NEWS FRONT
MAY 2018: ALL THE NEWS THAT MATTERS
STORY MATT REEKIES
ACRÉ bleu and strewth, mate! French
border officials have threatened to
destroy a classic Australian car they
say is a potential drug carrier.
The car’s owner, UK-based Aussie Travis
McKimmie, says the hoopla over his barn-find HG
ute would be almost funny, if it weren’t so serious.
“Ridiculous is the only way I can put it,” Travis
told SM. “If you were going to transport drugs
in Europe, would you really use something that
stands out as much as a rare Holden? It makes
no sense.”
At the centre of the controversy is a pale
yellow 1970 Holden Kingswood ute, which was
originally built in New Zealand and shipped to
the Netherlands by a private owner 12 years
ago, where it sat in storage until recently.
Travis got his hands on it via a Dutch mate and
arranged to have it transported to England so
he could restore it, but the car only made it as
far as the Channel Tunnel. A routine inspection
by French customs officials at Calais on 14
March uncovered 20.1 grams of cannabis in
the spare wheel that Travis believes had been
there throughout the ute’s 12-year hibernation.
“The first I knew, I got a text from thetransportation company saying: ‘Your car’s
been seized by French Customs. They found
drugs in the car!’” he explained. “I phoned up
French Customs and the guy basically told me:
‘We think it can be used for drug smuggling
so the car will be destroyed.’ That’s when I
started panicking.”
The French border patrol had imposed a
70-Euro fine for the weed and impounded the
ute for further scrutiny, where they discovered a
cavity beneath the rear tray that they reckoned
could be used to transport illicit drugs. The
gendarmerie is now threatening to say ‘Au revoir’
to Travis’s car and send it to the crusher!
“Their issue wasn’t so much finding
the cannabis, it was that these ‘hidden
compartments’, as they call them, could be used
for smuggling,” Travis said. “I’ve tried to explain
that this is a standard ute, but they don’t seem
to care about that.”
General Motors-Holden used station wagon
floorpans to build its utes as a standard cost-
saving practice from the mid-1950s to the
early 70s. The result was that its utes were left
with a gap in the underfloor at the rear, which
became a trouble spot for rust but otherwiseserved no purpose. Now it’s become a major
bugbear for Travis, who has written a passionate
letter to French officials explaining everything
from Holden’s manufacturing processes to his
lifelong love of HGs, but has yet to hear back.
“I’ve called French Customs a few times and
tried to explain the value of the car, because I
think they just see it as some old pick-up. It’s
not like I can just go and get another one; they
are rare, especially over here. I’ve sent them
photos of other Holden utes to show that this
is how they are put together. But it’s been two
weeks now and I have no idea when I might get
an answer.
“My wife is worried; she thinks if I start stirring
things up I might never get the car back, but I
just don’t know what else to do.” sHOLDEN’S FACTORY DRUG MULE?
FRENCH AUTHORITIES THREATEN TO CRUSH CLASSIC AUSSIE UTE DUE TO ITS FACTORY-BUILT
‘DRUG-SMUGGLING COMPARTMENT’
INSET: Originally from the small Victorian town
of Walwa, Travis has lived in England for 23 years
and takes pride in owning an HK Brougham, even
though it’s “pretty rough”. The HK was imported
in 1968 as a showcase vehicle for GM-H in the
UK. Travis has owned it for four years and it still
runs the original 307ci Chev small-block and
Powerglide, which he intends to transplant into
the HG when it finally (fingers crossed) arrivesTalk about an international cast – Aussie-born Travis
was trying to transport his NZ-built HG ute from Holland
to England when it was detained in France. Travis is
hoping the story doesn’t end there, as he has plans to
restore the old girl. “It’s perfect for a resto,” he said.
“The panels are fairly good, the floors are perfect, and
it’s already got a GTS dash in it!”