GASSER MAD

FIVE MINUTES. THAT’S ABOUT HOW LONG IT FELT FOR PERHAPS THE COOLEST DISPLAY OF AUTOMOTIVE BRAWN TO TAKE PLACE AT REPCO BEACH HOP 18

On Friday night, the main street of Whangamata became quiet. The endless procession of cars looping slowly around the main drag tapered off, and, as the clocks edged closer to 9pm, the scattered queue of onlookers down each side of the road developed into heavy throngs. What on earth could command that kind of attention? Disrupting the unnatural hush, a starter motor’s stutter ended in a ear-bashing idle familiar to anyone who has spent time at a drag strip — the sound of a blown alcohol engine, closely followed by another, before the wall of hardedged sound shuffled towards the crowds. Emerging from the darkness of the Lincoln Street side road, one after the other, came a procession of cars carrying an air of menace that could make children cry and grown men take a step back. These were the stars of the show for the following weekend’s Worlds End Bar and Cafe 2018 Nostalgia Drags event — four gassers shipped over from Australia, where they compete in the period-style V/Gas class. The stars aligned for Repco Beach Hop 18, with a road closure permitting the incredible vehicles to complete one loop of the main drag around each roundabout, for one hell of an exhibition. Damien Kemp’s ‘Funderbolt’ Ford Fairlane was the most well-known of this bunch, and, with a supercharged 440ci small block Ford mill, it was definitely the loudest as well. Looking every bit the vintage gasser, the crowd loved it as much as it looked like Damien does. However, it was Stephen Biggs and his ‘Loose Cannon’ ’56 Chev that really seemed to do the trick. The vibe that this car gives off is insane, and, with that big toothy front end, it’s definitely a car you don’t want in your rear-view mirror … or coming at you down the road! The trio was completed with the ‘Bad Ass To’ ’57 Chev of Peter Raines, which was also the nicest of the lot. Hey, gassers don’t have to be rough-as-guts mongrels to be the real deal, and Peter’s high standard of finish sure provides a nice reminder of that. You gotta be quick around here — one lap was all they got, and it was all they needed, because it seemed as though all of Whangamata made it out to see them. Those who did miss out on the coolest five minutes of Repco Beach Hop 18, we hope you managed to see them at Meremere the following weekend. What a show!