Purebred orchids

Orchids are renowned as a beautifully flowering plant which can be grown from the stem. This lovely pair of ‘Orchid Metallics’ weren’t created by that method – they were in fact made in a Holden factory – but they share identical Holden DNA and are a matching pair in all respects apart from one of them being a Sandman panel van and the other a Monaro GTS four-door. These painstakingly restored orchid-hued HQs make for a very rare twin-set of Holdens.

Story: Steve Normoyle

Being employed as a ‘fly-in, fly-out’ (or FIFO) worker is not for everyone. The workload in these kinds of roles is usually pretty hard going, and by definition the job means long spells away from friends and family. But for those who can handle all that, the lucrative pay rates make it a very attractive employment option.

Michael Pietrariu did 20 years of FIFO work in the oil and gas industry in Western Australia. The financial rewards of such a long FIFO stint allowed him to indulge his passion for old cars – and 1970s Holdens in particular.

He ended up owning several old Monaros and Toranas, and other cars, some of which he gradually restored himself during rare moments at home.