GENERAL EXCELLENCE –

GM CLASSIC CAR / HOT ROD DAY OUT

Autumn is a strange time of year for outdoor car shows, as you never quite know what you’re going to get. As luck would have it, the person in charge of weather over Auckland must have been in a good mood on Sunday, May 7, and the atmosphere at Clevedon School was positive right from the get-go. It’s also important to note that, although the event was run by the GM Enthusiasts Club, attendance was not limited to vehicles from the GM family stable. That said, you could have been forgiven for thinking that was not the case, with only one non GM present — the bright magenta ’66 Plymouth Fury driven by Kelly Ross. First in, best dressed, as the old saying goes, and occupying the prime real estate at the entrance to the school grounds was a handful of well-presented Vauxhalls — Veloxes, Victors, Vivas, Crestas, and a cool little Firenza. Vauxhall owners are a passionate bunch, with a number of ‘Drivers Team Vauxhall’ windscreen banners present and several cars proudly displaying vintage AA badges. If the Vauxhalls provided a satisfying entree, the main course was just ahead. Most of the vehicle display was made up of Holdens, from early steel-bumpered models through to the latest and greatest, although American iron was by no means absent.

MIKE BARI’S CHEVELLE OCCUPIED A PRIME LOCATION AND RAISED THE BAR AS SOON AS HE DROVE IN

This was most evident in the ’71 Chevelle driven over by Mike Bari. Mike occupied a prime location, and he raised the bar as soon as he drove in — you can read more about his Chevelle elsewhere in this article. His car was by no means the only car in attendance at that level; Steven ‘Conda’ Conder’s beautifully finished and Walkinshaw-kitted VL Commodore was parked not too far away. Much of the crowd’s attention seemed to be split between Mike’s nitrous-assisted Chevelle and Conda’s twinProcharged VL. If huge power and wild modifications do nothing for you, then the array of beautifully restored — or unrestored — classics that the show also featured will probably have suited you. From Holden HQ Premiers through to Terry Graham’s neat little Chev Corvair Monza, and the Vauxhalls mentioned earlier, the scope of vehicles present covered every base possible. Of course, with a car display held to a traditional show format, there were no surprises here. On these pages, we’ll let you see a little more of the vehicles present through a number of specific spotlights, and let you be the judge of this one.

Below: At first glance, this tough LJ Torana sedan doesn’t seem to project much menace, but, with the bonnet open, the truth is revealed. VN heads flow incredibly well straight out of the factory, and, with a Harrop single-plane intake and a big Demon...

Left: Karl Shields’ 1982 Holden VH Commodore SS is one of only 30 built by Holden New Zealand, in conjunction with Peter and Phil Brock, for the 1982–’83 Benson and Hedges Saloon Car Series. It is powered by an L31 Holden 308 V8, backed by an M21...

Above: Whether you prefer your classics unmolested or wildly modified, there’s no denying the beauty of this Holden HQ sedan. Powered by a Holden 253ci V8 and Trimatic auto from factory, the car seems to be in impeccable condition inside and out, from...

Above: As far as early Commodores are concerned, Formula Blue paint and gold Simmons FR wheels are considered a bit of a cliché, but few can pull the look off in the way Dale Williams’ VK Commodore does. A panel beater by trade, Dale has built an...

Right: Terry Graham’s is a pristine example of a 1966 Chev Corvair, and, if the original black plate is anything to go by, is likely a New Zealand–new car. An upholsterer by trade, Terry has given the interior a once-over, while the exterior has...