CAFFEINE AND CLASSICS

We tend to keep away from events or activities closest to home. Thus, having lived on Auckland’s North Shore for all 41 years of my life, I have never taken the 10-minute drive to Smales Farm on the last Sunday morning of every month. So, with no other events on the calendar for the month of June, I decided to take the short drive to see what it was all about.

Unfortunately, the weather was not too kind in the morning, with several showers keeping many of the cars away from the 9am to 12pm coffee gathering. Several car club groups did turn up, though, including those with Minis, Camaros, and Mustangs, to name just a few.

Of particular interest was a 1982 VH Holden Commodore SS. It was one of just 30 ever made and was a joint venture between Holden New Zealand and motor racing legend Peter Brock, and his brother Phil. Another standout was a 1972 Chrysler Valiant Charger R/T E49. Only 149 of these were built before the Australian Government ceased production, as they were deemed too powerful to be driven on the road, being from a racing pedigree. Two of the many other distinctive cars present were an ’83 Nissan Skyline RS and an immaculately restored ’72 Chevy Corvette.

If the classics weren’t quite your thing, there were plenty of newer Camaros and Mustangs, as well as a Mclaren 675 MCL and a Nissan GT-R, which would have been ‘insane’ to drive, as the badge indicated. However, as an enthusiast of European cars I was more excited about seeing the lone Ferrari Dino parked up alongside a rather special-looking Lancia Delta Integrale, which is basically a road model of the Lancia World Rally Championship car from back in the ’80s.

Now that I have been once, I will certainly be in attendance again, time permitting. Seeing so many cars of various ages and types in one place and realizing the amount of time some of the guys must spend on their prized possessions really were very eye-opening.