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.

The other Q car

12 August, 2026

Say the word ‘bond’ to anyone in the street and around 80 per cent straight away think of pop culture’s least-secret secret agent. The other 20 per cent may think of the wad of cash required to secure a flat or hire equipment that one gets back providing the fixtures and fittings stay much as they were.
However, mention ‘bond’ in specialist classic car circles and people will spin a very different yarn. If you dig deep enough, you will find an eccentric British carmaker that, throughout its 23 years in business, spawned some quirky and charming little cars.
The company was founded by Paul Sharp in 1922 under the name of Sharp’s Commercials Limited. However, the company did not start producing cars until 1948. The first car to carry the Bond name was the Bond Minicar. A three-wheeled, soft-top, two-cylinder eco car, the Minicar was a big hit at the time as the desire for an economical urban runabout that didn’t attract four-wheel car tax was strong in post-war Britain. All in all, 34,285 Minicars were produced over 26 years in a variety of variants.

Lunch with Bill Leckie: An Imp’s tale

6 August, 2026

Seeking limelight is part of Bill Leckie’s DNA, but when I asked him if anyone had written about his career and the cars he created, he didn’t think so. Even so, I was delighted when he agreed to sit down with me over a pie and coffee to reminisce. I started by asking how it is that someone who is so fanatical about F1 only ever raced saloon cars? Well, we’ll get to that, but where did things start? “I went to Cornwall Park Primary School and then to Remuera Intermediate where I became good mates with Geoff Perry, son of the legendary motorcycle racing legend Len.” Geoff Perry was 23 and on the edge of stardom when he was killed in a mystery air disaster over the Pacific in 1973. “We used to race around his backyard on a cutdown motorbike. It was friendly competition that I suppose helped hone our racing instincts. There was never much between us and so, by 11 or 12, I had a definite leaning towards speed.”

Pimp my ride, Canterbury style

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