Ford turns heads

By Kath Gannaway
WANDIN car enthusiast Tim Smith has no intention of restoring his 1929 Ford Model T pick-up.
“It doesn’t look that flash, but it’s original, and that’s what I enjoy about it,” said Tim, whose father brought the car over from America in pieces three years ago.
After a year spent putting it together, Tim, 25, registered it as a road car and shows it at ute shows, side-by-side with beautifully restored, hotted-up and otherwise highly decorated utes.
“These cars are rare here, and are becoming rare even in America.
“That’s one of the reasons I’ve left it as original and with left-hand drive,” he said.
To get a roadworthy the car had to meet the laws which applied in 1929.
Tim and fellow enthusiast Warren Storey take to the road to attend ute shows and musters whenever they can, and Tim said he enjoyed the slower pace on the highway and getting back to motoring basics.
Among other things, that means hand signals, something he says amuses older drivers, but can annoy some of the younger ones who have no concept of manual indicators.
For someone his age, he concedes the almost 80-year-old ‘ute’ is a head-turner of a different sort.
“A lot of young people overtake and look twice when they see someone my age driving, then you get grandma and granddad driving to Sunday church giving you toots and waves,” he said.
Tim will be entering his beautifully unrestored Ford Model T in the 2011 Wandin Silvan Field Days Ute Show in October.
It is the fifth year the Ute Show, organised by Casey Kosterman, will showcase the humble, and the not-so-humble, utility to raise funds for the local CFA brigades.
Anyone who would like to enter, there are lots of categories, can contact Mr Kosterman on 0418 134 263.
The Wandin Silvan Field Days will be held at the Wandin East Recreation Reserve on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 October.
Visit www.wandinsilvanfielddays.com.au for further information.