“Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates” — yep, that famous movie line is true, of which Palmerston North–based couple Andrew and Lisa Brown are all too well aware. That awareness isn’t just due to them buying a type of truck they were never initially looking at, but also from their experiences in the 17 years since they took ownership.
Back as a young couple in their early 20s, they both agreed that they needed a truck in their lives. They liked the look of the late ’40s / early ’50s Ford jailbars, so that’s what they started searching for. Although it was the iconic thin-slatted grille of the jailbar that Andrew was seeking, somehow he ended up checking out a ’46 Chev instead. The big face-mask-esque chrome grille of the Chevs is much more imposing than the comparatively subdued jailbar front, but Andrew thought he could make it work.
Helping in that department was that the linkcousin and fellow car modifier Chris Harrison — the current-day proprietor of Bad Penny alongside wife Natalie. Chris is a Chev man, and he saw the potential in the ’46, as did Lisa and Andrew. What Lisa didn’t realize though was that the truck was in pieces. When she saw the rolling chassis and boxes of parts, she was soon asking where the truck was …
