Morrie Mathews, apprentice panel beater and a bit of a bodgie, was a regular spectator at Tracey's Speedway until he decided to build up his own speedway Hot Rod. These cars were the big thing at the time, with over 30 turning up at the speedway most weeks. The earliest Australian stock cars were reinforced with barwork inside and out so they resembled mobile battering rams, but the Melbourne rods were built for speed.

Morrie chose a 1934 Ford as the starting point, stripped it down to the chassis and transplanted a Mercury V8 he found at the local wreckers. The Merc was the motor of choice and his was stock standard. No one could afford to import the hot bits from America at that stage. One Melbourne trademark were the neat discs welded onto the hubs. These were recycled plough shares, used to stop axles snapping when the cars banged wheels.

Morrie remembers his first few races all too well.

“I was petrified and of course the rookies got to start on the grid in front of the McCubbins (the experts) etc. Well, I was nudged into a spin on the first corner, stalled the motor, which I couldn’t get started and sat the entire race out facing the oncoming traffic. Eventually got cleaned up and towed off. What a night! The second attempt next week was worse. I was a very good friend of the late Ken Howard and I had just finished doing a red paint job on his new modified. Well this time I got smart and asked for the rear position, unfortunately I had motor problems and it wasn’t long before I was in front again, or was that one lap down? I’m sure it was the same guy that nudged me last time that got me a second time. He sent me into and up the fence onto the safety wire, taking out the electrics to the place on the way down.

I rolled three times, coming to rest on top of Kenny Howard’s new but now very old and sad looking modified.

I felt like I had really made it in life when I heard the applause from the crowd when I dragged myself out from the wreck. Memory Lane, yeah!”

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