I am not sure if it is the one shown (now tidied) or one of the other prototypes or a custom. Last time I saw it was about 2 years ago as I was turning off Portrush road and onto the freeway and it went ahead onto Cross road