NEW ZEALANDERS HOPE TO BREAK CAR BUILD RECORD
Fox Sports Network to Film 1 Hour Special

The Beach Hop, New Zealand's Annual Nostalgia Festival, celebrates the 1950s and '60s to the hilt -including fashion, music, culture and, of course, cars. New Zealand's Beach Hop is the sister festival to Hot August Nights, which is celebrated annually in Reno-Sparks. One popular item on the list of activities at The New Zealand Beach Hop is the Hot Rod Challenge. This challenge is for a small team of New Zealanders to assemble a car in 4 hours or less. So, Hot August Nights Senior Marketing Manager, Nicole Maddox, sent a challenge to the New Zealand team: Come to Reno's Hot August Nights and build a car in 24 hours at the Swap Meet using only what's available on-site.

August and attended Hot August Nights for the first time. I was blown away by the scale of it. At the Swap Meet, it dawned on me that you could build a hot rod from what was on offer." The great thing about this particular challenge, according to Watts, is that the team members won't really know what kind of car they will build until they get here. "Having said that, it will most likely be a T-Bucket or early Ford roadster," Watts said. "We'll just have to wait and see what we find at the Swap Meet." The car in question will not be a "show car" Watts said. "We simply don't have time for that," he said, “Most likely it will be a traditional-style Hot Rod, but it will be presentable and definitely have a Kiwi theme."

The team members plan to arrive with no tools or equipment. Everything they use to build the Hot Rod will be procured at the Swap Meet. "The biggest thing we will bring is what we call, “Kiwi Ingenuity,” Watts Said. “New Zealanders are renowned for being innovative and resourceful, so we will be relying on this to help us succeed.”

After they have completed the challenge all tools and equipment purchased at the swap meet will be donated to a local High School.

The team has built a number of cars at the Beach Hop since it started in 2002. The record so far is seven days from start to finish. 

“We know we can build this car in 24 hours, as the parts will all be at the swap meet,” Watts said. “Each year, we completely reassemble a 1927 T Roadster Hot Rod at the festival.” “Our record is just 1 hour and 14 min. “ Doing this type of project isn’t free or even inexpensive, funding must come from sponsors. The international media response to our challenge has been fantastic,” Watts said. “So, this is a great opportunity for sponsors to come on board.”

Nevada television and radio news stations, as well as major networks, will be covering the event, including a 1 hour broadcast special that will appear on the Fox Sports Network sometime in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to Maddox. Also, a dedicated website for the challenge will be updated during the build time, with photos every hour showing the team’s progress.

After team members complete the hot rod challenge at Hot August Nights, they are planning to take their Hot Rod to the Bonneville Salt Flats for Speed Week.

"We'll attempt to complete a speed trial in the tradition of fellow Kiwi, Burt Munro," Watts said.

From there, they plan to take their Hot Rod to various events around the U.S. When they have completed their tour, they will sell the Hot Rod, donating some of the proceeds to charity.

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