AMC GREMLIN AMC JAVELIN

Nigel Keats is originally from the UK and is into English cars, so at first it may be hard to see where his passion for AMC may have come from. After joining the Navy, and at the age of 19, Nigel purchased his first sports car, a 1966 Sunbeam Alpine. In the UK, at the time, insurance was expensive for under 25s and especially for cars with larger capacity engines, so the 1.5- litre Sunbeam was a logical choice. Nigel enjoyed it for a few years and then sold it to fund a backpacking holiday around the US. He was keen on becoming a pilot and the plan was to attempt this in the US where the costs for this type of training were far less than in the UK. Whilst this part of the plan did not pan out, the holiday did cement his love of backpacking, so after returning to the UK he set off again, this time for Australia. Here he met and married an Australian girl, and after gaining a visa he settled into late ’80s Australian life. Time moved on, as did that relationship, and he again decided to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot. In 2008 Nigel gained his commercial pilot’s licence.

While cars continued to be of interest to him, he never had either the money or the knowledge to perform restorations. His focus changed however in 2012 when he met Leisa, who he describes as a soul-mate. Leisa had a passion for AMC cars and used her Matador coupe regularly.

Leisa’s Matador (she still has it!) is a 1974 coupe with a three-speed auto and 390 cubicinch engine. When he and Leisa were out driving in 2013 it developed an overheating problem that needed urgent investigation. This was the start of further work and a decision to remove the engine was made. Next came body work, rust repairs and a complete respray and restoration. Restoration work was largely carried out by Gary, a local AMC guru. Gary was always helpful in passing on his specialist AMC knowledge, and Nigel and Leisa worked with him on the car on weekends. Gary’s brother was also the go-to person for AMC parts in Australia, and a long-term friendship was forged with them both. In another twist of fate, Nigel and Leisa were renting a property from a guy who was keen on Cadillacs and had a small collection. His best friend was a very good welder and had been flown to Perth to