From The Classifieds: 1971 Bolwell Nagari

Small-volume Australian designed and built cars have been part of this automotive country’s history and the Bolwell Nagari from the early 1970s is one of many.

Perhaps the difference between Bolwell and other small-volume Australian car-making ventures is that the Victorian-based family business achieved a level of success and recognition that gave it time in the spotlight that continues, at some level, today.

And undoubtedly the most familiar model is the Mark VIII Nagari coupe that was built at the company’s factory in Mordialloc, Victoria from 1969 to 1974.

The elegant front-engined, rear-wheel drive two-door sports car followed a line of Bolwells that were supplied in kit form for assembly by customers. The fact that the Mark VIII could be bought fully built-up was a sign that the company was on an upward trajectory and gave Bolwell the chance to prove its credentials in the marketplace.

The Mark VIII was a development of the 1967 Mark VII model, which was the first Bolwell to give buyers the choice of assembling it themselves, or having the factory do all the work.

The Mark VIII came with the availability of two Ford engines, set well back into the chassis to achieve the best possible weight balance. The choice was between the widely-utilised 302 cubic inch V8, or the 351 cubic inch V8 that gained notoriety through its use in the fabled GTHO Falcon of the same era. Both drove through a Ford top-loader four-speed manual gearbox.

Performance, in either 302 or 351 V8 form (sub 15-second 400-metres acceleration was the norm for stock-trim Nagaris), was exceedingly rapid for the era and the Nagari was a familiar sight on the racetrack, particularly in 1975 when NSW driver Peter Warren used his Bolwell to take out the Australian Tourist Trophy for production sports cars.

The fiberglass bodied coupe was underpinned by a basic suspension arrangement using wishbones at the front and a live-axle, coil spring setup at the rear. Brakes comprised power-assisted discs at the front and drums at the back.

With a lot of influence from Lotus (Campbell Bolwell worked for the British company for a while to gain added experience in designing and building sports cars), the Nagari was a simple, lightweight design – it weighed less than one tonne – based on a forked “Y” chassis clothed in a one-piece fiberglass body.

Perhaps the single most outstanding thing about the Nagari was its styling: Once again influenced by Lotus, it was a stunningly well-balanced sports coupe, far removed from the company’s kit-car origins.

A limited run of Nagari convertibles with a reinforced chassis were also built during the model’s lifetime. The numbers vary, but it is understood 127 coupes and 13 convertibles were made by Bolwell between 1969 and 1974.

Either way, any Bolwell is something of a rarity, and this 1971 Nagari coupe (chassis number eight) from Chain Valley Bay on the central coast of NSW looks a fine example of a car that has established undoubted credibility over the years as an Australian collectible.

The owner has had the bright red coupe for “about 15 years” and says the 351 Cleveland V8 was rebuilt by a previous owner, suggesting it has done more miles than the 19,000 or so currently showing on the odometer.

The Nagari is fitted with the four-speed top-loader gearbox and has original Bolwell alloy wheels as well as Spax gas front shock absorbers (the front suspension has been given a ball-joint upgrade) and coil-over Pedders rear shock absorbers.
To refine the Nagari experience and reduce noise levels, the cabin has been fully insulated.

The owner has a price of $59,900 on the Nagari, which is currently club-registered and does not come with a roadworthy certificate.

Chances for acquiring a piece of Australian motoring history outside the usual Ford/Holden stables are pretty rare and this Bolwell Nagari looks like a good prospect. The owner, in the carsales.com.au advertisement, wisely comments that potential buyers are likely to be pretty wised-up about Nagaris. If not, he points out that plenty of information is out there to give a complete picture of the car’s strengths and weaknesses.