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Capital Rodders on again

20 June, 2017

A shame about the weather for the organisers of the 7th annual Capital Rodders’ Wellington Swap Meet & Horsepower Show at Trentham Racecourse, Upper Hutt, on Sunday May 21. The event presented by GMR (General Metal Recyclers Ltd) was at best weather-effected.

As one of the regular stallholders said, “It’s been a day of passing showers.”


Rain during the week meant that most of the cars had to be displayed in the carpark north of the grandstand. The grassed area south of the stand was too soggy.

A few owners found shelter for their 1960s classics from parts of the grandstand or totalisator building.


The only convertible seen with its top down was a 1962 Chevrolet parked under cover at the rear of the grandstand.


With each shower a few more owners would drive off in their cars while outside stallholders packed up their wares to head for home. A reporter for another publication who arrived mid-morning told me, “There’s a lot of nice cars going the other way.”

By midday many others had joined them, and the carpark now had several gaps from where they had been parked.


As was to be expected, the classics had a strong representation of Mustangs, Thunderbirds, Corvettes and Cadillacs. The small sprinkling of British cars scattered about the concourse included a 1968 Ford Cortina Lotus, a 1966 Hillman Super Minx and a 1962 Morris Minor 1000 four door saloon. Seeing the Morrie – part of my family’s motoring heritage – left me with my favourite memory of the day.


An acquaintance I often meet at car shows in Upper Hutt said he had seen some great 1950s and 60s British classics in a layby at Manor Park, and was disappointed they hadn’t followed him here.


If the number of visitors to the show was down on last year, those attending seemed to enjoy themselves. They included several happy children who went away with a new toy car to play with.

I came home wishing Capital Rodders better luck with the weather next year.

Motorman: Blame it on Rio!

22 May, 2025

Following the third polite advisory, I figured there had to be a fair degree of substance to the warning. “If this is your first visit to Rio de Janeiro, please be careful,” came the personal hushed dialogue from the pleasant hostesses on a far from crowded Varig flight from Los Angeles to the famous Brazilian seaside city.
The previous evening I had flown into LA from Auckland en route to the 1985 international launch of the Fiat Uno Turbo. I was prepared for another long haul of just under 12 hours across Mexico, central America, Colombia, and central Brazil to that nation’s third largest city. Surprisingly the 10,500km run from Los Angeles to Rio is actually longer than the 8800km LA-London air route.
With the journey including a brief stopover in Honolulu I expected to travel just under 44,000km for the return journey to sample what was to be a low-volume version of a popular Italian car that would sell in even lower numbers in New Zealand. I like to think this shows nothing more than my deep commitment to my craft. In fact, even though I became lost on the homeward journey my total air miles would be little different.

Pinnacle Porsche

15 May, 2025

We were stopped at the side of the road, setting up the next photograph, when a faded Toyota slowed alongside and stopped. The window was already down to give the driver a good look.
“That’s my dream car,” he said, speaking for more than a few of us.
He drank in the gleaming red paint, shining in the sun, and the car’s purposeful swoops and curves. He exhaled half a lungful of cigarette smoke, gave a hang 10–style thumbs up and drove off.
On the side of the road, against a clear blue background, the Porsche stood out in all its stark red glory. It’s the classic 911 shape on steroids. It has the fat, even pouty, front lip of the G series 911s, added to comply with 5mph bumper restrictions in the US. It also has the oversized haunches to accommodate the wider rear wheels and tyres – a first for Porsche, which also confirmed its supercar credentials – and, most noticeably of all, that enormous whale-tail spoiler. They made it look as if Porsche had abandoned its restraint.