Behind The Wheel 02: Kip McIntyre (McKernan Restorations, #preciousmetal

Today, we have a Behind the Wheel, and it's a cracker. Brisbane-based auto mechanic, employee of Brad McKernan (see Behind the Wheel 01), petrol head and small Japanese ute enthusiast Kip McIntyre. Kip's had some pretty cool experiences in his car life, both professionally and personally, so I sat down with him to talk about these.

Dylan: What was your first car?

Kip: It was a Toyota Corona. I looked at a 308 HZ ute for $3000 but was told to get a Corona by my mother after she heard it start up.

Dylan: What was your first classic car? Kip: It was a 1971 Chevy Chevelle SS, which I had for seven years.

Dylan: What was your best car? Kip: The Chevelle.

Dylan: What is your current car? Kip: (laughs) It is a Suzuki Carry with a Hayabusa engine in the back.

Dylan: What’s your dream car? Kip: That would probably be a Porsche 718 RSK.

Dylan: When did you first get into cars? Kip: I can’t remember exactly when, but it was at about primary school age. I used to get all of the Street Machine magazines.

Dylan: What drew you into restoring and building cars? Kip: I was never really into mechanical side of things. Looking at all the Street Machines, I liked the custom bodywork aspect. And I had to restore the cars first to do the bodywork. So I moved into restoration through that.

Dylan: Do you prefer driving or working on cars? Kip: Probably working on them.

Dylan: Tell me about the Churchill Scholarship. Kip: The Churchill Fellowship is a grant open to anyone in Australia at the top of their field who needs to go overseas to expand their field of learning. I got in coachbuilding and restoration. I went to America, England, Italy and Germany. I worked at Aston Martin, visited Lamborghini and Ferrari shops, and met Derek Bell, Jay Leno, Rod Emery and Magnus Walker.

Dylan: What was your favourite moment on the scholarship? Kip: Going to Pebble Beach and Goodwood Revival.

Dylan: How did you meet Brad? Kip: I was in Germany, and Brad was giving a talk at the Porsche Center with the 550. My girlfriend saw the car and said ‘that’s what Kip does’ and that I needed a job. Brad needed another employee and hired me.

Dylan: What part of the restoration process is your favourite? Kip: When the car is sitting all in bare metal, ready for primer.

Dylan: What about the least favourite? Kip: The endless rust repairs.

Dylan: What car have you enjoyed working on the most? Kip: The most recent 356. That was a fun car to work on.

Dylan: What car would you most like to build? Kip: The 718 RSK.

Dylan: Who is the most interesting person who you’ve met through cars? Kip: A man named Mike Cleaves. He has a workshop in North Carolina, and does Pebble Beach restorations.

Dylan: Tell me about the most recent American trip. Kip: Yeah. I bought a 1970s Chevy van with a double bed and drove a lap around America. I stopped and caught up with people from the Churchill Fellowship. Spent a month working with Mike Cleaves and a month with Chris Runge.

Dylan: Tell me about the Suzuki Carry that’s outside. Kip: The Suzuki was meant to be a practical work ute that I bought for 1500 dollars with a stock engine in white. Three weeks after I bought it, it broke down. The mechanic suggested putting a Hayabusa in it. I bought Nissan Z wheels, but they sat too wide so 911 flares went on it, and it was painted because of the flares into a Gulf livery. It snowballed into the thing it is now.

Dylan: Tell me about your recent weekend up at Cairns with the 904. How did that go? Kip: That was awesome. We had no testing on the car, it was just driven around Redcliffe before it was trucked to the targa. It performed perfectly: no oil leaks, no breaks, no rattles, just performed well throughout three days doing Targa Great Barrier Reef. Good fun.

Dylan: Thank you for your time, Kip.

Kip: You’re welcome.

Thanks for reading this guys! Please give Kip a follow- @precious_metal_ on Instagram.