Wheel alignment

Monday, 25 March 2013

Not about bikes, but way cool - Ford Model A's

Just got back from drooling in our village centre.  The Model A Ford Club of NZ are holding their annual rally on the Coromandel Peninsula where I live and today, they all descended on Coromandel Town (pop 1600!) for a photo shoot.  It's one of those events where you can't keep the smile off your face as not only did the participants dress up in period clothing, many of the locals did too!  Coromandel town came to prominence in the 1800's gold boom and has retained a lot of its character so the venue was particularly fitting.

Here are some photos hot off the press!

The rally plate

Swap your MX5 honey?

Great atmosphere!

Our local butcher Shane entering into the spirit of things
- he's a keen motorcyclist too!

Bakery truck

 A morning snack off the back of the pickup!

No, this isn't Coromandel's main fire truck!!!

A modern pop-top caravan mounted on the deck

Period gear and refreshments - wonderful!

The only non-pristine A and it looks fantastic

Here 'tis again

A very small percentage of the total!

They're just everywhere

Awww.....

 
That's craftmanship!

Beautiful woody

The iconic Star and Garter with Moonshine truck

Star and Garter pickup of slightly later vintage
The owners are keen motorcyclists too


I'm constantly amazed at the sheer number of vintage cars, bikes and planes in NZ considering that there are only 4 million of us.  Must try and uphold the tradition with a bit of expenditure on something vintage (subject to Executive Permission of course)!

Hope that you've enjoyed this unplanned post....


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30 comments:

  1. Brenda25 March 2013 at 12:05

    Hi Geoff, That looks like such a great day out!! Thanks for sharing :)

    Love your butcher, isn't it great that so many people got into it. My favourite has to be the non-pristine model. I think the MX5 is safe :)

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  2. Geoff James25 March 2013 at 12:14

    Hi Brenda!
    Thanks, it was such a great atmosphere that EVERYONE was smiling - real tonic for the soul.

    Yeah, I love the non-pristine model too. Reckon that the owner would be a real character and not at all precious about his car!

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  3. SonjaM25 March 2013 at 12:57

    Cool that the locals got into the spirit, too. I bet I would be drooling, too. I love vintage cars. The "rat" A model is a certainly a character and wins a price for its uniqueness.

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  4. Geoff James25 March 2013 at 13:07

    Cheers Sonja!

    You have the advantage of knowing the atmosphere of the Coromandel Peninsula first hand so you know how well vehicles of that era blend into the landscape! vOn the other side of the Peninsula there was the annual Beach Hop where over 1000 classic cars, hot rods and bikes meet every year. Saw some fantastic big-finned American cars from the 60's come through town yesterday.

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  5. RichardM25 March 2013 at 14:16

    I like your photo which explains why the compartment at the back of a car is called a "trunk" (at least it is in the U.S.). Nice collection of cars.

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  6. Geoff James25 March 2013 at 14:30

    Richard,
    Good point! Maybe the owner should have had an oversized shoe on the back to explain why it's called a boot in Australasia and the UK!!!

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  7. Roger25 March 2013 at 15:12

    I am sure mate, considering your age , you would of felt right at home.

    (I am here all day offering good advice by the way)

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    1. Geoff James25 March 2013 at 15:27

      Sigh.......

      I did indeed feel at home. In fact, reverting to the old law of someone walking in front of each vehicle with a red flag would be a wonderful way of reducing the injury toll. Not in your case of course, due to a serious horsepower shortage on your Sprint ;-).

      I too am here all day to offer sound advice to a great mate who will appreciate it :-)

      Delete
  8. Canajun25 March 2013 at 15:27

    We happened to be lucky enough to be in Nelson on the 75th anniversary (I think it was) of the quake when vintage cars from all over the islands (actually the world) came to town. Between the cars, the period costumes, and the art deco architecture it wasn't hard to think we were back in the 1930's. So there certainly seems to be a thriving vintage car scene down there, and the time we were there is one of our great memories.

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    1. Geoff James25 March 2013 at 15:35

      Wow - lucky you, that would have been quite something!! The north island city of Napier also holds an annual art deco weekend and that has the same atmosphere which you describe. Nelson is a beautiful town and it would have been wonderful to see the event.

      I think one reason why there are so many vintage vehicles is that essentially, NZ has never had a proper vehicle industry of its own, relying entirely on imports in those days. Being at the other end of the world and with long supply lines, vehicles were kept going for far longer than their expected expiry date and now we're seeing them re-emerge having been lovingly restored.

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  9. Bluekat25 March 2013 at 18:01

    Great bunch of vintage cars and trucks. Love that everyone is dressed up to match. It's cool the way everyone gets into the spirit of the event.

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  10. Geoff James25 March 2013 at 19:11

    Hi Kari!

    Yep, isn't it great? Small places like Coromandel have a wonderful community spirit!

    All the very best!

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  11. Steve25 March 2013 at 20:35

    Very nice Geoff, a beauty day for it, vintage cars and vintage motorcyclists. You probably owned several of these in your time.

    I too am here all day............

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    1. Geoff James25 March 2013 at 20:43

      Thin ice, Steve, thin ice ;-). You're Roger's doppelgänger, aren't you?

      Delete
  12. Victoria25 March 2013 at 20:56

    Wish I could have been there, Dad! You know I could totally do period costume!

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    1. Geoff James25 March 2013 at 21:00

      You could too - steam punk! Tell your Mum to sell her MX5 and we'll get a classic!
      Xxxx

      Delete
  13. Trobairitz26 March 2013 at 02:07

    Fun!!

    I think it is really cool that not only do you have all those great vintage cars and trucks, but that people dress up in the period clothing too.

    Thanks for sharing Geoff.

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    1. Geoff James26 March 2013 at 10:04

      Sure was Brandy!
      Coromandel people have a great sense of community. Remember my mate Paul and the Mizz Coromandel photos from last year to raise money for the local foodbank?

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  14. BeemerGirl26 March 2013 at 02:48

    Absolutely beautiful! The weather, the vehicles, and the people look great.

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    1. Geoff James26 March 2013 at 10:06

      Hi Lori!
      Yep, everyone was so chilled, no-one in a hurry, perfect strangers enjoying a chat. Doesn't get much better!

      Delete
  15. Unknown26 March 2013 at 06:59

    Geoff:

    YOU are "THE CLASSIC", and I am sure you have clothing evidence in your closet just waiting to be dusted off. We won't tell anyone that your regular clothing IS vintage clothing.

    I like those old Pick up trucks

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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    1. Geoff James26 March 2013 at 10:11

      Ok Bob, here's a confession for you!

      A couple of years back, we were invited to a friend's 60th birthday party. The theme was "Woodstock" with Woodstock music and dress of that period. I will freely admit that much of the gear came from the back of the cupboard, including flared jeans with a psychedelic butterfly on. The one saving grace was that they still fitted :-). I don't think anyone at the party needed to buy a lot, haha!

      Delete
  16. Tarsnakes Down Under26 March 2013 at 09:31

    Wonderful to see all those folk adding to the occasion by being in period costume.

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    1. Geoff James26 March 2013 at 10:12

      Hey Jules!
      Sure was - we felt the odd ones out by not being dressed up!

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  17. Mark27 March 2013 at 06:10

    Morning Geoff,
    I see the local Ford dealer has just received the latest range... The restored cars are delightful however that tourer is a much loved and used 'old girl'. So, if Uncle Lotto was kind to you which one would you want?
    Cheers

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  18. Geoff James27 March 2013 at 07:31

    Gidday Mark!
    Give me the old tourer every time. It actually attracted far more attention than the rest and the owner wearing a pith helmet looked perfect!

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  19. Unknown3 April 2013 at 13:46

    People who put countless hours and money into restoring old cars are crazy I LOVE crazy people!

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  20. Geoff James3 April 2013 at 16:12

    Geoff, probably the same as people who restore old aircraft, steam trains or whatever! The world would be a poorer place without such enthusiasts and eccentrics!

    Thanks for dropping by!

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  21. Touring Motocycle Tires4 April 2013 at 21:43

    The Vintage cars and trucks just took me so many memories back. I am glad i have found your blog Geoff. I am sure i will love it as i continue to read your posts. And its good you shared a story on 4wheels and given the 2wheels a rest a little bit. Good work and thanks for the post.

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  22. Geoff James4 April 2013 at 22:39

    Thanks for dropping by and glad you liked the photos. However, no plans for further posts anytime soon!

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