Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2023 i NZ Hot Rod

SIXTY-SEVEN vehicles registered for the 2023 Spring Fling hosted by the Whakatane Rod & Custom Club, with almost a third of the entries from Bay Rodders alone. Also worthy of mention are the two 80-plus-year-olds who came in their own cars…Terry Furness and Bill Ward. As usual, the run incorporated some entertaining games, finishing at the Matamata Pub for prizegiving.…

THIS is a great all-makes, allclub, one-day show organised by the Otago Post Vintage Club in conjunction with the Otago Early Falcon Club, with all proceeds going to the local Alzheimer's organisation. With over 150 cars on display, I usually choose a cross-section of cars that will interest our readers. One of the themes this year was Supercars, with over 40 on display.…

Holden Commodores, Porches and drag racing were the spicey ingredients moulding Keith Hunter's automotive tastes. Then, a few years back, while visiting a Ferrari showroom in Sydney, he spotted an exotic 8-stack injection on one of Enzo's finest, and Keith thought to himself – if I ever build a hot rod, that will feature. That led to him buying parts to build a hot rod engine before a car was chosen. He'd always wanted a nice hot rod, and it was through a mate that Keith was introduced to the talented Jock Hinton. Keith and Jock hit it off instantly and were eventually to became close friends. Discussions between them on what would become 56-year-old Keith's first hot rod ensued, alongside the engine build. That work progressed until the decision…

Back in the '70s, St. Johns College in Hamilton held a fundraiser at the school with a Hot Rod Display. For student Leo Voorend, this moment in time was a game-changer in many ways. Harry Donker's Chrysler, John Reid's Vandal, Bill Perriton's Plymouth Coupe, and Gary Martin's '36 Ford Roadster were present among those on display, but what captured Leo's schoolboy eyes was the 1934 Ford Sedan of Terry & Joy Ferguson. From this moment on, hot rodding took his fancy. Little did he know at that time, another pupil, Bert Van Wijk, who had attended the same College but was four years older, had done a deal on a '34 Ford Sedan once owned by Gary Martin. Not only would they both share a love of Ford's stylish Model…

MANY grey-bearded Kiwi rodders will recall the monthly visit to their local magazine shop to pick up a copy of Street Rodder, Rod & Custom, American Hot Rod and NZ Hot Rod magazines. In those golden heydays, there were plenty to choose from. Street Rodder was top of the list for many years and was an excellent source of information via the many adverts and a diverse range of hot rods featured. In the back of each issue was the cartoon artwork of Dave “Henry Hirise” Bell. Dave had a unique style, and his work focussed on current hot rod highlights and things pertinent to the hobby, which was growing exponentially. It struck a chord with hot rodders as it was probably the only cartoon that locked arms with hot…

IT was back in the late seventies when Paul was a backseat passenger in Colin Robinson's heavily chopped, 4-speed,1935 Ford Tudor on the way to a week-long West Coast rod run. This was his first introduction to the hot rod scene, “igniting the spark “inside one young Paul Falvey. Those early days provided constant sightings of a chopped 1938 Ford Coupe on the streets of Timaru built by 'Bluenose', plus the “madman” himself with his chopped 1933 Ford Tudor dubbed;The Butcher'. Paul just loved chopped cars. After building a chopped Ford Popular, Paul purchased a custom-built Model A400 street rod in 1998, adding a few shiny bits and adjusting the ride. But in the back of his mind, he still wanted a “real” hot rod. The dictionary definition of hot…

RIGHT from the get-go, Simon Harman is your quintessential hot rodder and racer. It was a mate of his who sowed the first seed when he bought a '47 coupe from a bunch of stock car racers for $300. He drove it to high school but turned “hippie”, and Simon wound up buying the coupe from him. By then, it had a blown gearbox, so a paltry $100 traded hands. Replacement gears were included in the deal, so Simon repaired the gearbox and got it back on the road. It was quite an accomplishment as he was fresh out of high school, so figure on him being around 16 years old. He painted it blue using an Electrolux vacuum cleaner and drove it for a while before trading it on…

SIXTY cars made the brave call to attend Troublebound's Fifth Side Show and the second at the Glenora Bears Rugby League Club in Glen Eden. It rained throughout the entire event, and the skies cleared just as the action ended for the day. Despite the weather, the club donated $2,000 to the Testicular Cancer Society. The Glenora Bears League Club's Choice went to Spook Howard's Deuce 3-window coupe, and the Troublebound's Club Choice award went to Glen Longley's hot rod Model coupe.…

THE celebrations started on Friday morning with over 40 cars in attendance, including a bunch from Wellington. The group left the Founders Park complex (historic reproduction town) and headed out to Jim and Flavia Goulding's “slice of paradise” in Glendaun to view his extensive car collection. From there, it was off to the Classic Car Museum for lunch at either the museum or Speight's Ale House opposite. Friday evening, while enjoying pizza and a nog & natter, we were entertained with old videos from the early days of the Club. The next day, we embarked on a Mystery Run, which took us through amazing Nelson scenery to the West. It was an untouched beauty scattered with old derelict farmhouses. We ended up at the Riverhaven winery on the Moutere highway.…

1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe EX-PAT Kiwis Carl and Rachel Bayard's 'Double Deuces' are two of the finest full-fendered Deuces currently participating and enjoying the Southeast Queensland rodding scene. Before calling Australia home, Carl and Rachel ran with Fifeshire Rodders in Nelson and East Coast Rodders in Christchurch. Returning to hot rodding once settled in Queensland, they are now members of ASRF and recently purchased the '32 3W Coupe in a somewhat different guise than it is today. A few upgrades and attending many hot rod events filled the void for ten years until the decision was made for a major makeover. Busy with their Kiwi Flooring business, Carl and Rachel were impressed with the style and stance of cars coming out of one hot rod shop and called upon Dion…