Cars

I learnt to drive in the family's 1964 Holden EH station wagon, automatic with 179 cubic inch, straight six motor. It virtually became my car once I got my drivers licence, though I tended to ride my motorbike more than use the car. Mum shopped in the Monaro (see below), and Dad commuted in a BHP company Ford utility at the time.

The first car of my own was a white Nissan 300ZX, 3 litre V6 sports car purchased new in 1985. And still I mostly rode my Honda CX500 motorbike!

It was 750 km from my flat in Elsternwick to my caravan at Waikerie Gliding Club. A mate, Mike Hoskings, had a black 300ZX and I can recall a number of memorable drives as we sat nose to tail at 180 kph speeding though country Victoria and South Australia as we journeyed between Melbourne and Waikerie to go gliding.

I once tried to beat Mike's time for the trip. I took just two hours to cover the 300 km from Waikerie to Ouyen. That's an average of 150 kph! But then pulled up behind a police car and had no choice but to follow it for the next 200 km. We do some crazy things when we're young!

Since the 300ZX, there has been a succession of Holden Commodore cars (Executive/Calais/Statesman). All cars are now converted to dual fuel as the money saved doing 50,000 km a year commuting to Melbourne more than justifies the cost of the conversion.

Living in a rural situation makes it almost a necessity to have a second car. For a while that was a 1973 Holden HQ 1 tonne ute, with a Premier grill and interior, a 4.2 litre V8, and Supra 6-speed gearbox. But it had to go back to its owner.

In 1994 I purchased a 1969 Ford XT Falcon 500 sedan as a second car. I spent a lot of time and money giving it a good going over and making it more suitable for my use as a reliable second car. This included fitting fitting power assisted, disk brakes on the front. I was planning to have it for quite a while. But then I was given the Monaro.

The HQ Monaro

1973 Holden HQ Monaro GTS, complete with shopping centre dents.

Since 1995, my second car has been “Chooky's Hoon Machine”, the extremely original 1973 Holden HQ Monaro GTS, 253 V8, 4-door that's been in the family since near new. It started its life as a Holden executive's car at the Elizabeth factory in Adelaide for the nine months before my farther purchased it. Then it spent most of its life as mum's shopping trolley in Whyalla and Sydney. This car is so original that it has still got a Dunlop Aquajet red wall tyre as the spare!

The Monaro has strong sentimental value for the Borrett family, with most of my siblings having learnt to drive in it.

The Monaro has been converted to dual fuel, i.e. LPG and petrol. The bodywork and paint is now getting a bit run down and it is in serious need of a good going over. But mechanically, it's as good as new — touch wood! I've recently started to use the Monaro as my main means of transport again, and have been gradually fixing some outstanding problems.

Lloyd finds he doesn't fit into a Ferrari. Portsea, mid 2000.

While on a Microsoft Drive Day in 2000 with June Billings, I discovered that I didn't fit well into a Ferrari. My vision was blocked by the top of the windshield no matter what seating position I tried. I could either peek over the top, or scrunch down to look through the windscreen. The sight of me driving down the road with my head sticking up prompted one of the others to take this picture.