A Sick Ward Chevy That Steers Different
Roy Gayler’s something of an international man of mystery. He’s a New Zealander by birth, lived in Australia for two decades of his life, then moved to the other side of the planet to take up residence in South Carolina.
As a classic car fan, you’d think he would have found something nice to drive once he was on American soil to drive. Instead, he brought over his own machine, a right-hand drive ’55 Chevrolet.
“A buddy of mine bought it in Tuscon and took it to Australia,” he said. “It was worn out. I bought it off him in about 1997, and we rebuilt it, me and my brothers and friends. It’s a mates-built car, it’s a typical Australian way of doing things.
“We did the conversion (to right-hand drive) when we rebuilt it. At the time it was my every day car and you couldn’t drive a left-hand drive car every day in Australia; it’s illegal. In January 2001, we put it in a container and it came back to the US.”
A limited number of Sick Ward spots are still available for Sick Week 2024 Presented By Gear Vendors Overdrive. Enter now at TheFOAT.
Roy was relieved that things were a bit more relaxed in the states, and that he would not have to change the car back to left-hand drive once it reached American shores. We also suspect he enjoys the looks and double-takes the car gets going down the road, although he vehemently denies it.
“Everybody makes a big deal about it. I go out of my way to explain to them I didn’t do it for fun, I didn’t do it to grab attention, it was just the way the shit worked out. But it’s been a great car, it’s done 160,000 miles since it’s been in America. It’s done ten Hot Rod Power Tours, and my kids drove it in their last couple of weeks in high school. We just drive it every day.
“It’s not a race car. It’s gradually been fine-tuned to be a good, reliable, anyone-can-drive car. Just on the Power Tours alone it’s done 40,000 miles. I’m living the dream, you know? Australians don’t ever get an opportunity to drive their own built car — in America I’m just in a hot rod.”
Sick Week 2023 marked both Roy and the 55’s first time at a drag-and-drive event. “I’m worn out on the Power Tours. My kids have grown up, I wanted to find something else to do with the car. It’s only 800 miles for me to come here, so we figured we would come down and do the Sick Ward.
“I love it because you are actually doing something with the car. You’re not just pulling up to a car park and sitting on your ass in a chair talking bullshit for hours on end, you know? You’re proving your car is a real street car and that’s probably the key; it’s true street car shit.”
The traffic-clogged slog from Orlando to Bradenton on day one took Roy and co-driver, Todd Miller, almost six hours to complete, nothing but a slower-than-normal cruise for the 68-year-old classic Chevy with its clean (and basic) big block 454 with Holley Sniper and a 4L80. But Roy was quick to point out just how impressive it was to see the cars that were actually competing at Sick Week also driving those same grueling road miles.
“Whoever survived those goddamn hours in traffic coming out of Orlando, that’s a real street car. I don’t give a shit if they talk about Bailey’s car as being a Pro Mod. Yep, it’s a Pro Mod, it’s not a drive-it-every day car, but it’s a fucking street car. When you can do that kind of stuff, it’s a street car.”
Written by Paul Fournier.
