FAST EDDIE — 1931 FORD MODEL A TUDOR
Edwin Abbott’s journey into hot rodding all started with a greasy burger, and has turned into a 524hp LS-powered 1931 Ford Model A Tudor. Funny how that happens, huh?
Hot rodding looks a bit different nowadays, and has somewhat become lost on younger generations who are far more interested in Japanese performance cars like the Nissan GT-R, Toyota Supra, Mitsubishi Evolution, you name it. And can you blame them? These cars are everywhere in movies and video games, where you rarely see a hotted-up, stripped-back ’32 Deuce or Tri-five anymore. Christchurch panel beater and fabricator Edwin Abbott — Eddie — was one of these fellas, even owning a couple of the aforementioned Jappas before he got a taste for the good ol’ days.
BOOSTED ROO — 1969 FORD FALCON XW
Andy Etchells fancies himself as a bit of a kangaroo herder, with not one but now two roos to his name; his latest is called BADROO — a body-swapped, rear-mounted turbo 1969 Ford Falcon XW
If you’re chronically online like most kids these days, and spend much of it in the V8 space, then you may have heard of a fella by the name of Andy Etchells. If not, he’s the mastermind behind RADROO, a Ford Falcon XY that has been separated from its original chassis and married to modern running gear from an EF. Well, he’s only gone and done it again, only this time with an XW called BADROO, AU underpinnings, and a turbo hidden out of sight for good measure.
ICONTINENTAL — 1967 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL
You’ve seen it on the big screen and even on the front doorstep of the White House. Now, the Lincoln Continental hits NZV8, with Carl Johnston’s 1967 bagged two-door LS-powered example cementing itself as an icon of its own
DON'T FORGET YOUR ROOTS — 1964 HOLDEN STATION WAGON EH
Michael and Colleen Walters’ EH Holden wagon is a love letter to Kiwi summers past — with a very modern heartbeat hidden beneath the bonnet
Growing up in New Zealand, there’s a strong chance you spent most of your childhood in the back of a Holden. Come summertime, nothing beat cruising along the coast in one after a long day at the beach, even if you drew the short straw and were relegated to the middle seat between your siblings. It’s that exact experience that Michael and Colleen Walters’ 1964 EH Station Wagon Special epitomises — an LS-swapped two-tone wave of nostalgia that captures the feeling of a classic Kiwi summer perfectly.
REVCON — RESET, REFRESH, AND REBOOT FOR 2026 AND BEYOND
A new name, a new home, and a fresh direction. REVCON brings multiple automotive scenes together under one roof, creating a show that’s bigger, louder, and more diverse than ever before
It takes some bravery to overhaul an event with nearly 30 years of history — one that’s entrenched in the minds of multiple generations of car enthusiasts. But that kind of ‘hold my beverage’ thinking has become a hallmark of Downtime Entertainment.
SOUTHLAND SAND RACERS RETURN – GROG 2026
Four years in, Invercargill’s secretive pre-war beach racing movement GROG shows no sign of slowing — and this year, Pete Little took it further off the beaten track than ever before
Back when race tracks were few and far between, folks chasing a sense of speed and bragging rights at the local pub weren’t left with many outlets to really open up their jalopies. However, if you lived by the coast, the beach was your best bet. Vast, wide-open stretches of coast suddenly turned into race courses worldwide, including our little corner of the Pacific. But over time, as more and more tracks were opened, the practice slowly shifted away from the sand and to the tarmac.
