Hot-rod buffs eager to head south

Four-hundred hot-rodding visitors will descend on Invercargill this month, 20 years after the city last hosted a national event for hot rod enthusiasts.

Street Machines Southland will host the Century Yuasa 2011 Street Rod Nationals during Easter Weekend.

The event was last held in the city in 1991.

Street Machines Southland committee member Chris Burke said the 75-member club had jumped at the chance to play host.

Hot rods from as early as the 1920s would appear alongside "street machines" of today, with the cut-off mark being the year 1949, he said.

The event was run by a non-profit organisation and had a key focus on supporting the hosting community, Mr Burke said.

"Ninety-nine per cent of what we're done has come from locals, from the T-shirt printing to the catering," he said.

Thirty-six trophies to be handed out during the weekend had also been made locally. The Te Anau Business Association would keep the gold-coin entry fee in return for hosting the "show and shine" to be held in the town, he said.

It had taken six club members almost three years to organise the event.

Fellow committee member Jon Dale said participants were looking forward to heading south.

One had told him he would not make the effort to go to a similar event in Auckland but, because it was in Invercargill, he would do so, Mr Dale said.

"Last time they were here they just raved about it."

Events open to the public include a procession of cars going through Queens Park on Friday, April 22, a show and shine at the Ascot Park Racecourse, from 9am to 3pm on April 23, which would include live music, a magician, and displays from a nitro-burning dragster, and a show and shine in Te Anau on April 24.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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Ross   #2   11:21 am Apr 04 2011

The key word in this article is Non-profit well done Chris I have attended other events he has organised and they were very enjoyable and very well planned I hope the lady who wrote in to the paper praising Americana is also going to attend she can perhaps organise the rides for the rest homes etc.... I suppose though there is nothing to stop her just ringing a resthome on the odd weekend she has nothing on either

Matt   #1   09:50 am Apr 04 2011

This sounds incredibly similar to our last fiasco, less the $150k price tag... really puts John Rae to shame doesn't it!

Looking forward to this event.

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