Five environmentally friendly ways to use your car

13 May, 2015

In today’s increasingly environmentally conscious world, keeping an old classic car on the road is a genuinely responsible activity. You’re extending the usable life of the car — as classic car enthusiasts, we know that we can keep a good car on the road for at least a century-plus, as long as we look after it and treat it to a refurbishment every few decades or so.

By running a classic car for a long period of time — let’s say 20 years or thereabouts — we won’t be requiring as many modern cars. Remembering that over 20 years, an average motorist will ‘consume’ a car every two to three years. Even if the classic car of your choice is a thunderous, gas-guzzling, big block V8-engined muscle car, your environmental footprint will still be smaller than the bloke who whistles through up to 10 fuel-efficient modern cars over that same two-decade period.

However, there comes a time when some cars are simply way past their sell-by date; they’re too rusty, too expensive, or simply not worth the effort to restore. Such cars are inevitably scrapyard-bound, destined to end their days slowly rusting away in a landfill or, if they’re lucky, being processed and eventually recycled.

But it doesn’t have to be that way — help save the planet by adopting one of these DIY uses for that old rusty car sitting in the lean-to alongside your home garage.

1. Cook off

Of course, a car BBQ is an absolute must-have for the classic car chef. Cook up a storm for your mates and fellow car club members. Another bonus: you can hitch this one up to your classic car and take it to your next show. Chuck another prawn on the barbie, mate!

2. Flower power

You just can’t beat that old classic car back up — bunging in a few shrubs and flowers will turn any beat-up old car into a joy to behold.

3. A good night’s sleep

That’s guaranteed when you convert your favourite US cruiser into a stylish bed, especially when your bedroom’s been themed to match. Just make sure you get the nod from your partner before going ahead — otherwise you’ll be planning this one for your bachelor pad!

4. Shoot-’em-up

Tired of looking at the rusty old Mustang that you simply can’t afford to restore. Well, drag it out of your lock-up, get the gas axe out and convert it into a pool table. That’ll put the balls back into this pony car … right down one of the pockets!

5. Trailblazer

Finally, chopping off the rear end of that old Morrie cut any restoration work down by a big margin — no engine, gearbox, interior, or electric to work on. Result: a cool trailer to pull with your traveller.

The Great River Road

4 July, 2025

A few years ago my family, knowing my fondness for driving, gave me the book Unforgettable Road Trips: Thirty-Six Drives of a Lifetime by Martin Derrick. Most of the road trips listed take less than a day in places like Scotland, Monaco, and Australia, plus one in New Zealand. Most of these places were too far to go just for a short drive but four of them would take several days. My interest was piqued, and those four drives were added to the bucket list. To date, I have done three of them: ‘Route 66’ (USA 21 days), ‘State Highway 6’ (NZ 10 days) and ‘The Great River Road’ (USA 22 days). You can drive all of them in less time, but you could also fly over them. We wanted a decent immersion in their charms.
The great river referred to is the Mississippi. While the name conjures the deep south, the river actually starts at the bottom of the great lakes, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico about 3800km later. The great road is more of a concept than a specific strip of tarmac, as you can drive down either side of the river on various routes. Regardless of which side you drive, time should be kept aside for detours to places such as Nashville, which is famous for something or other.

A diamond in the rough

24 June, 2025

Two years ago, Lew finished a thorough restoration and the impressive ute has taken on a new life and colour. Lew plays down the amount of effort required but, despite his protestations, I suspect he put a lot of time into the project. A few unwanted tenants were evicted along the way.
“It didn’t take me long. There had been mice living in the firewall, which had caused a bit of damage. It apparently broke down and was pushed into a shed. It was 20 years to the day when I pulled it out and it sat in my other shed for 3 years before I started on it. That’s why it’s in such good order — it’s been kept in a shed for so long and still is.”