Repco Beach Hop 16 day two: Waihi

6 April, 2016

The second day of Repco Beach Hop 16 (March 30), was what most would have associated with previous years’ day one — the Go Waihi Warm Up Party. As always, entrants assembled their cars outside the Ford NZ Reserve (Williamson Park) in Whangamata, before departing Waihi-bound at 10am.

The bulk of Waihi’s Main Street, as well as myriad side streets, was taken over by ‘Beach Hoppers’ in their classic vehicles, as well as the uphill Cornish Pump House reserve. A bonus was the live band — Tim & the Rockets — playing inside the old Cornish Pump House, providing some very welcome entertainment.

Not only are there enough cars to take up a whole day’s worth of browsing, but the Waihi day is pretty well known for the ‘drag race’, which is “something you don’t want to miss” according to the official Beach Hop programme. This is where a team of usually very hairy blokes dressed in drag have a race down the street.

It’s not pretty, but it sure is a barrel of laughs, and a fine way to unwind from what was actually a very hot and sunny day. Of course, knowing how the weather would turn out over the remainder of Repco Beach Hop 16, that great atmosphere helped make our memories of Waihi even fonder.

We’ll have full coverage in our NZV8 Beach Hop Annual 2016, which will be out in mid May — or you can pre-order a copy here.

Click here to see Repco Beach Hop 16 day three coverage

The motor car as an art form

12 March, 2026

We have certainly come a long way since the exhibition entitled 8 Automobiles, shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the autumn of 1951, the first exhibition concerned with the aesthetics of motor car design.
It was here that the often-used term ‘rolling sculpture’ was coined by curator Philip C Johnson, director of the department of architecture and design, when he said, “An automobile is a familiar 20th century artefact, and is no less worthy of being judged for its visual appeal than a building or a chair. Automobiles are hollow, rolling sculptures, and their design refinements are fascinating. We have selected cars whose details and basic design suggest that automobiles, besides being America’s most useful objects, could be a source of visual experience more enjoyable than they now are.”

More to the point

6 March, 2026

This Daimler SP252 is so rare, few people know it exists. It’s one of a kind. It’s the only surviving, in fact the only SP252 ever completed; the would-be successor to the SP250 Daimler Dart. It is also the last sports car to have been designed by Jaguar’s legendary founder, Sir William Lyons.
Perhaps one of the original Dart’s biggest problems was it’s somewhat-divisive looks. It certainly went well enough to win fans, although Sir William wasn’t among them. It crushed the opposition in the Bathurst six-hour race, finishing five laps ahead of anyone else, and it was snapped up by police forces in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, as it was the fastest thing on the road.
So you’d think a stunning new body with the magic Lyons touch would have been a surefire success. Why this car never made it into production is still something of a mystery, as the official explanations barely stack up.

Repco Beach Hop 16 day two: Waihi

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