Sorry guys and gals, we meant to get these up earlier but with it being ‘event season’ (yup, there’s a name for it), we just haven’t had a chance until now.

For the third year running, Jalopy Dust Up at the Waihi Beach Dirt Track was a success. The field of cars doing the ’rounds’ seemed slightly smaller than last year, but there were different cars than we’d seen before. It’s one of those events that really harks back to events of yesteryear – it’s entertaining, easy to watch and family-friendly. Without any major incidents, it’s safe to say everyone had a great, albeit dusty, time!

For the first time, the Rusty Nuts Car Show was held in Waihi the day after Dust Up (on 6 Feb), making it a two-day affair for those wanting to get away for the weekend. While we didn’t make it along to the show, it looks like it was super relaxed and a beachy time was had by all. Count us in next year!

The Orewa Hot Rod Cruise Night is on the first Friday of every month and that means the low-key event is all set for this Friday (July 1). It’s a great excuse to get your ride out of the garage during the winter months and do some cruising through the Orewa township.

The event is open to all American, Australian, hot rods, performance and classic car and is a chance to meet other enthusiasts. The main meeting area is Orewa community car park on Florence Ave and the event kicks off at 7pm with cruises each hour thereafter. There are a range of local eateries to visit and usually a strong turnout of vehicles, so if you live in the greater Auckland area get down and check it out. (more…)

The annual Muscle Car Madness event is all on for this weekend (21 – 23 Jan) at the Rangiora Show Grounds near Christchurch.

It’s set to be an epic display of muscle cars and hot rods and some nice smokey burnouts. Last year over 1500 cars were on show. There will also be Custom motorcycles, a jap import section, famous airbrush artists, demonstations and a model car show (on Sunday), lots of trade stalls, food stalls, side shows and entertaiment all weekend.

There will be live music all weekend, including international artists such as Firebird from Melbourne and Auckland band Voodoo Kreepers as well as over 21 other acts including music, comedy and buskers.

The gates will be open to the public from 10am- 5pm Saturday and Sunday . Entry costs Adults, $14. kids under 15, $2, Family pass $30 and 2 day adult pass $25.

The Rangiora Show Grounds is located 27 kms north of Christchurch. Click here to find out more.

The annual Hot Rod Blowout is in NZV8’s opinion one of the coolest events on the calendar. Held on Easter Sunday in a mix of drizzle and sunshine at Avondale Go Kart track, the event sees an eclectic mix of traditional hotrods, ratrods and more modern machinery on display. With the idea to keep things old school, the nostalgia cars take pride of place along with some very famous old drag cars, and some built to look like they’re old.

We were there to bring back hundreds of images from the Blowout click on the link below to view the images and see what its all about, and check out NZV8 issue 61 for the full story.

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The Full Throttle car event is on this Labour Weekend in the Manukau City Centre, Auckland.

It’s a varied program that will include a range of old school, hot rods and muscle cars on display at the TelstraClear Pacific events centre over the three days.

The cars competing in this year’s Targa NZ will be attending and Saturday will see classic cars racing through the Manukau city centre streets.

The Flying 50 Street Race, part of the Drive NZ Rally, will run in the format of Olympic cycling pursuits. The city street circuit will have two start/finish lines adjacent to each other. This allows two cars to race each other and the clock for four laps. It will be a challenging, twisting circuit that winds back on itself between the buildings of central Manukau.

There will be drifting demonstrations, soundoffs and motokhana where drivers put their skills to the test on grass and tarmac. Entertainment on one of the days will be provided by the Southside gig, part of the Manukau Festival of Arts (MFA) — starring Nesian Mystik.

Manukau City Council Thriving Economy Portfolio Leader Arthur Anae says the Flying 50 will add to the huge range of vehicles to check out at Full Throttle.

“Seeing classic cars in action on Manukau’s streets is going to be a great spectacle. This is another way of showing it’s possible to have fun in cars in a controlled environment, one of the aims of Full Throttle. Full Throttle will appeal to everyone in the family, not just keen motor fanatics. The events over the three days of Labour Weekend or all free or really cheap, which is another great reason to come. This is the opportunity for people all around the Auckland region to check out tens of millions worth of vehicles for free or very cheaply. We’ll be encouraging people to watch someone else do the driving and have a holiday at home this Labour Weekend, says Cr Anae.

Check out a guide to the weekend’s events below:

Saturday 24 October

Flying 50 Street Race — 9am to 5pm, Davies Ave next to Hayman Park, $12 adults, under 12s free

Classic British and European cars racing on a twisting street circuit between the buildings of central Manukau. Starring cars from the Drive NZ Classic and Targa Narva. Street display of British classics with owners in period dress. Parking in the council carpark off Wiri Station Road.

4 & Rotary Supershow — noon to late, TelstraClear Pacific events centre, free

Celebrating the diversity of interest in contemporary performance cars. Motokhana, drifting demonstrations and sound offs. Show and shine of performance, show, drag, old school and drift cars with trophies and prizes up for grabs. Southside gig, featuring graf art, Nesian Mystik and other entertainment.

Sunday 25 October – Dunlop Targa Rally preview, 9am to 6pm, TelstraClear Pacific events centre, free

Featuring the Targa Rally — known as the ‘ultimate road race’. See $25 million plus of Targa cars in action and up close before the rally start on Labour Day. Action-packed motorkana — where drivers put their skills to the test, and show and shine of some fantastic looking cars. Entertainment for the entire family.

Monday 26 October – Yester-Year Classic & Vintage, 10am to 3pm, TelstraClear Pacific events centre, free

Featuring the start of the Targa Rally, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary. The day for vintage and classic vehicle enthusiasts to see a range of machines on show. Hot rods, muscle cars, restored and collectors vehicles including military vehicles. Plus entertainment.

Find out more at www.manukau.govt.nz/fullthrottle

Photo Credit: Groundsky

This weekend Marineland Street Rods is hosting an extravaganza to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the 1934 Ford.

When the idea to recognise the place of the 1933/‘34 Ford in Hot Rodding history began to germinate, lists of the top ten most recognised model 40’s were drawn up, and it soon became obvious which cars were at the top of people’s lists. So the decision was made for Marineland to secure a high profile American guest to attend the ’34 Anniversary weekend.

Marineland Street Rods announced the special guest for the Rod Run & Swapmeet on the weekend of 2nd/3rd May 2009 is the famous musician and hot rodder, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top fame, responsible for creating one of the most recognizable ’33 coupes in history — maybe second only, to a 34 three window coupe called the California Kid, owned by Pete Chapouris.

Both Billy and Pete will be on the Rod Run on Saturday, giving other entrants on the run a chance to rub shoulders with these icons of hot rod culture — this will be followed by an evening event with Pete and Billy performing a audio visual presentation, followed by entertainment and a charity memorabilia auction.

During the Sunday Swapmeet and Car Show , Billy and Pete will be doing appearances to autograph posters etc, along with assisting in judging some special award categories and finally presenting trophies at prizegiving at approx 2:00pm

Entry to Sunday’s Swapmeet and Car Show is open and free to all display cars (arriving before 10:00) with lots of prizes and giveaways and plenty of activities planned throughout the day to keep people entertained until prizegiving at the days end.

To find out more click here to visit the Marineland Street Rods website.

The Worlds End Nostalgia Drag event is kicking off this Sunday 5th April at Fram Autolite Dragway in Meremere. There will be two classes running, pre ‘50s Hot Rods and pre ’78 American Origin Cars. Other festivities will include an Aussie vs NZ Challenge, Flathead Challenge, 4-Banger Bash and a Burnout competition. There is a total of $1500 in prizemoney up for grabs.

Entry at the gate is $20 and the rain date is 16th April, so get down there and check it out. For any further information contact Deano on 0274 992947

A favourite on the kiwi auto events calender the 2009 Beach Hop is set to kick off tomorrow.

Held in the seaside holiday resort town Whangamata,the 5 day festival celebrates the music, culture, fashion, hot rods, motorbikes, muscle cars, dancing, dragsters, and even scooters of this golden automotive era.The festival has grown from 4,000 to over 70,000 people in just 5 years. This makes it one of the largest events of its kind in the world. All proceeds raised are donated to emergency services in the area. So get down to Whangamata and be part of the spectacle.

Beach Hop 09 has been reduced to a 4 day festival to help keep costs down for entrants. Unfortunately the ‘Cruising the Loop’ convoy to Coromandel Town has been canceled. With the 220km trip proving too expensive.

Beach Hop 09 Schedule

Thursday 26th March
Kick Off Party at Pauanui Beach
Drive in Movie

Friday 27th March
Onemana Thundercruise
Bands in Bars

Saturday 28th March
Rock’n'Roll Club March
Grand Parade (new routes)
Street Festival
Car Shows & Bands
Collectable Car Auction
Retro Beauty Show
Prize Giving
Vintage Fashion Show
Hop Idol

Sunday 29th March
Nostalgia Fair
Auto Trade & Swap Meet
Top 10 Shoot Out
Classic Car Show
60s Surf Fest
Rock’n'Roll Church Service

To find out more about the Beach Hop 09. Click here to visit the website.

Magoos Street Rods are once again throwing their doors open to the public for the opportunity to have a look through their extensive workshop, meet the staff and see first hand the craftmanship being executed on customers cars from all around the country. Get down to Masterton on Saturday the 14th of March to be part of the action.

“Last year well in excess of 1000 people from as far away as Invercargill and Auckland visited the shop, and we’ve got a few new things planned this year that we think will make the day even more special” said owner Lloyd ‘Magoo’ Wilson.

The day kicks off at 9am, a special parking area for qualifying vehicles has been provided, and there will be lucky give-aways. In past years some clubs have made runs out of the weekend so in recognition of this, this year Magoos will be putting up a prize for the Best Represented Club.

The Stroker McGurk Award, which Magoo won with his highboy Buick powered ’30 Roadster pickup at the Goodguys West Coast Nationals in the States last year, will be on display, and Bonneville record holder Bill Ward will be in attendance also.

Admission and refreshments at Magoo’s will again be provided free, although this year there will be the opportunity to make a donation to the local hospice.

At mid day cars will depart to the nearby Masterton Motorplex for the Hot Rod Drags, where hot rods, street machines and classics will be given discounted admission, a dedicated parking area with security, and the opportunity to participate in a parade of hot rods down the strip. The race meeting will also feature Bonneville cars on display and organiser Bob Wilton has been working hard to ensure there will be a real hot rod flavour to the drags.

For more info phone 06-377-5706, email on magoos@xtra.co.nz or keep an eye for updates on www.magoos.co.nz.

Car buffs get to delight in more than 300 elegant and rare automobiles on display at the Rilean Car Show next month as part of the inaugural Queenstown Auto Extravaganza.

The Extravaganza is a unique weekend designed especially to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand.

Leading Queenstown construction company Rilean Construction has taken over sponsorship of the outdoor arena Public Car Show on Saturday 28 February at the Queenstown Event Centre. Visitors to the show can expect to see a vast selection of vehicles of all styles and ages including hot rods, vintage cars, and modern classics as well as trade stands and a car sale yard.

Rilean Construction director Stephen McLean said he was proud to support the Auto Extravanganza which was raising money for a very good cause while bringing a first class event to Queenstown.

“Our team is predominantly male so I think it’s important for us to do our bit to help raise awareness of prostate cancer.  Plus, there are many among us, and our clients, who are car enthusiasts so we’re really excited about the prospect of seeing so many fine cars in the Wakatipu.”

Queenstown Auto Extravaganza committee member Grant Coburn said Queenstown hadn’t seen an event like this before and acknowledged the support of Rilean and other sponsors for helping to make it happen.

“The Rilean Car Show in particular is a fantastic and rare opportunity for car owners to unveil their pride and joy and share their passion with the public. We’re going to see some absolute gems come out of garages all over New Zealand.”

The vehicle classes and prize categories for the Rilean Car Show are: Veteran; Vintage; Post Vintage (1930-1945); Post War (1946-1960); Post Sixty (1961-1975); Modern Classics (1975-0000);  Commercial vehicles; Customised / Hot rods; Street cars; Motor Cycles; Peoples’ Choice Best of Show; and Concours d’elegance.

The Show will also feature the indoor “Vincent Holdings Concours d’elegance” – only the most beautiful automobiles have been invited to appear in this special show. Among the automobiles already confirmed for the show are a 1912 Fiat Spider, a 1930 V16 Cadillac, a 1932 V12 Packard and a 1969 Ford GT 40.

Prize-giving will be held after the show at the Solid Gold Rock and Roll Dance Party at Coronet Peak.

For more information or to book tickets visit the Queenstown Auto Extravaganza website http://www.queenstowncarshow.co.nz/

The 2008 ‘Skin and Steel’ tattoo/car show to be held at the North Shore Events Centre August 30-31, want to invite one and all to the event and are especially interested in having car clubs be they, Low riders, Hot Rods, Performance cars, Fast fours, motorcycles, Rat rods or Muscle cars attend.

Check out the web-site  http://www.skinnsteel.co.nz/index.htm

The problem with an event as massive as the Whangamata Beach Hop is where the hell to start. There are so many cool things to do that you would need to be a clone to take it all in. This is not a negative, I’m just trying to emphasise how huge the Beach Hop has become since its inception by Graeme (Noddy) Watts seven years ago. From humble beginnings the Beach Hop has grown into an event that many people pivot their car building around, and it’s a place you’ll often find fresh and previously unseen cars. Like Kumeu and Muscle Car Madness, the Beach Hop has become a staple of our automotive diet.

Beach Hop is great in that it is a celebration of the ’50s and ’60s, allowing cars of various origins to participate as long as they fit within the pre-1972 bracket. So you get an eyeful of Yankee, Aussie and Pommie tin, making for an eclectic weekend of viewing. For most, the event kicks off on Friday, but for the dedicated, Wednesday is the key day to arrive and start the fun.

“It is absolutely overwhelming how many cars, motorbikes, rock ’n’ roll dancers, kids on low-rider cycles and people can be crammed into the main drag of Whangamata”

The opening event was the Cragar Wheels Pauanui Beach cruise, followed by Anzac Day ceremonies. The evening was taken care of with some street cruising and by catching a few bands playing in the local bars.

Thursday dawned and the weather was looking set for the weekend with clear skies making for some good cruising. The Harcourts Cruise the Loop got underway, bringing the surrounding hills to life as the continuous rumble of V8s, hot sixes and four bangers echoed through the hills. There were more colors than Walt Disney could handle and the nearby towns got to see one hell of a rolling car show. Once back from cruising the options were varied: from rock ’n’ roll dancing lessons or a quiz, through to the ever-popular drive-in movie, with The World’s Fastest Indian up on the big screen. This turned out to be a great little gathering and a good time to catch up with old friends and talk about their cars or whatever else made its way into the conversation.

Friday was the big day and saw an onslaught of extra travellers rolling into town. The range of vehicles was just staggering, with over 1100 cars and a bunch of bikes registered for the event. The Streets Ice-Cream Thunder Cruise got underway, snaking out to Onemana reserve where Al and the Wildcats had the tunes cranking in the background. With an array of cars layered on the grounds and the beach as the backdrop, you could be forgiven for never wanting to leave. Sadly we had to, so it was back into town to prepare for the big Friday night Street Party. To keep control over the cruising, a time limit was set and, with cars parked up, it was into the bars to check out some cool tunes from the bands.

Several acts had made their way over from Aussie, including the likes of The Retro Rockets, The Bobkats and Blue Denim. Favourite Aussie band of the weekend for me was Wes Pudsey and the Sonic Aces. Man, those guys just rocked the joint. Local bands made a huge impact with The Recliner Rockers back by popular demand, Alan Lavis showing folks how the guitar should be played. It was about this point that it became really hard to know how to divide my time. Which cars to check out, which bands to go see, running into people every five steps, trying to have a beer, another band, there’s another car¦ It just went on and on like this all night. I finally hit the sack around 2am and tried to get some sleep for the fast-approaching day, which was destined to be one of the largest Saturdays in the history of the Beach Hop.

“With an array of cars layered on the grounds and the beach as the backdrop, you could be forgiven for never wanting to leave”

It was around 6am when I heard the firing of the healthy Camaro parked across the way. I don’t know why he was up that early, but it seemed to set off the surrounding cars like a pack of wild dogs on the prowl. It was pointless trying to sleep any longer, so I donned my threads and hit the streets. A quick brekky and it was nearing time for the Repco Grand Parade and Street Festival. There is simply no way to explain in words just what this part of the weekend is like. I have tried, but it’s just useless. It is absolutely overwhelming how many cars, motorbikes, rock ’n’ roll dancers, kids on low-rider cycles and people can be crammed into the main drag of Whangamata. The best you can do is just walk until you’re tired, sit for a bit and start again.