Retro Stories by David Burrell Who styled the 48-215 Holden? We should all know the answer. But somehow it has been glossed over, ignored even, for many years. If you look to Holden’s corporate history for the answer you will find very little. Popular wisdom puts General Motors (GM) styling supremo Harley Earl in the […]
Retro Stories: David Burrell
ZA Fairlane from Design to Driveway
Retro Stories by David Burrell The ZA Ford Fairlane was released in March 1967 and created the market segment, and the template, for locally built, long wheelbase luxury cars that endured until 2017, when the last Holden Statesman was built. How Ford Australia developed the ZA Fairlane is one of those great stories which showcase […]
Sketch to Street: David Bentley and the Austin Tasman/Kimberley – Part 5
by David Burrell This is final instalment of the Australian Motor Heritage Foundation’s (AMHF) series which showcases the automotive design work of David Bentley when he worked in the styling studios of BMC Australia (BMCA) and BMC in the UK during the 1960s. He has generously given the AMHF access to his private collection of […]
Ford L’Avion: Could have been a small 1950s Mercury?
Retro Stories by David Burrell The startlingly shaped L’Avion could have been Ford’s first compact sized car in the USA, two years before the Falcon. It was championed by Lewis Crusoe, who was vice president in charge of all of Ford’s car and truck divisions. In 1955 he commissioned the L’Avion as a small Mercury. […]
Sketch to Street: David Bentley and the Austin Tasman/Kimberley – Part 4
by David Burrell This is part four of the five-part series from the Australian Motor Heritage Foundation (AMHF) which celebrates the automotive design work of David Bentley, and his close involvement in shaping the Austin Tasman and Kimberley. This instalment focuses on the never built station wagon. The sketches and drawings you see here are […]
XA Falcon coupe. Design to Driveway
Retro Stories by David Burrell Australian automotive folklore says that the shape of the 1972 XA Falcon coupe, with its bulging rear fenders, was first drawn by Ford Australia’s design manager, the late Brian Rossi, in late 1968, on a napkin while he was having dinner at a Melbourne restaurant with his boss, design director, […]
Sketch to Street: David Bentley and the Austin Tasman/Kimberley – Part 3
by David Burrell In this five-part series the Australian Motor Heritage Foundation (AMHF) is featuring the automotive design work of David Bentley, and his involvement in shaping the X6 Austin Tasman and Kimberley. David worked in the styling studios of BMC Australia (BMCA) and BMC in the UK during the 1960s. This third instalment covers […]
EJ Holden: Pivotal role in Holden’s Future
Retro Stories by David Burrell The EJ Holden was released in July 1962, thirteen months before its more celebrated successor, the EH. Since then, it has been in the EH’s shadow. And yet, the EJ had a more pivotal role in the history of General Motors’-Holden (GMH) than the EH. This crucial influence is revealed […]
Sketch to Street: David Bentley and the Austin Tasman/Kimberley – Part 2
by David Burrell Over a five-part series, the Australian Motor Heritage Foundation (AMHF) is celebrating the automotive design work of David Bentley, who worked at BMC Australia (BMCA) and BMC in the UK during the 1960s In this second part, the early design proposals for the X6 Austin Tasman and Kimberley are revealed, some previously […]
