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Saturday the 8th of Oct dawned overcast and still. I knew from an earlier discussionwith one of the show organisers that they were all on tenterhooks regarding rain as the grounds at the Mid Northern Rugby Club in Domain Rd, the venue, had suffered badly from recent deluges. However, by the time our group had departed the gathering point at 8:45 am the sun was out and it was a lovely day and so it remained. Led off by our intrepid President in his very tidy Fairmont we processed up SH1 for a relatively short drive to the site just past the Hukerenui pub. Thankfully given current petrol prices. Today was the 1st “run” for our latest “toy,” a pretty much immaculate 1988 Pontiac Fiero. And what a joy it is to drive. On arrival a well organised team took our entrance fee, a gold coin for the local Volunteer Fire Brigade I believe, and directed us to DRY parking. And what a turn out. I had expected....well, not much, but so help me there was oodles and oodles of all sorts. There were 3 full rows of side by side vehicles the entire length of the footy field & a 4th row filling up fast already at our arrival. We all checked in for the prize giving and raffles and began to wander around the fairly limited displays for the swap meet part of proceedings and on to the car displays. There would have been several examples of just about anything to satisfy the tastes of anyone I’m sure. We strolled and nattered and photographed and critiqued as one does at such events eventually making our way to the food and drink. The footy club’s bar was in operation for those inclined to imbibe. A bacon & egg roll with chips & a coffee hit the spot. Val & I then got out the folding chairs, joined some of our group gathered at the rear of the Fairmont and proceeded to swap yarns etc as one does in such circumstances. All the while more and more vehicles continued to stream into the venue. I have no idea how many in the end but I’d hazard a guess around the 300 or so at least. A really great turnout for what I had thought might be a modest, rustic affair. How wrong I was! What were the chances, too? It had not even occurred to me to look. However, my eagle-eyed PA, she who must be obeyed, tapped me on the shoulder while browsing another display of otherwise rusty junk pointing to a box of manuals. And lo! Amongst them she had spotted a mint copy of Haynes “1994 – 1998 Pontiac Fiero”. Really! Best of all after that it was only $10. That put the icing on the cake for the trip. Val insists we don’t actually need it, it’s just a good luck talisman. All in all it was a good day and one we look forward to reprising many times. The upcoming show at Kerikeri in Feb next year is next on the list for us.
Plenty of Classic Car shows to go to here. I think I have been a ‘car guy’ all my life. I just love the old petrol burning things. Not P.C. in this modern age but I can’t help it. So this week we were off to MUDGEERABA. (Where do they get these Australian place names?). This one is a regular, beside a Pub, farmers market type thing, food, play areas for the kiddies and good luck if you can find a car park. Not for your Classic of course, easy parking right there. There they were, all shapes and sizes. Yes there were Cadillacs with air bags, and Hot Rods with dump pipes.   A very original XU1. Bathurst petrol tank, correct cylinder head, long 1st gear. It was owned by a Guy in Hellensvale who bought it off his best friend who had it for 40 years. WOW!   Are there any of you Mustang ‘historians’ who know about this one. I never knew that. All sorts of stories about cars in this world.  I was interested to compare the size of a ’66 compared to the newer ones as I wait for my new one to arrive from Ford, and sit beside our ’66 fastback in the garage!  Fine weather, car people, fresh coffee, full house of cars- what more do you want?  I don’t remember these! So there you have it . Another fabulous day in the Gold Coast Car Country.
By Rodger and Lola Anderson. Club member Mark Johnson has his Cobra for sale. It can be viewed on Trade Me ref. # 3706031529  Lola and Rodger were offered by Cam, their son who lives in Queensland, his 1962 Pillar-less Chev Impala for the day. A climb out of the sunny Gold Coast up to the cooler Tamborine Mountains and we arrive at Tamborine Mountain Sports Centre. Usual coffee vans, a band, several stalls selling trinkets and cars, cars, cars and everyone talking about adventures that have involved cars. Being in Australia a mat black Holden station wagon seemed to attract more than its share of attention. A bit of everything and all models from GM to Ford and back again. A couple of very nice Mercedes caught my eye and a Honda NSX. You don’t see many of those on a Sunday drive. The Ford Model ‘A’ looked the part with the static model posing-great stuff. The Chev ran faultlessly and the run down the mountain turned up a surprise. We stumbled across the Gold Coast Car Museum and it should not be missed if you are a car person on holiday here. Everything including a De Lorean laid out perfectly and then lunch at the Restaurant adjoining. A big field for the kids to play and ponies, alpacas, roosters for them to look at. Photos below and includes a 1957 Bel Air sport that totes the same Number Plate that our NZ one had (Lola is always reminding me about her favourite car that I sold on her.)
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