Picture: Byron Peszko
Byron Peszko
Local Ipswich citizen Peter Baxter has actually long been connected with Ipswich, maturing in the location given that he was 11. Over the years, Peter has actually collected over 20 Ford Falcons in his collection.
Mr Baxter admits initially he wasn’t a Ford Falcon fanatic, not to mention a Ford fan, however it’s something his bros opened his eyes to.
“I’m neither a Ford nor a Holden fan nowadays. My brothers Robbie and Dave were really interested in drag racing growing up. I always sponsored them and they did really well on the drag racing scene here in Australia,” Mr Baxter said.
We constantly raced Fords and regardless of common belief, they were rather a simple car to get to go rather quick. That’s perhaps why I entered into Fords.”
Mr Baxter’s Ford Falcon collection is immersive filled with abundant history and he has a story about each and every single among them.
“I’ve got an XK Falcon, I’ve got an XM, I’ve got four XPs, the list goes on,” he said.
“I purchased my very first 3 Falcons off a late friend of mine about twenty years back. He owned a transmission shop up in Brassall and was offering 3 Ford Falcon hardtops. I gradually did them up and had the ability to reveal him among them I had actually spruced up one prior to he handed down.
Before obtaining his variety of Ford Falcons, Mr Baxter operated in different car lawns and workshops around the Ipswich location prior to deciding on opening a car dealership in Brisbane Street in 1974.
“My dad was a bit of a car buff way back then and I just took over from him, he actually sold cars in the early days. Previously I had a go at selling cars next door to my dad’s shop at Bundamba but soon after the local council chased us away. It was different days back then compared now,” Mr Baxter said.
“I did my apprenticeship earlier on and had a few scattered jobs in the meantime. I couldn’t work out what I wanted to do. In 1968, some mates and I had a shed we rented and we did mechanical repairs and spray painting. I tried to fix up a few cars and sell them, and it worked.” Mr Baxter said.
“I started in the yard in 1970. It was in the block that Llewelyn Motors has now. I rented off the gentleman who owed a couple properties there. In 1974, I bought the car yard in town opposite Bob Jane T-marts and was there till around 2011. I was the licenced dealer.”
As well as operating in a car dealership, Mr Baxter ran taxis in Ipswich for a time period.
“I had taxis here in Ipswich for a long, long time. If you a had a Falcon with LPG, it was on a cab or doing high mileage. You’d be silly not have it on gas.”
“They used to save me $25 a day, that was a huge amount of money. The gas used to cost about two grand to put on. So, in two months or so, it’d be payed for.”
When asked what his preferred car out of the present collection he had was, Mr Baxter reacted “I haven’t got one. I love them all.”
Looking forward, Peter is quite happy with his present collection and doesn’t appear too phased to include another one to it.
“I haven’t got a lot of favourite cars out there I’d like to acquire. Maybe a Lamborghini,” Mr Baxter chuckles.
Peter and his spouse Judy live a quieter life in retirement after residing in their regional Ipswich property for over 38 years and nowadays assess their time residing in Ipswich.
“It’s a great place to bring up my children, I can assure you that. I just think I like Ipswich because despite popular belief, it’s a very progressive area. 65 years or so that I’ve been here, it’s been magnificent the way it’s changed, for the better,” Mr Baxter said
