Larry and Maureen Jooste with their 1938 Standard Eight. Larry is a Te Awamutu Rod & Custom Club member.
Parked up in a shady spot on Sunday, Te Awamutu Rod and Custom Club member Larry Jooste had the perfect vantage point from which to take in all the action.
His 1938 Standard Eight was amongst an estimated 1600 vehicles which took part in this year’s Stragglers Rod & Kustom Charity Custom and Classic Car Display at Mighty River Domain at Lake Karapiro.
“Isn’t this great?”, he said.
Show organiser Martin Bennett told The News it is likely the biggest display in the event’s 17- year history.
The display raises money for charity and is now New Zealand’s biggest one day classic car show.
Participants came from as far north as Auckland and as far south as Alexandra to be involved at the weekend.
Money raised via gold coin donations at this year’s display will be given to Cambridge-based charity Kids in Need Waikato, run by Graeme and Linda Roil.
It provides support for Waikato children and teenagers between the ages of one and 17 who are in the care of someone other than their parents.
Donation totals from this year’s display were still being counted as The News went to print.
“I have never seen it that big,” Bennett – who has been involved with 14 of the event’s 17 years to date – said.
“How amazing.”
For Jooste, Sunday’s display was the perfect opportunity to bring out the vehicle which is undoubtedly his pride and joy.
“I bought it off a friend of mine and built it from scratch.”
An aircraft engineer by day – a job which requires a great level of precision – that same level of detail is evident in every aspect of Jooste’s now complete Standard Eight.
It features a six-cylinder RB20 engine Jooste got from a Nissan Skyline and a two-speed gearbox.
Having owned the now pristine vehicle for about nine years, he completed the build in 2015.
“It sticks to the road so well and it is brilliant to drive.”
“And what I love about the process of building a car is that it is an opportunity to have your fingerprints all over it – in the sense that you can get it just how you want it.”
Jooste also owns a 1930s Willys sedan and a 1946 Chevrolet pickup.
Meanwhile, New Plymouth’s Kevin and Judy Smith’s 1936 Ford 3-window coupe won Sunday’s best in show accolade – known as ‘Bob’s Best’.
Special guest, Detroit’s Bob Larivee, gave the Smiths the award.
Stragglers Rod & Kustom Club president Wayne Floyed said he was blown away by the size and scale of Sunday’s display.
“It was fantastic.”
Bennett said the display wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of multiple businesses.
