One of six or seven rows of swappers, with plenty of browsers, at the Palmerston North Hot Rod Club Swap Meet and Hot Rod Display. Photo / Dean Taylor
One of six or seven rows of swappers, with plenty of browsers, at the Palmerston North Hot Rod Club Swap Meet and Hot Rod Display. Photo / Dean Taylor
If it is the first Saturday of August, as far as Kiwi hot rodders are concerned, all roads lead to Manfeild Park.
Since 1971, the Palmerston North Hot Rod Club (PNHRC) has been holding the Swap Meet and Hot Rod Display, initially in The Square, but for most of the 53 years at Manfeild Park with its abundance of indoor and outdoor space, superb facilities and nearby racetrack.
Palmerston North Hot Rod Club president Howard Wills (left) and member Dave Mitchell on duty at the Swap Meet and Hot Rod Display. Photo / Dean Taylor
PNHRC president Howard Wills said the event gained a reputation as being a genuine automotive swap meet and high-class display, and that reputation had continued.
The club maintains the high standard, pitching in to make sure it is a well-oiled, well-run event that keeps the enthusiasts, rodders, sellers and traders coming back year after year.
The theme is defintely automotive. Photo / Dean Taylor
“In fact I have already had a call for a trade client to confirm the date for next year,” said Wills.
He said this year’s event was well supported, with full trade and swap areas, a full indoor vehicle display and great number of class rods and customs in the paddock.
Palmerston North Hot Rod Club Swap Meet and Hot Rod Display is held at Manfeild Park and features an all-indoor hot rod show, trade stands and preferential swappers, outdoor swap meet and paddock full of special vehicles as a secondary car display. Photo / Dean Taylor
“Traders were happy, swappers were happy and the weather was great, so the public turned out in force,” said Wills.
Enthusiasts also get to have a bit of time on the racetrack, a unique attraction made possible by the co-operation between the rodders and racers.
The chance for the big machines to have some track time comes while the race drivers take a break for lunch from the test day.
Time on the Manfeild racetrack was one of the attractions on the day, giving owners of special vehicles from all eras the chance to put the foot to the floor. Photo / Dean Taylor
Wills said PNHRC members were committed to a busy weekend every August, not only setting up and running the event at Manfeild Park, but hosting a Saturday-night social and Sunday-morning breakfast at the clubrooms for members, residents and visitors.
He said the event provided funds for the club to keep operating, plus once expenses were taken care of, donations were made to worthy organisations.
Waimea Vintage with a large offering of man-cave essentials. Photo / Dean Taylor
High on the list is the club’s favoured charity, Arohanui Hospice.
The running of the day is also assisted with man (and woman) power from the volunteers of the Bennydale Fire Brigade in exchange for a donation to the brigade’s coffers.
A pair of classic VW 1200 Beetles, complete with roof racks and essential luggage, a 1962 in front of a 1961 model. Photo / Dean Taylor
As well as the chance to pick up a bargain or see some of the new offerings or specialised builds, the meet brings out some interesting vehicles, new even to the residents.
Not on show, but parked in the swap area was this fantastic 1956 Hillman Husky running a 136ci Ford Flathead V8 sourced from California, but made by Simca in France, with twin Strombergs on an Edelbrock manifold, via a Toyota 5-speed transmission to a narrowed Falcon rear end. Photo / Dean Taylor
Engineering for the V8 was a work of art. Photo / Dean Taylor
Wills was familiar with Stevan Fisk’s Flathead-powered Hillman Husky when I quizzed him, but the 1986 “Holden” Monza was something new to us both — and plenty of other visitors, judging by the close inspection it was attracting.
Unusual-looking Holden is in fact an Opel Monza. Photo / Dean Taylor
Best guess is the vehicle is a rebadged and repowered Opel Monza, given a Holden look and a 350ci Chevrolet V8 — similar to something built by an Aussie motor racing legend in 1983-84.
The Opel Monza, or Vauxhall Royale Coupé in Britain, was closer in design to the Holden Commodore than the Chevrolet Monza. There was also an Opel Commodore, the design inspiration for the Aussie car. All used four or six-cylinder engines, either European GM designs or Chevrolet straight sixes.
PROTYP is a Holden-badged 1986 Opel Monza, powered by a 350ci Chev. Photo / Dean Taylor
Holden race legend Peter Brock had been developing go-fast cars for HDT and liked the European Monza design.
Holden had said it wasn’t going to bring them to Australia, so Brock spent 1983-84 developing his own Peter Brock HTD Holden Monza Special — fitting a Group Three-spec 5-litre V8 and Borg Warner’s new T5 five-speed transmission from the Corvette into the premium European hatchback.
The car was a sensation, but too expensive to produce, so it was a one-off — still in existence.
Nearby was the pretty 1964 Honda S600 roadster, only the company’s third car behind a small truck and the S500.
Beautiful 1964 Honda S600, Honda's third production car and only its second passenger vehicle. Photo / Dean Taylor
It used a 606cc engine that revved to 8500rpm, through a four-speed transmission via a hypoid differential outputting to chain drives for each rear wheel. The little roadster could hit 90mph (145km/h).
Lots of interest in a project car powered by a supercharged Packard straight eight engine. Photo / Dean Taylor
It was certainly a show with something interesting for everyone — and if you missed it, it will be back on the first Saturday in August next year.
