May Car of the Month 2025
Will and Louise Rogers 1928 Overland Whippet
Photos by Tim Shellshear and Jeremy Morris
Life of the Whippet 6 Cylinder Tourer
The car was manufactured in 1928 and fitted with a Holden Buggy Co Tourer body. The car was purchased new by my Grandfather Percy Burn, along with his wife Lucy Burn. Percy was known to his grandchildren as Pop. Read on below.
Life of the Car
The car was manufactured in 1928 and fitted with a Holden Buggy Co Tourer body. The car was purchased new by my Grandfather, Percy Burn, along with his wife, Lucy Burn. Percy was known to his grandchildren as Pop.
1929 The car was delivered by Rail to Newcastle, & driven to Manila NSW. Pop purchased the Car as he neared retirement and took it on trips throughout NSW: Tenterfield to Sydney and Pambula, where he owned an Oyster lease, and on to Parkes. He also enjoyed gold fossicking and had a lab in our backyard.
Eventually, Pop moved to Parkes and lived with our family, and this became the home for the Whippet. Pop would take us on joy rides. I remember driving to Peak Hill, all of 50.5 kms away, and Pop used to say we are off to Hong Kong, but somehow we never seemed to reach Hong Kong.
As kids my Father and Pop would drive us to Forbes to view the floods, we thought this to be a great adventure. We would take the Whippet instead of the Chev because the Whippet was a little higher.
1953 The car was stored in an open-ended Nissan Hut in the backyard at Parkes. It then became a cubby for us kids and eventually a home for snails, rats, mice and the dog. The dog eventually fell through the roof.
1963 I asked my Father if he would like me to have it restored, and his answer was “if you ask me to drive it from Parkes to Orange, I would take the Ford ‘Any day’, so it sat for another 20 years.”
1983 My Sister and I inherited the car; and both our Husbands decided to trailer the car to Sydney, so Roseville became home for the Whippet, and it was here the restoration started with the help of family.
1983 The first outing for Whippet, now called Percy, was to Castle Hill Showground in 1983. Percy travelled on WORK club plates. Car restoration took 3 years.
1986 1st Family wedding using the restored car, but at this stage it had no hood or roof, and believe it or not, there was a slight shower, so an umbrella became part of the car.
1986 The Whippet was driven by my Brother-in-law in the Bicentennial Rally from Melbourne to Canberra . We met him and his family in Canberra.
The car was housed with my Sister in Pambula, and the car was used for weddings and picnics.
1998 The Car came back to Sydney, and it has been used for Weddings, Picnics, Birthday parties, and a Gatsby party.
2022 VSCC Hunter Rally
~ Louise Rogers