STAFF PICKS

DO YOU AGREE?

HOLDEN EH

I can’t go past the old EH. There’s something about the proportions and the detailing that makes an EH, any EH, a thing of beauty and wonderment. And when it’s a ute, this here good old boy is a shot dawg. I wouldn’t mess with the overall vibe of the thing, either. Nope, no V8 transplant for me. Instead, I’d simply give the red motor a bit of a warm-over (think twin Strommies on a period-correct manifold) and tie it all down just an inch or so lower than stock.

The biggest thing holding an EH ute back is the column-shifted crash-box and the drum brakes, both of which can be addressed with an automatic trans and a disc-brake conversion respectively. I don’t believe that would ruin the character of the car, but I’d be extra careful about not fussing with the rest of the deal. So the bench seat stays and I want mine in one of those fabulous 60s hospital colours. Even though it’s now a bit of a museum piece, I reckon an EH trayback back would still have the ability to perform m as a ute when you needed it.

XA-XC FORD

Definitely my top pick. ck. I reckon this is the best-looking humble e bog stock ute ever produced here. It really ll would ld not t bother b th me which variant, as I quite like the 250 cube six in these as an alternative to the V8s. There’s plenty of grunt available, particularly with a few mods. Rust will be the issue, but the odd one pops up now and then.

HJ KINGSWOOD

Okay, this gets very specific, so stay with me. I’ve always been of the belief that, in Holden sedans, the shark-nosed HQ was always a way better looker than the HJ/HX models. I very much doubt I’m alone there, either. Point being that when it comes to utes, I backflip faster than a politician at a press conference. There’s just something about the bluff front of the HJ that works with the tray body. I think. And I love that horizontal speedo for all the wrong reasons.

Now the specifics. My HJ ute has got to be tan-brown with a brown interior. I want steelies with stock, dog-dish hub-caps and under the bonnet a 202 and a Trimatic with a column shift. Why? Because that’s exactly the spec of a HJ ute a mate of my old man owned and that was also the first proper ute I ever drove. Arguably, it’s one of the cars that set me on the slippery slope to a life of being constantly broke, constantly grimy and eternally happy. And you can’t put a price on that.

HZ HOLDEN

As the long-term owner of an HZ sedan, I like the idea of having a ute to match. There are some useful updates with the HZ and it would have to be a V8 – 253 or 308 – probably with an auto. A nice easy cruiser that could carry a bit of a load when I needed it. While everyone seems to go for the one-tonners of the era, I prefer the full-bodied version.

TOYOTA CROWN

I know what you’re thinking: The Crown is Japanese, right? Well, not these early Tojo utes, because to boost local content (and keep the asking price down) they were assembled in Melbourne from imported kits. That for my money makes them dinki-di. Meantime, this idea stirs something deep inside me, very close to my irony gland. See, a trayback version of a Crown is a bit like a Rolls Royce one-tonner or a Lamborghini SUV (Oh, hang on…). It’s crazy, and I love it for that. Okay, so the ladder-chassis construction of the Crown made it easier, but it’s still whacky. I’m not fussy, either; I’ll take either an MS40 or an MS50 model, but I want it in black with lots of stainless and it’s got to have the three-on-the-tree manual with the electric over-drive (freewheel). What a parts-chaser parts chaser that would be. And, drop an LS in it, and you’ve have a pretty decent tow-car as well. Hmmm.

MALOO R8

It’s a bit of a minefield sorting out one Maloo from another. Given the tiny numbers made, there is a mystifying menu of variants. Anyway, the one that caught my attention recently was a 2014 R8 with the 6.2lt V8 and auto (though a manual would be good, too). The dealer was asking $50k for it which, given how spectacularly quick these things are, seems like a hell of a lot of bang for your buck. Forget load-carrier, this is a two-door sports car. Yep, that works…

AU XR8 “PURSUIT 250”

The rare occasion I see one on the road I always think to myself that Ford did a brilliant job styling the AU Pursuit 250. The quad headlights always strike a chord and the body kit and wheel offerings look just right. I would happily haul my gear in one and it fullfils my requirements of a special car with its Tickford roots. The only AU I would want, Blueprint in colour please.

FALCON XM

I cant help myself with some Fomoco products. So next on my list would be an XM. It’s petite size and Thunderbird characteristics make it one attractive local ute and I just love the body styling which flows into the tailight area. I’m usually a stickler for originality but I’m not sure the “Pursuit 170 engine” or 96-horsepower “Economy-Champ” would cut it so I’m open minded about a car with a V8 heart transplant. That would really give it some hauling HP.

HOLDEN VR/VS COMMODORE

Remember the Roman Autotek ute? I remember purchasing a magazine with this monster on the cover and I loved it! My tastes have changed but I would happily own a 5.0 litre manual in a factory colour, maybe I should track down a Wayne Gardner special (WGR Group A S) in ute form. This would tick all the boxes with a ‘factory built’ ute wearing the Momo Status wheels and some slight body and trim enhancements replicating the characteristics of the Roman Autotek car which I drooled over as a teen.

MKII ZEPHYR

Amazingly, Zephyrs could outrun grey-motor Holdens, despite their primitive exhaust manifold design. There was one I’ll never forget. Somehow the 18-year-old me ended up behind the wheel for the night time mercy dash north from Barrow Creek, NT. In the back (while I kept the throttle nailed) were the critically ill bloke, my mate Avie, and the ute’s owner. You’ve gotta love a Zephyr – we all survived. Despite a red roo moment...

73 F100 PICKUP

With increased local content in mind, Ford Oz built an evaluation unit with local V8-power. Showing imagination the Engineering guys dropped in an XB GT motor and gearbox. What a goer! The Sunday picnic dash to the Maroondah Dam (east of Melbourne) left my mates in an SS HQ and a V8 Valiant looking very sheepish. Straight-line performance was one thing, but the ‘Twin I-Beam’ front end produced too much camber change for confident fast cornering.

67 HR 186

It came to me already mildly customised sporting HQ rear quarter-panels. With X2 inlet and exhaust bits helping the breathing, it was a sweet drive, with a surprisingly strong mid-range. It paid its way carrying building materials, tools and motor bikes. The low point was the big job a rear wheel-bearing replacement became when oxy-torch heat was needed to unfreeze the outer race. Feeling guilty I admit to replacing it with an L300 Express van.