My 1966 HR Holden

He has completed a year-long rebuild of a classic 1966 HR Holden - the car his father-in-law and WWII Kokoda veteran  Arthur James Bell (Jim) owned for 40 years.  While he loves Holdens it was as much a work to keep the car in the family and pay tribute to the war veteran's heroic deeds.

The HR Premier sedan with its 186 red motor and Powerglide 2-speed auto transmission was sold new in Sydney by dealer C.V. Holland.  It was painted bronze but its first owner had it resprayed in a distinctive lime light green from Chrysler's paintchart.  Tesoreiro says: "It was a very unusual colour. It was a colour Chrysler used on the Charger in the 1970s."

When Bell became its second owner it had done about 3000 miles (5000km). It became their family car.  Bell had owned an FB Holden earlier but the HR was to become his pride and joy.  "For the best part of 40 years it was the only car he owned."

By 2006 when Bell couldn't drive it anymore Tesoreiro says he was given the car to restore.  "I asked him if I could restore it. He said he'd love that to happen."  While the engine was in good shape the body needed work and it no longer had much of its original interior.

Tesoreiro says the car was stolen in the 1970s and the thieves stripped out every part of the top-of-the-range Premier equipment. The front bucket seats, rear seats, the steering wheel, badging and wheel caps were among items pinched before the car was recovered.

They were replaced with standard model parts so Tesoreiro now needed to replace them with the Premier gear.  "A lot of  parts came out of a wrecker in Newcastle. I also sourced a lot of parts from eBay and local wreckeers."

Extensive trim work was also carried out.  One of the biggest jobs was re-painting the car.  Tesoreiro gave the HR its third different colour scheme, opting for his favourite shade of Fowler's cream rather than the earlier bronze or green.

"That colour, I've always liked that."  He says the resoration cost about $10,000.  "It was all done in a year. I didn't have to touch the motor. It still drives beautifully.  It's done 89.000 miles. Jim was very fastidious about servicing the vehicle. Mechanically when I got the car, it was in very good condition."

Tesoriero says he was determined to get the restoration done to remind Bell how it had looked when he first owned it.  He says the job was about 80 per cent completed when Bell died in January 2008.  Bell was part of the 3rd Australian Infantry Batallion that fought on the Kokoda track in New Guinea.

Tesoreiro says he was part of a three man decoy missionin October 1942  when they came under attack.  "He was badly shot in the arm and he was carried off the track by the fuzzy-wuzzies."

Bell was  brought home and spent 15 months in the Concord Repatriation hospital before being discharged from the army in 1944.  He later became president of the Kingsgrove RSL and was involved in the creation of the Kokoda memorial at Concord.

Tesoriero says Bell's efforts inspired him to complete the restoration work.  "He was a Kokoda digger in New Guinea, Part of the restoration was respect for that legacy."  He says the car won't be put up for sale anytime soon.  "I am hoping it will always stay in the family. We really don't want this car sold."

Tesoriero says the car is valued at between $15,000 and $18,000. He says HR values are rising.  "The car is starting now to have a bit of a growth spurt.  "People have begun to seek out some older classic cars, the old Holdens."  The HR was one of the biggest selling Holdens of all time.  Its distinctive lines made it a stand-out of its day and it is beginning to be appreciated again.