SAR Number Two — Paul and Leigh Richards’ 1975 restoration

Father and son Paul and Leigh Richards preserve a rare part of Australian trucking history by restoring the second SAR built in 1975.

Words by Chris Smith. Photography by Greg Forster.

For father and son restoration team Paul and Leigh Richards, their recently completed project serves as a time capsule which will be enjoyed for many years to come.

Now branded as Richards Trucking, the Kenworth SAR has a rich provenance. It is the second SAR out of the original 10 that was built in Australia in 1975.

Both father and son share the story with Australian Custom Trucks and quip “We’re big fleet operators and if you turn around you’re looking at the only truck we have,” they laugh.

For the dynamic duo the project was six years in the making and on its very first outing it won Truck of the Show at the Castlemaine Truck Show.

“It’s come a long way in six years considering we only had a Saturday or Sunday to work on it,” says Leigh.

“It’s a credit to dad, he’s got nothing to do with trucks, he’s an electrician by trade.”

I admit the SAR is eye catching however probably not apples for apples going up against the hardworking trucks that make their way to the Castlemaine truck show each year.

Just for the sake of all involved get a separate category for recently completed restorations…those trucks that should never be forced to work.

That aside, its restoration is as impressive as its history with the truck having clocked up the miles as a working unit in its former lives.

“It was built for a bloke called Ernie Walhert from Glenroy in 1975 and was used as a fuel carter for Shell,” Leigh explains.

Since Ernie’s ownership the SAR has had five owners before Leigh and Paul.

They say the truck was found by mistake, we reckon it was pure unadulterated luck.

“I was going to Lara to feed my mate’s goats while he was overseas, and on the way I saw the shed door open at AUS Crane Hire, with the back of this truck hanging out, so I just went and asked the bloke what it was, tell me a bit about it and before we knew it, we had purchased a truck.

“The owner actually had it sitting in his tin shed as a project for himself and his son, they just never got the time to do it,” adds Paul.

It literally went from one father and son to another.

They say that it was the call to Paccar that really gave them an idea of what they had found.

“We rang the Kenworth head office in Bayswater and that’s when we found out the true history behind the SAR,” says Leigh.

That’s when they learnt it was No.2 out of 10 SARs that were built at the Bayswater Factory in 1975.

They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words and the imagery provided gives a magnificent portrayal of the effort put into restoring the truck.

The majority of the work was carried out by Paul and Leigh who completely stripped it down to a pair of chassis rails before building it back up.

The only thing that they got done off-site was the paintwork which was done by TFI Group, VIC.

“Dad was working at TFI at the time as a truck mover and TA,” explains Leigh.

They kept with the original running gear, a 6V92GM motor mated to a 13-speed Eaton box.

Ron Sinclair in Bayswater, a retired GM mechanic, fully rebuilt the motor.

“Now he’s out of retirement because he did such a good job, everyone wants him to work on their engines. It’s a credit to him.

He’s that fussy,” they explain.

They are happy with the response the SAR has received and say it won’t be a working truck as they prepare to enjoy the show circuit.

“It’s purely just a show truck. Just a bit of enjoyment,” Paul and Leigh conclude.

Rear Vision: where are they now?

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