73 PHOTOS: 'Green machine' is city's sweetest ride

Readers vote Rick's 'Mistress' No. 1 in Ipswich

THIS is the sweetest ride in Ipswich.

That's according to our Facebook readers.

When it came to voting for the city's top motor in our recent online poll - 73 PHOTOS: Vote for Ipswich's sweetest ride - they went for this 1978 Holden Torana SLR 5000.

SWEET RIDE: Rick Ward's 1978 Holden Torana SLR. Picture: Rick Ward

When we asked proud owner Rick Ward what made his car special, he had a story to tell.

"I've had the Tori for about 15 years now," said Rick.

"She once belonged to a mate of mine. He was chasing a car for his family and at the time I had a CX Calais 5.7 litre.

"I went to his house and I really liked the look of 'the green machine', so we decided to do a straight swap.

"Today she's still pretty much how I got her; a 308 with a two-speed power glide, limited slip diff with a drop tank, roll cage, custom dash cloth interior, and pretty noisy... the cops love it!

"The only work I have done is to replace things when they needed fixing.

"And before my kids came along I named her 'the Mistress', as I used to spend more time with her than my not-so-understanding missus.

"Other than annoying the neighbours and taking it for a nice calm drive around the block, it doesn't travel much, just sits and collects dust," Rick said.

73 PHOTOS: Vote for Ipswich's sweetest ride

VIEW GALLERY

In a tie for second place was Cougar Corona's 1981 Toyota Corona and Tracy Barron's "oldie but a goody" 1955 Chevy.

"Growing up my family had a Corona wagon and I loved it so much I wanted the sedan for my first car," Cougar said.

"For a 38-year-old car she still runs beautifully and will always be a classic, currently restoring and upgrading it."

Congratulations to all our winners and thanks to all our readers who entered and everyone who voted.

You can see all the photos in the gallery above.