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Articles by James Hemsley
Damn the dams
Tell us what you think, give us your opinion The Echo loves your letters and comments and is proud to provide a community forum on the issues that matter most to our readers and the people of the NSW north coast. So don’t be a passive reader, email us your epistles at editor@echo.net.au. The letters deadline for The Echo is noon Friday. Letters longer than 200 words may be cut. The publication of letters is at the discretion of the letters editor.
An Uncommon Z-Car
I was sitting alone at breakfast at a motel in Cartersville, Georgia, when a tall gentleman asked if he could join me. We were likely both there for the Antique Automobile Club of America’s regional meet, so we probably shared an interest in cars. Bob Speights was a judge for the meet; in fact, he is a Senior Master Judge for AACA. As we chatted about cars, I learned that he was retired from Nissan and owned a rare car that had been in the company’s heritage collection.
Where It All Began
Sixty-eight years ago, a small group of Alfa Romeo owners in Chicago got together to form a club whose purpose was to ensure their Alfas remained on the road. There was not a lot of help in 1958 for Alfisti whose cars developed problems, so the group decided to share information about their cars so that they could all continue to enjoy their fine Italian vehicles. Those nine Alfa owners created the Alfa Romeo Owners Club whose purpose remains the same in 2026 as it did in 1958.
Spiders: The 1997 Alfa Romeo 916 Spider
When someone excitedly says “SPIDER!,” what do you do? Look for something to swat it with? Or do you turn and hope to see a nice Italian open sports car? I do the latter. So, how did sweet looking convertibles become known as Spiders? I looked it up in a dictionary of automotive terms and found that a Spider is “A type of sport vehicle. In the early 1900s, it meant a light two-seater car.
The Shape of Things to Come: Triumph TR8
The Triumph Motor Company made a name for itself after World War II by producing interesting sports cars that performed well against their competition, despite having to design them on very limited budgets. After becoming a part of British Leyland, Triumph took a chance with a dramatic new design, advertised as “The Shape of Things to Come.” The wedge-shaped TR7 and TR8 got mixed reviews.
C is for Cabriolet: 1965 Alfa Romeo GTC
Full disclosure: I am a serious fan of Alfa Romeo automobiles. I’ve owned Alfas built from 1961 to 2017. My favorite Alfas, though, are the ones with the 105 chassis numbers – the Giulias. I’ve owned a 1966 Giulia Sprint GT Veloce, two Giulia Supers (1966 and 1973), a 1967 Duetto, and a 1971 Berlina. I also owned a 1963 Giulia Sprint, but that was a 101 chassis with the 1600 cc engine that would be used in the early 105 series cars.
Sexy and Not Italian: 1970 Marcos GT3-Liter V6
It was probably 50 or so years ago when I first saw a Marcos. It was a 1/43rd scale model, and I thought it was beautiful, so I bought it for my burgeoning model collection. I’ve seen a few Marcos 1800s in person, but I hadn’t gotten close to one until I moved to Tennessee. That’s where I met Paul Batovsky, who has a small, interesting collection of cars, including a 1970 Marcos.
A Week-End for Bardot
It is unlikely that most of us can picture a Simca that is not one of the econoboxes that the company exported to the US in the late ‘60s and ‘70s. It is also unlikely that most of us knew that the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon sold at US dealerships were also Simcas.
Feature: 1960 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II
There are three people who you acknowledge as important to the marque when you see a Rolls-Royce. There is Charles Stewart Rolls, Henry Royce, and Eleanor Thornton. Who is Eleanor Thornton, you ask? Well, she is the “Spirit of Ecstasy,” more about that her later, since her significant contribution to “The Best Car in the World” comes a bit later than those of Royce or Rolls.
Better than New: 1963 Corvette Split Window Coupè
A young Art Center College of Design student, named Peter Elbert Brock, became the youngest designer ever hired by Bill Mitchell, the Vice President of Design at General Motors. He rewarded Mitchell in November 1957 by making a sketch of what Mitchell chose to be the basis for the next generation of Corvettes, the C2 Sting Ray. Thanks to the engineering efforts of Zora Arkus-Duntov and styling boss Mitchell, the Sting Ray came to fruition.
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