Atherton Car, Bike & Swap Meet 2022: Classic Restos - Series 50
Fletch jets off to Far North Queensland for the 10th Annual Atherton Car, Bike & Swap Meet sponsored by Atherton Auto Wreckers in support of Scripture Union Australia and their Chaplain care program for Atherton High School kids and their teachers.
Every year the Atherton meet gets bigger and bigger, with over 400 vehicles on display with support from motoring enthusiasts of all persuasions, including custom, trucks and even tractors.
As always, Fletch is just not looking for cool cars but those with a story behind them, providing an insight into the passion of their owners.
Margaret is the perfect example with her fully restored 1966 XP Ford Futura 2 door, beautifully presented in white with a classic red interior. The car was kept the shed for five years after the loss of her husband and daughter. Margaret admits it brings back great memories of her husband's passion for the car every time she drives it.
Next is Adam, a true Corvette fan with his 2015 C7 Corvette, the last model with an engine in the front. Boasting a potent 750 HP powerplant and weighing only a little heavier than a Holden Barina, it has plenty of get-up and go. Adams says, "it's sensational to drive but requires a lot of self-control with all that horsepower". Adam's passion for Corvettes goes back to his childhood when one of his father's friends owned one of the great classics, a C3 Corvette Stingray, which they went on regular drives in. A passion was born.
The motorcycle fraternity are good supporters of the meet with some exceptional bikes on display. One example is Chris's 2005 Royal Enfield 500cc, and like so many car and bike restorations you hear, someone starts the project only for another to finish it. This is just the case with Chris. The bike started as bits and pieces with a lot of the work, including some beautiful plate work already completed. He just had to put it together; it only took two months. The bike is a 2005 model but customised to a 60's style, including some high-performance upgrades to the engine to increase capacity to 565cc. Nice work, Chris.
Next is Dazza with a 1975 HJ Holden Premier Sedan, originally his father's much-loved car from new and Dazza's 21st birthday present 33 years ago. As he says, things change over time and with the introduction of unleaded petrol, he decided to upgrade the engine with fuel injection. Wow, what an upgrade, a 1984 C4 Corvette engine that gives it a little bit of a hurry-up. Other than what is now under the hood, it is the same HJ Holden his father owned and loved.
It wouldn't be an event without a Mopar, and Barry's 1971 VH E38 R/T Charger is a beauty. Chrysler designed and built these for the racetrack with 160-litre fuel tanks. Fully restored in 1995, it looks a treat today, and as Barry says, 'it spends more time in the shed nowadays than on the road'. One of Australia's true iconic classics.
