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Established in 1996, we are a group of passionate car enthusiasts who live and breathe American classic cars, and are based in Auckland, New Zealand.
Our mission in life is to provide an environment for other like minded car aficionados to savour and enjoy their American classics, without the rules and restrictions that seem to dog other areas of everyday lives. If you are an American classic car owner who feels the same as we do, we invite you to take a small journey through our site to see if this sounds like you. If you like what you see, and want to be involved, then send in a membership application. The only hard and fast condition of membership is that prospective members must own an American classic car that is pre-2000 model year and must be of historical interest. |
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PLEASE NOTE: American Classic Car Club members are unable to provide classic vehicles for events such as weddings, birthdays, family outings etc, as our members are not licenced to do so. Thank you for your understanding.
on November 15 - Click here to check it out
Christmas Picnic – 4 December 2022
It was with much anticipation and trepidation heading into the end of year final club organised event for 2022. Anticipation due to a couple of cancelled events in the prior few months, and trepidation because of the appalling weather leading up to the day. But the anti-rain dance and strong words to the weather gods obviously worked, with a stunning sunny day with light cooling breezes to the big day’s event. After the meetup at Royal Oak, 26 American classics, a few daily drivers and almost 80 club members and guests cruised on into the lovely picnic spot beside the Manukau Live Steamers miniature train club at Centre Park in Mangere. And what a fabulous sight it was to behold, with an amazingly varied array of USA metal on display. There was much activity with gazebos being erected to keep out of the sun (who would have thought?) and chairs arranged before President Rob performed his typically verbose welcome to all. He introduced the new committee members present, farewelled the departing ones, welcomed the new club members, the Samy family, and made some prize draws. Then it was straight into the delicious catered lunch ably handled by the two friendly and helpful young ladies from Spit Roast. More draws were done after the lunch, with the main gate prizes kindly donated by NZ Petrolhead and two Marshall Batteries $50 vouchers won by John & Patsy Burrows, Kerry Bramley, and Peter Lee Junior respectively. Then it was into the club members supplied deserts (see there’s a theme going on here - food, food, and more food), before the Secret Santa present exchange, the Christmas presents for the four under twelve year olds, and rides on the miniature trains with tickets supplied by the club. All things considered it was a great day out for all, in a picturesque location with fantastic weather; a fitting end to club activities for 2022. Toodlepip, Russell Fred's pictures of the day can be seen here..... 
Westie Shed Raid – 6 November 2022
After the disappointing cancellation of the previous Sunday’s run to the Stragglers Car show at Lake Karapiro due to the atrociously wet day, it was great to have a run the following week in warm and sunny weather. The meetup at the Swanson RSA resulted in17 American club classics and in excess of 30 members, where we got to view Jude’s new 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7, and what a stunner it is. After partaking of the RSA’s delicious and great value Sunday buffet, which is always a real treat, and a natter, everyone convened in the car park for the route instructions put together by Dave. V8’s then rumbled into life, well except for one unnamed club member who appeared to be dealing to the engine in his Ford Fairlane with one of the biggest Crescent wrenches money can buy, before heading into the foothills of the Waitakerie Ranges to view an amazing car collection. Owner Ritchie is somewhat reluctant about revealing the location of his cars for obvious security reasons, and requested that nobody posted images to social media, but was happy that we showed pictures of his collection on our club website. And what a stunning collection of Americarna it is, all housed in a double storied “shed” which already appeared too small for the amount of cars on display. Ritchie explained that the shed was completed in 2017, as previously he had his cars stashed away on his own property, as well as friends, and needed to house them together, as you do. The mezzanine housed a midget racing car, and will soon be expanded to also store and show a motorbike collection. The downstairs display area featured a polished concrete floor, and along with the car collection, housed a rustic bar area. The interior walls were also clad in rough sawn timberand corrugated iron, that made you think that it was the exterior of an adjacent building. Very clever. There were a number of his friends’ cars also parked for the day, so it sure was a cornucopia of USA metal available for all to see and admire. Another great club day out for sure, and with the Christmas Picnic just around the corner, followed by the Saint Heliers Toy Run, we are in for many more auto treats. Toodlepip, Russell Check out the collection here..... 
Ryders Lunch & Movie – 14 August 2022
For the few days leading up to, and including our club run, it was thankfully fine weather, so a good turnout of club cars fronted up on the morning – 12 classics, 2 hot rods, and 1 veteran - and 35 club members. The meetup was at Western Springs College in Motions Road opposite the Auckland Zoo, which in previous occasions was more than big enough to cater for all. But what a difference this time, as every car park was taken, along with all the street parking for an event in the zoo, forcing some club members to double park anywhere they could. In fact it took the Pontiac as much time to drive the 1.2 kilometers along Great North Road from Motat to the College as it did from home. The standout club car at the meetup just had to be David Lane’s magnificent 1912 Model T Rootlieb Speedster, resplendent in bright red and brass, which certainly turned heads from the zoo attendees. Both Dave Roper and Allan Huljich had their hot rods out for the day, these being a 1934 Ford Sedan and 1932 traditional roadster respectively. A great mix of vehicles for sure. After a short briefing it was off to battle the Western Springs traffic and head to the Ryders Movie and Restaurant complex which is tucked out of sight down a right of way on nearly one hectare of land in Avondale. There are numerous historic buildings on the property, including a service station, villas, the former Kelvin Hotel from Auckland’s Hobson Street, and the theatre and restaurant. Unfortunately we were unable to view the inside of the buildings due to ongoing renovations, which was a shame as there is a great collection of curios and memorabilia to view. The famous Ryders roast lamb & chicken, crispy potatoes, roast kumara and pumpkin, mixed veges and gluten free gravy was just scrumptious, and certainly well worth the $40 per person, even without the addition of a movie and ice cream. Clint Ryder deserves an award for his untiring effort to provide the meal on his lonesome, as he has lost the services of several ladies who have helped in the past due to that dreadful “C” word. Along with club supplied wines and orange juice, the lunch hour and half passed very quickly, and then it was off into the theatre with our deluxe ice creams. The movie was The Greatest Showman, a musical starring Hugh Jackman, and follows the true story of P.T. Barnum's rise to fame with his circus, though some details are slightly exaggerated. There were certainly a lot of rousing songs performed, along with the usual circus stunts, which made for an entertaining afternoon. There were a couple of non-musical fans in attendance, but most members seemed to enjoy the movie when quizzed afterwards, so all in all in was a great day out. Clint Ryder has been really struggling since the two Covid lockdowns, and has been trying to get the business back to it’s former state, but it has been a hard slog. He has a couple of property developers chasing him to sell the land for housing, and of course all the old buildings would be demolished in the process. Understandably he is not keen to see this happen to his family’s heritage, and needs all the help he can get. So if you know of or are involved in any social groups who would like a day out with great food and a movie, Clint would be very pleased to hear from you. Toodlepip for now, cheers Russell Fred's great photos and video can be seen here..... |
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UPCOMING ACCCA EVENTS
Saturday 21 January 2023 Kumeu Classic Car & Hot Rod Show. Meet at club site at showgrounds from 8am, parking on first come-first in basis. Tea/coffee/water/BBQ available, bring own meat/picnic/chair Sunday February 12, 2023 ACCCA club display at Ellerslie Classic Car Show, Ellerslie Racecourse. Limited spaces available which must be pre-booked to StarChiefRussell@gmail.com with meet up details TBA. No entries on the day 
A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him.
The waitress asks for their orders. The guy says, “A hamburger, fries, and a coke,” and turns to the ostrich, “What’s yours?” “I’ll have the same,” says the ostrich. A short time later the waitress returns with the order. “That will be $18.40 please.” The man reaches into his pocket and, without looking, pulls out the exact change for payment. The next day, the guy and the ostrich return to the same restaurant and the guy says, “A hamburger, fries, and a coke.” The ostrich says, “I’ll have the same.” Again the guy reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change. This becomes routine until one night they enter the restaurant and the waitress asks, “The usual?” “No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato, and salad”, says the guy. “Me too,” says the ostrich. The waitress brings the order and says, “That will be $42.62.” Once again the guy pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table. The waitress can’t hold back her curiosity any longer. “Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change out of your pocket every time?” “Well,” says the guy, “several years ago I was cleaning my attic and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it a genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there.” “That’s brilliant!” says the waitress. “Most people would wish for a million dollars or something, but you’ll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!” “That’s right. Whether it’s a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there,” says the guy. The waitress asks, “But, sir, what’s with the ostrich?” The guy sighs and answers, “My second wish was for a tall chick with long legs who agrees with everything I say.” |