1967 VME Sparrow
The fourth-generation VME Sparrow, produced between 1967 and 1975, is the car that made it cool to drive a compact. Now far from being a vehicle for people who couldn’t afford anything bigger, with deliberately limited functionality to encourage people to purchase larger cars, the new Sparrow boasted an unprecedented range of bodystyles, drivetrains and interior options.
Whilst the Sparrow could obviously be bought as an inexpensive, practical family sedan, like the base model in the first two images with its basic interior and 63hp 1.5L DAOHC inline-4, the top Tourline trim could be ordered with most of the same amenities as full-sized cars. The one in the image above (the blue car) has radial tyres, a well-appointed interior, air conditioning, and a 2.2L dual-overhead-cam inline-4 making a full 121 horsepower, which propels the car to 60 in around 10 seconds and gives it a top speed of 118 miles per hour. You didn’t need to shell out for a high trim level if you wanted a car that both drove well and looked the part, though; all Sparrows had tight-handling, refined driving dynamics, and the sporty liftback and cabriolet bodystyles were available with multiple different trim levels. The red car above is the base Standard trim ordered as a liftback coupe, and with a radio and the 77hp 1.8L DAOHC 4-cylinder added as options.
The comfortable interior of the Sparrow 220TC Tourline
The Sparrow Courier was a commercial variant, available as a panel van or ute, and with an economical 1.2L DAOHC inline-4 producing 48hp as the base engine. This motor was not made available in the passenger car variants as it was deemed too slow for the general public. The other cars in this image are the 220TC Sportline Cabriolet and the 220 Plus Wagon equipped with the 3-speed V-Matic transmission (the numbers represent the engine displacement in CC divided by 10, and TC stands for Twin Cam).
During development, VME decided that there would be two sporty trim levels of the Sparrow - the Sportline, which would have sport suspension and wheels along with 4-cylinder engines, and the Gran Turismo, the fastest trim which was to be powered by an inline-six. However, due to a catastrophic lapse in communication between the engine and body departments, the car’s engine bay was designed with inadequate dimensions that left it simply unable to accommodate the I6. So VME did what any sensible company would do and plonked a V8 in there - specifically the 5.4L DOHC unit from the Valkyrie muscle car, which produced 325 horsepower. Combined with a 5-speed manual gearbox, limited-slip differential and staggered sport radial tyres, the Sparrow GT540 could blast to 60mph in under six seconds and reach a top speed of 162mph. Of course, seatbelts were still an extra-cost option. Disc brakes? Add them yourself!
The powerful V8 engine was also available in the Police Interceptor variant. The yobbo driving this EPIC riced-out Covet with no performance upgrades was in for the surprise of his life when the “ancient rustbucket cop car” he breezed past caught up to him almost immediately.
The full list of models is as follows:
Courier - the commercial variant of the Sparrow
- Available engines: 48hp 1.2L “Hi-Conomy” DAOHC I4, 63hp 1.5L “Hi-Conomy” DAOHC I4, 77hp 1.8L “Hi-Ratio” DAOHC I4**
- Body styles: Ute, panel van
- Features: 4-speed manual gearbox, basic interior, cross-ply tyres, single-leading-shoe front drum brakes
- Options: Radio
Standard - a solid family car at the lowest price
- Available engines: 63hp 1.5L “Hi-Conomy” DAOHC I4, 77hp 1.8L “Hi-Ratio” DAOHC I4, 93hp 2.2L “Hi-Ratio” DAOHC I4**
- Body styles: Sedan, liftback, wagon, 4x4 crossover***
- Features: 4-speed manual gearbox, basic interior, cross-ply tyres, single-leading-shoe front drum brakes
- Options: Radio, other miscellaneous interior features
Plus - a more comfortable trim
- Available engines: 63hp 1.5L “Hi-Conomy” DAOHC I4*, 77hp 1.8L “Hi-Ratio” DAOHC I4, 93hp 2.2L “Hi-Ratio” DAOHC I4, 121hp 2.2L “Flow-Ratio” DOHC I4
- Body styles: Sedan, liftback, wagon, cabriolet
- Features: 4-speed manual gearbox, standard interior, cross-ply tyres, dual-leading-shoe front drum brakes
- Options: 3-speed V-Matic gearbox**
Tourline - Full-sized amenities in a compact car
- Available engines: 77hp 1.8L “Hi-Ratio” DAOHC I4*, 93hp 2.2L “Hi-Ratio” DAOHC I4*, 121hp 2.2L “Flow-Ratio” DOHC I4
- Body styles: Sedan, liftback, wagon, cabriolet, 4x4 crossover
- Features: 4-speed manual gearbox, radio, standard interior, radial tyres, dual-leading-shoe front drum brakes
- Options: 3-speed V-Matic gearbox, air conditioning
Sportline - The sporty but still practical car
- Available engines: 93hp 2.2L “Hi-Ratio” DAOHC I4*, 121hp 2.2L “Flow-Ratio” DOHC I4, 140hp 2.2L “Flow-Ratio” DOHC I4 with performance intake and dual carbs
- Body styles: Sedan, liftback, wagon, cabriolet, shooting brake
- Features: 4-speed manual gearbox, radio, standard interior, wider radial tyres, dual-leading-shoe front drum brakes
- Options: 5-speed manual gearbox, air conditioning
Gran Turismo - The ultimate sports compact
- Available engine: 325hp 5.4L “Howler-Eight” DOHC V8
- Body styles: Sedan, liftback, wagon, cabriolet, shooting brake
- Features: 5-speed manual gearbox, clutched LSD, radio, standard interior, staggered radial sport tyres, dual-leading-shoe front drum brakes
- Options: Air conditioning
*Archanan, Fruinian and Hetvesian markets only
**Gasmean and Dalluhan markets only
***Archanan market only