The club was started in 1967. Before the days of OSH came in, the club would head down to Port road in their cars and drag race each other down the roads. Obviously these days are gone but the club is very much still going and is filled with 170 members who just have an absolute love for cars!
The club is very inclusive. “We are called a ‘hot rod’ club but really anyone with a passion for cars is welcome to join. Some of our members don’t even own cars they just love them and that’s fine with us!” says club secretary Barbara Massicks.
They have a range of different styles of Classics and Hot rods, T-buckets, Coupes, muscle cars- mustangs, chargers etc. We even get people from Vintage clubs bringing along their cars.
The club has a breakfast on the second Sunday of the month and is held at Serenity. “We sometimes get 40 or 50 cars in the car park,” says Barbara, “It’s a good attraction to get people out and down to the basin.”
Every month the club will do a cruise together. A name is pulled out of a box and that person decides what the cruise is. This gives the cruises good variety.
Rev Up is the biggest event. This year the club worked in with the council. The streets were closed,there were around 200 cars from Kaitaia to Te Awamutu for people to come and see. They had Rock’n’roll dancers,a live band (St8 Up) and competitions.
The shops in town got involved in the event by sponsoring prizes for the competitions. “We are wanting this event to grow each year with the support of the council and community,” says Barbara. All the proceeds from the day went to the Northland Emergency Services Trust
(Rescue Helicopter).
The Mid-Winter Run is held once a year at the Marsden bay Christian Camp, where the members get together for 3 days and have quizzes, sponsor entertaining, (Grass Khana) grass track time-trial and even Rocker Cover racing! “If you don’t know what that is, make sure you google it!” Barbara says. “This gives people from Auckland a chance to do things they don’t usually get to do! They bring their beautiful cars and rip up the grass in the time trial, do some clay shooting and have burgers around a fire!”
The club is a place where both men and women can come together. In fact, Barbara Massicks actually drives a 1930’s, 350 Chev powered Willys car that her husband built for her. “Although we don’t get out hands too dirty, us girls all have times where we have to hold something or pump the accelerator for our hubby’s while working on cars.”
At the moment the club is trying to get more families and young ones involved in the club so there is always someone to keep it going. They want to get young ones off the streets and into clubs like this. If you would like to be apart of the club go online or even just turn up to one of the Breakfasts and introduce yourself.