STHARC

1970 Dodge Challenger

Vehicle

1970 Dodge Challenger

Owner

Steve Rankine

Restoration Status

Restored

Love, Loss, and Plum Crazy: How a 1970 Dodge Challenger Healed a Broken Heart

They say love finds you when you least expect it. For me, it roared in on four wheels, wrapped in gold paint with a seized 426ci Hemi under the hood — a 1970 Dodge Challenger that would become my first true love.

The timing wasn’t ideal. My father had just passed away, and I was consumed by grief. In a moment of desperation and retail therapy, I found myself drunk and scrolling eBay while on RAAF training at HMAS Cerberus. One miscalculated bid later, I woke up with a hangover and an email congratulating me — I’d just won the auction.

​

Panic set in. I was a junior technician, barely keeping a house deposit together, and had just committed to buying a muscle car I’d only ever dreamed about. My plan was simple: meet the seller, offer a polite bottle of wine, and pull out of the purchase with some dignity intact.

But fate had other plans…

​

At a panel beating shop on the north side of Spencer Street in Melbourne, I met an old Italian man who introduced me to the angel. As soon as I laid eyes on her, disaster struck — I fell in love. The wine was handed over without a word, and I bolted to the nearest bank to withdraw the funds and hire a trailer.

She was far from stock: gold paint, a green interior, carbon fibre front end, line lockers, tubbed rear wheels, and a 426ci Hemi locked solid from years of abuse. But to me, she was perfect — a bruised and battered beauty rescued from the drag strip.

​

Over the next five years, I began restoring her between a garage and an aircraft hangar at RAAF Base Tindal. I replaced the aftermarket panels with factory sheet metal, sold the old engine for nearly what I paid for the car, and dropped in a 318ci Fireball V8 to bring it back to its original spec. The tubs were brought back to factory width, the interior swapped from green to classic black, and she was repainted in her rightful colour: Plum Crazy.

She even made it to my wedding as my chariot — although not without drama. After failing the pits due to a non-compliant exhaust, I discovered a VicRoads loophole that allowed driving under permit, and we made it happen.

These days, the old girl lives a quieter life. She rests in her shed, slowly defrosting between family trips to the servo and back. She’s no longer a drag car — she’s a part of the family.

Her story is simple. Two American owners, then two Aussies. But her soul? That’s eternal. She gave me healing when I needed it most, and in return, I gave her a second life.

2000 Toyota Crown Athlete V Estate

Vehicle

2000 Toyota Crown

Owner

Aj Bala

Restoration Status

Ongoing

Sleek, understated, and effortlessly cool, it’s become a modern classic in its own right. Powered by the iconic 1JZ-GTE, it delivers smooth, confident power wrapped in a practical and beautifully engineered wagon body.  This car has become a bit of a family favourite;  reliable, stylish, and a joy to drive on club runs.

Whether cruising the highway or parked at a show, the Crown always turns heads and sparks conversations. A true example of Toyota’s late-90s/early-2000s craftsmanship, it’s a car that continues to surprise people with how refined, quick, and unique it is.

1987 Mercedes Benz 560SEC

Vehicle

1987 Mercedes Benz 560SEC

Owner

Bruce McCarron

Restoration Status

Ongoing

1953 MG TD

Vehicle

1953 MG TD

Owner

Bruce McCarron

Restoration Status

Complete

1957 Jaguar Mk1

Vehicle

1957 Jaguar Mk1

Owner

Rod Luke

Back in the mid 1980s we found ourselves settled in Canberra and I was on the lookout for a classic British car to use as my everyday transport. The ultimate was a Jaguar but funds were limited so I was looking at ‘less expensive’ options. On visiting a beloved  Uncle I discovered that he had a Mk1 Jag reclining in his garage with a blown head gasket, that my cousin owned. Negotiations took place as my cousin was initially reluctant to sell to a family member and the Jag was purchased  for the exorbitant price of $1700.

Jaguar produced the MK1 Jag, initially known as the 2 point 4 or 3 point 4, depending on engine size at a time when they were building the XK150 and Mk9 models. It was Jaguars first experiment at a ‘compact’ car without a separate chassis. As a result they built the car with a great deal of residual strength.  Realizing that the new style was indeed very popular they then produced the famous Mk2 featuring larger glass panels and a more modern dash. The earlier model then became known as the MK1. The Mk1 is full of character. One morning, on the way to work, there was a strange sound emanating from the dash and a smell of engine oil. I opened the ash tray, all good cars have ash trays, to find it was full of oil. My initial thought was to wonder if this was normal but then noted that the oil pressure gauge is located immediately above the ash tray and the pressure line into the gauge had failed. Needless to say the back of the dash was nicely inhibited. 

Following the fitment of a new head gasket and exhaust system the car was duly registered and I drove it around Canberra for several years. In those early days the Jag used nearly as much oil as fuel and compensated for this feature by also dropping copious quantities of oil wherever it rested. A few years later we were living in Maitland and I had the engine and transmission overhauled and a new interior fitted. Since then the Jag has been released from everyday use and has been used on a more casual basis.

I have been driving the Jag now for the past 40 years and like our beloved MGTF it is very much part of the family fabric.

​

1982 Daimler Vanden Plas

Vehicle

1982 Daimler Vanden Plas

Owner

Rod Luke

​

The Tap Washer

​

About 12 years back we bought an immaculate Series 3 XJ6 Jaguar. At the time we were living on our hobby farm at Temora and on a visit to see the family we popped into Trade Link at Fyshwick to buy a tap washer. After much searching the gentleman serving me advised that they would have to order the part in. I duly advised him that this was a problem as we lived some three hours away.

A fascinating discussion then followed that led to him advising me that he had recently had a cancer scare that he had overcome, that he and his wife were about to depart on a lengthy caravan extravaganza and that he needed to sell some cars. Naturally I could not resist the temptation to ask him what was for sale. He then told me about the 1982 Daimler Vanden Plas he was planning to take to the Shannon’s display the following day with a ‘for sale’ label on the car. I asked him what condition it was in and he responded that it was immaculate. Arrangements were duly made for us to pay him a visit that evening. My dear wife was waiting all this time outside in the car. On my return I boldly advised that they did not have the tap washer but that I was onto a Daimler.

That evening Susan and I, accompanied by our youngest daughter Karina, went to inspect the car. On first seeing the car it was indeed immaculate. I departed with every intention to not buy the Daimler’ as we had only recently purchased the Series 3, when Karina commented that I would be very disappointed if I did not buy the car.  I duly rang my new friend and said don’t take the car to the Shannon’s day.  We have had the Daimler ever since and it is an absolute delight.

The Daimler is mechanically identical to the equivalent year XJ6 Jaguar but with the extra embellishments associated with the Daimler badge. Back in the 80s Jaguar owned the Belgium coach building company ‘Vander Plas’. The very top specification car they offered was the Daimler Vanden Plas which featured an upgraded interior with a four seat configuration. The Daimler was used quite often on club runs with my previous car club at Temora. Among the members of the Temora Antique Motor Club the Daimler is known as ‘The Tap Washer’.

1955 MG TF 1500

Vehicle

1955 MG TF 1500

Owner

Rod Luke

​

My Dad bought me the MG when I was 17 years old, some 53 years ago. He gave me the choice between an MG TC, a Morgan and an Austin Healey 100/4. I saw a red TF and it was love at first sight. The TF model is the last ‘square rig’ MG with a wooden frame and floor and a fully running chassis.

When Susan and I started ‘going out’ rather than sell the MG to buy a more suitable car we bought an FB Holden Station Wagon as our everyday car and kept the MG. Just prior to our marriage back in 1976 the MG engine blew up and Dad, with my able assistance standing back and watching,  rebuilt it which blew all of the money we had set aside for our honeymoon. When we were living in Melbourne in 1982 I convinced Susan that I could rebuild, rewire and repaint the car for $300 in 3 months. That’s when the saga commenced.

When I disassembled the car I discovered that the wooden frame had completely rotted in key places, that some of the side panels were rusted out and the chassis was badly twisted. I managed to buy a kit of pre-formed timbers and had new side panels made. Once the chassis was straightened, which absorbed all of our funds at the time, we started the re-build process, which took a few years. 

The car was all but complete when we first moved to Canberra in 1986 and has been happily and faithfully running ever since.  Thanks to my very understanding wife the MG is very much part of the family fabric, sits pride of place in my man cave and enjoys a regular run.

1960 Austin Healy Sprite

Vehicle

1960 Austin Healey Sprite

Owner

Mike Oborn

​

Mr Bug

​

My father’s first car was a red Austin Healey Sprite which he drove through the back streets of Melbourne during the days he was courting my Mother. They had some incredible memories from their time in the Sprite, and even on his death bed my Father could quote the specifications for adjusting the tappets and tuning the Sprite!

My Father taught both my Mother, and her younger brother to drive in his Sprite. It was therefore no surprise that my Uncle’s first car, was also a 1960 Sprite, commonly referred to as the Bug Eye or Frog Eye Sprite. About 10years ago my Uncle sold this car, infamously known for 60years as Mr Bug.

Since owning Mr Bug I have reconditioned the original engine and increased it from 948cc to ~1050cc, balanced the crank and pistons, increased the compression ratio with flat top pistons and replacing the original head with a 1098cc head. But unfortunately I have developed a significant leak from the rear main (there’s no seal on these A series engines) onto the clutch plate, so currently Mr Bug is off the road awaiting the engine to be removed, a new clutch plate installed and rectification of the source of the leak (still to be precisely identified).