Annual Twin Rivers Car Parade

16 June, 2014

 


Last month the Twin Rivers Car Parade and display was held at the Canterbury A&P Showgrounds.

Even though the weather was very overcast and less than ideal, the crowds weren’t deterred with huge amounts of people turning up and a great array of vehicles were on display.

British, American, European, and Japanese vehicles were all represented, with some really beautiful cars showing up.

The display was set for a 10.30am start with vehicles leaving to take part in the parade at around 1.30pm and returning an hour later. Prize giving took place at 3pm.

The Twin Rivers Car Parade has been running for the past 10 years by the Rotary Club of Avonhead. Entry only cost $15, and spectators only $10, so it’s always great value for money for a very relaxing day out. Proceeds this year went to The Child Cancer Foundation.

To finish first, first, you must build a winner

Can-Am royalty
Only three M20s were built, including the car that was destroyed at Road Atlanta. This car was later rebuilt. All three cars were sold at the end of the 1972 season. One of the cars would score another Can-Am victory in 1974, driven by a privateer, but the M20’s day was done. Can-Am racing faded away at the end of that season and was replaced by Formula 5000.
These days the cars are valued in the millions. It was unlikely that I would ever have seen one in the flesh if it hadn’t been that one day my editor asked me if I would mind popping over to Taranaki and having a look at a pretty McLaren M20 that somebody had built in their shed.
That is how I came to be standing by the car owned and built by truck driver Leon Macdonald.

Lunch with … Roly Levis

Lunching was not allowed during Covid 19 Lockdowns so our correspondent recalled a lunch he had with legendary New Zealand racing driver Rollo Athol Levis shortly before he died on 1 October 2013 at the age of 88. Michael Clark caught up with Roly and members of his family over vegetable soup