This sticker represents the first of fifty years of continuous rego for my 1800; being first registered as a British Leyland company car on 6th August 1970 - KRD359.

It was assigned to the Victorian Regional manager, and when it had done about 10,000 miles and was about 10 months old, my parents bought it through the local BMC dealer in Hamilton, Victoria. After a long stint with Zephyrs and then an XL Falcon Station Wagon, they were amazed at how comfortable it was as well as being a much better car for the bush than the Falcon was.

After my dad died, Mum was left with it and even though she loved it, she found it too heavy to park and she also had trouble with the automatic transmission. In 1977, we started to look round for a suitable replacement. We found that most Japanese cars and Geminis were all over the road; a Renault 1.4 (based on the 12) was just right. Next best thing to the 1800, it was supremely comfortable and superb on the indifferent roads in Western Victoria.

She never had much trouble with it before trading it in on a new front-wheel drive Mazda 323 which did bounce all over the road. At the time I had an EJ Holden registered in NSW and the Renault dealer was prepared to take the Holden rather take on a 7 year old automatic 1800. So, on January 1st 1978, I took on the 1800, which was a difficult task as I was putting myself through uni in Sydney at the time. Money was tight and I was driving taxis to pay the bills. By then the 1800 needed new hubs and other hideously expensive things and I wondered if I should really hang on to it. However, it was bliss to climb back into it after 16 hours in an XB Falcon Taxi and drive home in luxury.

A few of us went up to the snow country in it for a week or so, and it was great on those alpine roads, although chains on the front wheels took getting used to.

By then, I was working for Ampol and the job came with a company car. I could never bring myselff to sell it, even when I got transferred to Brisbane in 1981, the year the AMVCQ was formed. I joined in September and the first outing I took it to was to Petrie, seen here, below, looking totally out of place with A40s, A30s and an A70.

I kept it registered in Victoria, as I couldn’t bear losing the original plates, but reason prevailed when Customised plates were allowed. By changing just one letter, the K to a P gave the car an authentic looking late 1970 Queensland number- PRD359. The car racked up exactly 100,000 miles on its 25th birthday about 200 metres from Allan Waller’s house, so he was presented with the sight of a nearly brand-new 1800….. Since then it has been on club plates and the speedo reads about 22,000 further on. It went to the first AOA in Tamworth, Toowoomba 1997, Queanbeyan 2001, Ballarat 2003, Warwick 2005, Forbes 2011 and Ipswich 2017.

At Toowoomba in 1997, there were three ex BMC company cars parked together - mine, the Mark 1 1800 of Gelignite Jack fame which criss-crossed Australia through the Centre in 1965 and Roger Foy’s prototype Freeway.

In 2000, I was asked to display it at the Brisbane Motor Show among other ’Significant Cars of the 20th Century”, so there was my mum’s shopping trolly keeping company with an FX Holden, red Valiant Charger and bright yellow Falcon GT. It was satisfying jump-starting the Charger the morning after the Show closed. Also in 2000, it represented the Mark II 1800 at a 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Zetland factory in Sydney (and 25th Anniversary of it closing). 1950 Morris Minor Low-Light at one end and Leyland P76 Force Seven Coupe at the other in a big line-up. Without trying to be a media tart, it has appeared in articles on 1800s in Unique Cars and the now-defunct Australian Classic Car Monthly.

The Hydolastic suspension has let the side down every now and again, particularly the connecting hoses which can chafe through. The auto box has been out twice and there have been the odd issues with starter motors, alternators and other minor problems. Being on club registration it doesn’t get out much; the odd run and Cars & Coffee mornings.