The bonnet, doors and boot of the custom 1939 Lincoln Zephyr are opened electronically and forgo the need for handles, giving the vehicle a streamlined silhouette.
The bonnet, doors and boot of the custom 1939 Lincoln Zephyr are opened electronically and forgo the need for handles, giving the vehicle a streamlined silhouette.
A custom 1939 Lincoln Zephyr sedan worth a quarter of a million dollars is one of the latest street rods to line up for the inaugural Cruise Martinborough rally.
Taranaki-based owner Dave Kindberg, a lifelong car enthusiast who runs an automotive upholstery business in Normanby, said December's Cruise Martinborough will be the first real outing this year for his award-winning street legal sedan since the $250,000 machine hit the road in 2011.
The biscuit-coloured Porsche leather interior of Dave Kindberg's custom 1939 Lincoln Zephyr that features contrasting crocodile pattern door cards and seat panels.
"It's done about 20,000 miles since we've had her on the road and this year we've been pretty busy, so we haven't done a lot. But with summer coming up we thought we need to get her back out there again and put some more miles on her."
The donor vehicle for the Lincoln Zephyr was a 2004 Falcon XR8 ute, Mr Kindberg said, from which the C4 transmission and 5.4 litre V8 were taken along with the running gear and numerous extras that come standard in later model vehicles including cruise control, airbags, anti-lock braking system, and air conditioning.
The Lincoln Zephyr had never been produced as a delivery sedan, according to Mr Kindberg's website, and his special edition model took two years to complete with the chassis custom built to suit the American-made fibreglass body and the Falcon differential, suspension and steering.
"The reproduction of the body was not overly good and there were many extra hours of cutting out and moulding to correct the sections that were way off - 90mm was added right around the the bottom edges to make it more original, which was costly but well worthwhile."
The bonnet, doors and boot were fitted with electric locking, he said, which also "gave the body a smooth look as there are no handles".
"Hingeing the power operated bonnet and boot lid created more than a couple of challenges, but skills and perseverance solved this and both open and close smoothly.
The Falcon air-conditioning unit was fitted behind the front mudguard and the seats from the XR8 also were retained - with the dash narrowed to fit - and the upholstery was completed in biscuit-coloured Porsche leather with contrasting crocodile pattern seat panels and door cards and beige carpeting throughout.
Cameras were fitted front and rear and the windscreen was custom-manufactured.
The car was painted in a phantom purple that also stayed true to the original factory finish of the donor Ford, he said.
Mr Kindberg said the car had won at the Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Show in 2011 and had appeared in numerous national magazines, while also gracing the pages of regional dailies when on rallies and runs in New Zealand.
The car would cost $250,000 to build from scratch, he said, and he was excited to be bringing the sedan to Wairarapa for its debut in the region.
Mr Kindberg said he often visited good friends in Wairarapa and had raced his 2000hp front end dragster - at the inaugural Motorplex meeting in Masterton last year.
"We made the opening meet and took the hot rod down for that and I'm looking forward to coming back in December in the Lincoln Zephyr," he said.
The 2000hp front end dragster belonging to Dave Kindberg that he raced last year at the inaugural meet of the upgraded Masterton Motorplex
"Here they're known as a custom but in America they call them a lead sled, because they're so low. It's only about four inches off the ground on just standard suspension, no airbags, and that's bloody low.
"It's got an eight and a half inch roof chop - normally they're about a four - which is pretty radical as well. But it drives just like an XR8 2004 ute, you know, just with a little less vision."
Cruise Martinborough will run over four days from December 4. Event founder Damien Pivac said registration was open to owners of hot rods, muscle and classic cars before 1972, although late model American and specialist vehicles were also welcome.
There were strictly limited places for the inaugural event, which will feature a Tui HQ Party at Tui Brewery in Mangatainoka, a drive-in movie at the Cruise Domain at the Martinborough Rugby Club grounds, live rock'n'roll-themed bands and entertainment at Cruise Central at the Pukemanu Tavern, a Bottle'O Drag and Undie Run in the Martinborough Square, and motorcade cruises to the Lake Ferry Hotel, Gladstone Inn, and the Tirohana Estate Vineyard, where there will be a grand lunch, prize-giving and live entertainment.
Sponsors had provided a full suite of prizes for some lucky Cruise participants, he said, including $500 worth of petrol vouchers and a major prize draws of a trip for two to Los Angeles and a trip for two to the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Prizes will be awarded for Mayor's Choice, Best Car, Best Custom Paint and Hot Rod with Potential.
A $139 pass for Cruise Martinborough provides entry for the car - with no extra passenger cost - to all events and cruises, an official decal and programme, and entry to draws for spot prizes and major prize.
