Powered by Ford - 70's Australian Supercar, from Backyard to Superstar! But why did it all end?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ค. 2020
- We tell the story of Bolwell Sportscars and drive a pristine restored example of the iconic 1973 Ford Cleveland V8 powered Nagari.
Bolwell was a household name with car enthusiasts in the 60s and 70's, the brand being created by the Bolwell brothers in their own backyard, then progressing into a dedicated manufacturing facility. The concept was a little like Lamborghini Miura meets American Muscle Car, sharing similar body lines through inspiration to the Miura, yet jam-packed full of Ford V8. The future held high hopes for the brand through the 60s and early 70s but rigorous compliance requirements for vehicle manufacturing rendered future production non-viable, and therefore the demise of the brand as it was known, for producing exciting sports cars. The name Bolwell still continues today as a composite manufacturer, and there is also a new Nagari nearing completion that will see the brand return to producing low volumes sports cars.
At Master of Machines we'll check out anything with wheels or an engine, from American Muscle Cars, Australian Muscle Cars, Japanese Cars, European Cars, Classic Cars, Vintage Cars, Race Cars, Vintage Racers, Historic Race Cars, Pro Touring, Street Machines, Speedway, Aircraft, Engines, Motorcycles, Trucks, you name it, even a military tank! If it's super cool we'll cover it, and not only that, in many cases, we'll even drive, race or ride them!
Passionate car guy and Master of Machines host Glenn Everitt has extensive experience in the Automotive Industry, as a high performance technician, auto mechanic and dyno tuner, including other industries such as auto restoration and auto detailing. He's a lifelong racer too, born into a motorsport family and starting with road racing from the age of 14, and also competing in Drag Racing to help promote his dyno shop for many years. He's also passionate about two wheels as well, having started out on dirt bikes, then moving to Sports bikes of all kinds. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
I'm in my 70s and as a younger man I worked for a while in Mordialloc, Melbourne and during my lunch breaks would drive down to the Bolwell factory and just watch them. I was as jealous as hell. Magnificent looking beast for its time - and Australian! 🇦🇺
I’ve know the Bolwell family since I was a kid in Frankston as a kid in the late ‘50s .
It was tragic when Winston died in an accident.
And the real reason the turn key car production came to an end was just the red tape and crash test requirements that were just not achievable.
They stayed in business producing many fibre glass products including Kenworth bonnets and kids playground equipment.
This excellent video fails to say there is still a new generation Bolwell car ( a serious Euro type supercar )in recent production.
Respect for this family and what they’ve achieved .
I was lucky to own a Nagari in the 80s. One of the last ever built. It was all original including the original Avon tyres. I loved it, but as most sports cars it was a compromise. Built for the racetrack, it had terrible bump steer. Cramped cockpit got hot from the engine. It did have a big boot- enough to take a set of golf clubs and a buggy. Sold it on and it went to a Bolwell enthusiast who restored it. Despite its practical shortcomings I was happy to say I owned a piece of Australian automotive history.
Bet you wished you still owned it now.
Friend of mine had a poorly converted RHD factory Hemi Dodge Challenger and sold it because it was dangerous.
Perhaps Challengers aren't the most sought after factory Hemi Mopar, but still they're still worth a lot of money. He's never forgot selling it. Point is he had the foresight to hang on to some other cars, making that decision painful.
Yes and no. Like most sports cars, it looks great. However compared to modern cars and conventional cars it has short comings. This car had terrible bump steer. And a further general comment. People think these sort of cars are a great investment. You buy one because you love it. Even though I sold it for more than I paid, had I put the purchase price into the bank and just earned interest, I would have been better off. It was nice whilst I owned it.
"70's Australian Supercar" - I was a car loving teenager then and the Bolwell was the pinnacle of my dreams along with the Lamborgini Muira which had similar lines. No hope of owning either at the time. Thank you Campbell.
Old man says to young child “I’m talking about Australia, we were manufacturers once, We made all kinds of things and yes even cars”.
What a great looking car👍
So sad isn't it.
We Americans feel badly for you Aussies... Democrats/Liberals trying to end all business/manufacturing/jobs in USA, as well... turn us into another failed horrible Communist USSR and Banana Republic...
I worked on several Nagaris and earlier kits that were sold out of a Shell Station on Grange Rd Findon in SA. The trim shop upholstered some of the earlier cars - and as always they required a quick spin around the back streets of Beverley to make sure all the stitching held up.
- LOL !
The last of the genuine Aussie innovators. Aussie car industry was a cultural backbone, no longer, dismantled by the unholy and vested interests, I still curse them all!
A mate of mine had one of these back in the 70's. His had been fitted with a 351 HO engine. He could take off (from rest) in 4th gear!
Never heard of them until this video. Thanks for this video
Same here... not till June 2024... reminds me of a USA Ol' Yeller and Cheetah:
th-cam.com/video/zBs6O_D1D3k/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/A7UMwbcpcw8/w-d-xo.html
I have always loved the Bolwell Sportscars, nice to see a Frankston Company actually going strong for 50+ years... I really hope that the Corona-Virus doesn't hit Bolwell Sportscars to hard and they can keep going from strength to strength!
Great work again Glenn! Watching the old footage of a young Australia is just as good as the performance cars mate!
👍🇦🇺
WOW! Never heard of this car before here in the states. The shape looks like it's heavily inspired by the Miura. Shades of the 240Z and the Iso Grifo, even Corvette in the rear buttresses. But unique in its own right. What a beauty!
Guess USA car magazines kept these cars hidden from us...
I distinctly remember seeing several of these around Bendigo in the 70’s & beyond! I reckon there’s still one or ? getting around now. They were & still are a beautiful, hot, head turning car even today! I’d be drooling too Glenn!😍🤤😎👍🏼
I live in the usa 🇺🇸 we diont get any of these cars here our Government makes the auto makers choke the cars with so many regulations
Very impossible to buy a new car with small v8 with manual transmissions
Love his boy in a lolly shop look You can’t fake true enthusiasm like this. But apart from that I’m f***en jealous as f**k 👌👌👌👍👍👍👍
When I was a kid living in Frankston North, my next door neighbor Darryl Cook lived next door and he worked for Bowell. He worked on the body of them. He brought one home one afternoon and I believe it had the Cleveland motor in it and dang it was powerfully quick for the time.
What a beautiful little car. Hints of Miura in the coupe and Triumph Spitfire in the convertible. And with a big V8 under the bonnet, what's not to like? ☺️
Closest I got to one was when my HZ Kingswood was "hiding out" (long story) in a warehouse. On one side was a '73 Beetle, on the other was a Bolwell Nagari in bits. You don't really get a handle on how low slung they are until you stand next to one. I know they were a weapon in circuit racing.
The Mark 7 was a dream car for me as a youngster, I often thought I might build one, but when the Nagari appeared it put the Mark 7 right out of my mind. I’ve never owned one and it was a real treat to get a bit reacquainted with the brand through this video. The standout for me I think is the ageless beauty of the shape, don’t tell my wife but I think I’m having a VERY late mid-life-crisis moment…!
Back in the seventies I worked with a bloke who owned a Nagari. From memory it had a worked 186S Red motor and it was quick.
Neighbor had one in the 70's ,i think his had a 307 out of an early HG monaro he wrote off at amaroo park at an event. Would love one now with a nice 4+ litre quad cam lexus motor and manual box. Heaven in polyesther clothing, my dream come true.
Another awesome video! I've heard of the Bolwell car. But because I'm not from Australia, I've never seen one in person.
Absolutely beautiful machine @ 4:40. Looks like earlier model vette crossed with a Lotus.
I drove past their factory every day for 15 years and can still smell the fibreglass coming round the corner on Boundary rd
Love your enthusiasm !!!
Beautiful 👍🏽 I’ve always loved em! Even though I grew up in the 70’s you were very lucky if you ever saw one on the road!!
I recall Bolwall had a bit of a comeback about 20 years ago with HSV V8s in them. I remember walking past a dealer in Artarmon selling them
Saw one of these for the first time at the Kumeu Classic Car Show in January. Stunning piece of kit
My uncle had a 302 windsor powered Nagari four speed with a few K code engine parts...
A very cool car.....👍
I got to drive what was probably the smallest Bolwell, if you don't count the pedal car. It was made by Winston for his son, powered by a lawnmower engine activated using a hand-brake lever to tension the drive belts.
Bollwell ..YES !
You’re living the dream Glenn!
Nice work Glenn!
I've owned Ferrari, Supra other fast sports cars but all of them have some angle that they don't look that great from. The Nagari looks great from any angle.
Beautiful car. One of my teachers had an orange one back in the late 70s early 80s. I used to drool over it.
At Dandenong TAFE college? I saw one in the car park in the mid 80s. I remember it as red, but maybe not.
Looking at the chassis at 2:55 there doesn't seem to be anything offering side intrusion protection. Just fibreglass between you and someone who runs a red light. Only ever seen three Nagaris back in the day. The convertible is something else!
They shut down in 1974 due to the introduction of emission & crash testing requirements. So they are reintroducing and putting the car back into production. The rules today with new emission & all the safety stuff must be many times greater than 1974. So how are they doing it? What has had to change to make the new car comply?
The first time I saw a Bolwell Nagari was outside a Chevrolet Showroom in Bourke Street (The old Southern Cross Hotel), in 1970. I fell in Love. ❤
Same Metalic Light Blue as this one. At 16 y.o I Could never get enough coin to hope to buy/build one. Sad ever since. !
Brilliant!
AWSOME ! I love 289's. But with can stroke it out, and the tourqe will be tremendous in my favorite car (cobra) Escort or Cortina or Falcon or.........😂 Fords in Fords ! Cheers from New Zealand (don't put a chev in a Ford , people)
Love the show Glenn can you do a feature on what a lot of us got to know you for in the old G & D days the humble Mazda Rotary
Hi Theo! You'll be happy to know I have a very angry little RX2 historic racer! We'll be doing a feature for sure.
I have only ever seen two of these from memory but always thought that were such cool looking cars. is there any chance you could maybe do an article on that other homegrown special, the VW based Purvis Eureka? there used to be one where I lived in the 70's and I loved that as well but they seemed to fade quickly from the scene. another I remember from the early 80's was the Perentie, used a Holden van/ ute chassis and running gear...looked a lot like the Corvettes from the 70's.keep these videos coming, love them.
I agree, Glenn, the side profile is very much like a Lamborghini Muira.
The Muira happens to a huge favorite of mine. Would love to feature one here one day.
As a 240z owner. I always liked the shape of these. I love the fact they were made locally too.
Oh I LOVE a 240z! Iconic Japanese performance car.
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines have to agree. That's how I ended up with 4 of them lol.
gav240z , well done! You’re sitting on a nice little gold mine there that you can enjoy! Values are certainly heading north on the Z’s! I looking forward to covering the Z here at some point in the future.
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines yes they are getting rare. I'm restoring an early Safari Gold car. But if you're looking for a good 1 to cover or feature I know of a couple.
@@gav240z , Awesome! We'll definitely be looking for options in the not too distant future. Ultimately a concourse 240Z teamed up with an angry variant with a hot engine and triple Webers for the feature drive.
I worked on an earlier version of the Bolwell in 1974 as an apprentice mechanic, it was running what appeared to be XU1 running gear.
9:06 steering column is out of a 1970's Chrysler RT Charger
That's probably why they never handled like an Elan .
Never heard of them - now I love them❤️
I read about these in a motoring mag(I think Wheels) back in the 80s. Great looking car.
Ok , everybody can kick my arse now...
I turned a Nagari rag top down in favour of an MGB , for THE SAME MONEY , $4200. , in 1979...all I can say in my defence was that I didn't know what a Nagari was then....probably would have killed me anyway😥😥
Nice video Glenn - was always intrigued about these having seen a couple of Nagari’s at shows years ago. Looks like a cabin for a short bloke though! Would love to see what these would do with a tickled up 351 in them!
Thanks! Oh yes, imagine a 500hp 351 Clevo combo. 500BHP/Ton is some serious business. Think 750hp in a 1500kg XY Falcon for example. :-)
Glenn Everitt - Master of Machines haha spot on Glenn - it might go through a set of rears on every drive!
The cabin could be a little larger, at 2m tall I have driven over 50,000 miles in both Coupe and Sports versions. My Coupe with a little 330hp 302W was good for over 140mph with plenty of throttle left: scary - the front end gets light over 100mph.
@@bolwellcarclub7790 Geez that would have felt sketchy! Just shows the importance of power to weight! Great to see you do some miles on them too!
Still a great looking car.
Very Interesting Car,Lotus Influence,Ford V8&Toploader,Rear Panel Maybe Triumph Tr6,Dodge Or Plymouth Collapsing Steering Column And Wheel.True Essence Of HotRodding.😉👍👍
Great looking. Would have loved to hear more about handling.
There was a Nagari shell sitting on pallets out the back of a place near Brisbane where i did my Wellcap (drilling rig) training. Can't remember the exact suburb now, or whether its still there, but less than 10 years ago, it was there
Has to be one of the best looking sports cars ever made!
Agreed. The styling is perfect.
Nice looking car too. Image running a inj 331 windsor......
Did anyone else spot the Valiant steering column!
I owned one. It was a real parts bin car. Components from many 70s era cars all over the place.
I always thought a Bolwell Nagari was a jolly good looking car. I used to see them on the road a few times a year and thought what a great looking car. The factory paint wasn't anything like the restored ones but.
Also it must've been ADR27a that was the culprit. With hindsight if they just bought 351's to offset the performance loss from lower compression and smog camshaft profile of the 302s and left the engines the way they came from the factory, with the EGR and installed and hot air air cleaner, then installed a charcoal canister they might've got past that hurdle.
Despite opinions to the contrary EGR makes no difference at WOT if its working correctly since it's closed, it only opens when cruising.
The crash testing not so much I suppose.
PURVIS EUREKA should be next on the list.
Small volume car manufacturers have no chance in this country Bolwell originally sold at a kit car you assembled yourself but so many were put together badly that it was hurting the Bolwell name so kits were stopped and only fully built cars were sold enter the Nagari
Didn't the Bolwell boys do a great job with the styling! I'd love to see one in the flesh, don't even know if any made it to NZ.
Hey racket man. I do believe there is a coupe in Auckland, maybe in or around Mission Bay or Kohi area.
I was introduced to Bolwell nagari in the mid 80s my mates dad had an alcohol 302 one in the shed for speedway it was too nice for that. After that I enjoyed watching them at collingrove hill climbs. I wonder what happened to that car.
Looks very cramped. Must be size S , us blokes that need size L or XL would be out of luck. Many vehicles suffer from lack of space, Lotus 7 is a shocker, I sat in a genuine C-Type Jag, not very roomy but the plaque inside the door read S Moss. Use to love E Type's but head would rub on the roof. One thing I have learn't about cars and trucks is to try them on for size before falling in love with them. Recently had a Chevy C20 79 model even that was not great. The racing shoe's would be a must alright if not bare feet for some. I sat in a 1928 Desoto a couple of weeks ago, it was a bloody shocker. Looks are one thing but size is another thing that will restict many.
They were the days in Melbourne!
I'd heard before they built the Nagari Bolwell built cars with MG chassis
In the late 70's a friend and I found a red fibreglass sports car that looked a bit like the car at 2.00
It had a chassis (MG?) with engine mounts for a Holden grey motor and a one piece front panel and detachable hard top and Jaegar speedometer, and an "MG" badge above a Holden's "Special" badge on the back panel
It was on a property near Eastern Creek western Sydney
We were told that it had belonged to the father of one of the people who lived there and that their mother thought it was to fast so the father had removed and sold the engine
They said my mate could buy it for $30
My mate stuffed around for a few weeks and hadn't gone back about it so I went back hoping to buy it myself but it wasn't where it had been and I didn't go in to ask what had happened to it
Later I heard before Bolwell's Nagari they build cars on MG chassis I could be wrong but I believe this could have been one
Could you do a video on "Nota" inparticular the "Nota Fang"
In the early 70's Nota moved from Parramatta to Blacktown and on our way home from highschool we would sometimes sit in the Fangs displayed outside the workshop
Now I know what was hiding under a tarp on a side street here in the states! I drove by the thing many times, and finally saw it without the tarp six months ago. I thought it was some shrunken Daytona Coupe copy until I noticed the wheel on the "Wrong" side and the air extractors. You want power-to-weight? Care to take a spin in a 1700 pound, 330 horse 283 Chevy engined Bocar Xp-5?
Mate, I think you’ve had one two many VB’s if you think that Nagari looks anything like a Mura. Even standing on my head with one eye closed I cannot see any resemblance to a Mura.
Hey MIK33EY. You are dead right. I know both cars very well, and see little resemblance at all. Having said that, I do think the roadster is a great looking car.
Small point, if they had the Holden v8 they would have been all Australian designed and built. Somewhat of a bitsa, with Chrysler steering column
You mean chev
@@rodneywatson4532 not talking 327, 350, 253, 308 was all Aussie
@@gacattack1234 still owned by chev Holden just a name
@@rodneywatson4532 If your talking about ownership they were owned by GM not their fellow sub brand Chevrolet. Designed by Aussies for Aussies is Australian enough considering we are a small isolated country without the market to give a local brand enough of a footing to compete against companies from larger countries.
my mate's dad had 2 of these in the garage in pristine condition in the early 1990s..not sure if he still has them. i think he worked for bowell as a mech eng. we were both at uni studying mech eng also.
its a pity the Australian Government brought in all the restriction in ,in sted of helping the satellite industries grow ,thay could have made a lode more $$$
Looks almost exactly like a ginetta even uses the same engine
I new immediately Chapman's brain and technology was in there somewhere .
Nice, yes I always wanted one - but gee, you really need think like a motorcycle rider while driving one as there’s little protection … especially side impact.
Great video but the back ground music is bloody annoying. Why have it there at all?
TV networks enforced music when we produced this content for TV. Now that we're dedicated to TH-cam and free to roll as we please, it'll be all about the raw experience from 2021 onward. :-)
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines Ah I see. I'm the other side of the world and don't even watch the telly so I didn't realise you were on it. Thanks for the reply. I look forward to the raw stuff.
Many years ago I saw a kit car kit in a magazine, made here in Aus. I would describe it an offroad buggy made to bolt up to a Range Rover chassis and running gear.
Does anyone else recollect them and who made them?
@@johnhislop2993 Thanks for that mate. It's not the one I had in mind but its certainly a wild looking machine, would be a lot of fun.
Who is the young looking stud on the left at 1:29?
Were any kits of these sold to America? Would be curious if any of these made it here. I remember seeing their ads in car magazines
Good question, I'll do some digging and find out!
There's a comment here from an American (Lord Mekanicus) that he's seen one there. Parked under a tarp, spotted it uncovered 6 months ago. Posted a week before you asked.
I think he meant bonnet.
I once owned a blue Mk5 with bubble window ,grey holden engine ,tripple 1.1/4 "su carbs . it went well till it broke in half . I wa too yong and inexpeienced to repair it . Today it would be different . would resto it ..
Please switch the radio off in the background - hard to hear the guy properly
Great car, great program., but it's a bonnet not a hood!!!!!
Thanks Rick. At the time we produced this content we were about to launch on a major US TV network, so we threw a few familiar terms in here and there. :-)
Passed by the factory every fortnight...
Same, corner of Wells Rd and Boundary Rd Mordialloc, still there to this day.
Interesting video and car, but the music during the talking is very needless and distracting. I used to do music production for corporate videos so I know how it's done. Music should only be added when you want to enhance something that NEEDS it, and/or is frankly just boring, otherwise there should be no music. Jay Leno's Garage is a very good example of how these types of information-intensive shows should be done. In his case, he rarely uses any music at all. I think he used to have intro music but has even ditched that.
No airbags.
May the HORSEPOWER be with you. That is all.
I will tell you why they died the Mk 7 were sold as kit cars BUT a lot of the owners did not build them correctly and this caused problems and gave Bolwell a bad name for quality So when the Mk 8 arrived the Nagari it was only sold as a completed car to try and increase the reputation of the brand unfortunately Bolwell just ran out of staff to build and money for the necessary Ford components to enable builds to continue I doubt with all the new regs the brand will 're emerge on the market
Low volume regulations are less prohibitive.
Beautiful cars, I enjoyed the history, but as an American I have to say the Brits have got you driving on the wrong side of the road. Just kidding.
They have! Thankfully we can at least legally drive LHD cars over 25 years old on our roads these days. Where once we had to convert them across, now we can leave them as they left the factory. Nothing wrong with a 57 Chevy! Big fan!
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines
Could you do a video on the local Nota "FANG"
I believe there is one in Sydney's Power House Museum and the Fang had the highest production of any fully Australian owned car and a power to weight ratio better than a Ferrari
th-cam.com/video/JfZaQgZULJk/w-d-xo.html
(The first yellow car in this video is a "Fang" the second yellow car with the V6 badge is a more recent Nota)
@Edward Gross We have never been able to convert to the metric system, except car fasteners. So were stuck with feet, inches, pounds, MPH, etc..
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines so now you got mach ones with right hand drive!
Nice car but it is not Australian, all OZ cars have roo bars.
Most Beautiful Australian Built Car!!!
You tell a great story Glenn, but mate, it's called a bonnet, let the hoods stay in yankeeland.
Thanks JB. At the time we produced this content we were about to launch on a major US TV network, so we threw a few familiar terms in here and there. :-)
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines
Fair enough, there's 350 million of the blighters, that's a fair weight of numbers.
P.S. I've heard two American car channels refer to a boot as a, er, boot, as opposed to a trunk, so maybe our words are catching on.
@@Jesse-B , now that's interesting!