There are cars and then there are cars. Fast, slick, modern cars can be a little boring when compared to the magnificent automobiles of yesteryear. Humbers and Hotchkisses, Cadillacs and Hispano-Suizas, Ballots and Chandlers – these once held their own among Australia's sea of Fords and Holdens.
By luck or good management, some of these cars have remained in the one family since new; others have been rescued from the rubbish pile and lovingly restored. But even more interesting than the cars themselves are the people who own them. In his second book, Kevin Norbury, former journalist for The Age, meets Laurie Smith and his cream Holden FJ ute, complete with an electronic organ in the back that he once used for the odd serenade.
Then there is Phillip Smith, a man with a passion for American hearses, and the Brodie brothers from Victoria's Western District, who still drive their father's 1930s Model-A Ford. Not all of the cars are ancient timepieces – there's also a 1966 Cobra Roadster, a 1971 Aston Martin, a 1974 Porsche and even a 1999 Hummer, as well as several tractors and motorbikes.
Their owners are old and young, male and female, and all with a fantastic story to tell. 'On the Road Again', sequel to 'King of the Road', is a fascinating visual and written portrait of 54 Australians and their cars.
