Forgotten cars of Australia: The Bolwell Nagari

A car that didn't need a prancing horse or raging bull on the front badge to achieve supercar speeds, the Bolwell Nagari from the 1970s could have been adorned with a boxing kangaroo, if anything.

The Nagari was built in Australia, you see.

All it took to create this true Aussie supercar was some inspired thinking by two brothers named Bolwell, working out of a shed in the suburbs of Melbourne.

Established in the 1960s, the company that bore their name started out making kit cars, using predominantly GM parts such as Holden's inline six-cylinder engine. However, after four models, the brothers – Campbell and Graeme – decided to make a full-fledged production car with a fibreglass body, Ford components and Austin 1800 steering.

The result was the Nagari, a low slung sports car with a beautifully designed body that drew inspiration from Lotus sports cars of the day.

Commonly fitted with a Ford 302 Windsor V8, later Nagaris could be found with a Cleveland 351. For performance, nothing on the road could quite match the 920kg Nagari with the larger engine.

With the 302 driving to the rear wheels and producing 180kW and 300Nm, the Nagari would knock over the 0-100km/h run in 6.4 secs, while the quarter mile was completed in 14.3 secs. Top speed was an equally impressive (for the time) 209km/h.

The 351 improved on these figures, running a mid-13 secs quarter mile while top speed was around the 240km/h mark.

While test driving the car, a motor journalist was asked to record a top speed for the Campbell brothers but instead of returning with a number, he returned with one word: "Frightening".

Despite its head spinning performance, the Nagari did indeed have its problems; the interior was cramped and hot (due to the engine being placed so far back), the foot well was tiny, while both the steering and suspension had their fair share of problems.

Production lasted from 1970 to 74 with over 100 coupes built; there were also 12 convertibles that came off the production line. This number varies from source to source, as the records have been lost. By the 80s, Bolwell had closed up shop and it wasn't until 2009 that Bolwell revived the Nagari name. Campbell decided it was time to create another sports car while spending time in Canada manufacturing wind turbines.

The new model once again featured a lightweight body, this time made from carbon fibre. There was a mid-mounted, supercharged 3.5-litre V6 borrowed from Toyota, and connected to a six-speed automatic gearbox. Acceleration figures were impressive, with a 0-100km/h time of four seconds, thanks to 220kW/355Nm on tap.

After Ford, Holden and Toyota all close up shop, Bolwell will be the sole company still producing a car on Australian soil. While their major focus in the modern era has been caravans, they will make a Nagari for anyone with a spare $200,000 to spend.

Pictures courtesy of Jeremy/Wikimedia Commons