Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2025 i NZ Hot Rod

A young Ohaupo 16-year-old schoolboy’s interest in hot rodding was far greater than his High School Science studying the properties and reactions of matter; this just didn’t cut it with Gary Kite. He was into building a ’23 Ford T-bucket, and he did. By age 17, his bucket was roadworthy, running a 272ci V8 with a 4-speed. By no means was it a street rod, after all, pocket money was not going to be wasted on chrome and fancy mag wheels. Once in the workforce and now pushing 20 years young, Gary was taken by a local hot rod, a ’30 Ford Tudor Sedan. Something about it told him he wanted one, and he did acquire one, and it became a nice street rod around the Waikato region. However, as…

WHEN you’ve grown up in a hot rod family and your dad is Lloyd ‘Magoo’ Wilson, it’s only natural that petrol runs through your veins. Oldest son Nathan (a.k.a ‘Von Mako’) has been working in the business for over 19 years and is now a shareholder and an accomplished tradesman in his own right. Aside from general fabrication, he specialises in custom interior and stereo work and was responsible for the design and fabrication of the interior in Nic Wood’s ‘The Whale’ ’51 Chevrolet Suburban, along with other cars. With a background in graphic design, he has done concept illustrations for customers and is also a dab hand with a pinstripe brush. Originally ‘recruited’ to work in Magoo’s retail part of the business, Nathan now spends most of his time…

BONNEVILLE Speedweek 2025 presented some highs and some serious lows. The low point was the death of Chris Raschke, whose Speed Demon streamliner became airborne at the 2.5-mile mark, travelling at close to 300mph on Day Two. I can only imagine that this fatality would have rattled the Kiwis, none more so than Pam Alexander, whose husband Dave was aiming to achieve a similar speed on what would eventually be the same course. Not forgetting the Harris family, who had to endure the sight of a rescue helicopter landing on the salt. The last time they saw a helicopter land on the salt was to pick up a muchloved husband and father, Chris Harris. Before this year’s fatality, there were already murmurings about the uneven surface from seasoned competitors. Lincoln…

Why? My hot rod roots go back to the early 1960s when dad (Bryan Grace) was crew chief on his friend Doug Kennedy’s Speedway midget. The other two crewmembers were Robbie Williams (’39 Deluxe Coupe) and Gideon De Latour (’38 Dodge Coupe that Dave Loose now owns). Many afternoons were spent at the Kennedys’, prepping and tuning the midget with Robbie’s ’39 and Gideon’s ’38 parked on the roadside. Saturday nights were filled with the sights, sounds and smells of speedway racing at Western Springs, where the cocktail of Methanol and Castor oil-fed racing engines was viewed from the concrete terraces above Pine Tree Bend. Sundays were spent cleaning up, chipping and hosing Western Springs cinders off. Later, there was a familybuilt flatbottom ski boat powered by a flathead V8,…

BEFORE commencing the build on his knockout ’35 Chrysler Art Deco timepiece (featured in last month’s mag), Rex Cullen’s earlier project took him in another direction, and like the Chrysler, it’s unique; certainly not another ‘belly button’ Ford or Chev (yeah, everyone has one of those). Rex’s Desoto Pickup was built in Canada in 1954, with factory right-hand drive configuration, and arrived down under in New Zealand in ’55; so it’s registered as a ’55. A chance remark from a workmate claiming, ‘Dad’s got an old truck in the shed’, led to a road trip down to Utiku (just south of Taihape), where Rex found himself staring at the remains of the ’55. It was complete, but its wheels were seized solid. After a deal was made, crowbars and a…

IN days of old, most owners of old cars grew up knowing how to work on them, mainly to keep them running. At this stage, they were nothing special, just cheap transportation. For a small bunch of us, we never grew out of them, and an addictive hobby was born. This hobby, whether it is vintage, classic or hot rod, has reached epidemic proportions. Fast forward to the 21st century, and there are hundreds of events around the country. One-day events consistently can attract 600-900 cars, and the larger events can hit over 2,000. Keeping our collectable vehicle going or maintained is just part of the thrill of owning it. I believe that over half of these owners nowadays are not mechanically minded. Quite often, the new enthusiast will go…

WHEN travelling to Canada, the Lemon family are amazing hosts to all visitors and the lead up to Northwest Deuce Days is no exception. On the Wednesday before the main event, B&N Hot Rods (Bill & Neil Lemon) in Mapleridge, BC, hosted a neat BBQ and open house. Ken Sanders came out with Auckland visitors Kerry & Trish Bree. Imelda Keach from Balclutha was a guest of Bill & Joanne Lemon. New Plymouth’s Kevin and Judy Smith were guests of Grant Chitty and his partner Rochelle. Tania and I ventured out to enjoy the hospitality - thanks, B&N and the Lemon family!…

Hot rodding is defined as the execution of creative instincts, vision and passion expressed in an automotive medium where anything goes, from mild to wild. Don & Shirley Ross’ C-cab features all the traditional hot rod elements and old school ingredients, not to subtly draped in-your-face Fuchsia colour. Every inch of this hot rod and every single component has been carefully and methodically thought out by Don as he brought his dream to life from nothing. His heartwarming and compelling story follows: I have always had the desire to build a car from scratch. Finally, at the age of 71, I decided to scratch-build a C Cab (always loved C Cabs). Then, in March 2019, I started with two pieces of steel laid on the ground. The design and style…

FOR those of us who’ve seen a good many sunsets, we’d recognise the family name Montaperto. It’s one rich in history and tradition, ignited by Steve Montaperto, who’s been a hot rod icon in the Hawkes Bay and had several features in this magazine. The five-window Coupe pictured is the handiwork of Steve’s brother Johnny, who’s collected parts and pieced together his Coupe with the vision of keeping it old school and as simple as possible. It’s a vision and passion that’s also shared by brother Steve, so you could say, it runs in the family. The Coupe isn’t Johnny’s first hot rod, but it’s the first one he’s finished. He started out collecting parts to build a T-bucket back in the day, when he was 18 and doing his…

AFTER rebuilding their ‘57 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe (see Blueberry Pie, August 24 HRM), Ian Aitken, longtime member of Southern Street Rodders, got stuck into a ‘55 GMC Pickup for his wife, Nikki. They bought the Pickup from Chucks, who brought it in from Oregon, USA, after Ian enquired if any Apache Pickups were available or coming up soon. No, they replied, but they did have this ‘55 GMC. Better still! So, Ian and Nikki made the purchase. That was back in 2017, and the GMC sat in their barn while the needed parts were gathered. While the GMC uses the same cab as the 55/’57 Chevy pickup, there were some differences, such as the dashboard, the bonnet, frontal chrome and grille, plus the ‘55 GMC pickup used the…

MY Dad, the late Ron Eva (1919-1977), was an old-school signwriter. It wasn’t called ‘old school’ back then; he did it all by hand, with a ‘resting stick’ with a soft rubber knob on the end of it, to steady his painting hand. He used to get the shakes, quite noticeably, hence the need for a resting stick. A signwriter with the shakes may sound comparable to a dentist with halitosis, but Dad was very good at his trade, even using Gold Leaf. When in London, he’d signwrite entire fleets of cars. Dunhill Cigarettes had about fifty Rover 2000s. Peter Stuyvesant Cigarettes had over fifty Vauxhalls. Dad painted the signage on all of them. And advertising billboards on buses. No computer cut signs back in the sixties. We moved to…

Noah Jakob Visiting Austrian artist Noah Jakob and NZHRM had a chance encounter at a Cafe in Waipu a while back when he was creating an illustration using coffee grounds. Since then, he’s finalised his work on a Puch TF 250cc motorcycle, which he’s allowed us to publish. Profile Noah was born into a family of craftsmen and teachers in southeast Austria in 1998. “As a child, I always loved finding the smallest details in a chaotic environment. In my mind, perfect chaos equals perfect order. At least in theory and on paper, I try to hold this statement high in my Illustrations to this very day.” Why a Puch? One particular old family legend sparked my interest in illustrating cars and motorcycles when I was still a little rascal.…

THE SoCal Speedshop Open House Kick Off Party has always been held on the eve of the LA Roadster Show and is always well worth checking out. You will always see cars parked that you won’t see at the Roadster Show, and if you want to chat with the owners, they are more likely to be sitting close by in a deck chair. It’s not all about roadsters, as there is a wide range of vehicles and there is guaranteed to be something that takes your fancy. All of which were driven there. A complimentary BBQ and a cold beer for a tip make for a great late-afternoon or evening event. There is a lot of history hanging on the walls inside SoCal which makes for good viewing. Plus some…

FOLLOWING on from our Northwest Deuce Days coverage last month, the week after is the Goodguys Pacific Northwest Nationals in Puyallup, Washington. We day-tripped there and back on Friday from British Columbia. It had been a few years since attending a Goodguys event, and while there were more late models and C10 Pickups, we still saw some neat stuff, which helped ease the pain of a cold winter back home. There was entertainment for all, from the ladies and kids and a full variety of food vendors as well. Once again, the revitalised SO-CAL Speed Shop had a strong presence. A small swap meet offered up some neat goodies as well. It is well worth attending.…

THIRTY-ONE years ago, Ian and Paula Leckie had their first foray into rodding with the purchase of the ’39 Ford Barrel-Nose featured here. However, it was unlike what you’re seeing before you. Three decades ago, it was in need of much TLC – it was a real project, with a flattie still up front, and stock running gear. The initial plan was to get on the road, complete with stock running gear, and end up with just a good daily driver. With the purchase of the ’39, the Leckies also made a wise move in joining Riverside Rodders, with whom they are still long-term members to this day. Work on the old truck was taking a little longer than initially planned, and with Ian’s role as a school principal, he…

MY name is Ian Douglas from Wakefield at the top of the South Island. I’m an avid hot rodder and general car lover. My main passion is for owner-built scratch vehicles that showcase individual thought and design. I am proud to be an 81-year-old kid at heart. I commenced this build at 72 and completed it at 79 years. Both my wife, Rosalyn, and I are long-term (senior) members of Cambusters Inc. in Nelson. This was not my first project, but it is possibly my last, as I’m now 80 years young… but never say never. I’ve had a busy lifetime building and racing hydroplanes, building go karts, a 12-metre oceangoing yacht, house renovations and classic cars, as well as competing in various outdoor sports both here and overseas. Shortly…