Classics head to annual gathering

Alpha St Reserve in Cromwell was awash with chrome and polished steel as the annual Cromwell Classic Car and Hot Rod Show returned on Saturday.

Lynne Clarke, of Dunedin, decided her husband was having all the fun bringing his 1958 Chevrolet Bel Air to car shows, so she turned an old caravan into something of a shrine to the animated cartoon character Betty Boop, with a cherry red-themed interior of curtains, clocks, and cushions all paying homage to the 1930s classic Jazz Age flapper.

A trip to the car show became a way to pay tribute to Evan Williams, of Greenfield, near Balclutha.

Julie Williams said her father-in-law had made a booking for the show last year, but when he died last December, the family decided to come in his honour, bringing four of his classic cars including a 1956 Chevrolet 3100 pickup truck.

Eddie Rogers, of Christchurch, said his 1958 Ford Custom 300 saloon was one of the few assembled in New Zealand with right-hand-drive.

Ford cars were assembled in Petone, in the Hutt Valley.

The vehicle was first sold in Dunedin, and its owners included a company called Harris Transport, which might have used it as a company car, he said.

Not many of the right-hand cars survived as they proved popular to "trash" in later decades, Mr Rogers said.

Saturday’s event was hosted by the Southland Ford Falcon Club. Committee member Tena McCarthy said 940 cars were registered this year, a record.

The event raised $2000 for the Lakes District Air Rescue Trust.