In my introduction post, I mention that three years ago there was a twist in my life style which led me to go abroad and work. In this post I would like to tell you that story, how it came to be. In Christmas/New Year of 2015 amongst our close friends we decided we needed a break from the city life, we were well overdue for a holiday. We had two weeks to full on party and were looking for a tropical island to go to, we had all successfully completed our trades at technical college and were now all license tradesman, so it was time for a celebration and a break away. We were thinking Greek Islands, Ibiza in Spain or Koh Pha Ngan Island in Thailand. We finally decided on Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand only because was closer to home, giving us more time to party and Koh Pha Ngan was well know for full moon parties and also no visa was required you could stay in the country for up to 30 days with no problem.
We called ourselves "The Full Moon Crew 2015."
Unfortunately there were not many pictures taken basically because we were to busy partying and some of us had already lost our phones been mindless the photos that were did manage to take you would not want to see. This island was of it's head they served you buckets of alcohol not bottles. I remember these buckets costing about $8 AUS dollars they were a mixture of red bull and many brands of spirits throw in they were absolute dynamite.
The morning sunrise would come and you would see people laying all over the beach that didn't make it home or still drinking and wobbling to the techno music, never had seen anything like this but what a party island there must have been up to 20,000 people every night on this island beach dancing to these full moon parties the atmosphere and vibes were sensational. We did manage to do a bit of sight seeing around the island at one point but honestly can't remember much of it, all I do remember the waters were crystal clear and warm.
Even though I wasn't sober that much during those 2 weeks on the island, I do remember very clearly meeting a guy called Alex he was from the south of Thailand a place call Chon Buri, now what got us talking was having the same interest and passions for cars he also enjoyed restoring cars like me.
His father was from Germany and his mother was Thai nationality, the interesting part his father has been living in Thailand for the past 30 years and has been running a automobile restoration and performance shop restoring cars for the past 25 years and Alex the son, is part of that team, the father is well know and respected amongst the Thai racing community. These are just some of the classic cars that are been fully restored.
When Alex and myself were talking, I was mentioning our icon classic Australian cars like the Holden's and the Ford's, I was thinking he would not know what I was talking about because my thinking these type of Holden's and Ford's wouldn't exist in Thailand, well Alex certainly knew what they were and when on telling me that his Dad has restored many of them, in fact his father owns a couple himself that he has restored and keeping for himself like a 2 Door HQ 72 Holden Monaro GTS and a 2 Door 72 LJ Torana GTR, both these cars are worth a packet back in Australia.
At that point it left me wondering there is serious money to be made here, I am talking big bucks, indeed there would be substantial work to be done by restoring point of view but, this would pay of in the long run if I was to find the right models in this country of Thailand. When I returned back home to Australia, I kept in contact with Alex we spoke a lot he would sent me photos of his projects in progress and I would sent photos of the projects I had in progress. His father was always impressed in the paint work on my cars when Alex his son use to show him, this is how one thing led to another.
I had done my homework when I got home from Thailand, checking the car market to see what Australian or American cars were worth in Thailand and to my surprise there were quite a number of them and way cheaper then ours in Australia, how these cars got into Thailand was when the Australians and Americans were based in Thailand during the Vietnam War many of foreigners decided they wanted to stay in Thailand so they imported their pride cars from there countries and many now have been abandoned in sheds covered in dust or just out in the open fields and some of these Thai people don't even know what they have in many cases the foreign husband that were married to the Thai women would pass away and the car been left in a shed or open land waiting for someone to recuse these beauties.
So I very much knew the value of these Holden's and Fords if they were bought back to original condition and why some of these particular models of Holden's and Fords were worth so much here in Australia was because when Ford and Holden companies stop manufacturing these cars in Australia they eventually become highly valued vintage cars and are selling for ridiculous figures some even in the 6 digit figure. When I got that phone call from Alex's father it was a God sent, you see he was lacking a good spray painter and his cars were all from good paying customers who had money and wanted there cars restored to 100% with a shinny coat of paint on there cars so they could feel proud driving there pride car down the road.
Some of the cars been restored by AG&G Motorsports.
The conversation with Alex's father was he wanted to employ me as a spray painter he would organize my work permit visa, accommodation and pay for my flight over and if I didn't satisfy his requirement he would pay for my return ticket back to Australia and my answer was absolutely yes upon a couple of my conditions, I was giving up my restoration work here in Australia which, I was making a fair living out of it, I asked him if, I met all his requirements and you want me to stay on with you, that I would need a small section in his workshop so I could buy and restore my own cars, he agreed.
Cobra been fully restore one of my paint jobs.
So as of today after taking that opportunity and offer, I was on a flight to Thailand and landed in Chon Buri, Thailand in May, 2018 has been three years working for AG&G Motorsports and have had no regrets we all get on like family and in the time I have been here I have bought myself a few barn finds that I am personally restoring to send back home to be auctioned or sold directly from here and shipped to them and everyday, I am on the hunt for more valuable models. Sometimes it's a matter of been in the right place at the right time and this opportunity that came up in my life I couldn't be more grateful to Alex and his Father they have changed my life for the better and I couldn't be in a better country doing what I am doing buying cars for next to nothing enjoying my passion of cars and making a good earning.
Some vintage collectors cars I have found and bought in Thailand.
