Calling all car lovers: Time to rev your engines
Rev up your Holdens and ignite your Falcons, a tour group looking to rekindle its glory days is calling for mad car enthusiasts.
Manawatu¯ ’s collectable car club tours the lower North Island once a month, but founder Rod Davenport says it’s more of a social club for like-minded petrol heads.
The club started in 1992, but almost disbanded shortly after its 20th anniversary, with membership plummeting to 13 people.
Instead of closing the club, Davenport helped resurrect it and it now boasted 60 members dispersed from Wellington to Whanganui. Although, several of its members were not active and did not take part in the monthly tours.
That’s why Davenport and fellow member Peter Robinson are on a recruitment drive for owners of the region’s oldest, greatest and shiniest collectable cars.
Davenport’s car is a 1974 3-litre metallic brown Ford Capri he imported from the United States 10 years ago.
Before that, he had a 1939 Chev Coupe and a 1930 Model A Tourer, both of which had been restored down to the last nut and bolt.
Sitting in Robinson’s garage are a 1929 Ford Model A and a 1973 Mercury Cougar.
The Palmerston North man has been fascinated with cars since he was 16, when his brother’s friend gave him a 1937 Ford Coupe. ‘‘I’ve loved them ever since.’’
Member Laurie Cocker has the oldest car in the club’s armoury, a 1906 Cadillac. The 113-year-old beauty may only reach speeds of 30 to 40 kmh, but that hasn’t stopped Cocker taking it to Cape Reinga and Bluff four times.
It took him four days to get to the bottom of the South Island and Davenport said Cocker still drove it everywhere.