INSPIRED by a photograph in a magazine, Mount Gambier resident Jason Habner has transformed a beaten up 1935 Ford pick-up into a motoring masterpiece.
Purchasing his pride and joy in December 2005 with many dents and scratches, the local resident has dedicated the last 18 years to creating an identical vehicle to the one he had initially seen in an American hot rod magazine.
“I fell in love with the vehicle and soon after discussions with Mark Fry – who builds the cars locally – was on the lookout for a 1935 or 1936 version of it to restore,” Mr Habner said.
“Now after much work Mark, his son Taylor and I have created a spitting image of the one in the magazine with the only difference being that mine has a 327 Chev engine while the other had a flathead motor.”
Worth approximately 500 Pounds when first released, the motoring enthusiast said he expects it could be sold for around $80,000, however, it is something he will probably never consider.
“I don’t intend to ever get rid of it,” Mr Habner said.
“It is something I have wanted for some time now and finally the restoration is complete.”
Purchased from Adelaide, the pick-up has travelled far and wide with the previous owners living around 50km inland from Ceduna in the state’s west.
But, the vehicle almost did not make its way to the South East.
“I was lucky to get the car because by the time I got to Adelaide to buy it, it had already been sold to someone in Perth,” Mr Habner said.
“Thankfully that fell through and I quickly purchased it.”
Since 2005, the pick-up has undergone extensive restoration including installing a “flat roof”.
The interior has been completely redone and the outside painted black.
Mr Habner is excited to show off his masterpiece to other members of the Lake City Rodders and car enthusiasts across the country.
“I intend to take the pick-up to as many car shows and hot rod shows as I can, but I will also use it as my every day vehicle driving around the city,” he said.
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