Pimp my ride, Canterbury style

14 July, 2016

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“No matter what has been thrown at Cantabs over the past five years, generosity in the south is still strong!”

Many of us have heard of Make a Wish New Zealand, and the wonderful work they do. They grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to bring hope, strength, and joy. Thanks to the Bayleys Foundation and Make a Wish, one Canterbury teenager has had her wish granted by having her car ‘pimped’, thanks to the generosity of some local businesses and the team from Rockabilly Show and Shine. Two years ago, Enya Beynon — then 16 years old — was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer and underwent surgery and months of chemotherapy, finally coming out on top.

Given the opportunity to have her wish granted, Enya asked to have her car — a very plain and sorry-looking 1985 Daihatsu Charade — pimped. The Rockabilly boys teamed up with several very generous local businesses, spending several weeks whipping the little hatchback into a gleaming jewel of its former self.

The car now wears new paint, upholstery, tyres, wheels, and a pumping sound system. Rather than just park the car in the driveway and hand the car keys back to Enya once completed, a car cruise was arranged for July 10, leaving from New Brighton, and ending up at Burgerfuel in Spitfire Square at Christchurch Airport where the Charade was parked, under a cover, ready to be given back to a very excited Enya.

After receiving a personal makeover herself, Enya was driven in the cruise by Maureen Fairburn in her stunning Hemi-powered ’34 Ford Coupe. With 75 cars taking part, an area had been roped off so that parking wouldn’t be an issue once everyone arrived.

After a few words from Make a Wish, as well as Robbie Baigent of Rockabilly Show and Shine, the covers were lifted to reveal Enya’s pimped-out ride. Left almost speechless, the look on her face pretty much said it all. Given the opportunity to address the large crowd, Enya said, “Oh my goodness, wow, that is seriously amazing, I can’t believe it.” Her mum, Shannon, also said a few words before Enya was given a tour of the car, and how to work the new stereo. A few photos, and even more hugs and thank yous, brought the end to a wonderful day. Now Enya’s road to recovery can be done in style.

Ford’s Mustang – the endlessly hip American dream machine

28 May, 2026

Fifty or so years ago, the only place in New Zealand to see a Ford Mustang was on the racetrack. In a local market severely constrained by a lack of new motor vehicles, the new North American Ford was a dreamy icon boosted by considerable motorsport success.
Import licences for cars were limited, and if Kiwis travelled abroad, the amount of currency they could take with them was restricted. What’s more, those funds could not be used to buy a car for importation back home. Yet it was OK to spend the money on heavy drinking at a London pub, Gucci shoes, sable fur coats, and excessive stays at the Hôtel Martinez at Cannes in France.
However, any rare Mustang that landed on our shores would not be destined to pose around Auckland’s then trendy Queen Street on a Friday night but would more likely be found in the care of well-known racing drivers on the starting grid at local motor racing tracks.

Chrysler’s classy cruiser

22 May, 2026

I first saw our feature car, a 1970 V8-powered Regal 770 hardtop, towing a trailer carrying the tidy Ford Anglia classic racing saloon in Broadspeed racing colours that has featured in these pages. The coupe is comparatively rare here, which means anyone contemplating purchasing one of these big two-doors is sure to see prices continue to climb. The latter Charger has claimed much of the Aussie Chrysler limelight, but the simpler and classier lines of this car, which appeared dated soon after its introduction, now have a more timeless appeal.
Former owner, Balclutha motor engineer, Mike Verdoner, remembers the car well. He believes it came from Dunedin originally.
“I’m not sure about the car’s history, but I bought it off its owner at Kaitangata. Unusually, it was advertised in the local newspaper, the Clutha Leader, which was a surprise as these usually go for a lot more money on the internet. I had it for quite a few years. It needed a little bit of work to tidy it up, so I had to decide whether to spend the money on it to do it up, which could have been twenty grand. Its value at the time was not like it is now, so I sold it to Ewan. It’s probably now worth three or four times what I sold it for.”

Pimp my ride, Canterbury style

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