
The Zeta had no reverse gear: to back up, the driver switched off the engine and restarted it running backward.
Lead trim: Zeta Sedan/Utility 0.324 L Villiers FWD (16.5 hp) · up to 21 hp
Lightburn ZetaZeta · 1963–1965
- 0spots by members
- Unclaimednobody has spotted one yet
- 0sets it belongs to
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Lightburn Zeta yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe Zeta had no reverse gear: to back up, the driver switched off the engine and restarted it running backward.
The Lightburn Zeta, built 1963-1965 (fewer than 400 sold in total) by an Adelaide cement-mixer and washing-machine maker branching into cars, offered a Sedan/Sedan Deluxe/Utility line with a front-wheel-drive 324 cc Villiers engine making 12 kW (16.5 hp) through a 4-speed manual with no reverse gear (the driver switched the engine off and restarted it backwards to get four reverse gears) — and a Zeta Sports roadster with a larger 493 cc ZF Sachs engine making 15.5 kW (21 hp).
Collectors Spotted in the Lightburn Zeta Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Lightburn Zeta yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zeta Sedan/Utility 0.324 L Villiers FWD (16.5 hp) | 1963–1965 | 0.3 L | 16.5 hp | — | — | FWD | — | — |
| Zeta Sports 0.493 L ZF Sachs (21 hp) | 1963–1965 | 0.5 L | 21 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs


Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.

It briefly served as senior sibling to Marquette, a GM companion brand cancelled after just one year.

Nissan hired former BMW engineers to help develop the 510's suspension, which is why period reviewers frequently compared its handling to the BMW 1600/2002.

A Trabant 601 won its class at the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally, with a second 601 right behind it in second.

The 600 was a stopgap: the P50's body over the 601's mechanicals, and for a while its estate was built alongside the new 601 saloon.

The G80 Sport brought a 370 PS twin-turbo 3.3 V6, a mesh grille and copper-tinted chrome with copper stitching to match.

The Vigor was sold only with a five-cylinder engine, an unusual configuration Honda used to fit a longer engine transversely under a short hood.

The GS/E coupe earned the nickname "German Charger" for its long hood, short deck stance borrowed from Detroit muscle cars.

This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.