MME // OAI → History SA → Lightburn Collection
JSONNames
Lightburn Collection
IDs
NMM 5
Offline Only
Descriptions
This extensive collection of papers and drawings come from the corporate archive of the Adelaide based Lightburn Manufacturing Company, which manufactured the Zeta motor car in the 1960s.
Harold Lightburn, a manufacturer of household goods, including washing machines and small industrial products, such as concrete mixers became intrigued with the idea of developing and marketing a small car to the Australian motoring public. He purchased a small sports car already under development in the UK, the Frisky, and manufactured it in Australia as the Zeta Sports. Subsequently, he decided to design and build a small family car based on the Zeta Sports platform. [np] Lightburn eventually succeeded in his bid to establish a production line and distributorship for this small family car. However, in general, the Australian car buying public was not attuned to smaller cars and with limited demand, the operation soon became uneconomic and folded. Harold Lightburn's legacy is in his forward thinking in regard to vehicle size, fuel economy and his use of innovative manufacturing techniques such as fibreglass.
A National Motor Museum collection. Access to collection items held in Museum Stores is by appointment only.
Subjects
Cars
Cars; Road vehicles
Frisky; Harold Lightburn; Manufacturing; Zeta; Zeta Sports
Harold Lightburn; Lightburn Manufacturing Company; National Motor Museum, South Australia
Motor cars
Coverage Spatial
South Australia; England; Adelaide
Coverage Temporal
1955
1966
Related Collections
Dates
2012-05-30 23:40
2011-03-04 13:46