Pristine street machines promise visual intoxication

It’s pretty hard to be an obsessive hot rodder and not want your dream machine to be a source of wonder and admiration by absolute strangers.

Seeing this country’s best hot rod and custom creations, under full flood lit glory, will be one of the mesmerising displays at this year’s CRC Speedshow in Auckland this weekend.

Hot rod and street machine owners from around New Zealand will leave nothing to chance to make sure each of the 50 vehicles on display are a stand out, says show director, Ross Prevette.

With some vehicles invited and others selected from a vast list of submitted applications, the public get to see both professional and hobbyist built vehicles, the vast majority of which are registered and driven regularly by their owners.

The Teng Tools Grand National Rod & Custom Show is a celebration of the mastery, talent, and skill of our own Kiwi hot rodding community. Not only have the owners spent many a frustrating hour in the workshop, but some models are the result of tens of thousands of dollars.

The display is a major highlight of the 2016 CRC Speedshow and getting a placing in the highly competitive show is a badge of honour in hot rod circles.

Who those judges are will never be revealed, says Prevette, but he promises they are definitely highly qualified experts.

“While we can’t name the judges, they’re certainly considered experts in the field and are keen to get their discriminating and detailed eyes over the entries. The results are always close which makes it exciting for everyone,” explained Prevette.

The public also get an opportunity to have their say by voting for the people’s choice award.

For people visiting the show, the custom cars always mesmerize – age, background and gender are no barrier. Under the floodlights and in a covered hall, hot rod owners relish this type of event in which to show their works of automotive art.

The show will feature everything from projects on-the-go, to completed vehicles looking lavish in all their pristine polished glory. The cars also reveal quite a bit about their owner’s personalities.

One of the more unusual creations is a hot rod made from macrocarpa wood. It’s the invention of Barry Gardner from Onepu, Whakatane. The builder has used his wood crafting skills to fashion a one of a kind 1930 Ford Model A Huckster, and now he’s also working on a caravan to tow behind it.

His hot rod buddy who lives down the road, Neil Surtees, is also putting forward his own salute to aircraft design, with his 1928 Ford Model A Roadster. With its rivets and acid-washed finish, it shows that hot rods don’t have to by shiny to be stunning.

“This show is not designed to replace or compete with existing shows,” says Prevette.

It maintains the all-inclusive nature of the previous Teng Tools Grand National Rod and Custom Show where all owners of top show quality cars are welcome - whether or not they are members of the NZ Hot Rod Association, the NZ National Street Rod Association or any car club, says Prevette.

ENDS

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