Motorsport enthusiasts are preparing for an exciting Labour Weekend in the South Canterbury town.
The Waimate 50 was a popular street race event in the 1960s.
The last event was held in 1999.
This year's event will include the Race to the White Horse, a 4km gravel sprint hill climb to the white horse monument on the hill above the town, on the Saturday.
On the Sunday, there will be a 5.6km gravel rally sprint over the top of Parkers Bush Rd, and a 1.25km sprint around the streets of Waimate, largely using parts of the original Waimate 50 circuit.
One of the organisers, Bert Murray, said about 70 cars were expected for the street racing, with "40-odd" for each of the gravel events.
Twenty entries had been confirmed, including some from Australia, and California-based expatriate New Zealander and international motorsport champion Rod Millen.
Some of the cars were worth between $100,000 and $500,000.
Another organiser, Rob Aikman, said they felt they owed it to those who had raced and organised previous Waimate 50s to carry on.
That was why some on the committee had stayed on for so many years and been "tenacious" as they tried to get it off the ground again, hoping to make it an annual event.
Coromandel rally driver Richard Kelsey said the Waimate 50 was a hot topic of conversation among motorsport enthusiasts.
He believed it was appealing because of the format - three events in one weekend, the location, good competition and the history of the event.
The first Waimate 50 was won by Bruce McLaren in 1959.
The aim was to have a "carnival atmosphere" in the town for the weekend and a large motor show was also planned.
After the hill climb, there would be a "meet the driver" event and the signing of autographs at the fire station.
One car competing will be the coupe raced by Ron Silvester in the 1950s and 1960s.
His son, Grant Silvester, from Christchurch, will bring it south.
Mr Murray will drive the Mainfreight Group B Mazda RX7, which was Neil Allport's 1986 New Zealand championship winning car, and the same car in which Mr Murray won the 2006 national classic title.
Mr Murray has been third overall many times at the Otago Classic Rally and first in the national championship class.
Waimate Mayor John Coles said the event would be great for the district and "put Waimate on the map again".
"It's an exciting thing to have it happening again. It's going to be a huge weekend for all involved."
