Southern Cross (automobile)

About Southern Cross (automobile)

The Southern Cross was an Australian automobile produced between 1931 and 1935. Built by the Marks Motor Construction Company it was intended to retail for under 300 pounds. Volume production of the "Airline" Sedan was planned for 1935 but the marque died with the Chairman, Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. Kingsford Smith was in the process of raising additional capital at the time of his disappearance over the Bay of Bengal. The first experimental Southern Cross was an open tourer with a body constructed by the Beale Piano works. Several enclosed sedans were built for test and development purposes. The car featured a monocoque chassis and body along similar lines to the Marks-Moir car that had been in development since 1922. It was crafted from thin sheets of Queensland pine and walnut glued under pressure with aircraft casein glue. This "plywood" was moulded into shape during the curing process. Doors were precision cut from the body side and mounted back into place with metal hinges. Assemblies such as engine, gearbox and suspension were mounted on steel frames bolted to the body. The engine, a locally produced flat-four of 2340 cc, eventually developed 60 bhp (45 kW) at 3200 rpm.