David Burke-Kennedy – 
Hundreds of Auckland classic car enthusiasts are polishing their steeds for the biggest car event on the New Zealand motoring calendar.
The Ellerslie Intermarque Concours & Classic Car Show will stage its forty-fourth annual event at Ellerslie Race Course on Sunday, February 12, 2017.
It will be held at the Ellerslie Race Course in Auckland from 10 am to 4 pm. Entry to the show is by tickets at $15 per person. However, the first 10 persons who send a text message between 10 am and 11 am on Friday, February 3, 2017 (not earlier or later) will receive complimentary tickets from Indian Newslink, courtesy of the show organisers.
The beginning
The show was born in 1972, when the MG Car Club rallied a handful of Auckland car clubs together at Cornwall Park to stage the country’s first Intermarque Concours d’Elegance competition to find the best classic cars.
MG won the first Inter-Club Challenge Shield with Honours also going to Alvis, Studebaker, Jowett, Riley, and Citroen Car Clubs.
Every year, more clubs joined the competition until by 1982, when the event had become so big that the organisers moved it to Ellerslie Race Course.
A New Award
This year for the first time, the show will reflect its long association with Ellerslie with Classic Cover Insurance club display competition themed ‘A classic day at the races,” with a Meguiar’s People’s Choice Award.
The show is by far the country’s biggest classic car event with some restorations valued at millions of dollars. It is also the only New Zealand classic car competition judged to international standards focusing on presentation, appearance, originality and excellence.
Among more than 700 classic vehicles on show – some the best in the world – will be two master-class restoration entries from MG and Daimler.
Cars competing in Radio Live Survivor’s Class include a 1958 Studebaker Champion; 1966 Mini Cooper S; 1965 Chrysler Valiant Convertible (ex-Canada); 1961 EK Holden; 1973 E Type Jaguar Roadster and an MG.
Entries must be unrestored, and at least 35-year-old with original bodywork, paint and upholstery.
Porsche is the host club for the third year running after taking Club Team Honours in 2016 and 2017.
Extensive display
Displays cover virtually every marque seen in New Zealand from early last century including this year, a special line-up of the NZ-produced Trekka celebrating its 50th anniversary.
A notable display vehicle will be a rare Alfa Romeo – the 1938 London Motor Show exhibit – which arrived in the country last year.
Children’s charity GoBabyGo returns to display electric ride-in toy BMW cars that it donates to children with impaired mobility.
New models
Latest models on show will include Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Chrysler, Fiat, Jaguar, Jeep, Lamborghini, Maserati, Mini, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Volvo, with other exhibitors offering new and old books, accessories, Meguiar’s car care, vehicle grooming, paint restoration, classic car sales, storage and Classic Cover insurance. Auckland Transport is there for the first time too.
Organisers are now targeting younger car enthusiasts whose definition of ‘classics’ includes cars as recent as the 1980s and 1990s and new names as opposed to marques that are extinct.
They will advise anyone wanting to set up clubs for Marques and models not already catered for by an existing group.
Little-known to those outside of the wider classic car fraternity is the Meguiar’s Tours d’Elegance that happens each year on the Saturday of the show weekend (February 11, 2017). It involves up to 200 classics touring to St Heliers from six departure points around the Auckland region.
Departures this year start from Westgate, Northcote, Greenlane, Papakura, Pukekohe, and Albany – converging after a 100km drive to tour along Tamaki Drive to picnic in St Heliers with a “Homage” product for the best picnic presentation.
Ellerslie Intermarque Concours and Classic Car Show
Sunday, February 12, 2017 10 am to 4 pm. Ellerslie Race Course, Auckland
Pictures supplied by New Zealand Classic Car magazine.
