Vale Cliff Byfield

Vale Cliff Byfield

Sadly, the person we treasured as a great friend of the Motor Museum passed away peacefully on July 12 aged 102.

Cliff was truly an extraordinary person. His love for the Motor Museum and its volunteers was unwavering.

Many volunteers will fondly remember the familiar sight of Cliff arriving with shopping bags full of biscuits—his way of showing appreciation for the care and attention we give to his beloved vehicles. Cliff was a legend in the classic car movement for his unique designs and brilliant skills in custom body building for classic vehicles.

In April 2023 the Motor Museum was delighted to host a birthday celebration for Cliff on achieving the milestone of his 100th birthday. The celebration was held in the Ricciardo Hall and was attended by our volunteers and Cliff’s many friends and family. Such was the occasion that Chanel 2 was on hand to film the celebration for inclusion in a news segment. A large caricature of Cliff, (The Alchemist) penned by Rod Waller celebrating his 100th birthday, is displayed alongside Cliff’s Mk V Jaguar at the Museum.

We cherish the opportunity to share Cliff’s story—his craftsmanship, his generosity, and his incredible life with the thousands of visitors who come through our doors. His artistry lives on with his three stunningly beautiful hand crafted cars we have on display. They are: a 2003 V12 Jaguar (nicknamed butter cup because of its yellow paint), a 1951 Mk V Jaguar and a 1947 Riley Tourer. Each one is testament to his remarkable coach building talent and dedication. We are fortunate to have ownership of Buttercup through a generous donation by Cliff and his late wife Jean. Many other examples of Cliff’s custom car builds reside with collectors across the
country.

Cliff’s life story is quite remarkable. In the late 1930’s he was an apprentice coachbuilder, but with the onset of the Second World War he enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force and was shipped off to the European theatre. He served in Lancaster Bombers out of Britain and was extremely fortunate to survive 30 missions. Sadly, many young men who served with Cliff did not return home. After concluding his military service, he returned to Perth and, after some studies in architecture, resumed and completed his coach building apprenticeship. It wasn’t long before he started his own workshop specializing in building one-off truck cabs and employing over 15 people. While panel beating and metal shaping have been his primary vocation he was also a talented wood worker, designing and constructing furniture, as well as making musical instruments, including a full size harp for his wife Jean. In retirement, while still working on his own projects, Cliff took the opportunity to teach manual arts to high school students.

The one-off vehicles produced by Cliff are truly unique and world class. The three we have on display draw admiration from our visitors and are among the most photographed by them. Remarkably, the Riley body was completed when Cliff was well into in his nineties and even more remarkable, Cliff was still working on projects in his workshop until quite recently. Cliff was certainly a true master craftsman.

The world has lost a master craftsman, but his legacy lives on.