As a couple, Don and I tend to have very similar tastes. This sweet-looking outfit was a ‘Snap!’ moment for us. We both fell in love with it the instant we saw it.
We were both familiar with the EH Holden as it was one of the first models of Holden sold en masse in New Zealand. The Sunliner was launched on the New Zealand side of the Tasman as the Concord in about 1966, so we were familiar with the shape.
What appealed to us about this 1960 Sunliner were the wraparound front windows, its unusual streamline and, above all, the colour.
Looking at the exterior of this caravan, we were also taken with the original wheel spats and the wide whitewalls.The two drawbar-mounted spare tyres, complete with whitewalls, beauty rings and hubcaps, added to the attraction.
The attention to detail was obvious and we hoped the interior was going to be just as spectacular. We weren’t disappointed. The interior is colour-matched to the exterior and is just beautiful.
We both love seeing vintage crockery and fittings in a caravan. A special touch we both like is when modern fridges have been painted to tone with the interior décor, giving them a vintage look.
It is amazing how many people think these fridges are original fittings! After attending a vintage caravan show in Canberra some years ago, Toni mentioned to Glen that she wouldn’t mind owning a vintage caravan herself.
Toni’s sister saw the fully restored Sunliner on the Australian sales website Gumtree and alerted Glen. He then bought the caravan and hid it until Toni’s birthday. On the big day, Glen presented Toni with a number plate and said, “Here is your present!” She was delighted.
Since buying it, the couple have fitted new curtains, made some minor improvements, and purchased vintage crockery and period items for the caravan. After owning the caravan for a while, the lure of a vintage car to tow it kicked in.
They found the EH Holden around March 2017. Toni and Glen are the car’s third owners, the second owner having purchased it from his next-door neighbour, whose husband had bought it new.
The neighbour’s husband had passed away and she kept the car in the garage for many years. Apparently, she was too embarrassed to drive it because her friends gave her so much lip about her old car.
Quite a few Holden aftermarket accessories had been fitted to the car before it passed into Glen and Toni’s ownership. The Holden runs a 149-cubic-inch six-cylinder motor with the larger radiator from the 179-cubic-inch motor.
Glen has fitted a tow bar and heavy-duty springs to the rear of the car to improve its towing ability. This is another nicely matched combo that looks very period correct.
