LVVTA celebrates a quarter of a century

Just five months after the Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association (LVVTA) processed its 150,000th modified-vehicle certification, the organization has celebrated its 25th anniversary.

The occasion was marked with an event at LVVTA’S headquarters in Porirua, Wellington, on the night of November 24, and was attended by many current and past Low Volume Vehicle (LVV) certifiers, government representatives, current and past members of the LVVTA’S Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and other invited guests.

As well as recognizing the achievements of the highly regarded LVV certification system for modified and custom-built vehicles, the night also saw a special celebration honouring long-standing members of the TAC. This voluntary organization is the backbone of the LVV system, and is responsible for providing the technical content of the New Zealand Car Construction Manual, as well as assessing all vehicle design proposals.

As a token of gratitude towards the TAC, bespoke long-service plaques (made from complex, custom-designed, water-jet-cut artwork, symbolic of the type of vehicles that the committee was set up to help) were presented to members who’ve volunteered their immense expertise and experience for both 10 and 20 years.

Twenty-year award recipients were Graham Walls, John Hinton, Terry Bowden, Chris Litherland, and Tony Johnson. Ten-year recipients were John Reid, Alan Smail, Walter Wing, John Ward, Paul Sattler, Geoff Cottle, Kerry Buchanan, Mark Stokes, Justin Hansen, and Peter Vahry, some of who are not far off reaching the 20-year milestone.

During the formalities of the night, attendees heard not only from LVVTA speakers but also from scratch-built vehicle owner Stewart Collinson, with an enlightening perspective of what it’s like to build a car with the assistance and support of the TAC and his LVV certifier, Ken Mcadam. Stewart’s handcrafted Porsche RS60 replica was on display and had already received plenty of positive accolades, even before he explained just how indepth the build process was — a tale that was greatly enjoyed by everyone present.

As an exciting interlude during the night’s proceedings, the 1864kw dragster of Whanganui’s Grant Rivers was fired up, giving the evening’s guests — many of who had never previously been exposed to such sights and sounds — an experience they’ll not forget in a hurry!