Using an old postcard of the exact car he'd found at the Gisborne Historical Society, Mr Murfett was meticulous in making sure he was able to replicate the model 32 Buick runabout.

"I've really tried to get it as original to the picture that I could," he said.

And it was only a month ago that he was able to put the finishing touch to the project when he came across an old RACV badge.

"A lady in Terang gave me that only about a month ago," Mr Murfett said. "I had the cap but it's the same badge that was on the radiator."

He has even been able to replicate that old photo right down to the number plate on the front which he made himself. Under VicRoads rules, vintage cars pre-1938 only require one number plate for the back which allowed him to recreate the original four numbered one for the front.

Only 1150 of that model Buick rolled off the production line in 1911 and were all painted red, Mr Murfett said, which helped when it came to picking a colour scheme.

His car was originally purchased from new from Dalgetys in Melbourne by Andrew Lyell who lived in Hawthorn. At the time, he was the manager of the Melbourne Photo Engraving company and was perhaps how a photo of Mr Lyell and his two daughters came to be printed on the front of the personalised postcard.

On the back of the postcard - dated May 1, 1912 - Mr Lyell wrote to his brother to tell of their recent trip in the car to Lorne via Colac to visit their aunt. And to their surprise they only got three punctures.

Mr Murfett said the eight-year project had been both fun and frustrating.

"I haven't got an automotive background so I had to do a lot of homework and talk to a lot of people and get advice," he said.

While he couldn't put a figure on how much the project cost him, Mr Murfett said it was "substantial".

"When I started I kept a really detailed record of the costs and then it got scary so I stopped recording it," he said. "A married man should never divulge the cost of his hobbies."

Mr Murfett said there was only two of that model in Australia, and just a handful in America, so it was really hard to put a price on what the car was now worth.

"They haven't been sold so I don't really know what it's worth. But I do know that it cost me a lot more to restore than what it would sell for. And that's standard for any old car," he said.

Mr Murfett bought the car - or what there was of it - 10 years ago.

It had been rescued from under a tree in Inglewood in the 1970s - the wooden body damaged by insects - but remained untouched until Mr Murfett bought it. And now more than 50 years later it is back on the road.

"We had to replace a lot of timber because the borers and white ants had got into it. I have a woodworking mate who helped me replace it. The tank is original. But the guards we had to make those," he said.

The seat is original and had largely escaped damage from white ants because it had at one point been taken off the car, hooked up to a couple of ropes and used as a swing underneath a veranda. But the original leather was still on it. "I took the horse hair out and washed it and re-teased it. That's the original horse hair in there," he said.

When Mr Murfett bought the car it was missing - among other things - the wheels, back axle, dashboard, hood, windscreen and had the wrong radiator.

It was at a New Year's barbecue over a decade ago when he spotted the skeleton of the car in the corner of the host's garage. "I got interested and one thing led to another," he said.

The car's brass "jewellery" was also missing, but he managed to track replacements down in America. "The headlights came from America and the tail light. The wheels were made in New Zealand," he said.

"I sent all the details over there and when they were finished we went over there to pick them up.

"We had a boys' trip - three car restorers - we went over and took a big suitcase. Two fitted in a suitcase and there was a box for another one.

"Bits have come from all over, some from the UK, Nova Scotia, America."

While the rim of the steering wheel was original, the spokes on the inside - also called the spider - had to be reproduced. "A bloke loaned me his and I had one cast," he said.

"That was cast locally. There's other bits and pieces that were cast locally. We are very lucky in Warrnambool to have the likes of McCullaghs, Mark Unwin the upholsterer, Morse engineering, Elliot engineering, Chemblast and Alderdice brass foundry. Without them we'd be in trouble."

The car will be on display at the Warrnambool and District Historical Vehicle Club annual event at Lake Pertobe on Sunday between 10am and 3pm.

Funds from the gold coin entry fee go to the surf lifesaving club.

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