Readers might recognize this little van of ours. We built it last xmas and towed it around the "lap" in winter with our Hyundai i30 diesel.
We did plan to sell it to build a slightly larger van but pulled the advert and decided to keep it. It is 3260mm long, 1850 wide and 1900mm high. Tare 450 kg
We purchased a JBA Flacon Tourer. This premium kit car is 2001 vintage....well it resembles a sports car from the 1930's. This model, the Tourer is a 2+2 unit with small boot. There is a smaller sports model without boot or rear seat.
The original builder in Perth installed a V6 series one Holden Commodore v6 engine and 5 speed manual. The main chassis, JBA's own design ran to just over the wheel arches...from then on its a subframe. So strengthening was required from the chassis onwards to enable a towbar added. engineers approval required.
The car weighs 1100kg as opposed to a standard Commodore of around 1350kg. So this car has plenty of power and torque to tow our 700kg loaded van. I had to make extension mirrors easily detachable from a tube under the fenders. If they were mounted on the doors they would be extra long as the doors are set in.
JBA is the first letter of the three engineers that left Leyland around 1982 to build their own kit cars. The galvanized chassis and fiberglass body with aluminium bonnet means no rust. JBA still make kits suitable for BMW engines in the UK. The suspension is TC/TD Cortina all coil spring. Most examples here in Australia have the Toyota 3Y, Laser or Corolla engines. JBA Sports cars still exist in Perth and kits are available. I've started a Facebook page named JBA Oz owners group if you know any owners.
What a good looking set up I suspect you will attract many admiring looks as you drive past and heaps of people wanting to have a look when you are stopped, a very impressive set up.
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Life was meant to be enjoyed Australia was meant to be explored
Happily doing both to the Max.
Life is like a camera, focus on what's important & you will capture it every Time
Like you, I rebuilt an old Scottish Caravan and towed it around the block a few years back,
I bet you wished ( Like me ) that you had made up a sigh, telling people all the facts about our Caravan,
I was sick of repeating it's history before we were half way though our trip.
I recall seeing some Fibreglass cars being made here in Perth, way back in the 70s.
the ones I recall were built on a Vee Dub chassis and the body was the shape of the Mustang, and some other vintage cars, I wonder if these cars were built by JBA ???
Thankyou for your responses. Yes sometimes the endless questions gets a bit much but it's understandable. Being Cortina suspension and Holden mechanicals parts aren't a problem. And there is a guy in Perth that has moulds.
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Be nice... if I wanted my school teacher here I would have invited him...
