https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj25-owners-group/273579-thiess-toyota-australia.html
a few good early cruiser clips
a few good early cruiser clips
Thiess Toyota Australia
- Thread starter JohnnyC
- Start date
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JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
- Thread starter
- #44
some great pictures of the "Thiess Land Cruiser" here:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj25-owners-group/364318-theiss-25-picture-thread.html
https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj25-owners-group/364318-theiss-25-picture-thread.html
JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
- Thread starter
- #45
the recent thiess fj25 thread resparked my interest in the AU toyota...soooo....here's more info that i dug up 
this article tells us that 'B&D Motors' was the company that was assembling the bodies and distributing them.
'B&D Motors' was located at Keith Street in Maidstone...and the directors name was T.Buckingham.
testing was done at Maribyrnong River.
any body in OZ know of the company or the guy or location? or even the author Bill Draper?
BTW the article is from feb 1958
this article tells us that 'B&D Motors' was the company that was assembling the bodies and distributing them.
'B&D Motors' was located at Keith Street in Maidstone...and the directors name was T.Buckingham.
testing was done at Maribyrnong River.
any body in OZ know of the company or the guy or location? or even the author Bill Draper?
BTW the article is from feb 1958
Hi A company named Rayson Industries was the main manufacture of FJ25 metal bodies. A Geelong Co (?) built the first small quantity. At first Rayson built & fitted the bodies onto the chassis supplied by B&D Motors then B&D set up an assembly line to fit the bodies that Rayson manufactured. Rayson Ind was in the suburb of Niddrie Victoria at the time the proprieter was Mr Ray Wilson. This information was given personaly to me by his brother Neville. Cheers Fred.
JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
- Thread starter
- #47
wow great information...thanks alot ...here is alil bit more stuff i found...it also talks about the japanese olympic team selling their land cruiser to a melbourne transport firm. Olympics were in 1956 in AU. This article was in Jan 1958.
you can also see in the pic...the cab chassis came with the seats and all...a running....driving truck minus the rear body....as stated in the article...he drove it less than 2 miles in chassis form
that would have been really fun
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A photo of Rayson Industries transporting the cauldron used for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. This photo is outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Cheers Dobster
Great movies!
About the 6 minute mark in the 2/3 movie there is an LV in the cane fields!
I never seen one in Oz nor did I know they were ever imported.
Living in the Past
SILVER Star
Post #8 shows Australia's first Land Cruiser. Then compare it to the one in Post #11 and you see it looks like Toyota USA 25 in their museum was done better than the one in OZ. Wrong bumper, no winkers, the later emblems. Plus look at the hub caps in post #11. Pretty sure Australia got more 58s then we did here in the US. With what has been posted up here on mud that is in OZ with a little searching they could have done a better job. Or at least stay on the hunt to get the correct stuff. Here in the US the Land Cruisers have always been a very very small percentage of the total number of vehicles. That isn't the case in Australia. I would have thought they could have done a better job for a vehicle that is so important to their automotive history.
Nice find, btw the first 45`s I ever saw had wooden trays,found a new one
was in Costa Rica in the nineties from that time on I knew I need
a 45 LPB
If I remember correct, they made them from teak wood. Teak isn`t expensive in Costa Rica.
Cheers
Peter
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Nice find. Man I wish I could get A better photo of tray & rear light that I do not have. Cheers Fwed
The long run
g'day all; west aussie here checking in. wondering if any of you are aware of the following 1999 publication? from the book jacket (verbatum):
The Long Run - Toyota: The First 40 Years in Australia
This book was concieved by the Toyota Australia Editorial Committee to provide an outline of the company and its predecessors, Thiess-Toyota, AMI-Toyota and Toyota Manufactoring Australia.
Research and text by Pedr Davis
First published in 1999 by Type Forty Pty Ltd, Box 366, South Hurstville, NSW 2221
Proudly produced wholly within Australia
Copyright 1999 by Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Limited
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data
Davis Pedr, The Long Run - Toyota: The First 40 Years in Australia.
ISBN 0 947079 998
this is a proffessionaly produced hardcover book of some 500 pages. my copy is complete with with a "message from TMC president" bookmark. but it was probably only published in limited numbers. a very small chapter deals with the early origins of landcruiser in australia (including B and D motors). some of this information tends to challenge the somewhat widely accepted role the thiess played in these early stages. i can post quotes.
JohnnyC - there are many old photos in this publication. lots of them - but by no means all - have already been posted in this thread by yourself. perhaps i can learn to scan!
g'day all; west aussie here checking in. wondering if any of you are aware of the following 1999 publication? from the book jacket (verbatum):
The Long Run - Toyota: The First 40 Years in Australia
This book was concieved by the Toyota Australia Editorial Committee to provide an outline of the company and its predecessors, Thiess-Toyota, AMI-Toyota and Toyota Manufactoring Australia.
Research and text by Pedr Davis
First published in 1999 by Type Forty Pty Ltd, Box 366, South Hurstville, NSW 2221
Proudly produced wholly within Australia
Copyright 1999 by Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Limited
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data
Davis Pedr, The Long Run - Toyota: The First 40 Years in Australia.
ISBN 0 947079 998
this is a proffessionaly produced hardcover book of some 500 pages. my copy is complete with with a "message from TMC president" bookmark. but it was probably only published in limited numbers. a very small chapter deals with the early origins of landcruiser in australia (including B and D motors). some of this information tends to challenge the somewhat widely accepted role the thiess played in these early stages. i can post quotes.
JohnnyC - there are many old photos in this publication. lots of them - but by no means all - have already been posted in this thread by yourself. perhaps i can learn to scan!
JohnnyC you seem to be the master at collating this early information and would be perhaps best if you read same in its entirety and formed your own conclusions. if you care to pm me some postal details i may be able to photocopy same and send it with good old fashioned stamps across the equator for your perusal and assessment. meantime i will assemble a few select quotes. heres taking Pedr Davis research at face value:
"Leslie Thiess discovered his first Toyotas when in Japan on business and asked if he could buy some for his company. Toyota advised him to deal through B&D Motors, a small Melbourne importer holding the Australian franchise. B&D had imported a few Toyota trucks in 1956 and became Toyotas concessionaire in 1957. Soon it was importing Landcruiser chassis-cabs, some of which were fitted with local bodies made by Ansair, an Ansett subsidiary." pg 34
"By July 1959, B&D had imported 168 Toyotas, mainly Landcruisers." pg34
"Impressed with the Landcruisers working in his Snowy Mountains operations, Leslie Thiess made further enquiries. When he found B&D had sold only a few vehicles in Victoria and had no other dealers elsewhere, he approached B&D and, in March 1959, became Toyota's Queensland distributor." pg36
"69 Toyotas were sold Australia-wide in 1959. Of these 36 went to Queensland buyers." pg41
Pedr Davis quotes Thiess employee Maurice Dalton:
"Although we were selling a few Landcruisers, we were not satisfied with B&D, mainly because of the quality of the bodies they'd fitted. We had major problems with the bodies and lost a big order expected from Mount Isa Mines [Queensland] when the body of a vehicle we'd loaned them did not stand up to expectations" pg38
"Until 1959, Thiess (Sales) had been a distributor working for B&D Motors, the official importer" pg41
"In April 1960, Thiess (Sales) established a branch office in Mascot, New South Wales, and secured the franchise for Papau and New Guinea" pg 42
"Japan was not impressed by the relatively poor results and presumably blamed B&D Motors. Ed Josephson and Leslie Thiess went to Japan in May 1961 where Shotaro Kamiya, President of TMS, and Leslie Thiess signed a two-year agreement. It gave Thiess the right to handle the whole line of products manufactured by the Toyota Motor Co Ltd [in] Australia and New Guinea" pg42
"When Thiess (Sales) became the official importer, B&D Motors had a number of bodies ready for the Landcruiser chassis they had expected to import. They offered them to Thiess (Sales) who declined. However, according to Alex McArthur, Toyota bought back B&D's vehicles and parts stock and on-sold them to Thiess (Sales)' pg42
so what do you make of all that people? you may need to brush up on australian geography as to what state is what so it makes a bit more sense perhaps.
"Leslie Thiess discovered his first Toyotas when in Japan on business and asked if he could buy some for his company. Toyota advised him to deal through B&D Motors, a small Melbourne importer holding the Australian franchise. B&D had imported a few Toyota trucks in 1956 and became Toyotas concessionaire in 1957. Soon it was importing Landcruiser chassis-cabs, some of which were fitted with local bodies made by Ansair, an Ansett subsidiary." pg 34
"By July 1959, B&D had imported 168 Toyotas, mainly Landcruisers." pg34
"Impressed with the Landcruisers working in his Snowy Mountains operations, Leslie Thiess made further enquiries. When he found B&D had sold only a few vehicles in Victoria and had no other dealers elsewhere, he approached B&D and, in March 1959, became Toyota's Queensland distributor." pg36
"69 Toyotas were sold Australia-wide in 1959. Of these 36 went to Queensland buyers." pg41
Pedr Davis quotes Thiess employee Maurice Dalton:
"Although we were selling a few Landcruisers, we were not satisfied with B&D, mainly because of the quality of the bodies they'd fitted. We had major problems with the bodies and lost a big order expected from Mount Isa Mines [Queensland] when the body of a vehicle we'd loaned them did not stand up to expectations" pg38
"Until 1959, Thiess (Sales) had been a distributor working for B&D Motors, the official importer" pg41
"In April 1960, Thiess (Sales) established a branch office in Mascot, New South Wales, and secured the franchise for Papau and New Guinea" pg 42
"Japan was not impressed by the relatively poor results and presumably blamed B&D Motors. Ed Josephson and Leslie Thiess went to Japan in May 1961 where Shotaro Kamiya, President of TMS, and Leslie Thiess signed a two-year agreement. It gave Thiess the right to handle the whole line of products manufactured by the Toyota Motor Co Ltd [in] Australia and New Guinea" pg42
"When Thiess (Sales) became the official importer, B&D Motors had a number of bodies ready for the Landcruiser chassis they had expected to import. They offered them to Thiess (Sales) who declined. However, according to Alex McArthur, Toyota bought back B&D's vehicles and parts stock and on-sold them to Thiess (Sales)' pg42
so what do you make of all that people? you may need to brush up on australian geography as to what state is what so it makes a bit more sense perhaps.
it is tempting to draw conclusions from the japanese olympic team selling their vehicle in 1956 [melbourne olympics] and B&D motors [melbourne] initiate importing toyotas that same year.
from the above quotes it seems thiess were distributors initially for the state of queensland under B&D motors who were the official national importer. over the next couple of years thiess expanded operations and in may 1961 squeezed B&D motors out altogether. the exact relationship between thiess and B&D during this time is unclear. did B&D remain official importer until 1961? or had thiess already severed ties? presumably thiess convinced toyota they had the logistical expertise to asume national distribution? were the bodies arranged by B&D as unservicable as implied? i am inclined to think this aspect was perhaps overplayed by thiess to gain toyotas favour and force B&D out of the market? did thiess ever build (or arrange) their own bodies? or did they initiate the use of toyota bodies at about this time? the tale of leslie thiess supporting the franchise with his own money is also well documented in this book but seems it was after may 1961. a couple more quotes:
"Even though there were two prior importers of Toyota vehicles, Leslie Thiess was, without question, the real pioneer of the marque in Australia. He alone displayed the determination to suceed with an unknown vehicle made in Japan, only 13 years after hostilities between the two countries ceased" pg34
"when Thiess placed his initial order for 13 Landcruisers, English language technical manuals were unavailable" pg43
from the above quotes it seems thiess were distributors initially for the state of queensland under B&D motors who were the official national importer. over the next couple of years thiess expanded operations and in may 1961 squeezed B&D motors out altogether. the exact relationship between thiess and B&D during this time is unclear. did B&D remain official importer until 1961? or had thiess already severed ties? presumably thiess convinced toyota they had the logistical expertise to asume national distribution? were the bodies arranged by B&D as unservicable as implied? i am inclined to think this aspect was perhaps overplayed by thiess to gain toyotas favour and force B&D out of the market? did thiess ever build (or arrange) their own bodies? or did they initiate the use of toyota bodies at about this time? the tale of leslie thiess supporting the franchise with his own money is also well documented in this book but seems it was after may 1961. a couple more quotes:
"Even though there were two prior importers of Toyota vehicles, Leslie Thiess was, without question, the real pioneer of the marque in Australia. He alone displayed the determination to suceed with an unknown vehicle made in Japan, only 13 years after hostilities between the two countries ceased" pg34
"when Thiess placed his initial order for 13 Landcruisers, English language technical manuals were unavailable" pg43