By Marc McGowan
BERWICK car hobbyist Haydn ‘Nobby’ Nobelius is winding down on the restoring side of his passion, but his love for classic cars is as strong as ever.
“I’m too old. I can’t be bothered working on them anymore,” Mr Nobelius, 60, said.
“My hands have got arthritic. It makes it harder. When you’re younger, you don’t worry about it.”
He has owned his fair share of vintage models over the years and is still a regular visitor at hot rod shows.
Nine years ago, at the Wintersun Festival in Coolangatta, Queensland, Mr Nobelius purchased his 1955 Ford Sunliner for $37,000. It was a continuation of his love affair with American cars.
“I didn’t intend on buying a car up there. It just caught my eye, and I thought, ‘You only live once’,” he said.
“Being a convertible, it’s a pretty desirable thing to have.”
Mr Nobelius has spent a small fortune doing up the Sunliner. It boasts a 202 Cleveland Ford V8 engine, a C10 Ford transmission, a nineinch differential and XY disc brakes.
He admits that car restoring can be an expensive pursuit and that it needs to be kept under control.
“You have to be a bit careful. You can’t go too crazy,” Mr Nobelius said. “But put it this way – I’ve been offered a lot more than I’ve paid for it, so I’ve done something right.”
His enthusiasm for cars began as a 14yearold, when he read a hot rod book. He acquired his first one at 18.
“I bought a ’56 Ford Customline for 300 pounds,” Mr Nobelius said.
“It’s long gone – I sold that in 1970. That went and I have had a succession of cars after that.”
With classic and historic plates attached to his handiworks, he is restricted in where he can drive them, but treasures his time behind the wheel.
“I can only drive it to caroriented events. You can drive them to petrol stations for fuel and to turn over the battery, but that’s it,” Mr Nobelius said.
“You don’t see them every day (vintage models), and people look at it.
“I also enjoy it with other enthusiasts and it gives you a feeling of proud ownership.”
>>> Have you got a gem in your garage? It can be a shiny new machine or a muchloved classic. Get your car into Me and My Car by phoning 5945 0666 or by contacting the Gazette at editorstarnewsgroup.com.au on email.
