The 1969 Chevelle keeps raising the bar. At the Kumeu Hot Rod Show 2026, it captured the prestigious Mothers Choice Shine Award — and also the Best Chev Award, celebrating the artistry and attention to detail that make this Chevelle one-of-a-kind.
After its striking debut at the ProWear Chrome Showcase in 2025, the Nova was still a work in progress — but it already captured attention. At the Kumeu Hot Rod Show 2026, with the build almost finished, it wowed the crowd and judges alike, earning the Best Street Machine Award and proving that patience and attention to detail pay off.
The 1981 Camaro Z28 continues to prove itself as a true crowd favourite. Already an award-winning build, it once again stood out at the Prowear Chrome Showcase awards earning a place in the Top 10 Mothers Choice Shine Awards.
The 1969 Chevelle continues to make its mark. At the ProWear Chrome Showcase, it added yet another accolade to its name — taking home the Show Stand Out Award.
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 1969 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.
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!
