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Head to Mangawhai

28 November, 2019

The first Saturday of the year will often see classic cars, hot rods, and bikes converging for the annual Black Swamp Rod Run in Mangawhai. The chance to cruise in company around some of Northland’s picturesque coastline followed by a fun afternoon in the Olive Grove with music, food, and plenty of shade usually attracts more than 200 cars.

Register ($20) on the day from 9am —  Saturday, 4 January 2020 — at Mangawhai Domain, Moir St. The cruise starts at 10.45am, heading to Waipu before returning to Mangawhai’s Black Swamp Road Olive Grove for an afternoon of family fun, usually in the sun. Hot food and cold drinks are available.
Thanks to the event’s growing popularity, entry to the Black Swamp Road Olive Grove will be limited to registered event cars.

Members of the public are invited to check out the cars from 9–10.45am for a gold coin donation to Otamatea High School. For more information, call Sandra on 027 531 0788.

Travelling companion

16 November, 2023

It’s easy to see why the Morris Minor Traveller was one of the best-loved variants of the Morris Minor. Introduced in 1953, it was equipped with the same independent torsion bar front suspension, drum brakes, and rack and pinion steering as its saloon sibling but, with their foldable rear seat increasing versatility, many Travellers were used as trade vehicles, says Derek Goddard. Derek and Gail Goddard, the owners of this superbly restored example, have run Morris Minors since before they were married in 1974.
“Our honeymoon vehicle was a blue Morris Minor van — it was a rust bucket,” says Derek.

Super Leicht Gullwing

9 November, 2023

It’s fair to say that nothing much in the classic Mercedes world gets past Mercedes-Benz Club stalwart Garry Boyce so it wasn’t surprising to learn that around 15 years ago he had sniffed out an extremely rare 300SL lightweight Gullwing as well as a 1958 300SL Roadster hiding away in the Waikato. The cars were not for sale but Garry eventually managed to persuade the owner to allow him and his restoration team to take a look at the Roadster. They discovered a very distressed but largely unmolested car. The car was so original that the body had never been off the chassis, meaning most of the parts and fittings were still present and correct, as they had been fitted by the factory.