We see another side of Fletch, who usually is only besotted by Classic cars, but today is thoroughly overwhelmed by the country property of Max & Tina located in a beautiful setting in Southern Regional NSW. It's where Max & Tina have retired after a busy professional life and now home for them and three very special cars. The property is on a half-acre, where the original home was built in 1860 and restored in 1915. Fletch waxed lyrical about the property, its charm and serenity and credits the couple on its presentation as Tina put it, "we don't renovate, we restore".
But wait, there is more. Max and Tina are avid motoring enthusiasts. Fletch takes a look at just three cars in their collection, each with a story of its own. The first is a beautiful 1934 Ford, an Australian assembled vehicle. When the original owner in Tasmania passed away, the car spent the next 35 years (1970 - 2005) in a shed. Today the Ford has only 100,000 miles on the clock and is in absolutely original condition inside and out. Max says the first owner never drove it a great deal and never in the rain; it has no rust after all this time. The car is unrestored and now has a natural patina and an original interior that oozes history. Amazingly it still cruises at 100 -110mph, although it takes a bit to stop.
Next is a 1959 Studebaker Lark, the first of the compact V8's that Max imported from California, USA. The owner had the car for 18 years, and it was in immaculate condition, having won several Concours over the years. He had always been a Studebaker fan from an early age and joined a Studebaker Addicts Club, where he later saw the vehicle on Facebook.
The Lark had been resprayed in the original colour of Hawaiian Green, and the interior reupholstered in the original fabric. Max has only driven it seven times in the last two years, but it still drives like a new car. Back in the '60s, the Lark was the High-Performance Car of the Year. It really was a muscle car, with a 259 V8, plenty of power, and good handling.
Last but no means least is Tina's daily drive, a one-owner Ford Ranchero Ute with a 260 V8 factory 4-speed on the floor. No ordinary ute, it's one of only 136 ever made, and now there is only 42 left in the world with two residing in Australia; that's some daily drive. The story of how Tina acquired the vehicle and then brought it back to Australia is how we all should buy a classic car in the US. After purchasing the vehicle at an auction in LA, Max & Tina took off to the US, to pick up the ute and head off on a 6-week driving tour across America and Canada. Tina reports the car didn't miss a beat.
