ABC wants old yarns about old cars

As the jingle once said, “We love football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars….”

Now the ABC is seeking Aussies to share their stories about their beloved car for a new social documentary series, Wide Open Road.

The series will tell the story of how cars transformed life in Australia, how they altered our relationship with the wide brown land and changed the way our cities operate. Researchers are seeking stories, photos and footage of key eras and experiences that have framed our social history.

The series will be directed by Paul Clarke (Long Way To The Top, Love Is In The Air, Bombora, Eurovision).

“After an initial wariness, Australians fell in love with the automobile,’ Clarke says. “The car arrived just as we were building the idea of Australia being a different, independent country. Cars got caught up in building Australia and became a vision for what Australia could become.”

“It’s impossible to imagine our popular culture without cars. Most of us remember the cars of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s Australia very fondly. We’re looking for people with great stories, footage or photos of their cars – the kind of people who lived for their cars, and treated it as a family member, or a shrine for dad to worship at. Whether you were a sharpie, a bodgie, a surfie or a ‘New Australian’, cars were key to all the youth subcultures. We would love to make your story part of this series.”

To contact researchers visit abc.net.au/tv/wideopenroad