Tony Pryce is remarkably calm for someone who saw his pride and joy - a baby blue 1949 Holden FX - partially dismantled to fit through the doors of the National Archives of Australia building in Canberra.
"No worries at all," he said with a smile.
The mudguards and back bumper bar had to come off the car to get it through the archives' front doors so it could sit in the foyer, ready for Friday's official opening of the new exhibition, Rear vision: the Holden collection, a homage to "Australia's own car".
Mr Pryce, 80, from Macquarie, has owned the Holden 48-215 (FX) since 1990, buying it in pieces and then restoring it to pristine, working condition.
The Holden 48-215, also known as the FX, was the first car manufactured in Australia.
Mr Pryce calls his car "Ben", in honour of Ben Chifley, who was prime minister at the time the car was manufactured and who unveiled the first vehicle as it rolled off the production line in 1948.
Mr Pryce's car was manufactured soon after, in 1949, and is the oldest Holden registered in the ACT.
He has driven the restored FX as far as Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. In everyday life, he drives a Holden ute and his wife June drives a Holden Commodore she's had for 30 years.
Ask him why he likes Holdens and Mr Pryce says: "They've just been so reliable for me".
"The first car I ever bought was a '50 model Holden when I was 17 and this is '49 so it's very close to my first one," he said.
Mr Pryce is not alone. Australians love a Holden. The company produced almost 7.7 million vehicles in Australia, including the Torana, Kingswood, Sandman, Monaro and Commodore.
Holden was founded in 1859 by James Holden as a saddlery manufacturer in Adelaide. The iconic vehicle was produced in Australia from 1948 to 2017. General Motors then retired the Holden marque in 2021.
Now, fans can explore its history up close, through, Rear vision: the Holden collection.
The exhibition, created by the State Library of South Australia and University of Adelaide, has travelled to Canberra and features artefacts, drawings and images from its Holden archives.
Rear vision is complemented with records from the national collection including patents, advertising, industrial relations files and stories of women fighting for equal pay.
The exhibition also includes the first and one of the last engines made in Australia by Holden and tells the story of Holden's critical involvement in the World War II effort.
Twelve Holdens across the generations from the Canberra Classic Holden Club also descended on the archives on Thursday to promote the exhibition. They ranged from a 48-215 to a 1977SLR LX Torana.
Also there was Richard Ferlazzo, who worked for Holden for 32 years, ending as a design director and "turning the lights off in 2020".
"I was involved, in some way, in designing every Commodore since 1988, the Caprice, the Statesman, Monaro," he said.
Mr Ferlazzo, 64, was in Canberra to share his involvement with the company as part of the exhibition.
"I'm very proud. Excited and proud," he said.
"Especially when you see these cars all lined up. It shows the impact the brand has on the community. People are proud to own them, polish, keep them going, keep the stories alive.
"We can be very proud. The automotive industry in Australia, not just Holden, achieved a lot and Australians can truly be proud of it. We punched above our weight, for sure."
National Archives of Australia director-general Simon Froude said it was very keen to secure the exhibition from South Australia.
"It tells a really good story and I think a story of Australia's social history," he said.
"Holden plays such a big part in the lives of so many Australians."
This free exhibition is open until October 11, with daily gallery talks for visitors keen to discover the stories under the bonnet.
