Continuing the series by Jeff McClurg on members of the Central West Car Club and their fantastic vehicles, many of which have been restored to their former glory.
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Do you remember your first car?
John and Jacki Hutty from Dubbo do, and that’s the very reason they’ve restored this 1977 Holden HZ GTS.
When John and Jacki got married in 1980 the first car they bought together was a Flamenco Red HZ GTS.
They both loved that car and “drove the wheels off it” as they say.
The couple put more than 350,000 kms on it before parking it in the shed when John got a company car.
“The rats were starting to get into it and somebody had offered to buy it, so we let it go,” John said.
As John shook his head, he said he still regrets it.
The people who bought the car were going to restore it but instead they parted it out and got rid of the shell which John and Jacki were really disappointed about.
They have craved another Flamenco Red GTS ever since.
About eight or 10 years ago, this car came up for sale.
It was an original HZ GTS in need of full restoration, which John completed himself.
He is a mechanic by trade but also tackled the bodywork and paint himself.
Re-trimming the seats is the only thing he hasn’t done himself.
For John and Jacki the GTS ticks all the boxes – bar one..... it’s not Flamenco Red.
They debated painting this one red but decided to keep the original factory Super Mint Green colour which really stands out.
It’s a genuine 253 (4.2 Litre) V8 with a 4 speed transmission and widened GTS rims.
John even remembers having an exhaust made for their red car all those years ago, so he fabricated his own to match, and he reckons he’s pretty closely matched that same note.
The red car even featured in Street Machine magazine back in about 1986 John remembers.
The green GTS was completed about four years ago and although John and Jacki both agree that it’s their favourite, they’re still on the lookout for an original Flamenco Red GTS.
They own a few cars and they try to get the GTS out fairly regularly for a drive.
They’ve been members of the Parkes based Central West Car Club for about two years now and are also members of the Golden West Holden Owners Club in Dubbo.
For more about the CWCC you can search www.centralwestcarclub.com or follow the club on facebook.
The CWCC meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month at the Leagues Club at 7:30pm.
