Restoring more than just cars
Written by Brooke Colyer.
Imagine…connecting the past to present with the sound of an engine hum and the feel of fresh leather seats.
Bringing vintage cars back to life is a hobby, a lifestyle, and a culture for some throughout the Waikato region. Restoring cars has been around ever since the 30s-40s, and Kirikiriroa has had an integral part to play with the rising popularity. With many enthusiasts becoming restorers turning their hobby into a business.
However collecting and restoring come hand in hand and the question arises; what does the community between car enthusiasts becoming restorers look like?
Owner of Loco Cocos Trim Shop, Cody Edwards, has been passionately working on cars since he was a teenager, slowly turning that passion into a thriving family oriented business today. He has many friends who are in the same business or have a similar passion for vintage cars and have made it an integral part of their lives. It’s not just about working on cars and restoring them but the people they surround themselves with, and the interest they share that makes it a community. Late Friday BBQs, car meets, Dickies Fashion and a sense of fun.
“We don’t really want to work our whole lives. We want to play.”
cody edwards
Starting the business throughout covid lockdown in 2020 set him up to now not having to work a “typical 9-5” giving some insight how someone in the restoration community wants to live even after a pandemic and “cost of living crisis.”
While Edwards mostly does hood lining, fabric restoration on roofs of cars and upholstery, reviving seats and interiors, he has a number of friends who also have turned their hobby into different specialties of the car restoration industry.
These include Bad Penny who specialises in lowriding and vintage cars, Striper for Hire who does Pinstriping & design and Yugo Works who does Custom Fabrication & Japanese Products.
One of the things that connects the car restoration community are the values of the restoration and vintage car enthusiasts. While they are all in the industry, each one is uniquely different offering tailored services. But Edwards said If one person can’t do the job they will happily send them to another one of “the brothers” in the car restoration community.
This shows how passionate they are for making sure their customers get the most authentic experience. “It’s not even really about the cars at the end of the day” Edwards said. Which really resonates with the values within the community of vintage car enthusiasts and restorers. Not fixing the past but handing it onto the next while making lifelong marks and connections.
