Download - New Zealand Automobile Association

DRIVERBIG DREAMSKim Newth meets a mechanic fascinated with American classic carsIS IT THEIR sleek fins, theirchrome or their sheer sizethat hook people into ‘goingAmerican’? Ben Johnson ofWaikuku has no idea how hefirst became obsessed with Americancruisers and muscle cars but, at lastcount, his backyard holds arounda dozen, ranging from Chevroletsof various makes and models to a1968 Dodge Charger, a PlymouthBarracuda and a Buick 1957 wagon.An immaculate turquoise and white1956 Chevy, which Ben purchasedin 2003 from a seller in Adelaide,is parked on the drive. Before Benworked his magic, this car had noengine and its paintwork and interiorwere very shabby. Now it driveslike a dream and looks superb.His workshop and garage spacehold an ever-expanding collectionof cars, as well as motoring signs,petrol pumps, car magazines,model cars and other memorabilia.Getting it all under cover is amission; Ben recently put up anotherroomy garage. His partner of 14years, Lorraine Stevens, acceptsa certain amount of overflow intothe house, with shelves of die-castmodel cars in the lounge.Ben grew up in Kaiapoi, north ofChristchurch, car mad from the start.He left school at 16 to take upan apprenticeship as a mechanic.A few years later, he’d saved upenough to buy his first 1938 Chevy.“There was no engine in it. It wasjust a body. In retrospect, it was a bittoo ambitious a project for me to takeon then,” Ben recalls, adding that thecar ended up being pulled to bitsand stayed that way.In 1998, he started working forPHOTOGRAPHY: GUY FREDERICK42 AA Directions Winter 2013