The Long
Way Home
Trevor flew halfway around the world to collect his first classic car, then spent two months and 8,000 miles saying goodbye to America in it. The Torch Red Thunderbird that now leads our tours has a better travel story than most of its passengers.
Photos: Classic Car Tours · As featured in New Zealand Classic Car, Sep–Oct 2026
Every car in our fleet has a story, but the 1955 Ford Thunderbird has the best one. It was Trevor’s first classic car, and possibly one of the best presented early Thunderbirds in New Zealand. Plenty of Americans tried to buy it off him before it ever made it here.
The love of cars goes back a long way. Trevor’s first vehicle was a 1974 Valiant Charger, and owning a genuine classic was always the plan. The search took him to the United States, and it ended in Washington State with Luther Wilson of Lost and Found Classic Cars, a family business in Mount Vernon that has dealt in classics, muscle cars and hot rods for more than 35 years.
A red car, collected on foot
In June 2024 Trevor flew to San Francisco, then on to Seattle, and made the rest of the trip to Bellingham by train and on foot. He arrived at the handover with nothing more than a small daypack, and introduced himself as the man there to pick up a red car.
The Thunderbird was every bit as good as promised. Its history was unusually easy to trace, too: it had lived in Washington State since new, and its previous owner had kept it for more than 45 years, having it done up for his wife. Somewhere along the way the original three-speed had been swapped for a 1960s BorgWarner T-10 four-speed with a Hurst shifter.
“I loved her at first sight.”
8,000 miles before the ship
Taking the scenic route
Most Kiwis who buy a classic in the States send it straight to a shipping container. Trevor went for a drive first. After a service, he spent two months driving the Thunderbird every single day, up into the mountains, through the forests and all over the Pacific Northwest.
The route read like a bucket list: the North Cascades, across the border to Vancouver, up the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler and over to Vancouver Island. Then back into the US and down the coast on Highway 101, through the rainforest of Olympic National Park, along the Oregon coast and among the giant redwoods of Northern California, before heading inland to Yosemite and finally handing the car over in San Francisco.
Best Overall Car in Forks
Driving a Thunderbird around America turns out to be a very public experience. Back home most people barely notice it. Over there it carries real memories and a whiff of Hollywood, and people treated it accordingly. Six of them tried to buy it. Some chased Trevor down the street. One customs officer on the ferry from Canada waved away his paperwork entirely, far more interested in whether the car was for sale.
The highlight came in Forks, Washington. The town was holding its 4th of July parade, so Trevor asked the organisers if he could enter. They said yes, and the Thunderbird drove away with Best Overall Car on the day.
Home in New Zealand
Finished in Hamilton
Once it cleared compliance, Trevor decided a very good car could be an exceptional one. Buying from a dealer who knew New Zealand’s standards helped. Luther has been over several times, Beach Hop included, and knows how strict compliance is here, so when he said this car would be good, Trevor could trust it.
The finishing work stayed local, with four Hamilton specialists:
- Dane at Gas Pedal Fabrication repaired the bodywork and made sure there was no rust anywhere in the car.
- Dilan at Concourse and Custom gave it a full repaint, keeping the original Torch Red.
- Scott at Elite Motor Trimmers rebuilt the whole interior: dashboard out, seats stripped and rebuilt, new door cards, panelling, instruments, and carpet throughout, boot included.
- Ryan at Autoproject NZ sanded the new paint to a fine finish, polished it, and sealed it with a ceramic coating.
Just cruising
The result is a genuinely stunning car, and Trevor drives it whenever the weather is good. Show season is next, with the Ellerslie Car Show on the list for this summer.
It isn’t alone in the garage, either. The same feature also covers Trevor’s 1966 Jaguar Mark II, a 3.4-litre saloon in white with chrome wire wheels and a leather-and-wood interior, and an early production 1964 D-Code Mustang he spotted for sale at Americarna in New Plymouth. These days the hardest part is choosing which one to take out.
Know this Mustang?
Trevor would love to learn more about the history of his 1964 D-Code Mustang, plate REC883. If it rings a bell, get in touch.
Now it’s yours for the day
Ride in the Thunderbird
The car that won over Forks now does its touring in the Waikato. Book it, chauffeur driven, for a scenic tour or as your wedding car from $200 an hour.
Take a Classic the Long Way
Chauffeur-driven tours and wedding hire across the Waikato, in the Thunderbird or any car in the fleet.