On my last trip to Australia, I stopped by the National Motor Museum in Birdwood, South Australia. Most of the cars in the museum are American and British cars either made overseas and imported into Australia or made in foreign owned factories in Australia. Some cars are Aussie grown.

The museum staff had some old jazz playing while I was there.

How did these Aussie-made items and British made expats to Australia get in here? This is supposed to be an article about cars!

First Australian Made Car

The first Australian made car is a steam powered car. David Shearer built the car in 1898.

The first Australian made car.

Driving From Adelaide to Darwin

Harry Dutton, Murray Aunger, and Ernest Allchurch where the first people to drive from Adelaide to Darwin. It took them two attempts.

On the first attempt, Dutton and Aunger abandoned their car near Tennant Creek.

On the second attempt, Allchurch joined Dutton and Aunger at Alice Springs. The team recovered the car from the first trip on the way to Darwin. They arrived in Darwin on August 20th, 1908.

On both trips, the team drove Talbot cars. The museum has one of the two cars.

Australian Lincoln

Charles Innes founded the Lincoln Motor Car Company (scroll to Lincoln, the anchor links don’t work correctly) in late 1918 to make his cars.

Innes got his start making cars during a trip to America early in 1918. He wanted to make cars suitable for Australia using the best parts and practices from Europe and America. He made his first car in America. He tested on the then-incomplete Lincoln Highway.

1919 Lincoln Six

Back in Australia, Innes set up shop in the Sydney area making cars. He produced the bodies locally, and all other components were initially imported. Over time, he started sourcing more parts locally.

When America’s Lincoln Motor Company came into Australia, the American company sued in Australian court over the use of the name. Innes initially won, but the ruling was overturned on appeal. In the end, the final appeal resulted in both companies having the right to use the same name in the same market.

The Australian Lincoln Motor Car Company ceased production in 1926 or 1927. Charles Innes was greatly impacted by the lawsuit and as a result was not involved in the company in its final days.

1924 Australian Lincoln Six. This example was found in a chicken yard in poor condition. It was restored in the 1960s.

Holden

This is the earliest known surviving Holden in South Australia. It was made in 1948. A member of the Holden family was the first owner.

James Alexander Holden founded J. A. Holden & Co. as a saddlery business in Adelaide in 1856. In 1908, the company moved into automobiles by starting to repair car upholstery. Around the First World War, the company moved into producing motorcycle sidecars and car bodies. In 1917, the company changed its name to Holden’s Motor Body Builders Ltd. In 1931, GM purchased the company. In 1948, Holden produced its first fully Australian car. Throughout the 1950s, Holden dominated the Australian car market. In the 1970s, Holden began producing cars of foreign design. The company survived downturns in the 1980s and 2000s. But, in 2020, GM announced it would retire the Holden brand and leave the Australian and New Zealand markets in 2021.

1956 Jolden FJ Sedan
1970 Holden HT Monaro

Other Cars and Motorcycles

1977 Dnepr Motorcycle made in Ukraine
1954 Ford Prefect 100E
1924 Summit Tourer
1913 Newton-Bennett
1960 Goggomobil Dart
1927 Clyno. Clyno used Holden bodies, but I don’t know if this example has a Holden body.
1924 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
1948 Hartnett Prototype
1963 Lightburn Zeta Sports
A unique car made by Albert Ohlmeyer of Tanunda, South Australia in 1904.
1934 Ford Coupe Utility Hot Rod
1960 REO. Most of this trucks time was spent on the Eyre Penninsula. It is in pretty good shape for having spent a lot time on dirt roads.
One of four known surviving Favourite motorcycles. These were produced between 1914 and 1921 in the Smith Brothers’ Garage in Peterborough, South Australia.
1959 Chevy Bel Air
1959 Punchbuggy. Note the steering wheel location. This example was assembled in Australia using parts manufactured in Germany.