In our ongoing search for the killer-est retro-cool runabout for a family of five with a bit of time on its hands, we recently stumbled upon this very lovely customised Mazda Familia 1200.

The pictures come via the very interesting Nostalgic Japanese Car Blog, and it seems that this is the outcome of a typically Australian fetish for super durable wagons that can survive the heat and the dust of the outback and the boondocks.

And if you’ve ever spent any time down under, you’ll, like us, be able to see how the sun visored, seventies-kitchen look (complete with Venetian blinds to the rear) that the wagon evokes is just meant to be piloted by a fair-dinkum, walnut brown Ocker Aussie in tailored shorts, long woolen socks and a light blue, short sleeve shirt.

We know this is shameless national stereotyping, but hey, the World Cup is on and there’s never been a better time for it.

Perhaps, in the same way as the owners of pets begin over time to resemble the objects of their love, car lovers take on the characteristics of the objects of their automotive passions?

But that’s another story…

George Barris was one of the original individuals who created the Kustom car and hot rod revolution in postwar America. Born in Chicago in 1928, it was in California that the Barris flair for futuristic tweaks and the unbounded imagination that saw him go on to create some of the most famous hot rods, kooky customs and TV star-cars known to man.

As well as creating the Batmobile, Grease Lightning, General Lee and the Hof’s Kitt car, he was an early harbinger of American Futurism as manifest in these three spectacular silly vehicles. So by way of tribute, here are our three favourite Barris-built kooky kustoms that encapsulated a boyhood dream of the Future – with beautifully distinctive annotations by the great man himself.

Moonscope (1966)

“After many hours of research and development, George designed and built this first concept of an all terrain moon mobile unit. The Moonscope is a moon crawler that will enable astronauts to maneuver around the moon surface. 

Since the moon surface is dusty and soft, craters deep and some hollow, the moon crawler is equipped with special shocks from Carrera to enable it to adapt itself to maneuvering like a spider. Since the moon has no air, gas combustion engines can¹t be used so Cushman engineered and provided a basic electric platform and chassis with General Electric motors. Drive gears are in forward and reverse movement with foot pedals controls and speeds up to 45 mph. NASA requested detailed background information on the design of the vehicle. Barris gave NASA permission to utilize any of the advanced designs for the Mars missions.”

Cosma Ray (1968)

“Underneath the immaculate exterior of Cosma Ray lies a fully chromed undercarriage and a 327 cubic inch Corvette engine which gleams with chrome and polished alloys. The body, although extensively reworked, retains more than a hint of its original Stingray styling. To provide clearance for larger tires, the wheels are radiused and a flange added to their outer edges. The nose was drawn to a sharp peak and the retractable headlights relocated behind translucent panels in the grille opening. Engine cooling air is inducted through aluminum mesh covered openings just under the hood peak, while carburetor air enters the engine compartment through a wide hood scoop extending rear-ward into the cowl area and conforms with the center crease, then follow through into a double streamline plastic bubble push-button operated top.”

Xpac 400 (1963)

“This car is a ground effects machine and rides on a five inch cushion of air and can run on land or water, has no wheels, transmission or rear end. Plus, no frictional moving parts. All electronics are on circuit breakers, racheted relays and solanoids engineered by Earl Wilson. 

Body paint consists of nitro cellulose lacquer and 35 coats of imported swedish pearl of essence which is made of crushed fish scales and added to crushed diamond dust, then colored in Kandy translucent red, white and blue. This car was designed and built to be demonstrated for the public showing how an air operates and is mounted on a guide rail for safety. All exterior trim has been gold plated for added attraction. ”

Issue 6 of influx is now available for you to view and download online. The issue includes features on RCA Designers of the Future, Requiem for a Supercar, East Bay Rats, Volvo, Karting and much more.

When we saw 10 year old Jacques Morley racing karts for the first time, we knew we had spotted a talented driver. In fact we were so sure we had found a great prospect for the future, we decided to sponsor him. And this week he’s picked up his first podium finish.

Jacques is a big fan of Lewis Hamilton, and will be competing in the MSA British Cadet’s Championship this year, the very same league where Hamilton once competed. In the club event at Beccles’ Ellough Park Raceway, on Sunday, he held his nerve through three heats and came in third in the cadets’ final.

“It’s fantastic that Jacques has done so well in such a short space of time,” says Gerry Bucke of Adrian Flux Insurance, “We have a history of supporting motoring talent — helping a youngster develop, and seeing such quick results, is a really worthwhile use of our sponsorship budget. Plus influx has just launched a new website, so the higher Jacques’ profile, the better we like it!”

Mum, Claudia, is still coming to terms with Jacques racing “Getting used to seeing him hurtle down the straights at 60 miles an hour hasn’t been easy,” she admits, “But seeing him up on the podium, pleased as punch, was fantastic.” And having a sponsorship deal helps on the track too. “People see that influx is willing to back him, so they take him more seriously,” adds Mrs Morley.

You can follow Jacques’ progress at his own website: www.jacquesmorley.com

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Issue 5 of influx is now available for you to view and download online. The issue includes features on Norman Dewis, Jaguar XF, GG Quadster, English Iron, Honda, Barry Sheene and much more.

A complete contrast to the urban power of the GG quadster we featured are the down and dirty off road quad bikes designed for youngsters to get a taste of automotive fun. In many ways you could consider them a distinctly junior version of the Land Rover Defender, but the thrills are, if anything, supersized.

These photos are from an article that we just didn’t have space for.

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The Two Lane Blacktop Feature in issue 5 may have inspired you to see the movie again, or indeed watch it for the first time. This beautifully filmed paean to the highways and country roads of America is cited by many as the movie that got them into cars.

Both the movie and the tribute album, You Can Never Go Fast Enough, are available from Amazon, along with Dennis Wilson’s Pacific Ocean Blue, which is on pre-order for its release later this year.

Issue 4 of influx is now available for you to view and download online. The issue includes features on Pininfarina, California Cars, Lambo vs Ferrari, Fiat 500, Hot Wheels and much more.

Issue 3 of influx is now available for you to view and download online. Issue 3 includes features on the Ferrari F430 Spider, James Hunt, Group B Rally Cars, Surf Wagons, Drifting, BMW Art Cars and much more.

Issue 2 of influx is now available for you to view and download online. The issue includes features on Californian Biker Gangs, Self Build Motorcaravans, Round the World Gumball Rally, Audi TT, Maserati Quattroporte, Show Car Stars and much more.