Cruise

Over in the current weekly thread Bill Bowes practically insisted that I post some more images from "Cruise Martinborough", our local four-day event that features some of the best American cars that New Zealand can offer. Rather than clutter up the weekly thread I thought I'd initiate a new thread, so here goes.

 

This sort of work is rather nightmarish, in that you're continually dodging around other spectators and trying to avoid getting too many unattractive people in the background. You're working in very tight spaces, and on a hot and glaring day like today you're constantly battling excessive contrast and trying to avoid the blinding sun pings off chrome that veil your images. I took the opportunity of giving a recently-acquired Pentax ME Super a first real test, and it performed very well under these trying circumstances. The film was Kentmere 100 developed in PMK Pyro. The images have little artistic merit but hopefully display the cars adequately.

 

The lens is interesting. I suspect our JDMvW will shortly be posting some information concerning it so I won't go further than to state it was the Pentax SMC AF 35-70 f/2.8, a landmark lens that will operate in AF mode only on the Pentax ME-F camera, but which I find to be a truly excellent lens in manual mode.

 

I'll let you experts name the cars, if you wish; the first image shows about 10% of the assemblage that filled our town square and main road and spilled out into the side streets.

 

The Square

 

 

#1

 

 

#2

 

 

#3

 

 

#4

 

 

#5

 

 

#6

 

 

007

 

 

#8

 

 

#9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very nice. Brings back memories.

Great shots, Rick. Recently watched the Barrett Jackson auctions on Motortrend channel and saw a lot of restored classic cars. Those old Chevrolets are especially interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Nice shots and an amazing collection of cars for the location. Best of all, the last photo could have been my Grandfather's Ford. Haven't thought of that in years.

Thanks for the post! It is an impressive display that brings memories.

Great work Rick ! I really like the Vanity Plates that some of the owners have created for their Wheels. Aloha, Bill

My parents had a 1956 Chevy which my dad traded in 1959 for an Impala with an automatic so my mother could drive. My dad saved the window sticker which I still have. Our '59 had the 348 big block V8 with the single 4 barrel carb. Powerglide automatic rather than the troublesome Turboglide.

Nice show and fine results from the ME Super. When I was in NZ years ago I didn't remember seeing many American cars, though quite a few Australian and European ones. With Australia no longer really having an auto industry, maybe those old Holdens and Fords will become more collectible as well. Edited January 26, 2019 by m42dave

Perhaps in the depths of your winter weather you might consider a leap from Down Under to the warmer climes of Washington State. During the first week of July the SOVREN Historic Races are held just below Seattle. Both American Iron & European Heritage Sports cars on track & in the paddock. I am sure you, and us, would suffer sensory overload from your cameras.... Aloha, Bill

Ohhh... a Cobra....and an E-type! Somehow I like those Corvairs. This must be quite a show.

Bill Bowes said:

Perhaps in the depths of your winter weather you might consider a leap from Down Under to the warmer climes of Washington State.

 

Great idea Bill, I'd love to visit Sovren. We have great collections of British and European cars down here, and many of the American cars I've photographed have been imported from the US by enthusiasts over the past couple of decades, but they were rare beasts here in their original eras. Until the Japanese got up and running most of our cars were British in origin, which didn't make for very exciting motoring...

 

Thanks to you all for your responses, and I'm pleased you liked the pics.

Great images, Bill. Corvairs were never that popular around my town. We had one neighbor that had a well-used late 60's Corvair that was his work car. :Looked rough, but at least it didn't have a swing axle.

Thanks for the images. While maintaining one of these pieces of Detroit iron is a common practice for some here in the States, its impressive to realize these cars not only made it to NZ, they made their way into someone's heart as well. That is no mean feat half a world away.

Nice pictures.:)

 

As for

The lens is interesting. I suspect our JDMvW will shortly be posting some information concerning it so I won't go further than to state it was the Pentax SMC AF 35-70 f/2.8, a landmark lens that will operate in AF mode only on the Pentax ME-F camera,

 

It's just been COLD here, but once the weather warms up this is high on the list to do. Here's a tease, again.

Where I live, during the summer, we have monday night car shows open to everybody in the old downtown area. This particular car reminded me of the chopped top cars with muffler pipe cutouts the "tough guys" drove when I was in high school.

This reminds me that I must visit the Tupelo Auto Museum before they close this spring.

SCL said :

This particular car reminded me of the chopped top cars with muffler pipe cutouts the "tough guys" drove when I was in high school.

 

Ahah! being the comparative novice that I am I'd been wondering what these were, in relation to a car I haven't identified. Pic below; ID please!

 

???

 

It looks like a 1959 Ford Fairlane Galaxie. Not sure about the Skyline designation.