DREAM SHED
ONE OF EACH
Being in the garage sales and construction industry, it’d be fair to say that Bruce Osborne knows as a thing or two about designing and building a decent shed. So, when he set about knocking one up for himself around 10 years ago, he made sure that it was not only something that he could be proud of but, more than that, something that was functional and would allow for his collection to grow as time and finances allowed. His wife Penny was not only supportive of decking out the shed but encouraging. On board as something of a creative director, Penny pointed out bits and pieces that she thought would add to the vibe Bruce was after. While there’s no specific theme as such, much of the artwork that adorns the walls and custom-built bar area is of the reproduction variety. Sure, Bruce knows the old, genuine stuff is great but going with the modern alternatives offers a cleaner, classier look. And, of course, no bar would be complete without a bit of corrugated iron for character.
Over the years, as various cars have come and gone, the bar’s seen its fair share of use too, perhaps more so over the last eight years as Bruce and son Dwane have campaigned their 1948 Ford Pop drag car. The car was purchased from Ash Beck, who had held the C-Altered record in it for some 13 years, but its history goes back further than that, originally belonging to Kevin Chapman. Being purchased as a roller allowed the pair to drop in their own engine of choice, a 406ci methanol-injected small block Chev. That turned out to be a damn good decision too, as, not only have they recently beaten the car’s old record, and dipped the personal best to 8.75 seconds at 155mph, but they’ve also taken home many accolades on the way. Just last season, from eight meetings, there’s a stash of 10 trophies and two national titles. Currently, they’re on track to do it all again, although Bruce did let slip that the bug to go faster is always one that’s biting. Maybe, just maybe, one day they’ll step into something else, should the right package come up. Maybe it’ll be something that Bruce can fit into next time around too, he laughs.
The downside of the drag racing success is that it’s taken Bruce’s attention away from the ’58 Chev project that he’s supposed to be chipping away at. The car was purchased around 10 or 11 years ago, and, while obviously needing final paint, it’s actually not too far from finished. There’s a small block Chev crate engine ready to drop in it, and the car sits low thanks to airbags all round. In the meantime, though, Bruce and Penny still have a couple of great street cars to choose from, when time permits. One is the Torana, which has been in the family for over 20 years and received a decent freshen up a decade ago. Prior to that, Dwane was lucky enough to get to drive the car to school. Mind you, Bruce also used to enter it in local burnout comps before deciding that it was really a bit too nice to be treated like that, even if the triple-carbed straight-six did put on a good show. The other option, the ’32 coupe, was bought as-is around eight years ago, being built by Clive Hall in Nelson. That’s not to say that Bruce hasn’t built hot rods of his own — in fact, quite the opposite; the coupe was the first completed car he’d purchased. His early years were consumed with building, among others, a C-cab and a jailbar pickup. The three engines sitting in the shed are a 406 for the Pop, a 350 for the ’58, and a 377ci petrolinjected small block originally destined for the Pop but now sitting spare. On that topic, Bruce does mention that maybe dropping it into a dedicated
IT WAS REALLY A BIT TOO NICE TO BE TREATED LIKE THAT
burnout car could be a good use for it one day. Mind you, with the Pop and ’58 to complete, along with a bowser undergoing restoration, he’s already got a lot on his plate. Somehow, he and Penny find a way to escape to the Australian Winternationals each year. It’s during these trips that Bruce has stumbled across many of the model cars that are on display in the shed, as well as various signage. The poker machine was a local find — when working on the rebuild of a local pub, he was asked to take it to the tip. Thankfully, he had a better idea, and — with permission, of course — took it home instead. It’s now a great talking point (not that the shed was lacking them). With a hot rod, a hot six, a drag car, and another tough streeter in the build, along with the perfect place to store them, work on them, and enjoy them, we’d say that it’s the perfect all-round collection. That said, we have no doubt that there will be more interesting cars to come in the years ahead, as Bruce is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.