When Winston Chivell says his his Chrysler VE Valiant is reliable, he could be accused of understating the matter.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Winston first drove the car out of a St Arnaud car yard with 0.6 miles on the speedo after buying it brand new in 1968.
Since then he says it has done over one million miles, rounding up sheep on his Horsham farm and carting tractors from one end of Australia to the other.
Winston and his son Rustin brought the car out of the shed for the first time in 22 years for this weekend's Mid State Mopars Show and Shine yesterday, before taking a trip down memory lane.
"On the way back home to Horsham today we're going to the dealership – the shed’s still there – to get some pictures of Dad in front of his ute to replicate the day he bought it in 1968," Rustin said.
"We've done a patina (partial) restoration on it, but left the dints and scars to tell dad’s story."
The Chivells were just two of many to pack Bendigo's central business district for the ninth annual event which attracts Chrysler enthusiasts from across Australia.
Central Victorian Chrysler Club secretary Tracey Jones estimated up to 5000 motoring buffs turned out to check out the 329 Chryslers on display.
"We had a person from Tasmania, it was his first time this year and he's coming back next year with another car as well, and we had quite a few entries from South Australia," she said.
"We got more than last year which was good, and the weather held off which was even better."
Ms Jones said the event helped to highlight all that central Victoria had to offer.
"The overall feedback that we've had was that it was an absolutely great day and well worth the trip," she said.
"There was quite a few that had never been to Bendigo before and they were really happy and they'll be back so that's always nice to hear."
The event also serves as a fundraiser for local charities, with $1000 from each event going to the Marong SES and community radio station FreshFM.
