CORNER STORIES

Number 82 of 750, 20ks on the clock, “arguably the lowest milage and most original VL Commodore Group A Walkinshaw in the country” . No doubt you’ve already heard about the car being sold by our very own Richmond’s. It comes with an authentic layer of barn find dust and even the dealer’s original seat and steering wheel covers from way back when. Richmond’s touts this car as “a genuine survivor with an exceptional story and provenance.”  But is it really though? To me the story is pretty lame. A guy bought this exceptional car and never even sat in it. And the survivor part doesn’t really make much sense either. To me, a survivor car is one which, against the odds has managed to survive its duty and continues to live on as a car. You could take anything and chuck it in a shed for 45 years, it'll still be there when you can next be assed to check. Time capsule seems like a better description  (which Richmond’s also calls it to their credit) . Because who wouldn’t want to preten...

Build Video: Note: The work on the car discussed in this write-up and the write-up itself is the work of my brother Tom. I am just a name to post it under.   Prologue: Aspirations, Naturally Alright, so if you're mentally ill like me then you know off the top of your head that the only 4WD Toyota built for the Australian market that had the golden trifecta (coil springs front and rear, solid axle front and rear, and turbo diesel) is the humble  1HDT/FT  80-series … So great, just buy one of them and be on your way. No, you see the proceeding model- the 100-series Landcruiser , holds a very special place in my heart, and I don’t think I’d be complete without one to call my own. Not only is it the car that my old man has owned for as long as I can remember- with which he has racked up over 400 thousand ks on some of Far North Queensland’s toughest outback roads with little to no complaints- but also served as my first car and entry into the 4wd scene. (Un)fortuna...

Cut your teeth on what you know. That's what Cliff Chambers told me regarding an internship at RetroRides . And so while I have enjoyed the last couple of feature posts I've produced, it's time to get back to what I know - documenting SA cars. This Volvo 240 felt like a good starting point. On the road where so many of my early sightings took place, photo'd on my way to the bus stop en route to University. Nothing special, no crazy colour, and yet enough to brighten up my day.     It takes a minute or two to let go of an attitude that you have seen one before, and to instead just admire what's in front of you. I remember sitting in the back seat of my old mans Challenger , driving back from the Flinders Rangers. My mum telling me to look outside and appreciate the landscape. It would always take a bit to change mind frames. Yes it's a lot of the same but there is no guarantee I will see it ever again. So take in all moments.   I reminded myself this car had co...

Before I type up whatever this becomes, I want to thank my mate Zigg for being in my corner and backing the shit I'm trying to figure out.  This ones all you, so enjoy. This story starts here, a reddit post from a decade ago. I'm not sure how Ziggy came across it but he did. It was brought to my attention in a discord message followed by a mission that went something like; Trying to map this. I'd say less than half an hour later he sent me a google maps pin for it. I was very impressed. Even if the fence gave it some geo-specificity. However, the kicker was google had only mapped it up to 2014. So you had to go further down the street to get as recent as 2025. At which date the car was no longer present. You'd presume that meant the car was gone, but that seemed less fun. And so schrodinger's Toyota remained in a state of limbo. But by this stage the CS in me had kicked in and I'd become invested in the story of the little rust box. So I asked a mate whose shar...

As we pull up to a red light Tom pipes up in the seat behind me,  "Alright block his number, we'll park it at Nonna's." Austin sitting next to me whines "And sacrifice the wagon?" I'm feeling the exhilaration flood through me, and instead offer we go ram-raid a JB HI-FI, knowing full well I'm returning this car.  I felt like a head. I was cosplaying as one, sorta. Sneezing the boxer around and discovering why they call the suburb Mile End, I was beginning to lose the plot and understand why everyone steals these cars. I felt like I stole it. It was a hot4 and I was making it hotter. Matt handed me the keys and told me I would have the purest experience going alone. I immediately asked if my mates could come and while his facial expression changed he agreed. I offered him to join us but he passed it up.  Three headz in probably the fastest and most sorted car I'd ever driven. I was smiling uncontrollably.  This car is a weapon. No. It is a magnet...