A Classics Museum carnival

9 December, 2015

Waikato classic car enthusiasts, and those of us who have passed through Hamilton, will have undoubtedly stopped off at Classics Museum to step back in time and reminisce about the gorgeous classics on display. 

Tiffany Curtis Photography

Now, three years on, Classics Museum celebrated their 3rd birthday on Sunday, November 29 with great fanfare. The carnival-themed atmosphere attracted car enthusiasts and families for an afternoon of great fun. Everyone got to look at all those great cars, before relaxing back and enjoying a free drive-in-movie, which was Cry Baby starring Johnny Depp.

If all this wasn’t enough, there was a live band playing to get those hips swinging, as well as carnival games and a best-dressed competition presented by Miss Pinup New Zealand. 

Tiffany Curtis Photography

All this fun created quite an appetite and The Jukebox Diner was soon crammed with families enjoying their burgers, shakes, and fries. 

Tiffany Curtis Photography

Visitors also enjoyed free admission to the museum for the day, and just when you thought you’d seen it all, the Hamilton Roller Derby team came along to show off some tricks on their skates.

For more information on the Classics Museum birthday event, visit classicsmuseum.co.nz.

Travelling companion

It’s easy to see why the Morris Minor Traveller was one of the best-loved variants of the Morris Minor. Introduced in 1953, it was equipped with the same independent torsion bar front suspension, drum brakes, and rack and pinion steering as its saloon sibling but, with their foldable rear seat increasing versatility, many Travellers were used as trade vehicles, says Derek Goddard. Derek and Gail Goddard, the owners of this superbly restored example, have run Morris Minors since before they were married in 1974.
“Our honeymoon vehicle was a blue Morris Minor van — it was a rust bucket,” says Derek.

Super Leicht Gullwing

It’s fair to say that nothing much in the classic Mercedes world gets past Mercedes-Benz Club stalwart Garry Boyce so it wasn’t surprising to learn that around 15 years ago he had sniffed out an extremely rare 300SL lightweight Gullwing as well as a 1958 300SL Roadster hiding away in the Waikato. The cars were not for sale but Garry eventually managed to persuade the owner to allow him and his restoration team to take a look at the Roadster. They discovered a very distressed but largely unmolested car. The car was so original that the body had never been off the chassis, meaning most of the parts and fittings were still present and correct, as they had been fitted by the factory.