Mr Cook’s 1952 FX Holden looks like a restored original antique upon first glance, but with further inspection people will find the vehicle has become a mix and match of many makes.
While running a garage in Casterton, Mr Cook said somebody came to him one day with the shell and he bought it many years ago.
“It was a good shell without any rust which is hard to find,” he said.
“It had been sitting in the shed since around 1975 and I did not really know what to do with it.
“I had all intentions in doing something with it one day and here we are.”
Mr Cook said when he began working on the car around six years ago but he had no Holden parts to work at the time.
“I did have an old 1976 Mazda utility and the body was rusted, so I used that,” he said.
“Basically what has happened is all the motor, gearbox, differential and mechanics have finished up in the Holden body shell.
“I even used the dashboard which I had to narrow down to fit in the car.”
Mr Cook said the car featured mirrors off a Nissan Tiida, Toyota Seeka front and rear seats and door handles from an early Mitsubisha Magna.
“The door handles previously were able to be twisted down and in an accident the doors were prone to flying open,” he said.
“I changed them to prevent that from happening.
“It is highly modified.”
Painted in straight white, Mr Cook said the colour was the shade you begin with before mixing it with any other colours.
“It is the base white with no additives, which I did to make it easier if I ever needed to touch it up,” he said.
“It does not belong to any make of vehicle.”
Mr Cook said he was currently using the car as a daily driver.
“We did have two vehicles, but we shifted to Mount Gambier and now only have one modern vehicle,” he said.
“I have been getting to use it more and more to get places around town.
“When you sit in it, it is like driving a newer car and it definitely drives different to how an old Holden did.”
In 2012, Mr Cook said just after the vehicle was on the road, he took it to the FX and FJ Nationals held in Bathurst and took a trophy home.
“It was the for the best non-member of the association,” he said.
“There was a few other private entries, but I was fortunate enough to win.”
Mr Cook said when the vehicle was out in public, he often was asked why he would bother to do such a thing.
“I just tell them, I had nothing else to work with so it was just what happened,” the rev-head said.
“I have always been a Holden fanatic and have built cars and buggies since I was 12.
“I enjoy it, and it is what I have always done in my spare time when I am not driving.”
Mr Cook said the old Holden was a finished project for now and it was a matter of maintaining it.
Specifications:
Engine: 1976 2L four cylinder Mazda utility motor
Transmission: 1976 Mazda utility five-speed manual transmission
Colour: Straight white
Interior: Toyota Seca interior
Wheels: 16/6 inch tires with handmade rims
Unique features: Heating and cooling system, central locking, electrified mirrors, commercial-real seat belts and reversing camera.
