Old '55 gets well looked after

The 59-year-old Latrobe car buff is the FX-FJ Holden Car Club of Australia North-West Tasmanian Chapter president and his wide Susan is the secretary.

They have both had a long association with "old cars".

"I have had the FJ for about 20 years, I bought it off a bloke in Deloraine," Mr Maxfield said.

"When I got it it was a burgundy colour and I've changed it to a purple called Cosmo.

"A friend of mine, who is a spray painter by trade, helped me paint it and he did a lot of the work.

"I helped him dismantle and put the car back together.

"All the interior has been redone . . . it has a 138 Grey motor and it's sort of modified a bit because coming back from Bathurst a few years ago, the old motor seized up on me and I had to get it rebuilt.

"I like going for cruises on sunny days and weekends . . . no matter where you go people always stop to have a look at the car, especially the older generation.

"Most of them would have had one of these cars in their younger days and they come up with some funny stories of what they used to do.

"I've always been Holden but I have had a couple of Fords and I suppose they are all as good as each other.

"I just think the Holdens have a bit more character.

"I started off with an LC Torana when I lived in Melbourne and after that I had an HQ Holden panel van for a few years, a Sunbird Torana before a few Falcons, then went to a VN Commodore and now I have a 2002 Monaro and Toyota Hilux.

"The LC Torana was a real lime green one and I put mag wheels on it and tried to paint some stripes on it here and there.

"My dad used to have a couple of XC Falcons, one was a GT model and the other was a sedan so that go me interested in cars."

Mr Maxfield said the show novelty has worn off over time and only enters his car in a few shows a year.

"I don't make an effort to go around and show it to everyone because half the time the shows have all the same cars in them," he said.