Oh, what a feeling!

First entry in the new logbook after eleven years.  B8/37 on the road at last - just returned from the first shakedown drive and it was just as I remembered it. Hot, loud, harsh riding and FUN - just how a Bolwell should be!
Garry.

Yes, an amazing feeling after all these years. A long time. Not as long as Rick Wallace, his restoration took 25 years, but it's all worth it in the end. Stepping back into the car after such a long time can give you goosebumps believe me. Phillip Island here we come.

Twilight fibreglass in WA.

Any excuse to get the cars out over there. Here's a couple of Bollies enjoying the company of a J&S Hunter and a Marcos.

Their other passion is food. Maybe the two go hand in hand.

Those little white Japanese cars.

Jap Day. Any colour you like as long as it's white.

PI approaches.

Qld's Jim Fogarty is busy finishing off some jobs on the 7 in readiness.

Even the trailer gets a new stoneguard/bug catcher.

A couple more shots of B8/110

A couple of Nimbuses.

An open one and a closed one. They wouldn't have seen the light of day for decades.

Here's a couple of others that used to be out and about.

Nimbus was more well known for Formula Vees.

Dave's 2nd 7.

As you know Dave Cordy has been searching for his old Mk.7 for some time now. The trail went cold in the 80s when a later owner died in a motorcycle accident on the Gold Coast.

Well, it's turned up. Phil Walmsley of NSW's 7 seemed to tick all the boxes for modifications that Dave had made. This car  featured in Bollyblog years ago when Phil declared it was ready for restoration. A Holden panel van got in the way of that but I think that's finished now.

Contact has been made and sure enough, it's the car. It doesn't look like it's for sale but Dave still wants to see it for "old time's sake". I think Phil lives in the Blue Mountains but I'm sure there's somewhere nearby to land a Cessna.

The Adelaide built Cicada.

CICADA BMC HISTORIC CLUBMAN

Adelaide, South Australia

$10,000

BMC A series motor and gearbox.
various A series diff ratios
Race ready, reliable & competitive
Cams c of d certificate & log books
Contact 0438819145

Gosford "Museum" closes.

The Central Coast’s most unique car dealership, Gosford Classic Cars, is set to close following a protracted dispute with the ATO.

The dealership was set up in 2016, to be Australia’s biggest classic car dealership, creating a point of interest for people on the Central Coast, a sense of pride among the local community, stimulation of the local economy and many jobs.

Having consulted PricewaterhouseCoopers, a leading law firm, and after receiving  indications from the ATO itself that the structure and entity fully complied with Australian taxation rules, the dealership has been caught up in protracted discussions with the ATO since 2016.

The dispute centres around whether Gosford Classic Cars is entitled to the same taxation exemptions as other motor dealerships.

The business has always cooperated with the ATO, diligently meeting its taxation obligations in full, and on time. In keeping with that (and despite their strong objection to the ATO’s position) Gosford Classic Cars implemented all interim measures suggested by the ATO, immediately upon the ATO suggesting them.

As a consequence, the dealership has not been able to market its trading business in the unique way which has made it successful as a dealership in the past.  This has resulted in a significant loss in sales revenue, with car sales reducing from up to 59 car sales per month to as low as just 5 per month.

The ATO’s measures were expected to be implemented on a temporary basis. However, 12 months on and more than 2 years since the ATO’s ongoing audit commenced, those measures remain in place.

Without a conclusive answer from the ATO on why the benefits available to other motor dealerships are not accessible to the our dealership and given the expected lengthy timeframes for resolving disputes via litigation, the dealership cannot continue to sustain these trading losses and has decided to close its doors.

This decision has not been made easily. With the closure of the business comes the loss of over 40 jobs and the opportunity for significant additional employment offered by what was to be the region’s most significant commercial development:the Central Coast Council approved 7-storey, eco-friendly building at its West Gosford site, which it had intended to use for auto-related businesses, to act as the Australian base for specialist international auction houses, and a call centre. The business plan for this envisaged the creation of more than 200 jobs on the Central Coast. Unfortunately, those plans were put on ice as soon as the ATO’s initial opinion was provided.

“In a region where youth unemployment is above the national average, this represents a substantial economic loss for the region and a missed opportunity” says Gosford Classic Cars manager, Jason Fischer. “The factors that set us apart from most used-car dealerships meant that the business was well loved in the region. This is a major loss for the Central Coast”.

Gosford Classic Cars has now officially closed and the stock is to be sold in a (predominantly) no-reserve auction organised by Lloyds Auction House, on 6-7 April 2019.

The West Gosford premises are also on the market to be sold.

Europa speedboat.

Better than an Amphicar.

Must be a craze, here's a Corvette one.

Rare motor.

960 cu. in. 12 rotor.

Not sure about the lady in red and black. I doubt if she built it.

Can't be everywhere.

The other weekend there were a few things on.... like the MX5 30th anniversary at Birdwood.

But at the same time there was the All British Day at Echunga.

And on top of that there were the Corvettes down at the Bay.

Is that puppy showing a little disrespect for an official pace car?

Meanwhile over in Victoria there was Hanging Rock and that's pretty big deal.

Haven't heard yet how many Bollies were there.

A few photos from UK.

Just to show what's been happening on the yellow racer last year here's some pics.