“Sun, stalls, music, and cool cars make for a great rockabilly recipe.”
There were many changes made to this year’s BurgerFuel Rockabilly Show & Shine, which was held in New Brighton on Saturday, November 26. For starters, as the name suggests, BurgerFuel came on board as naming-rights sponsor, which was great news for the organizing team, and they also brought along some young ladies to do face painting for the kids.
Another big change, and one that had some people wondering if it was the right decision, was a change of venue from the waterfront car parks on Marine Parade to the Rawhiti Domain — but judging by the massive turnout, that worry was put to rest early on.
One of the problems that stemmed from previous years was that the show and market were too spread out, resulting in a disjointed feeling, and roads had to be closed to make the transition between all areas safe. The move to the domain was certainly the right way to go, bringing all the display vehicles together, with a stage for the bands in the corner, and a large area for the dozens of stallholders.
Around 300 vehicles ended up being on display, and the market did a great trade. With plenty of large pine trees surrounding the domain, there was plenty of shade to sit in while having something to eat and listening to the live music.
One of the most popular events of the day had to be the Belle and Beau competition. With close to 30 lovely ladies vying for the crown, it was very popular with the large crowd. The kids and guys weren't forgotten as they had their own class. All money raised from the day went straight back to the community by way of the New Brighton Project and the Guardians of Rawhiti Domain.
How's this for a daily driver? Maude Fairbairn is the lucky owner of this Retro purple ’34 Ford coupe. Power is provided by a 392ci Hemi topped with a supercharger, and backed with a TH400 transmission. Smoothing out the ride is a John Reid independent front end and a Winters quick-change rear.
Dennis and Jan Stanley had the first public showing of their stunning ’34 Ford three-window coupe. Painted in true candy-apple red, the rod was simply beautiful in the bright sun. What wasn't candy was chrome.
Check out what BurgerFuel’s Falcon coupe looked like on show.
Even though the early model Camaros are very popular here in New Zealand, the same can't be said for their Pontiac Firebird counterpart. Mike Barnett had his beautiful ’68 400 on show, which drew its fair share of attention.
With such a beautiful sunny day, there's no better way to travel than having the top down in your ’69 Corvette. Julian Jayet is the owner of this 427 tri-powered beast. Factory fitted with triple Holley carbs and an M21 four-speed box, this ’Vette is also fitted with the optional side pipes.
It was great to see the Minchington dragster on show. A regular at Ruapuna drag racing meets, the car is driven by Stuart Minchington.
Usually, owners will spend hours cleaning and polishing their rides ready for a show, but not Tony Jeffs. Looking like it had just been found and pulled out of a barn, the 1960 Ford Starliner was on show, complete with its coating of dirt and dust.
Tim Bott had his very cool-looking rat rod — or is it a woodie — on show. Whether you love ’em or hate ’em, there is no denying their popularity. This rad-looking ride had many onlookers throughout the show. With its airbag system, it even allowed the smallest of fans to see the work that’s been done inside.
2016 awards:
- Organizers Choice: Dennis and Jan Stanley 1934 Ford Coupe.
- Runners up: Wayne Smith and Donna Davies 1930 Model A Pickup, and Chris Davison 1966 Cadillac DeVille.
- Sponsors Choice: Neil Hawker 1958 Ford Thunderbird.
Belle & Beau:
- Belle: Kirsty Hopewell aka Miss Kitty Kaos
- Runner up: Emma Holden aka Lady Louloubelle
- Beau: Geoff Thornton
- Little Miss: Alexis Robinson-Curren
- Runner up: Abbie Lucas
- Little Mister: Cole Erceg
