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.

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.

NZ Classic Car magazine, May/June 2026 issue 405, on sale now

26 April, 2026

Reincarnation of the snake
We are captivated by a top-quality sports car
The Shelby NZ build team at Matamata Panelworks has endured a long and challenging journey, culminating with the highly anticipated public unveiling of the 427SC and firing up of its sonorous V8 at the 2026 Ayrburn Classic Festival of Motoring in Queenstown on February 20. This is a New Zealand-built car with loads of character and potential.
The car is now back in Matamata, and I finally have an opportunity to get up close and personal with it. But before then, the question that must be asked is, “Why would ya?”
The first answer is easy, as mentioned in the last issue of New Zealand Classic Car (#404). It was a great way to use up all the surplus Mustang parts acquired while converting brand-new Mustangs into Shelbys. The unused new Mustang parts would be great in any kit car, but the 427SC in front of me cannot be classified as one.
This is not a kit car. The reality is that it is a high-quality, factory-made production car.
Possibly the second answer is because the CEO of Matamata Panelworks, Malcolm Sankey, wanted to build a replica of the car that is a distant relation to the Shelby Mustangs scattered around his showroom floor, a car created long before the first Mustang was even thought of, and the brainchild of Carroll Shelby back in the early ‘60s.

Pimp my ride, Canterbury style

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