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Southward Car Museum’s annual Auto Jumble in November

16 June, 2014

 


The Southward Car Museum is holding its annual Auto Jumble in November 2014 and owners of vintage, classic, and rare cars and motorcycles can bring their unwanted parts and memorabilia for others to rummage through.

Being an automotive only swap meet, punters may be able to find that elusive missing piece they need to get on with whatever project they’re working on.


The Auto Jumble provides vendors the opportunity to display their automotive-themed products to the public.

Once again we have the opportunity for vendors to display their automotive themed products to the public.

The Car Corral area will also be at the Auto Jumble. This is for those who would like to advertise their vehicle as being for sale. Southward Car Museum has hopes that this area will be a buyer’s paradise on the day.


Preferential parking will be set aside for those who are wanting to bring their classic car or motorcycle along for a ride on the day.

Children’s entertainment and paces to purchase food and beverages will complete the day out. Gates open at 8am — make sure you get there early so you don’t miss out on the great deals!

Vendors who are interested in holding a trade site should contact Hayden on [email protected] for more information.

“Gotcha!’’ The continuing tale of a Nissan/Datsun tragic – part two

8 May, 2026

In 1996, I was on a mission to buy a suitable pavement scorcher and visited the now-defunct Manukau City Car Fair. Unbelievably, among the sea of four-door utilitarian Japanese compacts was the absolute jewel in the crown, my automobile wet dream — a 1985 two-door R30 RS Nissan Skyline FJ20 Turbo five-speed manual in nice condition. The owner wanted $10,000 — a great deal.
But what did I do? I bailed out, paralysed by indecision. The money would have been a stretch, but it was the worst automotive choice I ever made. Instead, I went for a rusty Toyota Sprinter 8 Valve Twin Cam Coupé, which was pretty terminal from the get-go. I know. We’ve all done it, but there was really no excuse for passing up the Skyline, and I was haunted by that for years.

Last Tango in the Fast Lane

30 April, 2026

In the mid ’80s, I locked into a serious Nissan/Datsun performance obsession. It could have kicked off with my ’82 Datsun Sunny, though this would have been a bit of a stretch of the imagination, given its normally aspirated 1.2-litre motor — not the sort of thing to unleash radical road warrior dreams. But it did plant a seed, and it was a sweet little machine and surprisingly quick, in contrast to all the diabolical English offerings I had endured.
I was living in South Auckland at the time and was an unrepentant petrolhead. Motor racing was my drug of choice, and I followed the scene slavishly. Saloon car racing, with the arrival of the international Group A formula, was having a serious renaissance here and in Australia and Europe. There was suddenly an exotic air in local racing that had been absent for 15 years.
I was transfixed by this new frontier of motor racing that had hit our tracks in 1985–87 and the new array of machinery on display. In 1986, the Nissan Skyline RS DR30 made a blinding impression on me. The Australian Fred Gibson-run, Peter Jackson-sponsored team of George Fury and Glenn Seton were the fastest crew of the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship. But Kiwi legend Robbie Francevic snuck through to win the Aussie Championship in his Volvo 240T after a strong start and consistent finishes.