On Sunday, the Invercargill man entered the ute once again in the best classic ute and best rural ute categories, in the event part of the Bayleys Tussock Country music festival.
Despite never winning a category, Mr Johnston enjoyed attending each year.
Taking the ute out for a drive was something he enjoyed but did not do as often as he would like.
"On a nice day we’ll go out somewhere. We’ll go to Riverton or go for a picnic on the beach."
The car was "pretty much all original".
The only work done to it was the replacement of two sills. Muster organiser Annabel Roy said despite the weather, the event had been great. Fifty people took part in the muster, held at the Southern Field Days site at Waimumu.
"That’s down on last year but the weather is definitely a factor."
There were categories including best dog in a ute, best classic ute pre-1980, best mullet and a bark-up competition for dogs.
A crowd of about 210 people attended the event, which was also a fundraiser for Whānau Āwhina Plunket.
