If you're into a bit of gleaming chrome and the sweet roar of a kustom, vintage or classic car, Tūrangi is the place to be this weekend.
The Tūrangi branch of the National Street Rod Association is bringing back its popular Lead Central Kustom Car Show and Swap Meet this Saturday (February 13).
Organiser Keith (Sarbie) Quinton says the biennial show last ran in 2018 and was supposed to be held again last year but was cancelled due to Covid concerns.
He said organisers were tossing up whether to hold a 2021 meet but had so many requests that two months ago they decided to go ahead.
Tūrangi's Te Kapua Park is the headquarters of the event and it is free to the public.
"[The owners] love showing their cars off so people are welcome to come down and have a look."
Sarbie says for the vehicles, pre-registration is not required so it's anyone's guess as to how many cars will come, but he thinks from the number of inquiries there will be a good turnout.
Lead Central Kustom Car Show & Swap meet organiser Sarbie Quinton. Photo / File
"We're not really sure how many people are going to come because all the events since Covid have been twice the size they were - it's either very small or very big."
The show's motto is "fun with cars" and Sarbie says it's not just focused on American cars, kustom cars, lead sleds and hot rods - anybody with an interesting car or vehicle is welcome to turn up.
"Rare models, restored or unrestored, we get all sorts of people. They love their cars and it's all about fun with cars, it doesn't matter what kind of car as long as you're having fun."
While most modified cars look like hot rods to the general public, car enthusiasts can spot the distinctions between kustoms, lead sleds, street machines and other vehicles.
Kustoms are modified cars from the 1930s to the early 1960s, and the name kustom with a k was coined by George and Sam Barris in California in the 1950s. A lead sled is a standard production automobile with a modified body. Sarbie explains that when people began modifying their cars, plastic filler had not been developed and so they would use lead which was poured in, smoothed, filed flat and painted.
"And kustom cars generally have fairly extensive bodywork modifications and they're usually 1950s and 60s cars ... you get a lot of kustoms going to the [Whangamata] Beach Hop. 1949 to '51 Mercurys are considered to be the king if you're into kustoms, so this year we've sent a call out to as many '49 to '51 Mercurys as we can get."
A 1951 Mercury. Photo / Supplied
Sarbie says in previous years the Lead Central Kustom Car Show and Swap Meet has attracted between 150 and 200 vehicles. All that's required is a gold coin donation to show off your car and be eligible for one of the trophies.
The top trophy is for Best Kustom and this year there will be a one-off trophy for best '49 to '51 Mercury. The top five cars also all receive a trophy, there's the Best Nostalgia Chopper trophy for the old-style motorbikes and Best Bike for the other bikes. People are not forgotten, with the best turned-out woman receiving the Retro Queen trophy, while the blokes can vie for the coveted title of Best Greaseball.
Besides the car display, there's also a swap meet where people rent a 6sq m space for a donation of $10 which goes towards covering the cost of putting the event on. Any profits are donated to Tūrangi causes.
For the swap meet, it's automotive stuff only, but there will also be a car boot sale section where people can sell items such as bric-a-brac and crockery.
There will be live music on the day from Jake Taewa and the local T-Birds Rock 'n' Roll Club will be giving a dancing demonstration.
The day is rounded off by a rock 'n' roll hop at the Tūrangi RSA. Sarbie says quite a few vehicle owners are staying overnight in Tūrangi and many will be heading off to Morrinsville the next day for another swap meet on Sunday.
