Keen interest in vintage cars in Canterbury
Canterbury, which will be the host for the first Pan-Pacific Rally, conducted by the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand, is exceptionally strong in the veteran and vintage car movement. Of the 4257 members nationwide, 1051 live in Canterbury where there are five branches. As well as the Christchurch and Banks Peninsula branches, there are others in Ashburton, Timaru and Waimate, the last-named South Canterbury town having 53 members. It has been claimed that New Zealand has more veteran and vintage cars per head than any other country in the world.
According to popular theory the size of the New Zealand veteran and vintage car population is directly attributable to the fact that New Zealanders are Inveterate hoarders who never discard anything if they can possibly do otherwise. That is founded in the belief that although an object will no longer carry out the function for which it was
originally designed, some time in the future it may be adapted to carry out a purpose for which it was never intended. That is why many- of the veteran and vintage cars in this country have been restored to pristine condition from components which once served as part of a river stopbank, a fence, the power source for a saw bench or milking machine plant or, indeed, the axles and wheels for a farm trailer; while the bodywork of many a veteran or vintage car has frequently served as a fowl house or chicken coop.
The growing interest of women in veteran and vintage cars has popularised the movement as a family hobby. The fuel crisis of the 70s, inflation and all the other problems that have beset New Zealand in the last quarter of the twentieth century have not diminished the enthusiasm of lovers of antique cars for satisfying their passion. The Pan-Pacific Rally will be the fourth international to be held in New Zealand since 1965 and that in itself is a measure of the strength of the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19860220.2.118
Bibliographic details
Press, 20 February 1986, Page 22
Word Count
342Keen interest in vintage cars in Canterbury Press, 20 February 1986, Page 22
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.