The eighties Commodore coupe

The Adayer Commodore

Peter Beaumont bought his ultra rare ‘Adayer’ Commodore from a chap in Victoria in 1999. There were apparently only 11 of these made (plus one prototype) by Dominion and International Automobiles (DIA) in Queensland. Based on brand new VH Commodores, the main selling point was that these were two-door Commodores. Doors and side panels came from the GM’s German-built Opel Rekord.
The base chassis was a VH SL/E with 4.2-litre V8 (supposedly the last 11 VH 4.2 cars from the Holden production line). They came with full ADR certification and a warranty honoured by both GM-H and the DIA Motor Company. Village Motors Holden dealership in Redcliffe, Brisbane was the first to market what was called the ‘Adayer Sportif’.
The one Peter Beaumont picked up is thought to be the second one built, painted a charcoal color with red leather Recaro interior and Momo steering wheel. They were promoted as a luxury European-style sports tourer with a price to match. Other features included deep-pile carpet, polished woodgrain on side panels and lower dash, gold pin striping, front spoiler, rear deck spoiler, ROH wheels and a Adayer embossed panel between the tail lights. That rear badge is thought to have had a gold-plated inlay. Price at the time (1984/1985) was $27,300 for a manual and $28,200 for an automatic.
The one Peter Beaumont bought had done about 81,000km but has had a pretty rough life. The bloke who sold it to him told Peter that it was originally purchased by “an underworld figure” and one day while stopped at the traffic lights someone took a shot at the guy with a 12-gauge shotgun! A new driver’s door was imported from Germany but to this day the windows remain Perspex.

Most of these cars had a twin-headlight front, but Peter’s is the standard VH front and along the way someone has fitted a bigger 5.0 litre V8. It also has a four-speed gearbox, power steer, four-wheel disc brakes and LSD. Once restored, it should be a very nice unit.
There's not much out there on these Adayer Commodores - we'd love to hear from anyone who may have one or more of the other 10 cars, or knows of their whereabouts.

Cartier Ford LTD

Anthony Pascoe, another AMC reader, has an equally rare machine from the early 1980s. In January 1980, at the start of the decade that gave us Alan Bond and Christopher Skase, Ford Australia launched its own example of conspicuous consumption.
The Cartier LTD was a bizarre co-promotion with the famous French jewellery and luxury goods retailer. The main changes were cosmetic: “you can have your Ford LTD Cartier in any colour as long as it’s champagne” read the typically decedent advertisement.
The seats were either crushed velour or leather, with champagne carpet throughout and colour-coded console and steering wheel. Cartier identification was subtle. There’s a small logo on the boot lid and buyers received a special Cartier leather purse, travel wallet and key case.
Ford’s designer limo (allegedly the most luxurious ever offered here) was promoted in up-market magazines like The Bulletin, aimed at corporate high-flyers. The headline - “In all the world, there are only two motor cars that carry the name Cartier” – is a reference to a previous US collaboration, the Lincoln Continental Designer Series.
The best thing about the Cartier LTD only gets a mention in the small print. At a time when Ford was thinking about phasing out the V8, the Cartier LTD came with the option of the mighty 5.8-litre Cleveland. If you could ignore the champagne-coloured carpet, what you had here was a luxury high-speed limo.

Anthony Pascoe bought his Cartier LTD from the original owner. He’s read that 400 Cartiers were produced (not a race homologation special, we think!), but he’s only ever seen one other on the road and suspects that many were cannibalised long ago for their engines.
The big question, of course, is if he managed to score that designer leather purse? He says he didn’t, but will go back to the original owner and ask again.