Are you looking for a new hobby? Here's one Anthony Suttor says you should dive right into.
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The Gnoo Blas Classic Car Show was held in Orange over the weekend and drew a huge crowd as countless car fanatics revelled in the display of vintage cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles.
One of those fanatics is Mr Suttor.
Mr Suttor is a vintage Fiat collector and longstanding member of the Gnoo Blas Classic Car Club who believes "there's not nearly enough people interested in cars" and that car collecting is the "ideal hobby" - especially for retirees.
"A classic car for someone who's retired like I am is the best possible pursuit you can have," he said.
"Keeping it clean and tidy is a hobby in itself."
Mr Suttor commends the club for its camaraderie and welcoming environment, which provides a social outlet for other like-minded people.
"It's an opportunity to look at each other's cars and appreciate them," he said.
"There's such a good variety of cars and there's no car snobbery within the club."
![Anthony Suttor with his vintage Fiat. Picture by Grace Dudley.
Anthony Suttor with his vintage Fiat. Picture by Grace Dudley.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/230870587/969dbb66-c7f6-4803-abea-3ca57c1d8db3.jpg/r0_287_2924_1904_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
With over 420 members, the Gnoo Blas Classic Car Club organises monthly runs, as well as the annual Classic in the hope of maintaining the spirit of the old Gnoo Blas Circuit that closed in 1961.
According to the club, the name 'Gnoo Blas' is an Aboriginal word meaning 'twin shoulders' and describes Mt Canobolas and Pinnacle Point situated behind the circuit.
The historic circuit, built in 1953, remains a significant landmark in motorsport history, and was used by famous car racers like Jack Brabham and Peter Whitehead.
Gerry Lister, an Orange resident, and Volvo devotee fondly recalls racing on the Gnoo Blas Circuit in the late 1950s.
![Gerry Lister with his vintage Volvo. Picture by Grace Dudley.
Gerry Lister with his vintage Volvo. Picture by Grace Dudley.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/230870587/1e20dba5-6a1f-4ddd-9e87-6c888daa5607.jpg/r0_358_3459_2266_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I raced there once when I was virtually a kid," he said.
"I was part of the pit crew and I loved it."
A decade later he raced in the first London to Sydney Marathon in 1968. Starting in London, the participants raced over 16,000 kilometres through Europe, Asia and Australia, eventually finishing back in Sydney.
His team came thirteenth place out of the ninety-eight cars entered, with their orange Volvo 144S, that he still owns until this day.
"There's only 28 of them left in the world out of the 98 ever made," he said.
"It's a lovely old thing and it goes like a rocket,"
Another car-enthusiast and retiree, Bob Blayden from the Hunter Valley showcased his 1959 little green Sebring replica at the classic car show for the first time.
![Bob Blayden with his Sebring replica. Picture by Grace Dudley.
Bob Blayden with his Sebring replica. Picture by Grace Dudley.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/230870587/b308cf01-4fb3-40e2-b3e6-a5d0dbb40f47.jpg/r203_0_2955_1963_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
His treasured Sebring came all the way from the United States in left-hand drive, but working in the auto industry he reconstructed the car himself.
He shipped the bonnet, windscreen and sides from the United Kingdom and since then he's driven it all around Australia.
"I'm a panel beater by trade, so I love tinkering," he said.
"And being retired it's great to come to Orange and see like-minded people together. It's lovely."