Can you help us find our Ilinga Sports Coupe?
Davies Craig has been at the forefront of design, quality and innovation of automotive engine cooling and solutions for over 45 years. Not content with manufacturing and distributing world class Electric Water Pumps and Thermatic Cooling Fans, the Australian owned and operated company has been contributing to the Australian automotive landscape in a variety of progressive and creative ways.
So it is no surprise to hear that one of Australia’s first unique luxury sports coupes was created by none other than Davies Craig’s own Daryl Davies. Daryl partnered with engineer and race car driver Tony Farrell to develop an incredible luxury automobile that Australia could call its own. The cars name envisioned a prosperous Australian automotive industry with the word “Ilinga” meaning “Distant horizon” in Aboriginal.
The Ilinga AF2 was created using aluminium body panels over a steel chassis with a rigid passenger cell that was strengthened by three roll bars and crumple zones. The car featured a modified 4.4 Litre V8 engine from Rover that was upgraded to an astonishing 220hp, an incredibly large figure in its day, so large that the Borg Warner transmissions failed to cope with the additional power.
The key goal of the project was to create a genuine luxury sports car and in doing so featured all kinds of electro wizardry such as a digital clock, automatic seeking cassette player with radio, a delay switch to turn off lights and lock the door if the driver had forgotten to do so, air conditioning and even electric windows, quite a list for a car produced in 1974!
The business had plans to create 100 cars per year but fell short after being confronted with the loss of their local engine supply source and the early 1970’s fuel crisis. Only two Ilinga AF2’s ever made it from the factory and one has been proudly displayed at the front of Melbourne Museum for over 40 years, but unfortunately the other cars whereabouts remains unknown.
The Ilinga AF2 truly captured Australia’s automotive passion, it is a shame there are not more examples in existence today, on a positive note however we are glad that part of the Ilinga’s genius is still pushing automotive boundaries with Davies Craig’s cutting edge cooling products and solutions.
If you have information that could lead Davis Craig to the location of the second Ilinga AF2 Sports Coupe, please contact us on (03) 9369 1234. Also keep an eye out on the Davies Craig Facebook for the upcoming “Search for the Ilinga” promotion.