Author(s): Joel Wakely

Transport

The 48-215: the modest car, designed for a particular moment, that burst the boundaries of its expectations. There is a touch of the miraculous about this story: a modest car that defined a motoring era and a bunch of mates that built a racing car on a shoestring but through hard work, skill and nerve still reached the pinnacle of their sport. Joel introduces us to the 48-215, the Humpy, and describes how this modest car, designed for a particular time and place, burst the boundaries of its expectations. He tells the tale of how it became a much-loved road car, for a decade a fearsomely competitive racing car, and ultimately a definitive model Holden that helped define Australian culture and history. There is a touch of the miraculous about this story: a simple car that broke its boundaries to define a motoring era, and a bunch of mates that built a racing car on a shoestring but through hard work, skill and sheer nerve still reached the pinnacle of their sport.