Chevy's quarter mile sprint test
Graeme Cameron of Rakaia with his orange 1937 Chevrolet Coupe during the Ashburton Car Club's standing quarter mile sprint on Blands Rd. PHOTO: TONI WILLIAMS
A 1937 Chevrolet Coupe lines up next to Fords, Holdens and Toyotas on a closed section of rural road.
It cuts a striking figure among modern, faster machines.
It's the start line of the Ashburton Car Club's standing quarter mile sprint on Blands Rd; an annual timed event over 400m.
Fastest time wins.
The 1937 Chevy Coupe has a 253 Holden V8 under the hood with 4200cc. PHOTO: TONI WILLIAMS
The orange Chevy stands out in colour, style and era.
Driver, Graeme Cameron of Rakaia, is not fazed by the other 16 models which include a Dodge Demon and a Porsche 911.
There is also a VW Golf – but more about that later.
Cameron has only had his Chevy for two months.
It has a 253 Holden V8 under the hood, with 4200cc.
It was bought by auction from a Waikato owner when Cameron attended the Whangamata Beach Hop, in the Coromandel Peninsula, in March.
It was originally restored by mechanic Phil Hands of Ashburton, Cameron said.
And now it had returned to Mid Canterbury.
Cameron said he had owned a similar model but sold it about five years ago.
He always regretted it.
There were 26 hot rods in the auction, he said.
''I had a look, put in a bid, and the rest is history.''
It has 35,000km on the clock; just over 1000km were added driving it home.
It was a 16-hour journey and cost Cameron $350 in fuel.
Now at its new home, it will be a hobby car.
Cameron also has a 2004 Holden Commodore SS, and a 1968 Vauxhall Viva GT racing car which he runs at Levels in Timaru and Ruapuna in Christchurch.
He knows speed.
Cars during the Ashburton Car Club's recent standing quarter mile sprint on Blands Rd return en masse to the start line. PHOTO: TONI WILLIAMS
Cameron estimates the Chevy could have a top speed of 180 – 200km/h.
But he did not have time to check the speedometre during his three runs.
He saved his best run till last.
His standing quarter mile time was 17.048seconds.
The winning run was by Marco Verscoot driving a … you guessed it – that VW Golf.
He did it in a time of 10.639seconds in his first run of the day. His first three runs were all under 11 seconds.
In second place was Ross Forsyth driving a Nissan GTR with a time of 11.025, and third was Bruce Williams in a Porsche 911 in 11.585 seconds.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
20 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
West Taieri stalwart notches 300 games
It could be an expensive court session for Dave McNeill tonight. The veteran loose forward will bring up 300 games for the West Taieri Pigs today. Yes. 300. It is not a typo. It is just a remarkable achievement that has taken him 24 years. The 46-year-old made his debut for the Pigs in 2001. Helen Clarke was the prime minister. Social media was still just a twinkle in the eye of some future tech billionaire. And Canterbury beat Otago 30-19 in the NPC final. D'oh! But McNeill's only regret is he wished he had started a year earlier so he could have been part of the club's 100th jubilee as well as their 125th, which they celebrated last month. The truck driver loves rugby. But it is the feeling of being part of the community that keeps him coming back year after year. He enjoys the banter and listening to what the guys have been up to during the week. He has played alongside some of his team-mates for 15-odd years. "They're just a good bunch of guys and we have a laugh and a beer," he said. "That's probably the main thing. "It would have been nice to bring it up last weekend. We had a good win at home, but we're going to be away this weekend against Toko in the rain and stuff." He is not sure what has been planned to celebrate his milestone, but there will be a court session and a couple of his team-mates will also face justice for so-called crimes. Fellow loose forward Conner Jenkins will notch his 100th game and second five Pat Hamer is bringing up 50. "Between the three of us, it's quite a special day. Conner made a deal with me ... that I couldn't retire until he gets 100 games, so for us to both be doing it on the same day is really quite special." Most of McNeill's highlights have happened off the field. But there has been plenty to cheer about on the field as well. The Pigs used to compete in the Dunedin metropolitan grade, and they won the premier 2 title in 2017. That earned them a date with Green Island in the promotion-relegation fixture at Forsyth Barr Stadium. Green Island maintained their spot in the premier grade — now known as division 1 — with a 37-17 win. But it was McNeill's 200th game and he got to play at Forsyth Barr Stadium, so it was a memorable day. He also played in a preseason game with his son, Cameron Allan-McNeill, this season. Cameron plays for the Taieri premiers. They are still talking, despite the rivalry between the clubs. "He was going to come and play for us this year but Taieri sort of needed him. "He came out to a preseason game ... and I've played a few games with Cameron over the years." McNeill's father, Philip, also played for West Taieri. "I was brought up around here and spent most of my life around this place, basically." McNeill has talked about this season being his last, but in the same breath adds he would always answer an S.O.S. "I would never leave the team without players, so if they need me I'll probably come back. "But I should really be going to watch Cameron too. I do miss all his games, so I do feel a bit guilty at times." Speaking of guilt, good luck in the court session.
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
West Taieri stalwart notches 300
It could be an expensive court session for Dave McNeill tonight. The veteran loose forward will bring up 300 games for the West Taieri Pigs today. Yes. 300. It is not a typo. It is just a remarkable achievement that has taken him 24 years. The 46-year-old made his debut for the Pigs in 2001. Helen Clarke was the prime minister. Social media was still just a twinkle in the eye of some future tech billionaire. And Canterbury beat Otago 30-19 in the NPC final. D'oh! But McNeill's only regret is he wished he had started a year earlier so he could have been part of the club's 100th jubilee as well as their 125th, which they celebrated last month. The truck driver loves rugby. But it is the feeling of being part of the community that keeps him coming back year after year. He enjoys the banter and listening to what the guys have been up to during the week. He has played alongside some of his team-mates for 15-odd years. "They're just a good bunch of guys and we have a laugh and a beer," he said. "That's probably the main thing. "It would have been nice to bring it up last weekend. We had a good win at home, but we're going to be away this weekend against Toko in the rain and stuff." He is not sure what has been planned to celebrate his milestone, but there will be a court session and a couple of his team-mates will also face justice for so-called crimes. Fellow loose forward Conner Jenkins will notch his 100th game and second five Pat Hamer is bringing up 50. "Between the three of us, it's quite a special day. Conner made a deal with me ... that I couldn't retire until he gets 100 games, so for us to both be doing it on the same day is really quite special." Most of McNeill's highlights have happened off the field. But there has been plenty to cheer about on the field as well. The Pigs used to compete in the Dunedin metropolitan grade, and they won the premier 2 title in 2017. That earned them a date with Green Island in the promotion-relegation fixture at Forsyth Barr Stadium. Green Island maintained their spot in the premier grade — now known as division 1 — with a 37-17 win. But it was McNeill's 200th game and he got to play at Forsyth Barr Stadium, so it was a memorable day. He also played in a preseason game with his son, Cameron Allan-McNeill, this season. Cameron plays for the Taieri premiers. They are still talking, despite the rivalry between the clubs. "He was going to come and play for us this year but Taieri sort of needed him. "He came out to a preseason game ... and I've played a few games with Cameron over the years." McNeill's father, Philip, also played for West Taieri. "I was brought up around here and spent most of my life around this place, basically." McNeill has talked about this season being his last, but in the same breath adds he would always answer an S.O.S. "I would never leave the team without players, so if they need me I'll probably come back. "But I should really be going to watch Cameron too. I do miss all his games, so I do feel a bit guilty at times." Speaking of guilt, good luck in the court session.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
Whanganui club rugby: Taihape face Border in Barracks Challenge Shield match
No 15 Tyler Rogers-Holden was among the Taihape players to get a good hit-out in the Northern versus Rangitīkei sub-union game ahead of this weekend's match against Border. Photo / Kate Belsham, Ivy Digital Brought to you by Whanganui Rugby Memorial Park will host the last Barracks Challenge Shield match for the Tasman Tanning Premier season and may see a decisive switch in who drives where for the following weekend's semifinals. Holders Byford's Readimix Taihape took over the top of the table without even
