Vintage treasures on the side of the motorway

24 November, 2014

If vintage cars are your thing, then the North Shore Vintage Car Club’s annual swap meet was the place to be on Sunday, November 23. Held at the club’s impressive facility just off the motorway in Albany, Auckland, the event saw a great mix of machinery from days gone by.

The North Shore Vintage Car Club’s facility is located just off the motorway near Albany

Despite what seemed to be a lack of real promotion and various date clashes, a great number of vehicles — old and older — turned out, with the large grassed area out the front of the clubrooms serving double duty as both a show area and home to various swap sites.

Unlike most swap meets where you’ve got to be there before the sun is up to nab a bargain, there were still some great deals around towards the early afternoon, even though the event had started to wind down. From old books, to rare parts, to the bizarre and a little odd, there was a bit of everything on display — minus the household knick-knacks and preserves that seem to clutter most swap meets these days.

Plenty of old and rare car parts were up for grabs at the swap meet

As you’d expect, it was the vintage vehicles that took pride of place, however a great mix of hot rods, classic cruisers, and muscle cars were also present along with a few more modern classics. With the cars come the people, and as you can imagine, there was an interesting mix of young and old.

With a great location, plenty of interesting cars on display, as well as the ever-impressive NSVCC spare parts shed open for viewing, the event made for a relaxed, family-friendly day that everyone could enjoy. We know we’d happily head back along next year for another look, and suggest you do too.   

Lunch with … Rodger Anderson

At first, I wondered if I’d driven up the wrong driveway. The car in the garage was an early Mustang resplendent in royal blue with two broad gold stripes, which was not what I was expecting. I knew that Rodger Anderson, who made his name in Minis and a BMW 2002, was a Porsche man these days — the other end of the spectrum from American muscle. I had no idea of his affection for Detroit iron. It didn’t take long to discover just how passionate this former Saloon Car Champion is about cars, as long as they’re interesting.

Back from the brink – 1968 MGB GT

Auckland classic car enthusiast Kerry Bowman soon realised he had a massive job on his hands in restoring his classic 1968 MGB GT. When Kerry and his MGB first appeared in New Zealand Classic Car in March 2021, in “Behind The Garage Door”, the stripped-out shell had revealed some nasty surprises. Once the true extent of the hidden damage was discovered, the work would normally have been handed over to a professional fabricator. However, with the assistance of experts such as MG specialist restorer, Paul Walbran, Kerry has completed an impressive restoration and saved this car from the scrapheap.