NZ Classic Driver

AUCKLAND BRIT & EURO CLASSIC CAR SHOW

- Words: ALLAN WALTON

In the new post Covid-19 era we all find ourselves inhabiting, we’re lucky that here in New Zealand we can still gather together a thousand-plus classic cars, not to mention several thousand visitors, all together in one place. Even so, this year’s Auckland Brit & Euro Classic Car Show was delayed due to a sudden Auckland lockdown postponeme­nt. However, not to be deterred, the organisers worked with their sponsors and were able to run the event a month later.

Come the day of the show, the sky was overcast and carried the threat of rain – putting off a few car owners who decided not to turn up. However, by mid-morning the sky cleared, turned a gorgeous shade of blue, and by midday it felt like a return to summer weather. Indeed, when we caught up with our intrepid photograph­er Cam, he was mopping the sweat off his brow and camera equipment as he combined his duties as the event’s official smudger with the task of snapping a series of Jaguars for an upcoming book.

As mentioned in our last edition, official registrati­ons this year clocked in at a record-breaking 1358, and while I wandered around the site a few times I’m sure I missed out on viewing some of the cars on display. I was impressed with a group of Ford Corsairs – including a Crayford convertibl­e version and a rare station wagon – although I somehow missed a bright red Marcos Mantula, only spotting it from a distance as it was being driven off the display area at the end of the show. I have a soft spot for Marcos, my last drive being at the wheel of the short-lived ‘revival’ model; the V8-powered TSO back in 2004.

As part of this year’s special ‘Revival’ display – a tribute to the famous British event, the Goodwood Revival – some very special cars were featured, including an ex-Stirling Moss Lancia Fulvia, a startlingl­y lime-green coloured Lancia Stratos replica, and the car that graced the September/ October 2018 edition of NZ Classic Driver, Richard Warfield’s Cole-Baker Special. This Kiwi-built sports car was modelled along the lines of a Ferrari 250 and built in the early 1960s. As well as catching up with the car’s owner, Richard, it came as a bit of a surprise when he introduced me to the car’s original builder, Dan Cole-Baker. We had a long chat about the car and his other automotive creations, with Dan pointing out a few errors we committed to print in our feature on his creation back in 2018. We’ve tasked Richard with gathering together some more informatio­n on Dan and the car, so we hope to have an update on the story of the Cole-Baker Special in a future edition of the magazine.

Finally, we hosted a fairly low-key stand, with the few free magazines we had on hand disappeari­ng very quickly – and many thanks to loyal NZ Classic Driver reader, Richard Sisler, who volunteere­d to hold down our stand until I arrived at Lloyd Elsmore Park. He did a great job chatting to other readers and handing out subscripti­on forms.

Next year’s Auckland Brit & Euro Classic Show is scheduled for March 6, 2022 – we’ll be there and we expect it to be yet another record-breaking show.

 ?? | Photos: CAMERON LEGGETT ??
| Photos: CAMERON LEGGETT
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from New Zealand