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<\/a>There were only a handful of British cars at this particular event, but there are plenty of them here. Most of the participants drove American classics from the 1930s up into the 1960s. That\u2019s because New Zealanders have been in love with American cars since the days of the Model T.<\/p>\n They also imported quite a few British cars as well, and there was a period after World War II in which they were part of the British Common Market and largely confined themselves to cars from the United Kingdom, but they never lost their enthusiasm for American iron.<\/p>\n There are those who call New Zealand Godzone. That is the name a 19th<\/sup> century poet gave this little island nation about the size of California, and for classic car buffs that moniker is apt. In my mind, the place is the nearest thing to heaven imaginable. \u00a0I am merely guessing, but I believe New Zealand has to have the best collection of American classics anywhere in the world, other than United States itself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sure, there are a lot of old American cars in Cuba, but they are mostly tawdry dowagers and smoking derelicts. And as often as not, they have Soviet era truck engines shoehorned into them. The Cubans don\u2019t have much choice but to keep their old American iron running because of trade embargos that go back decades.<\/p>\n But New Zealanders have all the choices in the world, and they still love classic American cars. They can afford them, and they cherish them. They are also masterful at restoring them, and even have good parts sources for the more popular makes. \u00a0In fact, there are high rollers in the United States who ship their classics here to be restored because, even with the shipping fees, it costs less and the quality of the work is show winning.<\/p>\n American cars have been imported into New Zealand since the horseless carriage days, and our classics are still being brought in at a steady rate. Actually, they have restored cars in Godzone that few Americans would take on. Kiwis (that\u2019s what they call themselves) are very big on Ferraris too. In fact, the only country that has more Ferraris per capita is Switzerland.<\/p>\n The Kiwis have particular affection for Mustangs also, which is surprising because Ford never exported them here. All of them have been brought in at considerable expense by Kiwi car buffs. I have shipped a couple of Mustangs here for friends myself. The big challenge to doing that is getting your old car to meet New Zealand\u2019s strict Warrant Of Fitness criteria.<\/p>\n After World War II, New Zealand imported mostly British autos thanks to favorable trade arrangements with the U.K., but what they got were mostly frumpy, asthmatic little cars like my Morris. They were dependable, but they impressed nobody. Besides, the Kiwis were well aware that, except for the high-end European sports cars, there is nothing like the sound of a big American V8 to impress your mates.<\/p>\n New Zealanders are also into motor racing in a big way. They have several superb road-racing tracks, such as Hampton Downs, and Pukekohe near Auckland, and midget and dirt track ovals such as Western Springs Speedway in the same area. Also, there are street races around the country for cars and motorcycles.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In fact, one of the premier motorcycle events anywhere is held in the streets of a town called Paeroa on the North Island, each year. It is a championship-class venue, and riders as well as spectators come from all over the world to participate.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>