WEEKEND WARRIOR
In which Pedey finds out what it’s like being on the other side of the equation
FEMALE RACER CHARLIE SHOWS US HER TRACK-PREPPED EVO
You know what’s weird? I’ve been doing this job — photographing and writing about cars — for over a decade now, but until yesterday, I’d never really experienced what it’s like to be on the other side of the equation — as the car builder (or co-builder with my wife, I should say).
If you flick over to page 36, you’ll see that PerformanceCar’s editor Marcus recently offered to feature our Datsun Z project, a car you may recognize from these columns I write, or from a few years ago, back when I worked at NZPC and was documenting the build of the car in each issue.
Of course we agreed straight away, but didn’t really think too much more about it until yesterday morning, when we got up early (not something that happens too often) to begin detailing the car for the shoot. Every last bit of Autosol was squeezed from its tube, fingers were rubbed raw with polish and tyre shine was flying everywhere, but I wasn’t complaining at all: I was excited.
I think in doing this job you very quickly become numb to the experience and forget that, for an owner of a car, having a shoot done for a prestigious magazine like NewZealandPerformanceCar is pretty damn cool. I remember picking up NZPC as an annoying teenager, and dreaming of the day it would print just one tiny picture of my car in there somewhere, and I still recall the first time it happened — with a miniscule shot of my old Nissan Q45 from some Autosalon event. I was so pumped at the time, but the subsequent years have certainly dulled my excitement, and I think made me forget just how cool it is when professional writers and photographers take an interest in your car, and produce their own take on all your hard work.
Being able to sit down and watch top-dog photographer Adam Croy — someone I’ve collaborated with countless times when shooting other people’s vehicles — take the time to photograph our car was a pleasure, and the whole thing has made me realize that while it’s just an everyday job for me, it’s a pretty cool experience for those who are seeing a payoff for all their passion, hard work, and money spent. A big thank you to Marcus and the NZPC team for choosing to feature our car and giving us the full featureowner experience — it was a blast, and has made me more conscious of both sides of the equation when it comes to my own work as an automotive journalist.
Next month, I’ll most likely be writing this column from somewhere overseas (I haven’t quite worked out exact details yet …), so thankfully I’ll be able to stop boring you with rants about my own car, and get back out into the wide world to see what I can find!