A short wheelbase High Speed Model, Chassis 33KG was tested in July 1922. Factory cards indicate the chassis was initially constructed as 100AG.
This car was bodied by H.J. Mulliner, Chiswick, West London with a mildly barrel-sided tourer, and fitted with black-painted Lucas lighting equipment. It was purchased in London by Jean and T. O'Halloran-Giles of Adelaide in May 1923, used for a while touring the UK, then exported to South Australia where it was first registered in May 1924 as (SA) 31.204.
It is believed that the O'Halloran-Giles family retained the car until after World War II. In May 1945, when the Governor-General, HRH The Duke of Gloucester visited Adelaide, Chassis 33KG was provided as the official car. Chauffeur Peter King is seen in the accompanying photograph of the car, which had number plates removed and carried the Vice-Regal Crown of the Governor-General. At this time the only variation from originality appeared to be down-sizing of the wheels to accept 20" tyres.
In 1946 Adelaide physician Dr John Godfrey of Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town bought 33KG. He sold it to Harold Tribe of Maidstone, Victoria who retained it from c1948 to 1950 registering it (Vic) EP.585. It was later bought for £300 by radio personality Bill Acfield of Geelong, who, discovering it had piston slap and used excessive oil, as well as doing only 9 mpg, sold it for £250 to racing driver Dick Beechey. Beechey found the car antiquated and slow, and advertised it through his car yard where it was seen and purchased, registered (Vic) GGY.883, by the Melbourne Herald motoring editor Frank Costigan.
By the mid-1950s 33KG was with Stuart Rau of Deans Marsh about 90 miles from Melbourne. Rau maintained the car, in good mechanical condition and kept it for about a decade.(unregistered) .
Anthony James of Torquay purchased the car for 500 pounds and registered it as (Vic) JAJ 969. In 1965 it was re-registered as (Vic) RR.257 The car was sold the car in c1975 to a US citizen named T. Bennett who was a temporarily resident in Saudi Arabia for $25000.
T. Bennett returned to USA with the car and it was Auctioned at no reserve by Paul McInnis at Harvard university as a fund raiser for the Medical School. It resulted in 52.000 USD plus 10%.
The location of the ghost is unknown and is not known by the American Clubs
Anthony James 9.Oct 2008
It is unknown if the car remains in the Middle East, was shipped to the United States, or has returned to the UK.
