(photos - Malcolm Asquith)

The 1926 15/30 tourer belonging to the late Franz Swalve on the 2004 Crossley Centenary Rally. The third photo shows Franz's grandson Bryan at the wheel.

The chassis number is 70395 and engine number 70395.

Franz tells the story of how he found the car:

We were on holiday in Australia in February and March 2003. The last week of our holiday was quite different as we supposed. On Saturday March 8 we ended our day in the little village of Port Macquarie on the Gold Coast. On Sunday evening we went for a walk and on our way back we looked in the showroom of a garage and we saw an oldtimer. To be honest it was love at first sight and Monday morning at 8.30 hours we were back in the garage. It was a beauty, blue and black with a few scratches on the paint but a real beauty. Garry, the sales manager told us that the car was from 1926 and had been in the garage and used by his boss for 2 years. Garry could not give answers on all our technical questions. He could only tell us that the man who owned the car before also restored the car and he gave us the telephone number and address of Jim and Mavis Willes. We made an appointment for Tuesday afternoon and we stayed there for about 4 hours. Jim told us that he had bought the car in 1981 in Adelaide and took it with him to Sydney where he and his wife restored the Crossley in 2 years. They had the Crossley 20 years. Ten years ago they moved to Pappinbarra. He showed us his photobook. It was fantastic. The car was a total wreck and at the end so nice. He also showed us all the things he had about the Crossley, such as an instruction book, a handbook, an electrical handbook, an article from the Autocar from April 23rd 1926. He even had spare parts. We told him that we intended to buy the car and he was pleased about this because the car would be treated well. On Wednesday March 12 we bought the car after a lot of telephone calls with our son in Holland (he had found everything about the Crossley via internet) and our friend in Tomerong (about the financial part, the insurance and shipment). We called Jim to tell him we had bought the car and asked for the spare parts and he was willing to sell them to us. On Thursday Jim and Mavis came to our camp site and we went to the garage together so that Jim could explain us a lot of the car. He was so glad we bought the car that he gave us the photobook and all the other stuff he had from the Crossley as a present. It was great. In the garage we arranged that we could make a trip and so Jim and Mavis made their last tour with the Crossley and we our first tour. It was a real emotional event. Jim, who stopped smoking 15 years ago even rolled a cigarette. They were such a fantastic couple. We left Port Macquarie on Friday and spent a few days with our friends in Tomerong and Eggbert arranged all the papers for the shipment etc. We are back in Holland now and if everything goes all right the Crossley will be here the first week of May 2003. We like to thank everyone who helped us and with the Crossley we will start another new dimension in our life. Look at the photo, what a beauty isn't it?

© Malcolm Asquith 2004