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 in April 1974, though I tended to ride my Suzuki 120 motorbike more than use the car.

1964 Holden EH Station Wagon.

Mum shopped in the 1973 HQ Monaro GTS 4-door (see below), and Dad commuted in a BHP company Ford utility at the time.

Nissan 300ZX

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, VIC, to my caravan at the Waikerie Gliding Club, SA. 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 younger!

Nissan 300ZX & caravan at WGC (circa 1986)

Holden Commodores

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

Second Cars

Living in a rural situation made 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 Toyota 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.

1973 HQ Monaro GTS 4-door

1973 Holden HQ Monaro GTS, 4-door, 253 V8, T-bar automatic

The Monaro was sold in December 2012. See here for more details.

From 1995 to December 2012, my second car was "Chooky's Hoon Machine", an extremely original 1973 Holden HQ Monaro GTS, 253 V8, 4-door that had 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 was so original that it still had 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 was converted to dual fuel, i.e. LPG and petrol. The bodywork and paint is now looking a bit tired, but mechanically, it's as good as new!

Driving A Ferrari

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.

2007 Mitsubishi Pajero

In February 2014, I purchased a 2007 Mitsubishi Pajero Wagon to replace the 1993 Holden Calais that had recently died. The Pajero was chosen as a better dive boat towing vehicle.

2007 Mitsubishi Pajero Wagon.

My Current Rides

My current car is a 2018 Subaru Forester 2.5i-L S4 Auto AWD MY18, purchased from easyauto123 in Brooklyn VIC, in November 2019.

2018 Subaru Forester.

My current ride is a Shoprider 889SL Mobility Scooter purchased in May 2025. While it looks like new, it's actually about 12 years old.

Shoprider 889SL Mobility Scooter.