“I started to look for it, without success – there
were more false sightings than Elvis,” he laughs.
Mike’s health improved before taking another
dive, so he decided to track down his beloved
pick-up come hell or high water. What he did
know was that the ute was sold again in the
mid-2000s and sported new mods, including
different rims, deleted side trims, and frenched
headlights and aerial. So, while Mike and his
partner Flic continued the hunt, they also
acquired the missing parts. “I said to a mate:
‘Now that I own the S-Pack rims and the side
trims, the car will rock up,’” Mike smiles.
And it did. “Earlier this year I put a call out on
the Aussie Spinners Facebook page and was
contacted by a guy who had joined the pagetwo days before – he claimed to have the car,
though it wasn’t for sale.” After photos confirmed
the truth, Mike persisted, trying to strike a deal
to buy back what had become part of his DNA.
“SPINNA was in Coffs Harbour; the bloke had
always planned to modify it but never did. He
kept up the rego and sat it in a shed; that’s why
no one had seen it,” Mike explains as we stand
beside the once lost pick-up. “It looks mostly
unchanged, though it’s been repainted in the
original colour and graphics – I can’t believe
they kept it the same. Though I had a Wild Plum
splash at the bottom of the door and that’s now
gone. We have so many questions about what
happened during those missing decades.”
As it was sold less motor and trans, a 302ciWindsor backed by a C4 now motivates the
Cusso, though underneath, the suspension and
nine-inch remain as they were.
Inside is all 90s-spec, from the ’89 Nissan
Skyline seats trimmed in grey velour with aqua
vinyl piping to the VDO gauges and a glovebox
mural by Mike’s brother.
For now, Mike’s well and is reacquainting
himself with SPINNA, with plans to make up for
lost time. “I’ll leave the Windsor and C4, as that’s
part of the car’s history now,” he says, though
he’ll add more power if required. “I want to clean
all of the red dust out of it – it’s still in there from
Lake Gairdner – then I might re-hinge the bonnet
sideways. But I just really want to get out and
drive the bloody thing!” sIT LOOKS MOSTLY UNCHANGED, THOUGH IT’S BEEN REPAINTED IN THE
ORIGINAL COLOUR AND GRAPHICS. I CAN’T BELIEVE THEY KEPT IT THE SAME
066066 STREET MACHINE STREET MACHINE