PEOPLE LIKE US
The EH had rust so bad my mates named it ‘Elephant Holes’ and would chuck their iced coffee cartons through the gaps in the floor
> SEAFORD, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
ADELAIDE’S Jason Riding has been turning sick rides out of his workshop, Lonsdale Autoshop, for nine years. As he heads towards a decade of disc brakes and doublepumpers, we head down ‘souf’ for a Coopers Pale Ale with the man himself.
Were you always into tough cars?
Nah, I was more into skateboarding as a kid. Then one of my mates bought an EH Holden with a single door welded up; it was like a two-door on one side and a four-door on the other. We’d cruise along Moana Esplanade and drop burnouts on Beach Road; I thought it was the best thing ever.
You’re building a tough EH Holden for yourself. Is that because of your mate’s three-door?
Not quite. My uncle had a V8 XR Falcon. It was so sick when he smashed the throttle, I bought one as my first car. Obviously that was a mistake, so I did it up and swapped it for an EH that had rust so bad my mates named it ‘Elephant Holes’ and would chuck their iced coffee cartons through the gaps in the floor. I ignored all that and put some chromies on it. I was forever frigging around with it – a Holley, twin carbies, triples – but it was always too slow, so I chucked a V8 in it.
What was your gig before Lonsdale Autoshop?
I actually started out as a cabinet maker, but it was shit because I wasn’t earning enough money to build a cool car! So I got a mechanic apprenticeship through the MTA. Because I always wanted to focus on the performance stuff, I went to a bunch of dyno joints in my first year; however, in my second year I worked for RAA Roadside Assist down at Victor Harbor. I was mainly helping surfies get their keys out of their bong-wagons. Then I ended up at Southgate Holden for a few years, but I just couldn’t service Commodores all day long. I’d keep asking: “Can’t we pull a trans out or something interesting?”
Then you founded Lonsdale Autoshop?
Nah, I was working for another workshop, but I cracked the shits one day and left. I was visiting my good mate Michael Cotter most days after work to help out at his new workshop, so I went there and told him I’d quit. He offered me a job, and six months into it he announced he was heading back to the mines and that I should buy the business. Nine years and two premises later, here we are: Lonsdale Autoshop. Now at Seaford, ha ha!
Anyone you wanna thank?
My partner Jess. She believed in me and helped me build the business up to where we want to be; we’re now 100 per cent project-based, performanceenhancing old-school specialists. I couldn’t have done it without her; she’s my living legend.