Once the hot rod was sold, Michael began looking
and narrowed his search down to two cars — a
Dodge Coronet and a Mercury Cougar. While the
Coronet was his preferred choice, the immaculate
Cougar ended up being the one, and Michael has
zero regrets about that decision.
The Cougar signified a marked change in direction
for a man who has, in his time, owned his fair share
of more conventional pony cars.
“I’ve had 10 older Mustangs, 1973 and older, but
I don’t know if I’d buy another,” Michael tells us.
“They were something special back then but,
nowadays, not so much.”
That kinda explains the big block ’68 Pontiac Firebird
residing behind the Cougar — another ’60s pony
car based on a somewhat more common platform.
The Firebird is also the oldest member of Michael’s
current automotive family, as he’s had it for around
three years — although he’d had his eyes on it for a
whole lot longer.ITS PAINT IS MORE OFTEN
THAN NOT COVERED
IN ROAD GRIME
“I’ve been in the American Muscle Car Club for
around 20 years, and the Pontiac was there in the
early days, when I had a ’70 Mustang fastback,”
he explains.
He’d always admired the Pontiac, but it basically
dropped off the radar after its then-owner sold
it, before resurfacing for sale some time later in
Hawke’s Bay. It was quickly snapped up. When
it again came up for sale, in Palmerston North,
Michael jumped straight onto it — “The guy agreed
to trade it for a tunnel-rammed Z/28 Camaro [that]
I had, which was good, as I’d decided I was too old
for a tunnel ram!”
Though it’s in excellent condition, the Firebird
is beginning to show its age, and Michael plans
to restore it next year. The mechanical package,
which includes a 400ci big block and TH400
transmission, is solid, and Michael hopes that only
cosmetic restoration will be needed.
However, while the Pontiac may be up for
restoration, the 1973 Chev Cheyenne truck beside
it isn’t.
“I bought it sight unseen off Trade Me, as it was
being sold by Moorhouse Muscle Cars. I’ve actually
done that a few times before and haven’t been
caught out yet!”
The by-product of a comprehensive rebuild, this
truck looks far too nice to be used for its intended
purpose, so it may come as a surprise that Michael
does use it — and its beautifully refinished tray
— for hauling all kinds of stuff. In fact, the week
before we photographed his shed, he’d picked
up a big pizza oven with it — although you can
understand that dirtier stuff isn’t allowed anywhere
near it.
The truck isn’t normally this clean, either — with
a trusty 350ci small block under the bonnet and
a comfortably appointed interior, it gets driven
heaps, and its smooth red paint is more often than
not covered in dead bugs and road grime.