Chev Biscayne

What do these 2 photos have in common? Well they are of the same car. My old 1958 Chev Biscayne. I had lots of Chevs including, among others the '55, '56, '57, and '58. All of them were my dad's hand-me-downs. All of them were Australian assembled so they all had the six cylinder Blue Flame motor and 3 speed manual box. The rugged old Blue Flame really started life in the 1929 Chev International and went through to the early sixties in Australia, and ending up powering early Toyota Land Cruisers. I even remember one in a Bolwell Mark 5 in Melbourne. Today, everyone who owns an Aussie Chev from 1955 onwards seems to fit a V8 and pretend they are something that they're not which is a pity.
When Mel Gibson finished at NIDA, his first film, as far as I am aware, was Summer City. This was shot in NSW coastal towns and was about some surfers getting about in the Chev and causing mayhem. Halfway through shooting, their Chev got knocked off and set alight. In order to finish the movie, they needed another one and as I was thinking about selling mine, sold it to them for $500 which was a good price although I was lamenting the fact that they painted it matt black over the beautiful green and cream paintwork.
Mel Gibson's wife was from Adelaide and one of their houses was in Unley, just around the corner from where I used to live. Some of their kids even went to Unley Primary School intermittently I believe. Anyway, I ran into him one day, buying a chicken in Johnny Mac's Chicken Shack in Duthy Street. (Yes, the Pink Champagne Johnny Mac, who was also famous for getting around in an ex-Elvis Presley Cadillac, complete with bullet holes in the door.) Back to Gibson, I mentioned the Chev to him. He seemed rather unimpressed but what he did say, was did I have a copy of the movie. "Yes" says I, and he says "I'd burn the bloody thing if it were mine". (or something to that effect, it was a long time ago).