Muscle Mail AMC BEST LETTER
Muscle Mail best letter winners for 2016 will receive a limited edition House of Muscle small-batch 10mm acrylic print with stand – RRP $149. Choose one from 12 different designs featuring Monaro GTS 327 (shown), Kings of the Mountain, GTHO Phase III, 1977 Bathurst 1-2, Moff’s Boss 302 Mustang or the world famous XB Interceptor. Check the full range at www.homspeedshop.com From the King of Bling
Terrific story on Mike Simcoe ( AMC #88). Mr Simcoe is an extremely talented man. Now a quick little story. Back in the day I ordered a brand new WH Statesman from a local Holden dealer in the Hills District of Sydney, just up the Windsor Road!
From memory, this was the year after I’d been to the 1998 Motor Show at Darling Harbour where I remember seeing the VT mock Monaro, aka the ‘Commo2dore’, as the newspaper journos called it.
At a subsequent Motor Show – maybe, another year on – I saw the latest model HSVs and other exciting Holdens on show! So right there and then on the Holden stand I ordered the upcoming Monaro. Happy Days!
Almost two years later I took delivery of a Hothouse Green Monaro CV8 with the manual gearbox, leather, etc from the very same dealer I purchased the Statesman from. It was amazing!
I will never forget that day. Most of the dealership staff was swarming all over it when I picked it up. Droolling. I was the King of Bling! Their eyes were boggling and I couldn’t contain my excitement. I was very fortunate. Apparently my CV8 was the second one delivered in Australia.
Now to my point: a very short time after that I turned 40 years of age and a friend of a friend, who was installing an audiovisual system in the Holden head office at Fishermans Bend, just so happened to be liaising with Mr Simcoe.
My friend asked his friend to grab an official green Holden Monaro coffee mug and get it signed by Mr Simcoe. I received the mug for my 40th birthday fully signed by Mr Simcoe to me. He actually signed on the mug. I absolutely love it and it rests with a shedload of other Holden memorabilia I have. But it’s the ‘bomb out’ of all I have! Even beats my Brocky collection, I reckon.
Who would have known back then that Mr Simcoe would go so far in the automotive world. Congrats, Mr Simcoe. It’s just what a genuine bloke, who’s a skilled individual and car lover deserves! PS: Owning the CV8 Monaro was fantastic, but after buying it I never ever got to any of my customer’s appointments on time as I was constantly held up by admirers, storytellers and people wanting photos of themselves standing next to it. Great times indeed! Brett Collison Via email