Traveler Restored 1929 Pontiac for Charity Drive

Australian adventurer Rick Lindsay is traversing the globe in a vintage roadster to fund Parkinson's disease research.

Updated on Oct. 1, 2026 in Car Culture

Bold vector editorial illustration of a vintage roadster on a mountain road, representing a cross-continental charity journey.
Australian adventurer Rick Lindsay is traversing the globe in his restored 1929 Pontiac Roadster to raise funds for Parkinson's disease research. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Australian traveler Rick Lindsay has brought a restored 1929 Pontiac Roadster to Azerbaijan as part of a cross-continental charity journey. He is currently driving the vintage vehicle to raise funds for research aimed at stopping the progression of Parkinson's disease.

Why it matters

The journey serves as a platform to generate financial support for scientific efforts to treat Parkinson's disease. Lindsay chose his route based on positive experiences from prior travels, connecting his automotive passion with a global health cause.

The vehicle is a 1929 Pontiac Roadster manufactured in Detroit, making the car approximately 100 years old. Lindsay spent the COVID-19 pandemic years restoring the vehicle for this international expedition.

The players

Rick Lindsay

He is an Australian traveler currently conducting an international charity road trip.

The details

After initially being used for agricultural work in Australia, the Pontiac was meticulously restored by Lindsay himself between 2020 and 2022. The traveler is now using the vintage machine to navigate a route spanning Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye.

Timeline

  1. The Pontiac Roadster was manufactured in 1929.

  2. Lindsay restored the car during the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022.

  3. Lindsay met with journalists in Baku, Azerbaijan, on October 1, 2026.

Roadmap

This trek highlights a growing trend of restoring century-old vehicles to demonstrate mechanical resilience in modern transit. It marks a departure from modern electric vehicle trends by focusing on the enduring legacy of early mass-produced combustion engines.

The expedition serves as a high-profile example of how vintage vehicle maintenance can be sustained with patience and personal labor. Drivers interested in similar projects must account for the scarcity of original parts for vehicles manufactured nearly a century ago.

The takeaway

Restoring a vintage vehicle for long-distance travel requires significant technical dedication and a commitment to historical preservation. Such projects show that nearly century-old machines remain capable of global travel with sufficient mechanical upkeep.

Further reading

Discover more enthusiasts preserving automotive heritage in our Car Culture section.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Trend.

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Do you believe charity road trips are an effective way to support medical research?