Local car enthusiast Joe Perakovic believes that the Burdekin is home to more muscle cars and old cars per capita than anywhere else in Australia and with a whopping 26 cars in his collection, he may just be right.
Joe and his wife Sue are active members of the Burdekin Cruisers Car Club, fuelling a passion for these machines that started at an early age.
“I’ve always had a love of cars since I was a young kid,” reminisced Joe.
“In my misspent youth, I used to hot them up, and I did an apprenticeship as a motor mechanic.”
Joe’s automotive chronicle unfolds through a trail of iconic rides – from his inaugural Valiant Charger to a fleeting tryst with a Holden Torana that he said “didn’t go too well”.
“After that, I kept with the Chrysler Pacers and then I went to Fords, and I’ve been working with Fords ever since,” he said.
His collection now proudly boasts a Ford XY Falcon GT, a Chrysler Valiant Charger 770, a Chrysler Valiant Charger E49, a Ford VJR Mustang and one of his many current projects is a Pacer that he bought almost four decades ago.
It’s the process of rebuilding cars that Joe finds the most therapeutic and rewarding.
“Growing up loving cars, it’s just something I feel at home with, and I really enjoy it,” he said.
“I look for something that’s kind of unique and something that, if you put a lot of hard work into it, you can make it worth your while.
“Getting them going is the most enjoyable part; when you start with something that you don’t even think is ever going to work and when the journey’s finished and it starts up, that’s the most enjoyable thing.”
Joe's involvement in the Burdekin Cruisers Car Club mirrors his passion for sharing his automotive escapades.
With monthly meetings, social drives through the region and organising vibrant car shows, he embodies the spirit of a community bonded by their love for classic cars.
Joe also extends his passion and advice with the public, whether at car shows or simply out and about.
“When you’re going down the Bruce Highway and you pull up at a petrol station and people take photos of the cars and have a chat with you, that’s another thing I enjoy,” he said.
“Nothing makes me happier than when people come and have a look at your car and say, ‘Wow’, or the kids say to their parents, ‘That’s the car I want’.”
“It’s a great hobby and, at the moment, any old cars that you can get a hold of, get them and do them up, because they are going to be worth a fortune in years to come.”
Burdekin car enthusiast Joe Perakovic
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