ʻO kaʻu 1969 Daihatsu Compagno Spider.

Ua kūʻai aku ke kanaka kūʻai kaʻa he 57 makahiki mai Brisbane iā Hyundai, Daihatsu, Daewoo a me Toyota no ka hapa nui o kona ola kanaka makua, no laila, he mea kūpono ʻo ia ke aloha i nā kaʻa Iapana. He ʻekolu kāna i kēia manawa ma nā ʻano hana o ka hoʻihoʻi hou ʻana, me ka 1969 Diahatsu Compagno Spider ʻo ia kekahi o ʻekolu wale nō ma Australia.

Ua kūʻai ʻo ia i kāna kaʻa mua, he Honda S1966 convertible 600, i ka 18 o kona mau makahiki i kona noho ʻana ma Essendon, Melbourne.

"He ʻehā mau carburetors a me kahi ʻenekini māhoe-cam," wahi āna me ka hoihoi. “Ua like ia me ka mīkini heihei. He kaʻa liʻiliʻi maikaʻi. "Ke hoʻokomo ʻoe iā ia i ka ʻehā ma ka 60 mph (96.5 km/h), hiki i ka 6000 rpm, a ma ka 70 mph (112.5 km/h) hiki iā 7000 rpm. No laila ua like nā mea ʻike. I ka manawa ma ke ala kaʻa, ua pā au i ka 10,500 rpm, he hewa maoli nō ia. Akā, ua uē mua ʻo ia.

He Honda S600 kā Wallis a me kona kaikaina ʻo Jeff.

"Ua makemake mau mākou i nā kaʻa haʻuki Iapana no ka mea ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi," wahi āna. "I kēlā manawa, ke neʻe nei ka poʻe i HR Holden, kahi mea mahiʻai ma ka hoʻohālikelike ʻana. Loaʻa iā lākou nā ʻenekini pushrod, ʻaʻole nā ​​kāmela ma luna e like me Honda. No kahi kaʻa liʻiliʻi, ua hele maikaʻi lākou a ua ʻoi aku ma mua o ko lākou manawa. Ua kope a hoʻomaikaʻi ka poʻe Kepanī i nā kaʻa Pelekane a pau o ia manawa.

I ka makahiki 1974, ua neʻe ʻo Wallis i Queensland a kūʻai aku i kāna Honda e kūʻai i Toyota Celica.

"ʻAʻole hiki iaʻu ke kūʻai i mea hou no ka mea pono wau e kali i ʻeono mahina," wahi āna. "He $3800 hou lākou a ua kūʻai au i 12 mahina no $3300. Ua loaʻa iaʻu ia no ʻelima mau makahiki, akā i ka hānau ʻana o kaʻu keiki ʻelua, makemake wau i kahi kaʻa nui aʻe, no laila ua kūʻai au i Toyota Crown.

Hiki iā ʻoe ke ʻike i ka ulu ʻana o ke kumu. E holo wikiwiki ana ma waena o ka lehulehu o nā kaʻa Iapana a hiki i 2000, ke kūʻai aku nei ʻo Wallis iā Daihatsu a me Daewoo.

"Ua ʻike au i kahi hoʻolaha no ke kūʻai ʻana i ka Daihatsu Compagno Spider ma ka nūpepa a nīnau i nā kāne ma ka hana he aha ia," wahi āna. "ʻAʻohe mea i ʻike. A laila ʻike wau i ka palapala a Charade, a aia ke kiʻi o ia ma ka uhi hope. Ua lawe ʻia mai lākou e kahi mea kūʻai aku ʻo Daihatsu a ʻekolu wale nō ma Australia; hookahi ma Tasmania, hookahi ma Victoria a maanei. Makemake au iā ia no ka mea ʻokoʻa ia."

Ua ʻae ʻo Wallis i kona mahalo ʻana i ka ʻenehana ʻenekini Iapana, ʻo ka hoʻopiʻi haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa a ka Spider ka mea i hopu i kona maka.

"ʻO ka pilikia me ka Honda no ka mea he ʻenehana kiʻekiʻe loa lākou, ma hope o 75,000 mau mile (120,700 km) pono lākou e kūkulu hou ʻia," wahi āna. "ʻO kaʻu mea i makemake ai e pili ana iā Daihatsu, ua like ia me kahi mīkini Datsun 1200 ma lalo o ka puʻupuʻu. Makemake au i ka ʻenehana kiʻekiʻe, akā ʻaʻole wau makemake i ke kumukūʻai kiʻekiʻe."

Hoʻohana ʻia ka Spider e kahi pahu pahu hoʻokahi lita ʻehā-cylinder engine a me kahi carburetor ʻelua ʻāʻī hoʻokahi i hoʻopili ʻia me kahi pahu pahu pahu ʻehā.

"No kona mau makahiki, holo maikaʻi ʻo ia," wahi āna. "Ua hana wau i nā hana mechanical a pau, hoʻokahe i nā puna lau, hoʻokomo i nā dampers hou, nā kaʻa, kūkulu hou i ke kino holoʻokoʻa, etc. Akā, ke nānā aku nei ka pena. ʻO ke kanaka aʻu i kūʻai mai ai, pena ia i ka polū metala. ʻAʻohe mea metala i nā makahiki 60. Makemake au e pena hou i kekahi lā. ʻIke wau i ka poʻe e hana nei i kēia mau papahana, ka mea e uhaʻi iā lākou a ʻaʻole hoʻi e hui hou. ʻAʻole au makemake e hana i kēia; Makemake au e hauʻoli i kaʻu kaʻa."

Ke holo nei kāna Spider a holo ʻo ia i ka lā Sābati. Ua kūʻai hou aku nei ʻo ia i 1970 Honda 1300 coupe me kahi ʻenekini ʻehā pahu hoʻoluʻu maloʻo. Ua uku ʻo ia i $2500 no ia mea a ua hoʻolālā ʻo ia e hoʻomaka i loko o kekahi mau pule. Ua kūʻai aku ʻo ia i kahi mea hoʻololi hou 1966 Honda S600 e like me kāna kaʻa mua.

"ʻO kēia kaʻu papahana hoʻomaha lōʻihi i koʻu 65 makahiki," wahi āna. Ua komo ʻo ia i ka Hui Kaʻa Kaʻa Kepanī, i hoʻokumu ʻia i nā mahina i hala iho nei e nā poʻe pā kaʻa Kepani like. "He 20 wale nō mākou, akā ʻoi aku ka nui o mākou," wahi āna. "Inā wau e komo i ka hui ʻo Daihatsu Compagno Spider, ʻekolu wale nō mākou i loko o ka hui."