David and Andrew Hewison catch Neill Murdoch at the wheel of the family Lombard AL3 1.1-litre DOHC, supercharged Voiturette in North Warrandyte in Melbourne’s outer east on November 22, 2025
The occasion was a photoshoot of the uber-rare French car for an article I wrote, published in the March issue of The Automobile, which is in-store in the UK right now. Please buy it! https://www.theautomobile.co.uk
Bill Lowe and John Cleaver on the way to third place in Lombard AL3 #334 in the 1929 Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island on March 18. That’s John Bernadou’s Bugatti T23 following; that pair were fifth in the race won by Arthur Terdich’s Bugatti T37A.
Lowe, a Melbourne engineer and industralist of note, raced a Metallurgique in the 100 Miles Road Race, later named an Australian Grand Prix, the year before and was after a more competitive mount for ’29; he raced the new Lombard AL3 and secured an agency for the eponymous marque founded by Andre Lombard, which was already, in its infancy, in financial strife.
The main man, Andre Lombard, in the Brooklands paddock, tending to his Salmson during the October 22, 1921 meeting in which he won the Light Car Derby. He made his name competing in the engineering of the Billancourt-based marque.
Chassis #334’s whole life has been in Australia, in Melbourne, actually! The Murdoch family – not Rupert’s mob – bought the car at auction in 2002 and have since very sensitively maintained the car as it was. This centenarian has never been the subject of a ‘restoration’ or ‘full rebuild’ but, rather, is an Oily Rag car that has been continually repaired over its very long life.
The small roster of owners includes Lowe into the 1950’s, Bill Leech for a similarly long stretch – many of us saw Bill race the car in historic events – and ‘Wild Bill’ Evans of Datsun touring car fame.
The article is my favourite type to do. A mix of marque and key people’s history, the CV of the individual chassis concerned since birth, and driving impressions. Believe me, the latter is easily the best bit!
I’ve done a few of them now: David and Pat Mottram’s Lotus Elite Super 95, Bob King’s AC Ace Bristol, Richard Stanley’s Sunbeam 20/60, Rob Alsop’s Bugatti T23, Hyundai Australia’s i20N, and i30N on both Hobart’s road and track (Baskerville), Adam Berryman’s Bugatti T37A, and the Murdoch’s Alta 21S 1100 s/c, Alta 55S 2-litre s/c and now Lombard. Oh, to be doing it every week, wouldn’t that be grand!
I was talking to an enthusiast last week about how long the whole process takes; it’s about six months from pitching the idea to the article appearing on the printed page. Longer if the little minx concerned has a meltdown of some sort.
The research on this topic was a real challenge as the Murdochs didn’t have the mountain of material on Lombard that they have on Altas. My library is skinny on the topic, too, so my circle of mates dug deep. Phil Schudmak’s library of French stuff is strong, so Google Translate was set to work. Bob King, Stephen Dalton and Tony Johns all pitched in. Chris Beach came up with some fabulous period shots that eluded me on the internet, and he tidied up the fantastic AL3 drawing below, first published in the January 16, 1953 issue of Autosport. It didn’t make the cut, but here ’tis…
The perfect world with a car like this would be to trailer it to Deans Marsh, then unload it, saddle up and do Benwerrin, then Lorne to Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road, inclusive of shots. Then Skenes Creek, Forrest and back to Deans Marsh. But that ain’t ever going to happen!
In essence, the location of the car dictates the test/photo route. The AL3 lives at Neill’s place at present, in Melbourne’s inner east, very close to me. So I recce’d roads very familiar to me in Melbourne’s outer east: Warrandyte, Kangaroo Ground, Christmas Hills, with Sugarloaf Reservoir – very close to Rob Roy Hillclimb, where the little AL3 competed in the hands of all of its owners – the end point.
While I know the roads, I’m carefully choosing photo locations on the recce, static and on the move, so everybody’s use of time on the day is efficient. David Hewison, the photographer, makes the final calls on the day on the fly. I met Neill at his place at 8.30, Geoff, his brother, had the chase-car, and we went back there, having bought the client a relaxed el-cheapo meal in Eltham at about 4-ish. So, it’s a full day. In this case, Geoff trailered the car home, not that it needed it.
It’s fun. I never do any of the writing before the drive, even the corporate stuff, somehow I like the flavour of the car in my mind when I do the scribbling. There is no logic to that, just personal preference.
No more than ten-five Neill. Scribbler and co-owner Neill Murdoch.
The cockpit is tight but comfy enough for a weekend rally. ‘Box is a four-speed crash with the shifter centrally mounted. The pedals are conventionally located, too, so the driving isn’t too challenging for an old curmudgeon, whose daily motoring is behind the wheel of manuals.
Credits…
M Bisset, Bob King Collection, David and Andrew Hewison photographers
Tailpieces…
It was a day of smiles. Terrific photos by David Hewison and his 16-year-old son Andrew, whom I managed to leave off the credits in the magazine. Sorry, pal, my fuck up!
Thanks again, Neill and Geoff Murdoch, it’s such fun to work with you guys!
Finito…
primotipo... 