Over the last few months we’ve shown the transformation of a 1956 Cadillac Coupe from a sunburnt and surface-rusted cruiser to an immaculately painted stunner.

The car was unveiled in its completed form over the weekend at Resene Automotive & Light Industrial’s Training Centre, where all of the paintwork has taken place.

Many of those involved with the build were present, which saw the carpark turn into an impromptu car show with a wide range of vehicles on display, including some previous NZV8 feature cars.

The car itself, dubbed ‘Necessary Evil’, was well received – although many couldn’t believe it was the same car they’d seen just over six months ago in a less than ideal condition.

With plenty of blue cupcakes (in keeping with the blue of the car), American hotdogs and ‘Cadi Crush’ – a specially created blue lemonade to celebrate the unveiling of ‘Necessary Evil’ – all those in attendance had a great time.

If you’re keen to see it in person, the car will be on display this coming weekend at the 50th National Hot Rod Show, which is being held as part of CRC Speedshow at ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane, Auckland.

There’s also a detailed build thread in the Users Rides section of the NZV8 Forum, which can be found by hitting the ‘Forum’ button at the top of this page.

As this is  written there’s under six weeks before show time at the NZ Hot Rod Association National Show at the CRC Speedshow. This event is hosted by Harbour City Rod Club and Southside Streeters and is one of the events which are all part of NZHRA’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. It seems fitting to return to the ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane, Auckland to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of NZHRA. Furthermore for the two host clubs, the initial objective was to display a wide variety of high-calibre hot rods and street machines to showcase the hot rodding hobby to 20,000 patrons of the already established CRC Speedshow. Initially there was an element of negative feedback with the concept of incorporating the National Show with CRC Speedshow but to be perfectly honest a wider vision of the big picture is required to understand the thinking behind it all. While larger cities like Auckland obviously seem to have a larger audience there are a number of factors to consider when hosting an event. First up is the high cost  of venue hireage and other associated costs then you have to consider that we’re competing with a variety of other events and festivals, kids sport, tourist attractions and such like. This is where a large marketing budget is also required.

For clubs with small membership who volunteer on a part time basis to co-ordinate a show the opportunity to work in with an event such as the CRC Speedshow enables the exposure you desire without exposure to a great deal of financial risk. Ian McNeill and Greg Stokes met with Keith Sharp of the CRC Speedshow and set the wheels in motion to bring the National Show to CRC Speedshow. While it’s a great alliance for hot rodding and the NZHRA it still has been a long and hard road for the show committee to set a budget and co-ordinate the sponsorship required to meet the additional costs of the show from trophies, some promotion and most importantly the entrants entertainment for the weekend. Like most things in life there are pros & cons for everything and a significant hurdle for the organising committee has been the fact that there is no entitlement to gate takings or a percentage of them to factor into the budget.

The good news is that Harbour City Rod Club & Southside Streeters have toiled away to achieve the required sponsorship and in today’s economic climate that is something to be proud of. The goal for sponsors has to been to offer excellent bang for buck while for entrants the goal has been to offer a memorable event which should be enjoyed and appreciated by all. Another milestone is the fact that over 100 entries were received from all over New Zealand which is believed to be a first in a number of years to fill the 65 car display allocation. Interestingly the committee thoroughly went through the selection process and was able to accommodate for 70 cars. Most classes of the NZHRA Show regulations are catered for and there is an excellent cross-section of hot rods, street machines & muscle cars best representing 50 years of organised hot rodding in NZ.  Special mention must go to Protecta Classic Insurance for their support of the People’s Choice Award, Frosted Glass for supporting the Sweepstakes Award and Rocket Speed Equipment for supporting the Best Nostalgia Award.

What is most interesting with the vehicle selection is the diversity of styles and most importantly the high quality on display. It will indeed be a very spectacular line-up. Also of note is the number of vehicles which are being completed just in time for the show or are existing vehicles which haven’t been shown at national competition level before. Give or take a few cars that won’t be on display, this national show will certainly be the best of the best shoot out for a number of NZ’s high-end cars. This is very fitting when you consider the high calibre being churned out from professional shops throughout the country but is equally impressive when you think of the rising number of home-grown cars being built now.  Also on display will be an iconic line-up of original Kiwi hot rods retracing our history in their either restored or immaculate as is condition of yesterday. These cars really were the glamorous show cars of the sixties and seventies which defined the path of rodding we take for granted today.

All in all it is to be a spectacular event for all. In addition to the vehicles on display, NZHRA and LVVTA are representing themselves with special displays and there’ll also be a range of national show merchandise available. Entrants will be entertained all weekend and the awards banquet will be on Saturday night MC ‘ed by Hauraki’s Mike Currie and a hot rod & drag racing memorabilia auction will also be included. Tickets are available now for non show entrants at $75.00 per head for the awards banquet at Saturday night on a first come basis. NZHRA affiliated members and their partners (not mates) are entitled to a 25% discount on admission price to the CRC Speedshow when they show their NZHRA affiliation card. The discounted price is $15 each instead of $20 each. Visiting hot rodders will also be entitled to park in the preferred parking area for hot rods, customs and classics.
For further information regarding the 2012 NZHRA National Show, contact Ian McNeill 0275 520 255 or Greg Stokes 021 955 459 or email 2012nationalhotrodshow@gmail.com  or you can visit the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/2012-Nzhra-National-Hot-Rod-Show/266991636667167

The 2011 National Hot Rod Show was held over the weekend at the TSB Arena in Hawera, Taranaki. A huge round of applause must go to event organisers Egmont Rod and Custom Club for putting on what has to be one of the highest quality events in many years.

For a full event report, check out the next issue of NZV8 magazine.

See the full results below and the photos in the gallery at the bottom of the page. (more…)

The annual NZHRA National Hot Rod Show is ready to roll this weekend (Oct 15th-16th) in Hawera, South Taranaki.

The event will be located at the TSB Hub in Hawera and this year’s hosts are the Egmont Rod & Custom Club. There will be loads of trade displays and the finest hot rods in the land on show. The town of Hawera is also in full swing with the local business association organising a Hot Rod themed shop window display competition, and a market day with the local rock & roll club on the Saturday morning.

Tonight the bar of show sponsor Rough Habits are holding a “Rock FM” party, so this will be a great night with lots of give-aways and fun. The Lazyboyz band is booked for Saturday night’s dinner.

Entry into the Hot Rod Show at the TSB Hub is just $10 for adults and kids under 15-years get in for free. There is also a $20 family pass option. (more…)

Tickets went on sale for the NZHRA Hot Rod Lottery last week, but we now have more info on the prize car and how you can enter.

Due to a large response received during the last Lottery, ticket numbers this year, have been increased to 30,000. The prize? A stunning 1926 Ford Roadster.

The Roadster has a 350 Chev engine with Ford 9 inch diff, 350 Turbo transmission, and tube axle front end with white satin interior finish. It is not just the Roadster up for grabs either, with the car will be a new set of mags from BGWorld Wheels, Mothers High Performance Car Care products have added boxes of product to keep the car in show condition and Classic Cover Insurance Limited are offering a year’s free cover.

Tickets are available for purchase through NZHRA Clubs and there is a full listing on where you can get your $6 ticket from here at the NZHRA website.  The Roadster can be seen on the 25th September at the Tararua Rodders Show n Shine in Levin and at the National Hot Rod Show in Hawera on the 15th -16th October – tickets will also be available on site at both venues. (more…)

Tickets have just gone on sale for the 2011 NZHRA Hot Rod Lottery and this year’s prize hot rod looks like a real beauty.

It’s a 1926 Ford Roadster finished in a striking green hue. There’s a 350 Chev shoved under the bonnet, a tube axle front end, 9-inch diff and a 350 Turbo transmission. Everything is nicely in order and a white leather custom interior sets it all off.

Tickets for the lottery are $6 and can be purchased through NZHRA clubs around NZ. Ticket sales close on November 10th with the draw taking place on November 19th. The winner will be notified by phone.

You can also see the lottery Hot Rod as it attends events in the coming months. It will be shown at Tararua Rodders show n shine event in Levin on September 25 and the National Hot Rod Show in Hawera on October 15-16th. (more…)

The dates have been announced for this year’s NHRA National Hot Rod Show with the event taking place on the weekend of October 15th-16th. The organising committee is in full swing putting everything into place for the weekend.

The club has also announced that Mobil Oil has come on board as an associate sponsor, this means all major sponsorship is in place. All indoor trade display sites have been sold (they all will be car related of course), but there is still limited room outside for some more trade displays.

Hawera is gearing up for the weekend with the town business association organising a Hot Rod themed shop window display competition, and a market day with the local rock & roll club on the Saturday morning.

On Friday night the bar of show sponsor Rough Habits are holding a “Rock FM” party, so this will be a great night with lots of give-aways and fun. The Lazyboyz band is booked for Saturday night’s dinner.

The trophy’s are designed and are going to be very unique this year so if you want to win one, better get your entry sorted. (more…)