It’s hot rod heaven in Feilding
Hot rods and thousands of car parts and trinkets were on display at Manfeild in Feilding for ‘‘petrolheads’’ to see.
The annual hot rod swap meet on Saturday brought in about 4500 visitors.
Palmerston North hot rod club president Tim Olsen said it was a petrolhead’s dream, with about 200 people selling thousands of items in the car park and about 50 more traders in the stadium.
There were car parts galore, as well as hot rods on display so people could admire others’ craftsmanship, Olsen said.
He was pleased with the turnout, with at least 1000 more people through the gates than in 2016.
‘‘Last year was an absolute shocker because of the weather.’’
Battling with weather and the internet had changed the swap meet scene since it started more than 45 years ago, but displaying hot rods in the past few years gave it a new appeal, Olsen said.
It was all about catering to what people couldn’t get online and finding new ways to make the event inviting, he said.
People also had the chance to cruise around the racetrack in their hot rods when they gave a gold coin donation to Canteen, Olsen said.
This was done while the Manawatu Car Club racers were taking a break from their practice day.
The two events made for a loud day at Manfeild as cars hooned around the track non-stop.
John Edwards chose to set up a stall at the swap meet in the hopes he could sell enough to help start his next project.
He was eyeing up a 1970 Ford Falcon and had recently done up a 1974 Buick Park Avenue.
Edwards couldn’t count how many cars he’d modified but he said it was a real passion.
Paul Mcleod had his 1974 Mazda on display so people could admire his handiwork, he said.
He completely modified the car, which took about eight years.
A mechanic by trade, Mcleod still found time to modify hundreds of cars and he didn’t plan on stopping any time soon, he said.