Car fans keep on trucking at show
Car enthusiasts don’t come much more enthusiastic than Cambridge couple Brian and Barbara Hartman.
The pair were at the second annual Matamata CarO-Rama on Saturday with their 1950 Jowett Bradford truck, otherwise known as Bradley.
Put on by the Matamata Rod and Custom Club, the event is the perfect opportunity for car fanatics from all over to come together.
‘‘We just love it,’’ said Mrs Hartman.
‘‘We enjoy meeting other like- minded people and having a chat about our truck,’’ added Mr Hartman.
‘‘ People come over and say they might have had one, or their father or uncle might have driven one.’’
Painted royal purple, their Bradford has been all over New Zealand since Mr Hartman finished restoring it four years ago.
‘‘ Each time is just as exciting as the first time we went out in it,’’ said Mrs Hartman. ‘‘Whether we are taking it to a show or just on a Sunday drive.’’
They found the truck in a sorry state in a junk yard in Hamilton nine years ago and Mr Hartman decided to try his hand at restoration.
‘‘I’m not a mechanic but I’m mechanically minded and I like tinkering,’’ he said.
‘‘I had been interested in cars since I was a teenager and I thought it was time for a challenge.’’
Theirs was a familiar story at the Car-O-Rama, with a few hundred people proudly displaying their pride and joys.
Vintage tractors and truck and trailer units attested to the event’s concept of ‘‘ anything with wheels and a motor’’.
Terrence McDermott, one of the organisers of the day, said it had been a success by all accounts so far.
The committee wanted to thank the Matamata Volunteer Fire Brigade, local business sponsors, the Undefined Car Club for taking care of traffic management and everyone else who made the day possible.
More photos page 14.