Handsome Humpy

It’s been described as the Rolls Royce of ‘Humpy’ Holdens. Which pretty much sums it up – because in the case of Peter Mather’s beautifully restored FJ model Holden historic touring car, the old cliché holds true: this car is so good it needs to be seen to be believed.

Story: Steve Normoyle

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In summary

Peter Mather's FJ Holden is a genuine Improved Production Touring racer from the early 1970s, raced only by the man who restored it.
Bought back as a rusting shell for $280 in 1987, the car underwent a painstaking four-year restoration starting in 2000.
The restoration reunites Mather's home-made steering wheel and original tacho with the old FJ.

Peter Mather’s immaculately presented FJ Holden is a wonderful tribute to the huge contribution the old 1950s-era Holdens made to the development of touring car racing in this country. But this is not a tribute car, nor a replica racer.

This is an original race car, restored by the only man who ever raced it.

What makes this rare surviving ‘early girl’ Holden racer even more unique is its unusual racing history. Unlike most of the 48-215s and FJs that raced back in the day, this one is not a track veteran from the 1950s, and nor is it from the Appendix J era (1959 to the end of ’64). Nor was it a Sports Sedan, which was what became of most of the early racing Holdens in the late ‘60s and into the ‘70s, as the hands of time rendered them increasingly less competitive.