Rusty Nuts Hot Rod Show!

Waihi Beach, New Zealand 22nd March 2014

Cresta went to her first New Zealand car show on the weekend - The Rusty Nuts Hot Rod show at Waihi Beach.

We cruised with the Beach Hop crew from Whangamata along the winding hilly roads to Waihi Beach. The scenery was just beautiful, through rolling green farm land and fern-filled forests, I am always amazed by just how beautiful New Zealand is and cruising along in an old car makes you appreciate it even more.

The  car show was held right on the beach and the cars all parked up on the sand - crazy!

 This too cool for school Woody Wagon looked right at home

The Beach Hop prize giveaway cars got to test out their newly installed running gear and pose for a few photos the winner of the prize draw gets to choose between the Mustang, a Falcon surf wagon or the Zephyr (the Falcon was still having its interior done so wasn't at this show)

This Zephyr comes with a matching vintage caravan and some lucky winner will taken them home for the cost of a $5 program! 

I had lots of fun getting so many great pics in the lovely afternoon light 

They had a great band called the Recliner Rockers playing on the sand - gotta love that double bass!

What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon - chilling on the beach, listening to some live music and ogling over all the luscious chrome and immaculate machinery...

Even though I'm more of a classic and custom girl than a muscle car fan - This shot was one that I was particularly happy with - I just love the composition of it and the light, so I turned it into a black and white and it became pure art...

Cresta had lots of photos taken of her and even blokes appreciated her - these cars were a lot more popular in New Zealand than they were in Australia and so many people came up to me and said that they either used to have one, learned ot drive in one, or their parents had one... 

it made me happy to have my not-quite-so-flash as the other cars Cresta get so much love.

Of course to me she will always be the most beautiful car in the world!

Hervey Bay Hot Rod 'n' Custom Car Campout

Sunshine Coast to Hervey Bay return 1-3 May (500kms)

I had heard about the May in the Wide bay Hot Rod and Custom Car campout from the Vintage Caravan forums. A lot of Vintage vanners are classic car enthusiasts who use their restored old caravans to travel and stay at the many car shows and campouts held several times a year all around the country. So, fuelled by promises of multiple vintage caravans and lots of classic cars all in the one place, it was time to hook up the old van, jump in the car, and hit the road north for the 260 km drive up past Gympie and Maryborough to Hervey Bay.

As I pulled into the Happy Wanderer Caravan Park I was greeted by a hive of activity and a sea of chrome-adorned open topped rods in just about every bright coloured metallic two pack known to mankind. Having just returned from what sounded like a hilarious observation run and treasure hunt, it was miles of smiles all around as rodders gave fellow rodders a taste of cruising around the caravan park and out and around the streets in their pride and joys. I found Jeff Neels, the secretary of the Wide bay Rodders who introduced me to some of the car owners all of whom were more than happy to have a yarn about their cars and what they love about “rodding”.

“It’s the camaraderie that develops through runs like this one. And the freedom, the freedom to build a car that truly reflects the individual” says Owen Johnston, the club’s president. Owen’s interest in rodding developed when he rescued his grandfather’s old rotting 1927 Buick from a sorry fate many years ago and turned it into a hot rod. He said it took two years of his spare time to repair, restore and rebuild the beauty from the ground up. And it seems this kind of passion and devotion runs deep in the rodding fraternity with many attendees sharing similar stories about the journey of their car’s rebirthing. 

So what is a hot rod? Basically it’s a pre-1948 model of car, usually American, such as Ford Model A’s and T’s or Chevy’s and Buicks with a big fat V8 engine in it. The rest is pretty much up the builder’s own tastes; choose your colour, your chrome bits, add personal touches such as licking flame paintwork and big shiny wheels and you’ve got yourself your very own hot wheels project for big kids. Now you’ve made yourself your dream chick-magnet (unless you are a chick already in which case your car will probably be pink and more of a dude repellant) you need somewhere to drive it. As modified vehicles, general daily use is out of the question. Besides, with paintwork like this, would you want to risk it? Most hot rod clubs hold at least one get-together a year to allow members to mingle with other enthusiasts. Along with a bit of car-envy and healthy, jovial competitiveness, all genuine classic and vintage car lovers are welcomed with life-long friendships often formed along the way.

Entry fees included a host of activities designed to engage all rodders of all ages along with communally shared and catered meals held under canvas canopies in the caravan park. Having grown over the past three years to over 120 cars participating this year, May in the Wide Bay now takes over two camping areas in Hervey Bay with onsite accommodation apparently having been booked months in advance. With many of the featured cars on limited special usage registration, registered runs like this one give owners the chance to strut their stuff, turn some heads and show off a bit and many of them travel several times a year to attend events such as this one. Wide Bay Rodders secretary Jeff is quick to point out that any funds raised from holding events like this one in excess of their needs are donated to charity and an auction and raffle drawn on the closing night of the event saw funds proved the generosity, as well as the partying spirit of the rodding fraternity. The the Oncology ward of the local hospital are the deserving beneficiaries of this weekend’s proceedings.

Thanks so much to the Wide bay Rodders for your hospitality. I had an absolute blast  - see you next year!

Custom car shows rock!

My new boss can't work out what it is about the whole custom (or if you wanna be really cool, you can call it "kustom") thing is all about. He knows that I want to write a heap of articles about my obsession with custom culture; restored classic cars, caravans, the whole rockabilly, retro, pin-up girl, burlesque thing. He swears that I'm the only nut that is even interested in that kind of thing and I'm doing my darndest to convince him otherwise. It's only been two weeks - give me time!

Anyway we went to the Morayfield Custom car Show on the weekend and I got to see some of the sweetest looking rides around. I'm not sure what was contributing more to the general humidity - the days of incessant rain we've had, or the combined drool of hundreds of jealous punters like me seriously contemplating ditching the late model Commodore for something a bit more stylish and original like a restored EH - in hot pink of course!
I'm no bogan and I'll admit that my knowledge of mechanics doesn't extend much beyond the ability to change a tyre and check the oil and water, but seeing goregous rides like that makes me want to learn. I was really impressed with how many of the owners of these restored beauties did a lot of the work themselves, and no, they weren't all mechanics, spray painters or professional upholsterers - to most of them this was their hobby -something they did on the weekends and in betwen working at regular 9-5 type jobs - a very expensive labour of love. Now where do I find myself a man like that? And if I did, would he love the car more than me? Would I get jealous of the amount of time he spent tinkering in the garage instead of tinkering on me?
Hmmmm...

Note to self: must look up basic mechanics courses for chicks.