A beautiful sunny Sunday ensured a great turnout for today’s Broadford Cars & Coffee. 

My first time at this event since moving to nearby Yea, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at the lovely township of Broadford. 

A fantastic array of eclectic vehicles. Aussie classics. Muscle cars. Classic Americans. Japanese. Hot Rods. Restored. Original. Something to interest most car lovers tastes. 

I had a chat with Ashley, the organizer of the event, and he told me he started C & C to cater for local people that wanted a casual car meet that was easy to get to on a regular basis. The first meet was in February and it’s obviously going to grow as the weather gets better. 

I had a great time shooting a lot of cars I’ve never seen before, although I’m sure I’ll see them again! 

Really looking forward to becoming a regular at this one!! 

Plymouth Dale

Unfortunately I’ve had a bit of a lull in getting to organized car shows of late, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t seen some great cars on the road. 

This compact Fairlane being a prime example, spotted on the street in beautiful Healesville, Victoria.

I’ve always liked these cars and sadly don’t see too many around these days. 

They have some really interesting mid 20th century styling and you can see some real classic Ford details all over them. 

Hope to see this one again sometime soon.

Plymouth Dale

1968 HK Holden Monaro GTS 327

One of the cars I had the pleasure to see recently at the National Motor Racing Museum at Mount Panorama, Bathurst.

Here’s some information on the car and why its in the collection in the museum…

“The 1968 running of the October endurance race at Mount Panorama was the scene of many ‘firsts’ in the history of the event. It was the first race to be sponsored by Hardie-Ferodo (later to become James Hardie), the first to see advertising permitted to be carried on the cars in the event, and the first appearance of factory V8-powered Holdens taking on factory V8 powered Fords.

After the dominance of the Ford XR Falcon GT the previous year, Holden was determined to get its revenge, using their newly released performance coupe, the HK Monaro, fitted with the 327 cid (5.4 litre) Chevrolet V8 engine. A three car team carrying the ‘Holden Dealer Team’ title were the favourites to face the Harry Firth-led Ford team, with eight Monaros facing nine Falcon GTs in Class D.

Wyong driver Bruce McPhee, using Michelin radial tyres on his GTS 327, drove a superb marathon to win from the first of the HDT cars - Jim Palmer and Phil West. McPhee took advantage of a rule which required a co-driver to take over for a minimum of one lap. That’s just how far McPhee let his co-driver Barry Mulholland take the Monaro, preferring to establish himself in a well worn groove for the remaining 496 miles.

This car is a replica of the 1968 Hardie-Ferodo 500 winner, and was donated to the Bathurst City Council by James Hardie Industries. Starting life as a basilisks 6 cylinder Monaro, Council’s workshop staff rebuilt the car to full GTS 327 specifications as an accurate representation of the 1968 race winner.”

This week I made the move from the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne to a more rural setting. 

I’m really looking forward to exploring the car scene around my new home. 

Today I spotted this beauty on the street and also saw it cruising around Yea, Victoria. 

I’m sure I’ll run into the owner at some point and get some more information on it. Until then, just pics. 

Plymouth Dale 

When we planned a road trip around Victoria and NSW, the route luckily incorporated a visit to Bathurst. 

I’ve watched the Great Race at Bathurst on TV since I was a kid in the 70s and I must say driving around the track (at the 60km limit) for the first time was a huge thrill. 

As was visiting the National Motor Racing Museum which is located at the gates to the circuit at Mount Panorama. 

Lots of fantastic exhibits brought back many memories from classic races in the Bathurst 1000 history. 

While we were there, many of the cars were undergoing their annual roadworthy checks as they are fully registered and owned by the Bathurst Council. It was great to actually see, hear and smell some of them as they were started and driven outside. 

If you are ever anywhere near Bathurst, I’d recommend making time to visit the museum. 

And a few laps of Mount Panorama too! 

Plymouth Dale. 

I’m still road tripping around NSW and spotted these nice Brits on the streets. 

The Rover P5 in Brookvale, the Anglia in Toukley on the Central Coast. 

Both were once more common on the streets of Australia. Not any more. 

Great to see such well preserved examples again as I travel around. 

Hope to see some more before I head home. 

Plymouth Dale. 

I’m road tripping from Melbourne to Sydney at the moment and playing classic car spotto along the way. 

Most were parked, but a few were quick shots as they flew past. 

Here’s some shots from week one...

National Lampoon’s Vacation is a cult classic. 

I was super impressed when I saw a stunning and faithful replica of the movies Wagon Queen Family Truckster at the recent Celebrate Mooroolbark Festival. The attention to detail was second to none.

A few days later I spotted a huge Chrysler Town & Country wagon which was obviously sporting some accessories in an automotive homage to the WQFT. 

Both cars brought a smile to my face as I’m sure they do to most people that see them. 

Wonder when I’ll see another Family Truckster?? 

Plymouth Dale 

When I saw the Celebrate Mooroolbark Festival had organized a Show ’n’ Shine as part of their program I was delighted. Only a few minutes from home. Great. 

Then I read that they planned to have all the entrants to the event enter Mooroolbarks famous “5 ways” roundabout all at the same time. A potential classic car traffic jam? Possibly. 

The plan was to film the event from above with a drone. I’ve seen some of the preview footage and it looks awesome. 

Anyway, we all cruised in at 10am, did a few laps of the roundabout and then parked at our final assembly point in a car park just a few hundred meters away. 

It must have been quite a spectacle for regular traffic to see the usually busy roundabout full of unusual cars from all eras. The Wagon Queen Family Truckster from National Lampoons Vacation was a favorite of mine. Amazing attention to detail. 

Once parked, the nearby Mooroolbark Festival was hosting many community groups and activities. Food and craft stalls. A great day. 

The car park could have catered for many more cars so I hope next time they attract more people to this great community event. 

Plymouth Dale. 

Whether they are on the road, in the supermarket car park, or tucked away up a driveway, there’s always a thrill in spotting an old or interesting car “in the wild”. 

Here’s a few of my recent finds...

Plymouth Dale. 

The organizers of Ute Nationals must have breathed a sigh of relief on Sunday. 

After the postponement last year due to Covid restrictions and the threat of heavy rain eased, Sunday’s event went off without a hitch. 

A great venue on tarmac. Lots of vendors and food choices. A well catered event. 

And what an eclectic mix of cars that all had one thing in common. The diversity of the Utes was quite amazing. 

From lowrider mini trucks to feral B & S utes to classic Aussie Holdens and Fords. Modified. Original. Hot Rod. 

And all the characters that brought these vehicles added something to this event. Like worlds colliding. Ute muster meets Hot Rod show meets restored museum quality restorations. 

Definitely space for more entries next year. 

Hopefully we will be back again next year in our Honda Acty and Suzuki Mighty Boy. 

Plymouth Dale

Another busy weekend of events for me and Melbourne’s weather was favorable for all of them. 

Saturday’s show was one of my regular favorites. Coffee’N’Cars Mount Evelyn. 

I love going to this small but busy gathering of enthusiasts. The wildly eclectic mix of vehicles always amazes me. 

Coffee and breakfast provided by Amazing Coffee. 

If you love interesting cars and are able to get to Coffee’N’Cars Mount Evelyn, I highly recommend it. 

Plymouth Dale 

Another great Show ‘n’ Shine and market this year at Gladesville Primary School in Kilsyth. The twilight setting was a great choice as families gathered for the school’s annual fundraising event. 

Plenty of beautiful cars to look at, food and market stalls all doing a great trade under balmy Melbourne skies. 

Congrats to Gladesville for putting on another top event. 

My third in a row. 

I’ll be back next year!! 

Plymouth Dale. 

I recently traveled to Mansfield, Victoria for the Mansfield Classic Holden Nationals. 

Unfortunately it was abruptly and disappointingly postponed when the recent Covid related 5 day lockdown was announced. 

It couldn’t have been worse timing for this 5 day event. 

People had traveled many miles from all around Australia to take part. 

One such person was Paul from Tasmania. It’s fair to say making the trek from Tassie to Mansfield was a huge commitment for Paul which was annoyingly cut short for him. 

Even though the Friday show and shine in Mansfield was brief, Paul and his Holden Ute still certainly made an impact on the participants and spectators there. 

Paul was kind enough to share a bit about himself and his car with me. 

Classic Car Quiz #18

◾️Name of owner - Paul Anderson 

◾️Car make and model

1973 Holden HQ 2 Tonne Cab Chassis

◾️When did you get the car/how long have you had it? 

I got the car in 2014 from Bendigo but it did not look like it does now. I’ve owned it from 2014 until present. The origin of these cars is that they are a ambulance chassis built by Hayman Reece in South Australia. They built them from HQ to WB.

◾️Why do you love your car?

I love my car because it represents me with all the skulls as I have a lot of skulls tattooed on my body.

◾️Does the car have a name and why?

When I built the step-side back on it I went to a few shows and some people said it looked like a coffin, so that name stuck. I call it The Coffin. 

◾️What restoration/modifications have been performed on the car? 

As I said it is a HQ but the body had too much rust in it for my liking so I got another body and front clip off an HZ Premier and put on. The only modification on the car is the tub on the back. The tub is 9 foot long, 4 foot across. The guards are off a 1974 Chevy C10 pickup, reshaped to to look the way they do now. Each guard took 8 weeks to do and they are the original length. Tail lights off a 1959 Caddy and LED units, 70 litre fuel cell and the skulls and gargoyles are made of fibreglass. Dash is 3mm brass plate cut to fit the facia plate. Aftermarket gauges, custom steering wheel. Engine is 308 Holden, Turbo 350 gearbox. 

◾️How often do you drive your car? 

I only drive the car to shows or any car related event. Other than that it sits in my shed. 

◾️Have you always been into cars, and if so what other cars have you had? 

No I wasn’t always into cars! I did the Harley thing. Built a few of them, then went back to the cars. I have owned are when i lived in NZ I built a T-Bucket twin supercharger. It was street legal in NZ, but when I moved back here, I found this and built this car to look like this. 

I have owned all sorts of cars over the years. 

◾️What was your first car? 

My very first car was a ZD Fairlane

Big weekend car show #3

Patterson Cheney Holden Legends Day 

Third show of the weekend for me. Another big one, only difference being the cars were all Holdens! 

Almost every model was represented at this great event and seeing them all lined up chronologically gives you an idea of the evolution of these vehicles. 

The quality of the restorations and original cars was second to none. I even saw Fletch shooting a new episode of Classic Restos, so keep an eye out for that. 

I once owned a ’57 FE Ute so I have a soft spot for classic Holdens, but the newer and more unusual vehicles are certainly attracting my attention these days. 

Love them or hate them, there’s no denying that these cars have played a huge part in Australia’s history and although no longer a force in new car sales, the enthusiasm for the classic models never wanes. 

Plymouth Dale