Tina from Turners loves cars – but her enthusiasm pales into insignificance next to the hundreds of people who turned out for Featherston’s inaugural Wheels and Deals Show.
Organiser Barbara Priest said the show, held at Featherston School on November 13, emerged from a discussion with a group of friends – who wanted to stage an event that attracted women and children, as well as male car nuts, from Wairarapa and Wellington.
The friends sent invitations to as many different car clubs as they could – and the response almost filled the available space, Priest said.
The cars came in droves, ranging from a beat-up 1930s Morris 8, to a Bonneville land speed record project, to a 1949 Bentley Mark V, owned and restored by Paul Hooper – who received a Meritorious Restoration award from the Wellington Vintage Car Club.
There were also a number of vintage cars, a host of immaculate American muscle cars from the 1970s onward, and hot rods galore. In the “specialty section”, there was a vintage fire truck, a Chevrolet hearse, two dressed wedding cars, and a Mack Truck.
In the trade area, various people, including Frank Lipinski from the Wairarapa Vintage Car Club, offered the parts necessary to complete restoration projects. There were also about 30 sales tents and tables, offering books, Christmas gifts, and food.
Priest said an estimated 400 people, including volunteers and stallholders, turned up – and said she was considering a larger venue, such as Tauherenikau Racecourse, for next year’s event.
All proceeds from the event went towards Featherston School.
The whole production was a credit to the organisers – who gambled on the weather and won.
