Bay to Birdwood: Family's Treasured Car to Take Part in Historical Rally

A family's treasured car is set to take part in the Bay to Birdwood historical car rally, a yearly event that celebrates the region's rich automotive history.

Trent Truran and his daughters, Eloise and Maya, will be bringing his grandfather's 1973 Holden HQ Kingswood to the parade of historical vehicles that winds its way from Glenelg to Birdwood. This will be the fifth time the family has participated in the event.

A Family Heirloom

The HQ Kingswood has a special place in the family, having been purchased by Mr Truran's grandfather in 1975 after it had spent two years as a company car for Phillips Electrical. The car has traveled extensively across the state, often visiting Mr Truran's uncle in the Riverland, who was the publican at Morgan.

The engine is the only non-original part of the car, with Mr Truran's grandfather replacing the original 202 Trimatic when it kept overheating.

"Grandpa used to always say it used to get hot about Mount Mary and he'd have to pull over and have a beer while the car cooled down at the Mount Mary Hotel," Mr Truran said.

A Nostalgic Appeal

Almost 500,000 HQ Kingswoods were made in the 1970s. Bay to Birdwood director Dane Wilden said finding one in original condition was becoming more difficult.

The Bay to Birdwood has been running since 1980, and Mr Wilden said there had been a shift in the era of cars being entered. In the 1980s, many of the cars entered had been built in the 1940s and 50s. Now, in the 2020s, many of the cars being entered are from the late 1970s and 80s.

"It is like a big wedge, square wedge of cheese, but it's fantastic," Mr Wilden said.

A New Addition

The Truran family is hoping to add to the sense of nostalgia at this weekend's Bay to Birdwood events, having recently purchased a 1975 FJ55 LandCruiser, the same model driven proudly by Mr Truran's father.

"I saw my sister smile and that was it. I was done," Mr Truran said.

If the LandCruiser gets the mechanical all clear, it will be making its way to Birdwood on Sunday, behind the HQ.