Lightburn
Encyclopedia
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
which was produced in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from 1963 to 1965 by South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n manufacturing company Lightburn and Co.
An established manufacturer of cement mixers and washing machine
Washing machine
A washing machine is a machine designed to wash laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets...
s, Lightburn and Co. built the cars in its factory in the Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
suburb of Camden Park
Camden Park, South Australia
Camden Park is a suburb of the city of Adelaide, South Australia.Camden Park is in the City of West Torrens local government area. It is split between the South Australian House of Assembly electoral districts of Ashford and West Torrens. At the federal level, Camden Park is in the Division of...
. The first Zeta model was introduced in 1963 at a price of £
Australian pound
The pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 13 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :...
595. Production ceased in 1965 with the last vehicles sold in 1966 and total sales of less than 400 vehicles.
Models
Zeta cars were produced in the following models.
- Zeta Sedan - 2 door sedan - Villiers EngineeringVilliers EngineeringVilliers Engineering was a manufacturer of motorcycles and cycle parts, and an engineering company based in Villiers Street, Wolverhampton, England....
324cc - 4 speed manual - Zeta Sedan Deluxe - 2 door sedan - Villiers EngineeringVilliers EngineeringVilliers Engineering was a manufacturer of motorcycles and cycle parts, and an engineering company based in Villiers Street, Wolverhampton, England....
324cc - 4 speed manual - Zeta Utility - 2 door coupe utilityCoupé utilityThe coupé utility automobile body style, also known colloquially as the ute in Australia and New Zealand, combines a two-door "coupé" cabin with an integral cargo bed behind the cabin—using a light-duty passenger vehicle-derived platform....
- Villiers EngineeringVilliers EngineeringVilliers Engineering was a manufacturer of motorcycles and cycle parts, and an engineering company based in Villiers Street, Wolverhampton, England....
324cc - 4 speed manual - Zeta Sports - roadsterRoadsterA roadster is a two-seat open car with emphasis on sporty handling and without a fixed roof or side weather protection. Strictly speaking a roadster with wind-up windows is a convertible but as true roadsters are no longer made the distinction is now irrelevant...
- ZF SachsZF SachsZF Sachs AG is a German manufacturer of automotive parts, producing powertrain and suspension components. It was formerly known as Fichtel & Sachs, Mannesmann Sachs and Sachs...
493cc - 4 speed manual
Lightburn also produced an electric 'mobility-scooter esque' runabout vehicle capable of carrying 2 adults and available in two models.
Sedan & Utility
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
was steel, with a fibreglass body enclosing a large but sparse interior. Windows were perspex except for the front windscreen which was laminated glass. The doors were steel with sliding perspex windows.
The tyres for the Sedan and Utility were Michelin 125 R12 as stated in the specifications. The four speed dog clutch Villiers Engineering
Villiers Engineering
Villiers Engineering was a manufacturer of motorcycles and cycle parts, and an engineering company based in Villiers Street, Wolverhampton, England....
gearbox had no reverse so the engine had to be switched off and started backwards which provide four reverse gears. Fuel was delivered by gravity feed from a tank behind the dashboard. The fuel gauge was a plastic pipe running from the top to the bottom of the tank through the dashboard. As a Wheels (magazine) road test in 1974 put it "it read anywhere from full to empty depending on gradient, throttle and probably Greenwich mean time".
The Utility was the rarest of the Zeta models with a total of only 8 produced. A number were purchased by Sydney City Council's Hyde Park fleet. The Utility was mechanically identical to the Sedan.
Sports
Goggomobil Dart
The Goggomobil Dart is an automobile which was developed in Australia by Sydney company Buckle Motors Pty Ltd. and produced from 1959 to 1961....
, used a West German ZF Sachs
ZF Sachs
ZF Sachs AG is a German manufacturer of automotive parts, producing powertrain and suspension components. It was formerly known as Fichtel & Sachs, Mannesmann Sachs and Sachs...
F.M.R. 500 498cc two-stroke
Two-stroke cycle
A two-stroke engine is an internal combustion engine that completes the process cycle in one revolution of the crankshaft...
engine with integral four-speed gearbox, producing a modest 15.5 kW. Its body styling was based on the Henry Meadows
Henry Meadows
Henry Meadows of Wolverhampton, England were major suppliers of engines and transmissions, to the smaller companies in the British motor industry...
Sprint version of the Frisky
Meadows Frisky
Meadows Frisky is the name of a series of small British cars manufactured at the factory of Henry Meadows Ltd at Fallings Park in Wolverhampton between 1958 and 1961, during which time, production was under the control of a number of companies.-History:...
microcar. The fibreglass bodied car weighed 400 kilograms (882 lb) and ran on 10 inches (25 cm) wheels with all-round drum brakes. Like the Dart it lacked doors and bumper bars. The ZF Sachs
ZF Sachs
ZF Sachs AG is a German manufacturer of automotive parts, producing powertrain and suspension components. It was formerly known as Fichtel & Sachs, Mannesmann Sachs and Sachs...
engine was originally designed for and used in the 4 wheel FMR Tg500 microcar. A twin cylinder 2 stroke 70mm bore and 67mm stroke it had a 4 speed and reverse sequential gearbox in unit with the engine. Only 48 were made around 1960/61 and were kept secret until released for sale in 1964 and, of the 48 made, only 28 were sold in 1964.