Book review: Kings of the Road - 50 cars that drove Australia

Well-known writers Toby Hagon and motoring.com.au contributor Bruce Newton have penned a new book covering some of the local automotive industry’s most important and iconic vehicles.

Named ‘Kings of the Road: 50 cars that drove Australia’, the book features 50 milestone vehicles that influenced the local automotive culture over the course of the past century.

The 50 cars named have been carefully chosen and are a mix of locally-manufactured and imported models, their impact on the local market being the deciding factor for inclusion in the book. Presented in a countdown style, the book is also peppered with ‘Feature Cars’ segments, covering topics as varied as movie cars, racing stars and concepts.

The main drawcard for this book is the 'man or woman in the street' choices, rather than the best guesses of motoring journalists. Consequently, the book is populated with an esoteric range of vehicles. Off-road machines, family cars and commercial vehicles are given equal time with sports and muscle cars. The diversity of the subject vehicles keeps the train-spotting reader engaged.

Some readers will argue the merits of the Austin Tasman and Kimberley X6, as one example, but there’s no denying that the X6 had an influential role (for all the wrong reasons) in the evolution of the local automotive industry.

The unlikely Thales Bushmaster also makes it into the 50, despite rising to prominence in Australia through its success in foreign theatres of war.

Another unexpected appearance in the book is Toyota’s LandCruiser, in four different generations. Northern Territory residents will tell you that the off-road Toyotas really count among the vehicles that made Australia what it is.

If various Toyotas, the Mitsubishi Sigma and Austin X6 are not your bag, never mind. Early Valiants, the Brabham BT19/BT20 and the Holden Sandman are each covered separately. But one car that didn’t make the cut was the Datsun 1600, a car that was built here and was the mainstay of club rallying in Australia for literally decades.

In another surprise for some readers, the Falcon GT HO Phase III isn’t the number one car listed in the book. It is mentioned twice, however: once in the context of the film ‘Running on Empty’ and once more as a subset of the Falcon GT – one of the 50 icons, but not number one. That, of course, is one of the attractions of this book; it keeps you guessing.

We won’t reveal what vehicle did take out the gold (or the silver, for that matter). Not everyone will agree with the authors’ choices, but objectively, they're pretty close to the mark.

Only one error has made it into print, pertaining to a section of text concerning the Eric Bana documentary, ‘Love the Beast’. The film was already in production when Bana pranged his XB Falcon GT in Targa Tasmania. The documentary wasn’t ‘prompted’ by the crash, and Bana hadn’t decided to rebuild the XB before the film was released.

Other than that minor point, the book is a brilliant product. There is literally something in it for every hard-core motor enthusiast.

Priced at $49.99, 'Kings of the Road: 50 cars that drove Australia' can be purchased online or through stockists.