Tow Rig 3

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Tow Rig 1

Tow Rig 2

Okay this one is a bit left field but if you tough it out you won't ever look at a Lexcen the same.

So let's explain what you are looking at - a bunch of screenshots of a Gumtree listing for a white 1993 Toyota Lexcen. But what is a Lexcen?

http://www.cornerstories.au

I'll try keep this short but back in 84' the Labor government formed the United Australian Automobile Industries as a 'plan envisaged to rationalise and make the Aussie auto industry more competitive on a global scale by means of reducing import tariffs' - Wikipedia

What this basically meant was products like the Holden Nova & Apollo which were essentially rebadged Toyotas. Oh and the Lexcen - a rebadged Holden Commodore. Let's go deeper.

http://www.cornerstories.au
http://www.cornerstories.au http://www.cornerstories.au
http://www.cornerstories.au
http://www.cornerstories.au
http://www.cornerstories.au

http://www.cornerstories.au
http://www.cornerstories.au
http://www.cornerstories.au
http://www.cornerstories.au
http://www.cornerstories.au
http://www.cornerstories.au
http://www.cornerstories.au
http://www.cornerstories.au
http://www.cornerstories.au

Understandably seeing the photos is not enough to sell you on this nice condition VP Commodore (fundamentally a shit car). But between the description and the photo time stamps, you have to give some credit to the listing. Clearly the old fella busted out his digital camera, took some pics, sat down at the trusty Hewlett-Packard and made this wonderful advertisement. But why should you buy a Toyota Lexcen?

Leaky American Buick V6?

Built locally (Elizabeth, SA)?

Toyota badge appreciation curve?

Well looked after car?

Low kilometres?

Tow bar?

Price?

All of the above?

Maybe, but not really. The real answer is hard to pin point but first we have to talk about the name - Lexcen. I know you don't buy a car for the name but if you gave me the choice between the Commodore and the Lexcen, I'd drive home in the Lexcen every time. Why?

Ben Lexcen.

Going to lean pretty heavy on Wikipedia for this one...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Lexcen

Ben Lexcen (formally Rob Miller) wasn't born with that name. Like the car, he rebranded. In 1974 'Miller changed his name to avoid confusion with his former company. Keen to prevent the possibility of there being any confusion surrounding his name and business interests in the future, he asked a friend who worked for Readers Digest to find out the least-used surname within their membership. The result was Lexcen. "Ben" was the name of his dog.' - Wikipedia

For those still wondering why this bloke ended up with his name on a rebadged Commodore this is the answer:

http://www.cornerstories.au

Lexcen's winged keel design for vessel Australia II. A major contributing factor for winning the America's Cup in 1983 and one of the greatest sporting moments in Australian history. Worth a deeper dive if you don't know the story.

 

The win catapulted Lexcen into stardom, unfortunately he died of a heart attack in 1988, and in 89' Toyota would release the Lexcen in his honour.

From everything I've read and watched Lexcen was a cool bloke, an Aussie icon. He's also responsible for the winged skateboard that came out in the eighties.

http://www.cornerstories.au

Like the Australia II, Lexcen had the odds against him and still managed to walk away a victor in many regards. So when I came across the white land yacht with a tow bar that happens to look like the Australia II I thought... Someone should buy this (probably me).

http://www.cornerstories.au


Fuck what anyone says about these cars, throw the boxing-kangaroo flag over the back seats (to protect them), put on your Fuck the New York Yacht Club t-shirt, pick up your mates and go launch the tinny. Tow Rig 3.

GUMTREE LISTING

Adelaide based. No real consistency just yarns, plain and simple.

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