Precious metal

For nearly half a century now, the Ellerslie Car Show has been a must-do on the calendar for any Kiwi motoring fan. Held on the second Sunday of February each year, not even an Auckland-wide Level 3 Lockdown could dampen spirits at the 2021 event (the gates of which closed on another immensely successful day mere hours before the government’s snap decision to lockdown was broadcast).

Every year, thousands of car fans visit the show at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, where as many as 70 different owners’ clubs from around New Zealand show off their collective pride and joy. Well-regarded for the diversity of metal on display, the show sees marques from the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, Japan, Australia and even the occasional New Zealand-built car on show as well.

The centrepiece of the day is the Intermarque Concours d’Elegance, where individual vehicles are judged to international standards on their presentation, appearance, originality, and overall excellence. Coveted awards include the Intermarque Team Shield, Masters Class award and ‘Best Survivor’. New Zealand’s love of automobiles is evident in both the vast array of different nameplates on show, and the level of craftsmanship and care in the restorations – many of which are regarded as among the world’s best examples.

As if to underline the wide variety of cars participating, team event trophies went to both the Porsche Car Club and the Mazda MX-5 Owner’s Club this year. The Giltrap Group’s display space was also a big focal point for the crowds, with some of the finest supercars from the last few decades and premium modern fare on show, along with a very special Jaguar XKSS, hand-built by Jaguar Classic, the iconic Coventry company’s in-house heritage engineering team.

As always – and regardless of how many miles on the clock – a shared appreciation for the classic, the collectable, and the curious, made for another stunning Ellerslie show.