This is a true Aussie vehicle that many a tradie (trades person) used to cart around ladders and pipes on the roof not to mention the second life as a surfy wagon. Plenty of these are still gracing our roads and they were designed, tested and built all in Australia so they are truly a Kobbled Together Kangaroo Kart. Even the engine was completely designed in Australia and only used here, the trusty 4.0L Barra straight six!   This particular example completed the SB Rally with the Mercedes that is in the German section, last year from Perth, WA to Sydney, NSW. We went straight though the middle, so a total of 7000+km across this huge country with only one problem... The welds broke on the exhaust so it sounded like a truck for about 5000km of those k's!   Here is out 2000 Ford Falcon wagon!   How we bought it for $1,000AUD At the border on the way home At the 'Ute on a Pole' in country NSW. ... View more

Here is one that I'm fairly sure our US friends will not have seen before that comes from the land of the rising sun.   This is my 1974 Datsun 260C wagon, known in Japan as a Cedric but in Australia as the 260C because, as legend has it, the Australian market though 'Cedric' was a bit weird. I tend to agree, Cedric sounds like that weird uncle who gets handsy at Christmas and much like that uncle this car complains a lot.   Used as a farm car from nearly new, it sat in a barn for about 10 years before I picked it up and as evidenced by the steel girders on the front subframe it was used to drive over fences out in the Australian wilds.   It is a fantastic lemon with an underpowered 2.6L (L-series) engine that only has one very asthmatic carburettor which is very unlike its stablemate the 260Z with twin SU's. The rear axle is an agricultural live axle that really gets confused on dirt roads and starts to rock like we're on the high seas, combined with double wish bone front and it's a soft, floaty ride.   Lastly, and unfortunately, I don't have a good photo of either of these feature but there are two redeeming features; firstly the carbon monoxide seats in the rear that are for midgets and definitely not for full-grown adults, but it does officially make it a 7 seater which was pretty cool for 1974 from Japan. The second redeeming feature is the rear passenger side window (left side for those playing along at home) that has a keyhole that when a key is inserted and turns, activates the ancient electric motor and brings the window down. This window was for curb side deliveries and I think inspired by something like the Chev Caprice with the rear electric tail gate, only smaller and not as useful.   Here she is in all her glory! The colour is original but the dents are hard won over years of use out on the farm:    Also, note it has a badge on the back that says 'Wagon'... incase there was any confusion...   She looks good in this photo... There's the key hole, just randomly placed in the rear guard. Needlessly complex rear treatment. Also a needlessly complex grill, but it was the 70's. You can see the steel girder that (with an extension) was used to push over fences, stumps, cows...     ... View more

You want boring? I got boring.   This car made its way to Australia back in 2009 when a mate and I imported some Cadillacs, Lincolns, Mazdas, Datsuns and this.  I would have said it was a stowaway but I liked the slab sidedness of it and the 440 big block kind of won me over. Australia never really saw so many cubic inches in one place, so on the boat it went.   That being said it is still pretty boring and when the time came to sell it was incredibly hard to move! No-one wanted boring, everyone wanted a Mustang. As far as a cruiser goes it had the right credentials; big block, pillarless, four doors and disc brakes plus an exhaust to wake the neighbours but after looking at it everyone mumbled something about wanting a '57 Chev.   Cruising around in Adelaide, South Australia we sure got some looks but talking to people no one had ever seen one or even heard of it. Most locals looked at it and asked in awe 'What is it? It's like a Valiant... only palatial!'   I'm not sure about the US market but here only true Mopar nuts know what it is and eventually, one of these nuts has taken it for a full restoration to take it from a faded lemon back to its former, boring glory!   Behold, a 1966 Chrysler New Yorker Pillarless sedan, in Australia, in all its glory:       Huge, faded and boring. Right down to the hubcaps. Look at those chops Palatial So pointy in a blunt kinda way... Yep, that's a face only a mother could love.   ... View more

This car might not be a lemon from the factory but after being covered in s**t emojis and driven 7,000km across Australia from Perth to Sydney on only dirt roads, it surely is now.   Running in the local Sh*tBox Rally to raise money for Cancer Research this car apparently went well on the rally, didn't miss a beat and the dash only lights up like a Christmas tree on days ending in 'y'. I did raise a lot of eyebrows with the creative(?) livery.  It was all for a good cause though, so most people just laughed and stared... then laughed some more although I must say, kids love it.   At the end of the rally (in Sydney) we bought it at the auction (we ran it in a local market Ford Falcon that I couldn't wait to get rid of) for $675 and drove it the 1500km home. Still covered in poo, then I drove it as a daily for a further 3 months still covered in poo. Living in a small town I think the everyone now knows me as 'That guy in the Merc, you know the one, with the emoji's, you know, the poos'.   ... View more

Not sure if this counts in this category but the styling is definitely Lemons worthy.   Released in 1986 the Nissan R31 Skyline was built in Australia for our market so is considered AusDM even though it is a Japanese manufacturer. The trouble was and what makes it a bit of a lemon is that the styling was outdated from the moment it hit the showrooms and they were still producing them into the '90's!   Ours has been a good work horse for my wife to learn dirt rally although in the last few days the steering rack decided it needed a holiday and exited stage left conveniently taking the right strut with it. We've also had the brakes jam on, then not work at all, the starter motor fail and the struts blow all in the same session! The suspension is just laughable in stock form and it is really a pretty rough bit of kit but one thing is for sure. The RB30E that powers all of this awesomeness has never missed a beat and if not fast, it is definitely.... well, easy to service I guess?   So plain So angular So colourful? Plus my awesome wife learning to punt a boat around the dirt circuit ... View more

My lemony entry this year is a 1970's (Probably) Isuzu KB ute that sat in a sheep farmers paddock for at least 10 years and judging by the wool attached to it the sheep loved it. The farmer, not so much so I got it for free.  This one is not only small but also a diesel so I would imagine it is incredibly slow but it is so terrible that I could never get it to go anywhere.  It travelled further in the last year being pushed than driving even though everything is intact and there is no reason that it shouldn't start except that it hates me.   The interior is a mix of spiders, scorpions and snakes but that is just any old car in Australia, trust me you get used to looking for poisonous spiders after the first couple of bites....   As it turns out it is great for storing a roller door and whatever else I couldn't bear to throw out in the tray.             Yep, that's a Lemon. Slowly going back to nature. The interior was mostly spiders, ants and probably snakes. This is he good side... Useful for storing things. Not so good for driving. ... View more