Cliff Chambers
Writer & Head Valuer
At age 14, surrounded by stacks of motoring magazines from the local junk shop, Cliff Chambers was warned by a concerned mother that he would ‘Never get anywhere knowing a lot about old cars.’ Seventeen years later when his definitive book, Making Money From Collectable Cars was published, she was proud to be proven wrong.
That was in 1987, but Cliff’s life was already revolving around all things automotive. From working part time in a panel shop while at university, he moved to motor industry consultancy roles and managing a Championship winning rally team.
During the 1990s he joined the classic vehicle insurance industry, at the same time becoming a prolific writer for magazines and motoring websites. Then came his ongoing contribution as one of the country’s leading vehicle valuers.
Away from work, automotive events and objects remain prominent in Cliff’s world. He has owned more than 40 cars now considered ‘classic’ and within his collection of motor-related items there remain some of those magazines acquired as a fact hungry teen.
Cliff brings to Retro Rides a blend of unique industry skills and a love of vehicles that will become more obvious with every contribution he makes to the site.
Latest articles
By the time Nissan released its Datsun 180B to Australia in late 1972, the previous 1600 model had grabbed the…
Australia enthusiastically embraced the BMC Mini from the moment it first arrived in 1961. A decade later, the shape had…
Honda’s original CR-X was a car out of character for a company renowned for building innovative but more conventional machines.
It is said that no successful business spends money it doesn’t need to and back in the late 1950s and…
Ford took Australia’s prestige car market by surprise in 1967 with the launch of its locally designed and developed ZA…
Retro Rides’ Market Analyst Cliff Chambers has plucked the best from roughly 300 car and motorbike lots during March 2025,…
The XA Falcon arrived as a fundamentally Australian replacement for the US-derived XK-XY models sold across the Falcon’s first 12…
Although the HD is seen by many as having been a disaster for holden, it sold faster than the EH…
This Subaru Impreza 22B, one of only 400 made, was the month’s top earner, yet it still sold for less…
At the time of its arrival, the Datsun 1600’s spec sheet read more like that of a BMW than any…