NZ Hot Rod

Prophets A FAMOUS Simon and Garfunkel 1964 song, “The Sounds of Silence”, proffered the lyrics – “the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls. And whispered in the sound of silence.” While NZ didn't have subways in the true sense of the word, we did have tunnels and underpasses where, back in the early seventies, I recall seeing anti-Vietnam war and other prophetic slogans hand-painted there. With no internet, it was one of the only ways of speaking out and communicating the messages and truths of the day. Nowadays, the internet is our subway wall, and everyone is in boots and all, blurting out the first thing that comes to mind, but amongst it, you can find, after distillation and filtering, the truths of…

Should've Guessed HI PAUL, A follow-up to the letter from Dave Alexander in the latest (March) mag about Squeak and him rescuing the Aussie and the homeless man. The “Aussie” was Harry Wright from Dunedin, visiting from Aussie. He had borrowed a Sunbeam Tiger from Mike Lawerence, another ex-pat Kiwi hot rodder from Invercargill. I have that story in the list of stories for my next book. Regards Golly. Triggered HI PAUL, It's funny how a single description can trigger a whole lot of memories, in this case, the 'early OHV 4 cylinder Chev engine' in The Jalopy Dust Up article. In my teens in the mid-'60s, I lived in Trentham Camp, which was adjacent to an empty paddock opposite the Heretaunga railway station. In the middle was an area…

Reenvisioned ON a recent tour of the Ross brothers' incredible museum in Cambridge, I discovered that Michael Ross had this wild Mk 1 Zephyr under construction. The car is based on the entire floor pan and running gear of a Nissan 300ZX, which includes a 3-litre, twin turbo'd V6 engine. It has been test-driven and, as expected handles amazingly. The body was widened to suit and made into a two-door coupe. Closer details will be revealed when a finished article is done. Great stuff! From Craig Stare. The Spirit of New Zealand Bonneville Lakester DAVE Alexander's big build in a little shed in the Waikato has been getting a lot of attention over the past months. The project was last captured by NZHRM in July 2019 as the rolling chassis…

THIS year's Waipu Car & Bike Show was another blinder, with a record 900 cars and 220 bikes on display under blue summer skies. On the entertainment card was live music by Elvis, a Retro Beauty contest, a visit by the Northland Rescue Helicopter all backed by an amazing and diverse display of hot rods, muscle cars, street machines, customs, and even rare Japanese and English classics. The hard-working and dedicated team in the Waipu Lions Club, backed by many local businesses, raised a sizeable amount, which was donated to the Northland Helicopter Rescue Trust. It was another fantastic day, and not to be missed in 2026. Awards: Best Hot Rod: Brian & Elizabeth Ogle – 1932 Ford Coupe Best Original: Dave Coker – 1932 Ford Sedan Best Muscle Car: John Cook – 1970 Plymouth…

IN 2012, Stefan and Toni purchased the '57 Chevrolet from a guy in Hastings. It was in reasonable running condition and had a current WOF & Rego, but it was pretty rough and needed some work. Stefan & Toni's plan was to use it as a “hack” so they could chuck the kids in the back along with the dogs, and that was it. They took it to Jonesy's, Hamilton, to get some minor panel and paint work done, but after stripping it back, it needed major panel work. Once completed and painted in Synergy Green by Jonesy's contract painter, it looked amazing. But after a while, it became evident that something was wrong with the paint process, which caused it to bubble. Then, one weekend, as it was being…

SETTING the standard of the cars to arrive and greeting incomers at the entrance, was this 1958 Ford Fairlane Skyline Retractable from the host club. The top was down for yet another glorious Southland summer day that drew over 400 exhibits and hordes of spectators to the Collegiate Rugby Club Grounds for this annually expanding car show.…