Moonshine’s Sweet 16th

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It was happy sweet sixteenth birthday for Moonshine Rod and Custom Club’s annual American Vehicle Day on Sunday February 1st. The venue was again Trentham Racecourse, where the first sixteen-year-old car spotted on the concourse was an immaculatelooking blue 1999 Chevrolet Corvette.

With more than 600 cars, trucks and motorbikes attending, No.16 was arguably the best turnout ever for the show. Organizers Brian Armstrong, Mike Simons, Dean Somerville, and the team of willing club members who assisted, can be proud of the smiles their hard work brought to the faces of an estimated 6000 visitors. “We were full up. We couldn’t have taken any more cars,” Dean explains.

Pre-show publicity was excellent, with mobile and stationary hoardings, posters in shop windows, newspaper previews, and radio spots throughout Wellington and the Hutt Valley.

New attractions this year included the Miss Moonshine Contest, sponsored by Glorydays magazine, and won by Monique Mclennan.

Some of the Fords from the All Ford Car Day in January were seen at American Vehicle Day. Warren Birch’s 1934 Ford convertible, Bruce Manning’s 1956 Ford f100 truck and his wife Pam’s 1958 Ford Fairlane, were among them.

A 1952 Pontiac Catalina coupe — parked up and looking in on that event from behind a fence — was very much in the picture at American Vehicle Day, and admired for its sparkling chrome work.

A few regular attendees missed Moonshine club member Warren Perry’s 1957 Chevrolet with its “IM A 57” number plate. Warren’s trip to Auckland meant that a 1927 Ford Model A’s “IAMOLD” plate was the day’s most talked about.

The 60th anniversary of the Ford Thunderbird occurs this year; the model created the market niche for the personal luxury car when introduced to American car buyers in 1955. Representing the class of ’55 were a yellow T-bird with the top up, and a black with the top down, the black Thunderbird chosen by Steve Curl from Mainfreight as the day’s best Ford.

A 1955 Chevrolet pick-up truck won both Best Vehicle in Show and Best Chevrolet awards.

Coastguard Wellington was the day’s benefitting charity.