A Hot Rod Life
Words: Amelia Norman
Images: Supplied
For Danny Bisschop, a chance encounter at the traffic lights as a boy sparked his life-long love of cars. “I was sitting in my parents’ car when I was about 10 years old,” recalls Danny, now 70. “I saw a 1933 Ford Coupe pull up at the lights and that was it! From that point on I’ve been crazy about hot rods.”
Little did young Danny know, but he would go on to own that very car - buying it, tinkering with it and flicking it on three times before it ended up in its final resting place as a showpiece in a collector’s shed.
That’s the thing with Danny – he’s not just a panel beater, automotive painter and mechanic; he’s a true blue car enthusiast. He happily recalls the history of each car he’s owned over the past five decades. He knows where they started their life, who he bought them from, what he did to improve them and where they went next. It’s not just a hobby, it’s an all-out passion.
“It’s just in my blood,” he explains.
Unsurprisingly, Danny and his wife Lavina are regular attendees at car shows up and down the country. Danny checks out the cars and Lavina dresses up in her 1950s rock’n’roll attire, but there’s much more to it than that.
“We do it because of the people. The cars are just the means to bring us all together, but the best part is catching up with friends, and spending time with likeminded people. We love it.”
Over the years, the couple have brought home a number of trophies from the shows, but Danny says the most meaningful one is the MTF Participant’s Choice Award he received at the 2023 Caroline Bay Rock & Hop for his 1952 Ford Twin Spinner.
“It was such a shock!” he recalls. “The quality of the vehicles at the Rock & Hop is incredible, so for the other participants to vote for mine was a real surprise. Having put in a lot of work, time and money, it’s really nice for the car to get that appreciation.”
When he says “a lot”, he’s not kidding. Danny spent two and a half years completely rebuilding and customising the winning vehicle to the point where it’s now an absolute one-of-a-kind. “There’s no other car like this in the world.”
True to form, Danny knows this car’s life story: “It was originally a taxi in Dunedin. Then it went to Balclutha and became a hot rod. It went through many owners and then I bought it from a guy in Gore. It was in a very sad state so I pulled it to bits, cut out all the rust and completely rebuilt it. There’s basically not one original panel left because I altered everything.”
Danny and Lavina are heading back to the Caroline Bay Rock & Hop this year, but the Twin Spinner will have to stay in the garage. “We’re taking the Mercury Medalist this year,” he explains.
As the only known 1958 Medalist in the Southern Hemisphere, chances are high it could take out a trophy too. But for Danny and Lavina, that’s not what the trip is about. “The Caroline Bay Rock & Hop is such a well-organised event. The organisers have really listened to the people and made improvements over the years. They’ve got it pretty well stitched up now. We’re really looking forward to it.”
