The Hartnett car
Sir Lawrence Hartnett was a key player in the birth of the original Holden car, but after this project he became interested in the idea of a smaller, Australian designed and built car.
The result was the Hartnett, a front wheel drive car based on the ideas of the French engineer J.A. Gregoire, with a 600cc flat twin engine. Similar mechanical components were also used in the very light and economical Panhard Dyna.
Unfortunately, production problems meant that only 120 Hartnetts were completed. But Hartnett’s idea stayed with him, and in 1957 a plant was set up in Brisbane to assemble the German Lloyd Alexander car. This car, also 600cc, with two cylinders and a similar size to the original Hartnett, became known as the Lloyd Hartnett.
However, almost as soon as the Lloyd Hartnett was released, the Borgward company which made the Lloyd got into financial difficulties, and components for the little car dried up. Despite these setbacks, when Hartnett saw a Japanese Datsun Bluebird in 1959 he imported 100 into Australia and established Nissan/Datsun as a major supplier of small cars in Australia.
Last updated: 29th May 2008
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