Gasoline Heaven

Our visit to Gasoline Heaven was a trip down memory lane for the men folk of our caravan club over the weekend.   Situated on the main road just north of Carterton, we had driven past many times, often saying to ourselves, “We must go there one day.”  That day had finally arrived and we arrived at the car museum to see what was hidden away inside.  The $5 entrance fee seemed very reasonable to us.

Bob and Georgie Wilton began collecting automotive memorabilia in 2002, when they bought an old wooden oil box.  The collection grew rapidly, and outgrew their large garage, so they built Gasoline Heaven as a museum to house their treasures, and their own growing collection of cars.  Bob and Georgie have their own English Ford Zephyrs on show, and their dragster, as well as many other interesting vehicles on loan.

A huge collection of oil containers

Peter drooled over the white and orange 1957 Mark 11 Zephyr.  “I used to have one of those,” he said, “may I sit inside for a moment?”   Yes, if he was careful, was the reply.  Don joined him in the front seat.  Can you see the grins on their faces?

Peter and Don sitting in the Mark 11 Zephyr

The Wilton’s Dragster “The Bullet” looked very impressive.  Painted green and yellow, the 1969 Dragster has a Zephyr 3.0L VG motor.  Off to the side is a collection of old bikes.  Remember the bike with the large front basket that delivered the grocery orders?  There was one of those tucked in the corner, together with several pedal cars.  Wonder how many of our guys had a pedal car when they were children?

“The Bullet”

I noticed two large green Fords from earlier times.  One was a 1930 Model A Ford, and the other was slightly earlier, a 1928 Model A Ford Sedan.  Cars really made a statement in those days!

Two green Fords

Petrol pumps displaying brand names long discontinued were a talking point.  This brought back memories of all the different brands of petrol which used to be sold at petrol stations years ago.

Many other cars were parked outside the museum, including these two in dire need of restoration.  Is that an Elvis plate on that old blue Morris 8?  The yellow Holden ute beside is just as rusty and the pair may well be a lost cause for repair.

Sadly riddled with rust

There was an interesting mix of cars and memorabilia to see, and Gasoline Heaven is well worth a visit if you are in the vicinity.

Who is this masked man?