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. 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.) The ACCCA’s involvement in the new monthly breakfast car meet – the Meguiars Coffee & Cars - started right back at the beginning, when club member Alex Ross mooted the idea and asked if we – among several other Auckland based car clubs, might like to assist him getting it up and running, and in particular, operations on the actual event days.
Long story short, Alex approached Auckland Stadiums for a suitable venue - the excellent and slightly underused Mt Smart Stadium – and they were immediately enthused. Another chat, this time to Meguiars, to see if they may be keen to come on board as naming-right sponsors netting a similarly enthusiastic response. And after a couple of ‘false starts’ as a result of the frankly infuriating Covid lockdowns and daft ‘Traffic-Light’ system we’ve had to endure for months now, the Net result of hours of planning and meetings had it all came together rather spectacularly on Anzac Sunday, April 24th, 2022. Alex and his small but passionate team of helpers can feel justifiably proud of their efforts, as can Stadium Auckland & Meguiars, as over 800 cars attended during the 3-plus hours of Sunday morning (the event officially ran from 9am till 12 noon) and what must have been at least 2000 people spent the vast majority of that time enjoying the autumn sun and an absolute cracker of a show, with so much variety it was mind numbing! The comparisons to the former Caffeine & Classics event at Smales Farm are not necessarily coincidental! They also kept Lilyworld café staff and the various other Coffee vendors around the stadium rather busy! And a healthy sum was also raised by way of gold coin donations, the takings going on this occasion to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Here is a small selection of pics – for more on this event, see Coffee & Cars - Auckland | Facebook Rob Milligan |
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