That moment the bride-to-be pulls up at her wedding ceremony is one of the highlights of any couple’s big day, and all eyes are her, the dress – and, of course, the car (or horse, or, even, bus) delivering her to her intended.
It is for this reason, most couples put so much thought into their wedding transport and, whatever their choice, it is crucial they pick a mode of transport that suits their style, their personality and their wedding theme.
But, for couples looking for something a little more, there is the Noosa Woody – and, if this wonderful wedding car could talk, it would have more stories to tell than Herbie.
As the name suggests, it is based in Noosa, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, and unlike so many of the shiny new cars that have just rolled off the production line, this automobile has some serious history, a fact the couples who hire it seem to adore.
The Noosa Woody, as the 1946 Ford Woody is now known, was built in Detroit Michigan, on a production line that used wooden panels on car bodies because steel was in short supply post-war.
Later, probably in the 1950s or 1960s, the car was exported to Peru where it was put to work as a taxi on the streets of Lima.
After decades of service and countless thousands of passengers, the car was eventually abandoned by the side of a road.
And there it would have slowly rusted and rotted away, if it hadn’t been spotted in the mid 1990s by a group of classic car enthusiasts from Australia.
The group made the decision to ship the car back to Australia. Once there, it was purchased and meticulously restored by the team at Noosa Longboards.
The Noosa Woody, as it was now known, became part of the Noosa landscape as it was often parked outside the iconic Noosa Longboards surf shop on Hastings St.
It was Tim Crabtree – a classic car fan who manages Noosa Longboards – who recognised the Noosa Woody’s potential as a wedding and event car.
“People associate the Noosa Woody with the area. It’s always parked on Hastings St, and sometimes the shop would be empty but there would be 15 people out the front taking photos of the car.”
Tim and his wife Kym convinced the car’s owners to sell it to them and the Noosa Woody is now part of so many Noosa weddings.
“It’s an iconic Noosa car so it appeals to those who love the area, as well as those having beach or surf weddings,” Tim said.
“But it is also a very distinctive, vintage-style car so it fits with a lot of modern weddings that have a slightly bohemian theme.”
Of course, the Noosa Woody make a favourite of local wedding photographers who revel in finding new ways to feature it in a couple’s photographs.
Tim said the car’s unusual history was a large part of what made it popular.
“Often it’s the history of the car that sells it. People click on the website because they think it’s a nice looking car, but when they read about where it’s come from, they’re sold!”
And why wouldn’t you be?
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