After farewelling the field, the former protective services officer will join it as the ''tail-end Charlie'' in his 1950 model Holden 48-215.

Mr Gentleman, who once provided security for Bob Hawke and Paul Keating and has worked as a mechanic, postman and real estate agent before being elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly in 2004 and again in 2012, is Canberra born and bred.

He has fond memories of long summer trips to and from the coast in his family's EJ Holden in the early 1960s. ''I was born in 1955 so I would have been about eight or nine,'' he said. ''We had an annual trip down the coast from Reid. There was no airconditioning of course and the car would be boiling on the way up the Clyde.''

This was back in the days when overheated engines were more an inconvenience than a catastrophe and the automotive equivalent of a request for a Bex and a lie-down.

''You'd pull up, lift the bonnet and wait with the other third of Canberra's drivers whose cars had also boiled,'' Mr Gentleman said. ''Once the car cooled down, you would start off again.''

The MLA is confident Saturday won't be a case of history repeating itself. His iconic 48-215, or FX as the model is also known, has been mechanically overhauled and is in excellent condition.

''My first encounter with this car was when I rode in it with the then owner, a friend of mine from the Australian Protective Service, and my brother on a trip to Eastern Creek [historic races] in the early 1990s,'' he said.

''That memory means a lot to me as we lost my brother not long afterwards. It was a wonderful trip. There were FXs and FJs competing and we had the traditional chicken lunch.''

Mr Gentleman remembers being mightily impressed by the Holden even though it was already 40 years old at the time. ''You could see that it was a well-planned car for Australian conditions.'' Virtues included roominess and a commendable degree of fuel economy.

When the car's owner retired in 2000, he found he no longer had garage space for the FX and offered it to Mr Gentleman. A deal was quickly done.

Further restoration work, including new interior trim and the overhaul, was carried out in 2004 and for the past decade the car has been pretty much as you see it today.

Like many owners of older cars, Mr Gentleman loves the fact his Holden is a time machine on wheels that captures the essence of Australia in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

''When I was a teenager you could buy these anywhere,'' he said. ''They cost about $50, you'd put a battery in them and drive off.''

The 48-215 is not the only classic in the Gentleman garage. He also owns an EK ute that comes in handy for hauling a number of classic motorbikes, including a 1948 BSA M20, to and from events.

The EK is preserved, as opposed to restored, and has a character all its own. When the original tray rusted out, the then owner replaced it with a cigarette company sign.

■ The Centenary of Canberra Rally is on Saturday and Sunday. For details of SPIN events this weekend, go to canberra100.com.au