THE TEST OF TIME

definitely stood the test of time. The nationals awards for Top 10 Hot Rods and Top 10 Street Machines are voted for by entrants only. This system can only be as good as the entrants and the cars in attendance, so sometimes the results do raise a few eyebrows. But to see Grease and Christine’s coupe back in the Top 10 this year was something I was particularly pleased about — especially for a car that first hit the road in 1987! To see other traditional cars in the Top 10, such as Tania Foster’s ’36 Ford coupe and Mike Roberts’ Model A pickup, was equally impressive. A few years ago, you would overhear people saying they wouldn’t vote for a baremetal car because it wasn’t considered finished — now those cars are being recognized for their quality and style, and I think that’s very important. Grease and Christine also picked up the Bay Rodders’ Choice and Best Traditional Car awards, and I felt that was very appropriate. I guess what is so special about the Martins’ coupe is that it was built in an era before traditional hot rods became trendy. The car is a reflection of Grease’s lifelong interest in old Ford hot rods, particularly Ford flathead V8–based hot rods. The Ardun overhead-valve heads are genuine items, and, when you understand the workmanship required to make these older heads run reliably and efficiently, that makes this car even more special. I remember organizing the Nostalgia Display at the 45th anniversary NZHRA National Show, and a sidebar to that was a display of vintage performance engines, which included Grease’s Ardun. It was a fantastic display, and, by encouraging Grease to display the engine, I’d hoped that its resurrection might climb higher on the list of activities Grease was involved with, such as drag racing, salt-flats racing, vintage speedway, and hot rodding. Last year, I heard he was working on the engine, and, by the end of the year, he had it back in the car. What a sight it is to behold! In true hot rod fashion, Grease chose to run the engine in by driving to Greymouth for their biennial rod run over Christmas. I always stop by this car whenever I see it at an event, as nothing says pure hot rod porn like a supercharged Ardun engine. The style of this classic coupe, with its vintage hot rod engine, and the way it is used exemplify exactly what I mean about standing the test of time; they capture the essence of hot rodding perfectly. As for the “few” stories this car has, I’ll let Grease relay those in his own words …