My Pontiac Collection

Paul Halter, 54, of North Arm on the Sunshine Coast, got his nickname from years of converting American cars, mostly Pontiacs, to right-hand drive.

He claims to have restored, converted, sold, and owned 600 cars over the years, and now has a dozen cars in his backyard and shed, as well as several comrades-owned restoration projects. “I have been collecting cars all my life,” he says. “When I got married 35 years ago, my wife threatened that if I got more cars, she would leave me. She is still here.

Holter got his first car when he was 11 years old. “My dad bought a Mk V Jag, sold the tires and battery, and gave the rest to me,” he says. "I sold it and bought a '48 Ford Prefect for $40."

His everyday cars are 2005 CVZ Monaro, 2007 Holden Rodeo and 2008 Honda Civic, while his collectible cars include 1976 Chrysler VK Valiant Hemi, 1968 Pontiac Firebird Convertible, 1959 Plymouth Suburban sports wagon, 1960 Pontiac Ventura, Chrysler A 1962 S-series Valiant and a 1983 Pontiac Trans Am racing car.

He bought a Trans Am for $2000 and turned it into a race car, removing the 305 Chevy engine and four-speed automatic transmission and replacing them with a 5.7-liter Commodore III generation V8 engine, Tremec six-speed transmission, and adding a GT-R. Skyline rear suspension and brakes. It claims to put out about 350 hp to the rear wheels.

His current project is a Plymouth, which he bought two years ago for $8500. It has nine seats, including a back-facing row. He leaves it left hand drive but swaps out the engine for a 440 V8 he bought online. “I don’t know what all this will cost,” he says. “I would rather not know because it could be costly.

"It's all the little things you need to buy that add up." He's spent up to $40,000 over the past six years on a loving Ventura restoration he bought for $11,000 and plans to spend about $30,000 "or something like that" on the S Series Valiant. "When you do it little by little, it doesn't feel so expensive," he says.

He plans to equip the Valiant 225 six-cylinder engine with fuel injection and turbocharging. “Its power is 145 hp. (108kW), but I think I can push it to the mid 300s,” he says. “I do all the mechanical work myself, but the interior, paint and body work is done by experts.”

Holter is a trained train driver who moved from Victoria to Queensland 21 years ago and started his right hand drive conversion business. He also had a business importing Nissan Laurel pillarless four-door sedans with rear-wheel drive, but found that compliance laws changed too often. He bought the Autobarn franchise six years ago and another one a year later.

Business must be going well because Holter was able to satisfy his interest in American cars by making several trips to the US to buy cars and ship them home for rework and restoration.

And Holter is always looking towards his next project. He is currently considering trading his Firebird for the Grand Prix and has always had a soft spot for the Valiant Charger, though he finds them too expensive these days, some reaching $300,000.