Petrolheads - Awesome Kiwi Car Collections

Petrolheads

Awesome Kiwi Car Collections

By Steve Holmes

Bateman - Hardcover -  RRP $39.99

For such a small country New Zealand has a staggering number of hugely impressive motoring collections. Whether it’s due to the fresh air, the wide open spaces, the cheap fuel, or just a national fixation with tinkering, Kiwis enjoy collecting and hoarding old cars.

Steve Holmes presents some incredible collections in these pages — some private, others public — including the brand-new Highlands National Motorsport Museum.

‘I’ve written several books now on Kiwi motoring collections, and the more I travel the country and view these amazing automotive assemblies and the people who’ve amassed them, the more I realise I’m only just scratching the surface. On average, for every collection I visit, I seem to learn of a further two.

‘Some owners are extremely private and share what they have only with close friends and family. Some like to collect but not necessarily use their vehicles, while others like to drive every vehicle they have. And there are those who share their collections with motoring clubs and fellow collectors, with others opening their doors to all who wish to enjoy them, running their collections professionally as museums. But all the collections in this book exist thanks to either a single person, or a small handful of people.

‘I’m generally a “word guy”, not a photographer, but I can appreciate that the best way to convey the sheer depth and scale of the collections within these pages is to include as many photos as space will allow. With the previous books I’ve written on motoring collections, a major hurdle I’ve struggled with, time after time, is culling the number of photos I’ve taken during each visit. I’ve come to the realisation that it’s the pictures that really tell the stories, and as such I’ve kept the text here to a bare minimum, and the photos to an absolute maximum.

‘My personal motoring tastes are as varied as the vehicles found within these pages so creating this book was, for me, an incredibly enjoyable experience — an education and an adventure from start to finish. I hope you enjoy it too.’

Steve Holmes is a respected Wairarapa-based motorsport journalist specialising in classic cars, and is the author of recently published Bateman title Kiwi Mustangs, 2014’s Kiwi Muscle Car Collections, as well as many other motoring titles.