Learn about some of the former roadside patrol vehicles that are now part of RACQ’s historic fleet.
To mark the occasion of 100 years of RACQ Roadside Assistance, The Road Ahead features five significant vehicles from our historic fleet on our cover.
Organising the photograph was no easy task, as two vehicles – the Jeep and AJS motorcycle – had to be taken from the foyer of the Eight Mile Plains building where they were on display.
They were carefully removed early on the morning of the photo shoot and, like the other vehicles in the photo, had their ‘hair and makeup’ done by way of a thorough cleaning, to ensure they were in top shape for the photo shoot.
The result was a photo that captures some of the significant former roadside assistance models, representing the 14 patrol vehicles in the historic fleet.
Below is some background on the vehicles in the photo, with one of the original roadside patrols, a 1937 AJS motorcycle, leading the way.
1937 AJS motorcycle with side box
This AJS (Arthur John Stevens) motorcycle-sidecar combination was used by the RACQ Road Service in the late 1930s.
Only three of the British-made twin-cylinder, 1000cc machines were sold in Queensland – two to the Queensland police and the other to RACQ. The AJS was repurchased by RACQ in a semi-restored condition but missing its sidecar. A sidecar of the correct type, but in a very sorry state, was found in a secondhand shop outside Ipswich. It was restored and mounted to the AJS. The AJS was originally ridden by Wally Henderson (Patrol No. 3) in the late 1930s and ’40s.
1944 Ford Jeep
RACQ operated a fleet of the ex-World War II, left-hand-drive Jeeps for roadside assistance in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This vehicle – a Ford GPW Jeep (manufactured 20 September 1944) – was purchased from the military after the war by the RACQ Service Depot in Cooroy. It was used for general breakdown assistance until well into the 1950s. The Jeep was then taken off-road ‘temporarily’ for a respray. Time passed and it remained on the blocks (neglected in a corner of the workshop) for 30 years. In 1988, RACQ purchased the dilapidated, yet original, vehicle from the Cooroy Depot. It took 12 months to complete the restoration with the final finishing touch being the long-awaited respray.
1938 ML Chevrolet tow truck
This Chevrolet truck was located on a farm owned by Russell and Doreen Spies at Maclagan, near Oakey, in May 2014. It is an example of a similar vehicle owned and operated by RACQ in the late 1930s and 1940s fitted out as a tow truck. The hand mechanical winch and crane were located on a farm outside of Mitchell. The unit was original and used by the RACQ contractor from Charleville.
1968 EH Holden panel van
Released in August 1963, the EH Holden is an Australian icon. The EH Panel van was quick to find a place among government service fleets and with several RACQ service contractors, and was a popular choice for tradies. A Trax Model of the EH Holden panel van was created to celebrate RACQ's Centenary Celebrations in 2005.
1965 Morris Mini panel van
The Morris Mini Panel Van was introduced into the RACQ fleet in 1965. Vehicles like this saw service in the 1974 Brisbane floods. They were discontinued from the fleet in 1975. This vehicle was discovered by RACQ in Allora in 2002 and purchased from a private owner. It was restored to its original condition, including identical paintwork from 1965.
Learn more
You can find out more about RACQ's celebration of 100 years of roadside assistance by visiting racq.com/roadside-100.
Photos Jake Ryan.
