Car 689 - Matthew Weaber
Matthew Weaber, 24, was a new face on the 2025 Variety B to B Bash in Car 689 – a genuine ex-military 1989 FFR Land Rover that he got Bash ready in just under six months, keen to get on the landmark 50th anniversary event.
Matthew was inspired to join the B to B Bash by his Dad, who had helped build his car – a 1967 HR Holden – to join the 2004 Newcastle Bash with NRMA. His dad only took part in that one event, but the car itself completed another six Bashes before it was sold on.
Matthew has been on a mission to find out what happened to his Dad’s old Holden ever since, hoping to get it back on the red dirt roads.
“I have been looking for that car for a long time, it’s the vehicle that inspired me to be here today,” Matthew says.
“I remember as a kid he used to bring it home and work on it all the time, I remember getting stuck in the bull bar when I was quite young – I remember that quite vividly.”
Matthew has spent years tracing the car’s whereabouts. He believes it was sold at auction, then passed through the hands of a fellow Basher before ending up with the Royal Flying Doctors Service. From there, the trail has gone cold.
“If I could find that car, and even potentially even drive it again – hopefully it still exists and hasn’t been destroyed or parted out – it would be a very emotional moment for me.”
While the search continues, Matthew has already begun creating his own Bash journey. He and his teammate, also named Matthew, earned the Penny Docherty Trophy for Best Newcomer Basher Team at the 2025 Variety B to B Bash, proving this new generation of Bashers are ready to make their mark!
We hope to see him back again continuing his incredible journey – and maybe one day he’ll be driving the Holden.
