Ghost of Rock 'n' Roll George Kiprios rides again

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Ghost of Rock 'n' Roll George Kiprios rides again

by: Mark Hinchliffe From: The Courier-Mail August 02, 2012 12:00AM


Legend of the streets of Brisbane, George Kiprios, best known as "Rock n Roll George" with his 1952 FX Holden. Source: The Courier-Mail
BRISBANE'S most iconic car is once again prowling the city streets.

George Kiprios died in 2009, aged 82, after becoming a Brisbane icon driving his whitewall-tyred 1952 FX Holden around the city for almost four decades.

His faded cream car was bought in 2010 by Hutchinson Builders chairman Scott Hutchinson, restored and is now on show at the Queensland Museum. But Mr Hutchinson wanted the dream kept alive on the streets, so he had a replica built.

"The real one is in such bad nick, but the experts said we can't do any more to it because it's too historically and culturally significant," he said.




The replica is a faithful reproduction, from the girlie stickers and baubles on the windows to the fake stick-on whitewalls.

It was restored by Shaun Rogen from a 1952 Brisbane-built FX only four months older than the original.

Mr Hutchinson said it cost up to $40,000 to restore to running order, but wouldn't say how much the original cost to buy and restore.

"An original FX cost pound300; the same price in 1952 as a house in West End," he said.



Take a good look at the car in today's gallery

Mr Hutchinson remembers seeing Kiprios in Queen St in his youth.

"His car was significant in our history. Every adult our age has seen this car. The affection for it is huge," he said.

"It represents my love for everything Brisbane."

The replica will be on show on Sunday at the GreazeFest Kustom Kulture Festival at Rocklea Showgrounds.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/b...-1226440651607

[2011G6E]

Cooool Daddy-O...

It's good to keep motoring heritage alive like this. Thankfully the original is being left alone, but it's good for the young-un's to see how cars used to be modified.

Yes, it's good to see highly modified and modernised old cars, but every now and then it's good to see one modified the way they used to be modified...a veritable time capsule of the old way of doing things.

Our WB 253 ute is an example...though nowhere near a show standard example of course.
It's got no modified bodywork, it's got a mild 253 Holden V8 (no Gen-III or late model engine...although a Chev small block would have been OK), it's still got a kitted Trimatic and a ten bolt diff. Inside it has a t-bar shift from a HZ (back in the day no one but the well off could afford a Mr Gasket shifter or similar), and a GTS dash. No high tech EFI, just a single Holley carb, and a round chrome air cleaner...chrome tappet covers are about as flash as it gets under there.
The stance is another thing...it's got a fat set of 14" wheels, stiffer front springs and extra leaves in the back with gas shocks, but it sits pretty high...like back then. Cars were lowered...but it used to be pretty rare to see a lowered ute, no matter how much it was done up.

I suppose you could say, in an overall fashion, this is the ute I dreamed of being able to do up back in 1982 when I was 17.

Rock and Roll Georges car is a time capsule going even further back, and it does us all good to be able to see cars like this.

[LG17]

That's great the Scott Hutchinson was both willing and able to do that.
I can distinctly remember as a youngster, George cruising up and down Queen St all night in the 60's.

[66GT]

I also saw & chatted to George many times during the 80's in Queen St. I also worked around the corner from him in West End. He was always polite & keen for a chat. Hugh respect for this legend. This is great. Live on mate.

[Kevaclone]

Interesting that he was a legend etc. And a lot of people, Especially the Media, got almost as many miles out of him than he did out of his car
But did they put even one cent towards keeping him and his car on the road while he was alive???
Last time I saw the car in 2006 it was such a wreck and was almost underivable, The Mechanic at Highgate hill did all he could to keep it going but he told me the car was on it's last legs and George didn't have the money to fix it

Good to see someone finally did, too bad they waited until the old guy died