RAA blasts from the past

Posted 16 May, 2025 John Pedler

RAA is more than 120 years old and in that time the organisation’s fleet has included some classic vehicles.

Founded in 1903, the Automobile and Motor Cycling Club of South Australia – later known as RAA – began as a 15-member spin-off from the League of South Australian Wheelmen cycling club.

Drawn to the fledgling recreational activity of motoring, the members organised weekend drives, ran the odd competition, and helped each other fathom the complexities of their imported machines.

But it wasn’t until 1924, when membership had reached the thousands, that emergency breakdown assistance was officially recognised as a member service.

Up until then, patrols rode bicycles, had limited tools, and were mainly tasked with keeping an eye on members’ parked cars and warning them about speed traps.

Later that year, a basic call centre was established at head office, where patrols were stationed, and by 1926, motorcycles with toolkit-laden sidecars had replaced bicycles.

Motorcycles remained the backbone of Road Service for many years, until Mount Gambier’s members lobbied RAA to buy a car for their local patrol as protection against the region’s wintry weather. So, in 1939, a Morris 8/40 ute became the organisation’s first four-wheeled patrol vehicle.

Despite this acquisition, motorcycles continued to be RAA’s vehicle of choice for many years. The fleet was mainly comprised of BSAs, but at times included a handful of Ariels and Triumphs (main photo).

However, the Morris proved handy at Mount Gambier, so when the army disposed of several vehicles in 1946, RAA secured a couple of jeeps. They were sent to the Renmark and Port Pirie offices for use by patrols.

The early 1950s saw some major changes in Road Service operations. By 1952, several Austin A40s had joined the fleet, and in 1953 the installation of two-way radios in vehicles meant patrols no longer needed to be near a landline to be notified of jobs.

This is also the first year Road Service was available 24 hours a day.

Over two years from 1957, RAA sold 26 motorcycles and bought 27 Ford Thames panel vans, as part of an ongoing program to phase out motorcycles altogether.

From 1959, the khaki vehicle livery was gradually replaced by the now-familiar yellow. This decision was less about corporate colour and more about making patrol vans more visible on the road.

Production of the Ford Thames ceased in 1961, so RAA replaced them with Morris Minor panel vans.

When these were discontinued, Road Service duties went to the Holden EH panel van, which was the first patrol vehicle adorned with amber flashing lights.

After Holdens, the Ford Escort became the Road Service workhorse from the mid-70s, and then it was back to Holdens with the much smaller Gemini.

When Gemini production ended in 1987, RAA replaced its fleet with 1.6-litre Mitsubishi Colt hatchbacks. Despite its diminutive stature, the Colt heroically managed to haul all the equipment required to keep members on the road.

This was, of course, before the battery replacement service was introduced and bigger vehicles were needed to carry stock.

With the arrival of the battery service in the early 1990s, greater storage and weight capacity was required in Road Service vehicles. RAA switched to commercial vans, which have been used ever since.