LET'S face it, not everyone with a newly minted licence is an excellent driver. It's a fair bet there are going to be a few bumps and scrapes along the way to seniority too. Couple that with a less than ideal war-chest for a budget and your choices on what is suitable dwindles considerably. Back in 1979 when pieces of Skylab peppered the south of Western Australia, and the dystopian world of Mad Max was a possible future for impressionable youth, Martin Hayes set out for his first set of wheels. Something cheap, quirky and able to take a punch, but keep on keeping on was his mission. As it turned out, Martin's brother had a fetish for the Britbuilt Austin Champ, having already captured one of his own, and he had a spare military-spec 1952 model he was willing to move on.
"Around 1978, my brother got on to Champs," Martin related. "The family fell in love with them, and with Land Rovers breaking axles and such, I wanted one too.
"He bought mine off a farm in Victoria, with the story going the original owner had died, and his kids knew about the Champ but they didn't know where it was. In the end they were pulling apart the farm's old hay shed and under all the hay was the long-lost Champ, and in pristine condition too! They are three-skinned, so they can get a lot of rust, but it was in the same condition as you see it now."
Champs were well-known for requiring a rigorous and regular servicing schedule, so it was no wonder when they found it the engine had seized after having sat for so long. A new set of Holden pistons was thrown in and the little war-rig returned to service. "I bought it off my brother the next year for about $400, and it was my first car," said Martin.
WAR FOOTING
BEING built to operate in all theatres of war throughout the world, getting Martin to where he wanted to go was easy work.
Denne historien er fra June 2022-utgaven av 4x4 Magazine Australia.
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Denne historien er fra June 2022-utgaven av 4x4 Magazine Australia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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CORRUGATIONS.SAND, AND SPINIFEX
WHEN TALKING LEGENDARY TRACKS, THE CANNING STOCK ROUTE HAS THE TITLE OF LONGEST HISTORICAL STOCK ROUTE IN THE WORLD, BUT TACKLING ITS 1850KM IN A 1970S LAND ROVER MAKES FOR ONE INTERESTING DRIVE FOR THE TV CREW FROM SERIOUSLY SERIES. YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF BY VIEWING ROAD TO RUIN
PURE WATER
THE GUZZLE H2O STREAM IS THE IDEAL WATER PURIFICATION SOLUTION FOR PROVIDING A RELIABLE SOURCE OF CLEAN DRINKING WATER OFF THE GRID
DOES IT GET ANY TOUGHER FOR THE AT52S?
HAVING TACKLED SOME OF THE ROUGHEST TRACKS IN THE COUNTRY, THESE ALL-TERRAINS HAVE PASSED THE TEST
TOP 5 4X4 SPOTS IN SA
HERE ARE FIVE OF THE BEST 4X4 DESTINATIONS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
PLUGGING IN
GWM IS STUDYING THE VIABILITY OF PLUG-IN HYBRID VERSIONS OF ITS POPULAR 4X4S FOR THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET. WE GOT A CHANCE TO SAMPLE THEM ON TRACK
TOP TANK
WE HAVE COME AWAY IMPRESSED AFTER A WEEK IN GWM’S TANK 500 HYBRID 4X4.
HARD EARNED
HARD WORK AND THE RIGHT ADVICE HAVE HELPED JAMES ATKINSON BUILD THE PATROL OF HIS DREAMS
DYNAMIC DEBUT
OUR FIRST TASTE OF THE LC250 COMES IN THE FORM OF THE LEXUS GX550 OVERTRAIL, AND THIS LUXURY 4X4 WAGON IMPRESSES BOTH ON THE ROAD AND OFF IT
BLACK GROWLER
IF YOU’RE GOING TO SWAP FROM A DOUBLE-CAB UTE TO A 4X4 WAGON, YOU MIGHT AS WELL GO WITH THE BEST AVAILABLE. BRUCE HAS DONE JUST THAT AND EQUIPPED HIS GR SPORT 300 WITH THE BEST GEAR ON THE MARKET
2025 NISSAN PATROL MAKES GLOBAL DEBUT
CURTAINS DROP ON SEVENTH-GENERATION PATROL BUT NOT HERE UNTIL 2026