Just in time for Beach Hop

Keith Sawyer’s 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Coupe. Supplied photo.

Tauranga car enthusiast Keith Sawyer would have been breathing a sigh of relief on Wednesday morning, after getting his 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Coupe road-certified.

The warrant of fitness and registration came through at 8.30am, meaning he could join hundreds of others in the Coromandel cruise known as Beach Hop.

He says it's taken him two years to finish, although there's still a bit of interior that needs seeing to (leather's being imported from Australia next month).

But the main thing is, the car's roadworthy – and as you can see in the photos, it looks beautiful.

'We've been going to the Beach Hop for about 10 years,” says Keith. 'We always stay in Whangamata, because that's where the night life is at the end of the day.”

For Keith, who's also vice-president of Bay Rodders Tauranga, it's all about the atmosphere at Beach Hop, and the pleasure people get from seeing the old automobiles restored to their former glory.

'It's a 700-car parade driving to Whitianga, with people gathering on the side of the road to wave,” he says. 'Sometimes you drive passed the rest homes and see the elderly come out and watch the cars they used to drive in their prime.”

He says the other big event on the motoring calendar for Bay Rodders Tauranga is the annual Nostalgia Drag at Meremere on Saturday April 1, which is the club's main fundraiser.

The next two weekends should be good for car lovers, then. Here's hoping the weather holds.

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