WARR MACHINE

NIGEL WARR HAS BUILT A BIG-CUBE, BIG-BLOCK HQ UTE FOR HAULING ARSE

- BORIS VISKOVIC

I’M A bit of a sucker for HQs, so I’ll always stroll up to one to check it out, especially if it’s in the Elite lane for judging at Summernats. That’s where I initially spied this stunning HQ ute. One of the first things I noticed was the beautifully detailed engine bay, chock-a-block full of 615 cubic inches of big-block Chevy.

Most likely, the first thing your eyes will be drawn to are the engraved rocker covers advertising Shields Garage, but don’t go looking for it in your local directory, because Shields Garage is basically a really well-equipped shed created by West Aussie Nigel Warr.

“When I built the workshop, the intention was just to build some cars for me or my son, and an HQ ute was on top of the list. A couple of mates use it from time to time, too,” says Nigel.

The ute was actually spotted for sale in South Australia and it just so happens that Nigel has some business interests over there.

“I was looking online and it was for sale about five minutes from one of our shops, so I said to my operations manager: ‘Get this bloke out to the workshop, put it on the hoist, and if it’s good, just buy it off him and give him an Uber to get home.”

As it turned out, the car was just about perfect. It had a little bit of rust in the corner of the windscreen opening, and the left-hand floor was rusted where the heater had been leaking for 20 years. But there was nothing in the doors, quarter panels or front guards. As Nigel puts it: “It was unbelievable. This car was original.”