Mr Mooneyes

Bill Warner Snr was 'Mr Mooneyes', the man who brought the iconic American hot road aftermarket brand to Australia, but it was Bill Warner Jnr who drove the Mooneyes Super Modified on the track.

Story: James Cockington

Just as Eddie Thomas set up Melbourne’s first speed shop, Bill Warner created Sydney’s hot rod heaven on Bronte Road, Waverley. It was Bill Warner Snr who became the Australian distributor for Mooneyes speed equipment from California, and he could sell you a complete Corvette engine if you had enough cash. Warner’s son, Bill Warner Jnr, must have been the luckiest teenager in town. With help from the old man, he built up Australia’s first Corvette-powered speedway hot rod in the early sixties - plus, he got to drive it while wearing an official Mooneyes shirt under his Yakkas.