Australian Six

Australian Six was an early Australian automobile brand produced from 1919 to 1925. The marque represented an ambitious attempt to establish a locally manufactured large car capable of competing with imported vehicles, particularly the substantial American cars that were becoming familiar in Australia. Its name referred to the six-cylinder configuration used by the cars rather than to a model sequence or corporate designation. The vehicles were produced by the Australian Motor Company using a combination of Australian and imported components. Their conventional layout placed the engine at the front and drove the rear wheels through a traditional chassis. Most examples used Rutenber straight-six engines paired with Grant Lees or Muncie gearboxes, although some cars were fitted with imported overhead-valve Ansted engines. Bodies were made locally, and buyers could choose from five body styles. The company promoted the cars with the strongly nationalist message “Made in Australia, by Australians, for Australia,” emphasizing domestic craftsmanship even though important mechanical parts came from overseas. Production began at a factory in Rushcutters Bay, on Sydney Harbour, before the operation moved to Ashfield. The Ashfield works remained associated with the marque until 1924. Despite the brand’s patriotic positioning and its relatively ambitious specification, Australian Six faced the structural disadvantages of a small and immature automotive industry. Local manufacturing and construction costs were high, while imported cars benefited from larger production volumes and established supply chains. The company consequently built only about 500 cars before regular production ended. The final handful of vehicles was completed by Harkness and Hillier, a Sydney hire-car company, after the original production effort had ceased. The marque is now significant mainly as an example of Australia’s early attempts to create a domestic motor-vehicle industry rather than as a surviving mass-market name. Only four Australian Six cars are generally thought to remain. They are held in Australian museum collections in Sydney, York in Western Australia, Canberra, and Birdwood in South Australia. One of the York examples is among the first six cars built at the original factory and lacks a chassis number. The term Australian Six is occasionally used more broadly in discussions of large Australian-built family cars with six-cylinder engines, including later models such as the Ford Falcon, Holden Commodore and Toyota Lexcen, Toyota Avalon and Aurion, Mitsubishi Magna and 380, Chrysler Valiant, and Leyland P76. That later descriptive usage should not be confused with the historical Australian Six marque. In 1984, the original car was commemorated on an Australia Post stamp in a series depicting early Australian automobiles.

Australian Six emerged during the formative period of Australian automobile manufacturing after the First World War. The project was associated with the Australian Motor Company and sought to produce a substantial six-cylinder car locally rather than rely entirely on imported vehicles. This was an ambitious proposition in a market where American manufacturers already benefited from industrial scale, established component suppliers, and comparatively efficient production methods. The earliest factory was located at Rushcutters Bay in New South Wales, a Sydney Harbour-side suburb. Production began in 1919, after which the operation moved to Ashfield. The company’s cars used a conventional chassis design and were offered with five locally made body styles. This approach allowed the marque to present itself as an Australian-built automobile while using imported mechanical equipment where domestic manufacturing capacity was limited. Most Australian Six cars were powered by Rutenber straight-six engines and used either Grant Lees or Muncie gearboxes. Some examples instead received imported overhead-valve Ansted engines. The mixture of local coachbuilding and overseas mechanical parts reflected the realities of the period: Australia could undertake vehicle assembly and body construction, but the country did not yet possess a fully integrated, high-volume automotive supply chain. The brand’s promotional language stressed national production, presenting the car as made in Australia by Australians for Australian customers. Its intended market was therefore not merely buyers seeking transportation, but also consumers attracted to an Australian alternative to imported cars. The large-car format and six-cylinder powerplant were suited to contemporary expectations for comfort, carrying capacity, and long-distance travel. The business model proved difficult to sustain. High local construction costs made the cars expensive to produce, weakening their ability to compete with imported alternatives. Production ended after approximately 500 vehicles had been completed. The Ashfield operation was associated with the company until 1924, and the final few cars were reportedly assembled by Harkness and Hillier, a Sydney hire-car company, after the main production effort had failed. Although the marque disappeared commercially in the 1920s, it remains an important artifact of Australian industrial and motoring history. Four examples are generally believed to survive. One is in the automobile collection of the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney; another is displayed by the York Motor Museum in Western Australia; a further example is held by the National Museum in Canberra; and another is in the Birdwood Museum in South Australia. The York car is particularly notable because it is one of the first six built at the original factory and does not carry a chassis number. The historical name has sometimes been applied informally to later Australian-built large family cars equipped with six-cylinder engines, including the Ford Falcon, Holden Commodore and Toyota Lexcen, Toyota Avalon and Aurion, Mitsubishi Magna and 380, Chrysler Valiant, and Leyland P76. Such usage is retrospective and descriptive; it does not indicate corporate continuity with the original Australian Six company. The marque received a public heritage tribute in 1984 when Australia Post featured it in a five-stamp series devoted to early Australian automobiles.

• 1984

  Australia Post commemorates the marque

  [1]Australian Sixen.wikipedia.org

  The Australian Six appears in an Australia Post series of five stamps honoring early Australian automobiles.

• 1925

  Final cars completed

  [1]Australian Sixen.wikipedia.org

  After approximately 500 cars have been built, the final few Australian Six vehicles are completed by Sydney hire-car company Harkness and Hillier.

• 1924

  Main production operation ends

  [1]Australian Sixen.wikipedia.org

  The Ashfield production period concludes as high local construction costs undermine the viability of the Australian Six program.

• 1919

  Australian Six production begins

  [1]Australian Sixen.wikipedia.org

  The Australian Motor Company begins producing the six-cylinder Australian Six automobile in New South Wales, initially at Rushcutters Bay.

• 1919

  Factory moves to Ashfield

  [1]Australian Sixen.wikipedia.org

  The manufacturing operation moves from Rushcutters Bay to Ashfield, where the marque remains associated with production until 1924.

A patriotic, locally assembled alternative to imported large cars, combining Australian-made coachwork with imported engines, transmissions, and other components.

• Six-cylinder automobile · 1919

  Australian Six

  The Australian Six was a conventional-chassis passenger car produced in Australia from 1919 to 1925. It was available with a choice of five locally made body styles and generally used a Rutenber straight-six engine with a Grant Lees or Muncie gearbox. Some examples used an imported overhead-valve Ansted engine instead. The car combined local body construction with imported mechanical components and was marketed as a domestically made alternative to imported American automobiles.

• 1919

  Pursuit of a locally manufactured large carStrategy

  Background

  The Australian Motor Company sought to challenge imported automobiles by producing a substantial six-cylinder vehicle in Australia.

  Action taken

  It combined locally produced bodywork and Australian assembly with imported engines, gearboxes, and other components, while promoting the car as made for the Australian market.

  Aftermath

  The strategy produced an historically notable car but was not commercially sustainable. High local construction costs contributed to the end of production after roughly 500 vehicles.

  Source

1. 1Australian Sixen.wikipedia.org