This 1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 is Real Rides’ biggest build yet — a ground-up transformation powered by a 572ci big block, TKO600 5-speed, and 9″ rear. The body is extensively modified with steel flares, carbon aero, flush-fit glass, and every panel reworked to perfection. Even the underside and interior panels are fully painted and detailed.
After hundreds of hours of fabrication, bodywork, and reassembly, the car took out Best Chev at the 2025 Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Show — a massive win for a truly show-stopping build.
This 1970 Chevelle quickly turned heads during its transformation at Real Rides, evolving into a bold, family-friendly muscle car with serious presence.
The result? It claimed the VIP Premium People’s Choice award — a well-earned recognition of the passion, precision, and craftsmanship that went into every detail.
This 1970 Dodge Challenger made a big impression with its sleek styling and standout finish, drawing crowds from every direction at the Rodders Beach Festival.
The result? It took out the People’s Choice Award at the 2025 Orewa event — a true testament to the craftsmanship and attention to detail behind the build.
This 1967 Dodge Charger quickly became a standout in the workshop during its custom rebuild.
The result? A show-stopping win where it proudly took home the award for Best Street Machine. A fitting reward for the countless hours poured into this iconic muscle car.
This 1970 VW Fastback came to us for a full restoration back in September of 2018. Over the four months the car was with us, it was stripped back to bare metal and just about completely rebuilt from scratch.
The work paid off though, with the car taking home the award for Best Fastback at the 2019 Run to the Sun event. Run To The Sun is NZ’s premier Volkswagen event, taking place annually in beautiful Mt Maunganui.
Real Rides owner Kayton Coughey bought his 1968 RS SS Camaro not long after he turned 21, and has been working on it ever since.
After being featured on the cover of NZV8 Magazine back in June of 2018, the Real Rides poster car took home the award for ‘Best Street Machine’ at the Kumeu Car Show in January.
After being imported from the USA, Patch’s 1955 2-Door Post Chevy came to us to undergo some modifications ready for cert.
This real nice example of a great model shoebox Chevy came first place in the ‘Modified Sedan’ category of the Teng Tools Grand National Rod & Custom Show in July 2018. You can check out some of the other winners on the show’s Facebook page.
In addition to some new shoes and a hard-top lid, we painted this 1940 Ford Pickup in House of Kolor’s Pagan Gold – a truly wicked paint job that we like to think scored it the award for ‘Best Commercial’ at the 2018 Kumeu Car Show.
You can check out some more pictures of this vehicle in our Gallery.
When Steve’s iconic V8 Austin Mini Ute received some impromptu body mods at the Beach Hop, he brought it to us for repairs.
While the vehicle was in pieces, Steve decided to scrap the car’s signature green wrap and replace it with a shiny new paint job. The decision paid off too — scoring him the award for ‘Best Paint’ at the 2017 Automania Festival.
This post on our Facebook page has some great before and after shots of our repairs.
Told you we’ve been doing this for a while!
In 2006, when Real Rides had only just opened, Kayton’s iconic 68 RS SS Camaro won ‘Best Muscle Car’ at the Kumeu Show.
As you can see, the car looked pretty different back then!
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