My first car...A "Penola Rose" pink coloured EJ Holden Station Wagon!

I remember how happy I was when as a 17 year old I first set eyes on my first car, an old 1963 EJ Holden Station Wagon, in a musky pink colour, which, yes, it was original, called Penola Rose.  Penola is a small town in South Australia by the way!!  Many Holden colours are named after Australian Towns interestingly enough!!  Anyway, this old EJ was a one owner and was perfect, till of course, as a "P" plater, I got a hold of it!  As a kid, we have no idea of what we're doing and after a few dents and knocks, I sold her.  I am still kicking myself after all this time, but we cannot change the decisions from our past.  I went on to own a couple more EJ Holdens because at the time, in the early 1980's, they were a very cost effective car for a teenager, roomy, reliable, easy to fix, parts galore at very cheap prices, even free in many instances! 
I recall when I first brought her home, her pink paint was chalking, but being of the old fashioned nitro-cellulous paint, she came up beautifully when compounded and polished!  I couldnt believe the difference as it looked brand new.  I fell in love with that car as we went everywhere, with all my friends, the beach, the river, the mountains, great parties, what a great relationship!  She was my "Freedom Machine" and got me away from the mundane environment of the family home.  I remember just after I got her, I thought it would be a good idea to give her an oil change, so went to Repco and got a filter, some Penrite oil, which I thought was a good thing at the time.  I went and set everything up, undid the sump bolt and let the hot oil drain from the motor, then I started looking around to remove the oil filter, but couldnt find one!!  He he!  I eventually found the breather pipe which then made the "Penny drop".  These old 138 Holden motors didnt come out with oil filters back then.  This was before their time!  So there you are, as I always say, "I learn something new every day" and indeed this is true! 
This wagon of mine was originally found for me by a very dear friend of mine, his name was Michael McCarthy.  Mike owned a really nice, "ridgey-didge" (slang for 'original' here in Australia!) EH Wagon, which was coloured "Kalgoorlie Gold" and yes, Kalgoorlie is a gold mining town in Western Australia, hence the Holden colours being named after Australian towns at the time. The only small modification was the rims which were wider than original with radial tyres as these cars originally had skinny 'cheese cutter' tyres which were 'cross ply' and handled like crap!  He had original rims and hubcaps with chrome wheel trims which really actually made the car look really good.  It was a sort of cost effective trend at the time and many young folk were using this on their vehicles. 
Michael's family all owned EH Holdens.  His father to this day still owns a beautiful Aqua Blue EH Wagon.  Im not sure of the colours name though and his brother John owned an Emerald Green EH Wagon.  Mike and I used to "run amuk" in his wagon and had a wonderful time...Oh the old days ey??  Anyway, thats another story...he he...Until next time... OOOOO Rooo! xx

(This pic of Kalgoorlie Gold EH Wagon was copied from Car Point)

(I have copied this pic of the Penola Rose EJ Holden from oldholden.com which is a great site for Holden stuff!)

Toyota versus Holden & Ford in Australia in the 1960's.

I suppose the best place to start is to introduce myself to you as a female auto enthusiast.
Since a very early age I had a fascination for the motor car which has grown steadily right throughout my adult life.
I suppose my first love was my parents imported Toyota Crown from Japan. These vehicles were really a “cut above the rest” in their price range, as they had elements of “luxury” when in comparison to the popular Fords and Holdens of the time in Australia.
The Crown was a 1964 station wagon and I recall the steering wheel horn ring, as this was my favorite as a kid. Also the cigarette lighter which was in the back of the rear seat and situated in the ashtray compartment. These were things that just seemed to put the car somewhat at a different level to the others on the market at the time. Obviously the Toyota company was trying with all their might to introduce their vehicles onto the Australian Market, so had to go a step further to entice new car buyers of the era. Funnily enough, Toyota vehicles are the best selling vehicles in Australia today, which stems from the wonderful cost effectiveness and great value of these at their inception into Australia all those years ago. I do recall my father stating that these cars bodies had been dipped in a rust prevention product of some sort at the time, the evidence of this coming forth later on in the late 70’s when my parents purchased another Toyota Crown, a ‘67 model for a second car and when comparing it to the Fords and Holdens of the time, the bodywork was still stunning with no visible rust to be seen. Although I must admit, I am a bit of a “Holden Freak”, it was daunting to see the rust on the old HQ ‘s which were a little younger than the old Crown. I do recall the Crowns were released in Australia originally with a big 4 cylinder motor, then later on adapted to a 6 cylinder. They were certainly quite a “weighty” car, so the 6 proved to be a much better option. Well that just about does it for this installment. On one last note, all this stuff Im talking about is purely from memory of what I’ve heard or have been told in the past, but if you have something to add or correct, please let me know. Im always happy to have a chat and learn more about our wonderful motor vehicles..Until next time...OOOO-Rooo!
Luv
Monnii xx