Around 200 vehicles of all shapes and sizes were sprawled across the grounds at Founder’s Heritage Park for the Nelson Hospice Vehicle Display on Sunday.
Everything was out on show, from muscle cars, motorbikes, and a Ferrari supplied by Houston Motors, to a Reliant Robin and a six-wheel argo.
Featuring vehicles from Blenheim to Takaka, the display, which was a fundraiser for the Nelson Tasman Hospice, drew a crowd of more than 750 people.
Among the vehicles was a bright orange 1970 Pontiac LeMans, restored from the chassis up, by local mechanic Spot Christoffersen and his daughter Lee.
Spot started restoring the car in 2005, and after a year away working in Antartica, he finished it in 2011.
“It came out of a scrapyard in America and it was basically a full rebuild,” says Spot.
“Every little piece of the car was pulled apart, fixed, rust-killed, painted and put back together.
“The kids helped, and I had Lee doing all the small fiddly bits, sanding panels and painting parts. It was educational and very messy,” he says with a smile.
Lee says she loved working on the car with her dad.
“I was daddy’s little girl and I used to follow him around the garage and always wanted to help him tinker away.”
The pair are currently restoring a 1969 Pontiac GTO in preparation for Lee’s wedding next year.
“There’s a shell and he can get it on and off the truck, but that’s about it at the moment,” says Lee.
“It’s still being put together, done up, and getting all the bits that it needs, so hopefully we’ll have it on the road in time.”
Event organiser and Nelson Tasman Hospice Volunteer Dave Ferry says they had so many people like Spot and Lee who were really passionate about their vehicles.
The event managed to raise just over $5000 for the Nelson Tasman Hospice, and already Dave is planning another display day on January 14.
