The 140 much-loved cars and motorbikes crammed into Turners Car Auctions showroom in Hamilton yesterday were not the cars you would normally see on the lot – and they weren’t for sale either.

But car painter Barry Free was nevertheless in his element. The Te Kowhai car enthusiast made sure he had a good look at the hot rods on offer – taking notes for the 1968 Chevy truck he is building at home. The truck is the latest addition to his fleet which included speedway bikes and 1975 Dodge camper van on display yesterday.

Mr Free was among 500 car enthusiasts who packed Turners’ Avalon Dr Hamilton New Zealand’s showroom to look over the much-loved vehicles and raise money for Hamilton sprint car racer and Turners branch manager Dean Brindle’s trip to the US next month to race a new sprint car.

The everyday cars which normally attracted Turners’ customers had been moved aside to make way for the V8s, sprint bikes, hot rods, rotary cars, motorbikes and classics.

Mr Brindle said he raised about $2500 for his trip through last week’s show and was looking forward to picking up and bringing his new sprint car back from the US.

The Hamilton show was the last of a string of fundraising efforts by the Hamilton man, who regularly competes at Western Springs Speedway.

Source Waikato Times