St Heliers fills with classics, customs, and kids toys

2 December, 2014

The first Monday of December may mean different things for different people, but for us it’s always the day of the annual ‘Toy Run’. The Toy Run, which is hosted by North Shore Rod And Custom Club, actually doesn’t include a run at all, but is more so a giant park up of generous car lovers keen to make a difference for kids in need.

Taking place at Vellenoweth Green, St Heliers, Auckland, the event sees the hundreds of vehicle owners present making a gold coin donation to the Salvation Army upon entry, as well as many of them donating a children’s toy, which is then given to charity to be used as a Christmas gift. While the event has been going for many years now, the toy donation part (and the event itself, if we’re honest) isn’t all that well promoted, so while many toys were donated we did think that aspect could be pushed a bit more.

Regardless, the NSRCC did a great job on the night coping with the 300 or so cars that arrived, even going as far as providing a lolly scramble and presents for the kids in attendance, and credit must be given to them for running a great family-friendly event.

Mark down the first Monday of December in your diary for next year, as the event is well worth heading along to, regardless of if you’re driving a custom or classic car, or are just keen to take a look.

Merry Christmas from NZ Classic Car magazine

The Classic Car magazine team is taking a few weeks’ holiday from the work computer and heading to the beach for some kickback time.
Merry Christmas, and have a wonderful summer holiday to all our readers, followers, and fans. Enjoy this special extra time with the family. We will be posting archive articles again in mid to late January.
Have fun, be good and be careful out there.

Two engines instead of one?

Popping two motors into a car is not only complicated, it doesn’t always end well. Donn Anderson recalls early attempts, including John Cooper’s ill-fated original Twini Mini built 58 years ago

For a boost in performance, better traction, and perhaps improved handling to some, two motors seems an obvious solution. It would also eliminate the need to develop a larger engine replacement from scratch, but would that outweigh the not inconsiderable technical difficulties?
The idea of using a pair of engines dates back at least 86 years to the Alfa Romeo Bimotor single seater racing car that was officially timed at 335km/h, or 208mph. Taking a lengthened Alfa P3 chassis, the Italians fitted two supercharged straight eight 2.9-litre and 3.2-litre engines, one in front of the cockpit, and the other behind the cockpit.