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. 

A second dose of Dash

When the car arrived in Wellington in December 2018 it was duly taken along for entry certification. Vehicle Inspection NZ (VINZ) found some wrongly wired lamps and switches — not too bad — but, much more significantly, some poor welding repairs. As the structural problems were probed more thoroughly, we realized the previous owner’s restoration would not do and we needed an upgrade. Dash had made it into the country but it would take some time and money before he would be free to explore any of New Zealand’s scenic highways.
We took the car to our new home in Johnsonville in the northern suburbs of Wellington and I pored over the car in detail to figure out what was next. There were lots of new parts on the car and a very perky reconditioned drivetrain but the chassis needed serious work.

Lunch with… Jim Palmer

In the 1960s, Hamilton’s Jim Palmer won the prestigious ‘Gold Star’ four times and was the first resident New Zealander home in the New Zealand Grand Prix on five consecutive occasions. He shared the podium with Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, and Chris Amon. The extent of his domination of the open-wheeler scene in New Zealand will probably never be matched or exceeded. Yet he’s always been modest about his achievements.