Over the weekend, the Autospectacular Car Show returned to the Edgar Centre with close to 300 vehicles (and boats) of all shapes and colours.
Marking this year’s theme of "movies" one of the four original 1978 yellow Mini Coopers used in the New Zealand 1981 cult-classic Goodbye Pork Pie was on display for the first time in 23 years.
New Zealand Mini Owners admin Josh Kelly said a Christchurch family bought the car at auction in 1995.
Since then, the only big road trip anyone had done in it was once to the deep South, "just to say they drove it to Invercargill," Mr Kelly said.
The car had hardly moved since — only 3000km were put on the odometer in the past 30 years.
The family had given Mr Kelly the car not only to showcase at the Autospectacular but to get it roadworthy so they could take it for another spin from Dunedin back home to Christchurch.
"They're really excited about it, and last week we got it verified with a film crew member that it is definitely the car from Goodbye Pork Pie."
The car still had the holes drilled into the floor for the camera rigs that needed to be mounted inside.
"There's evidence under the headliner of where the air horn was on the roof and there’s still a dint from where the HQ police car hit it in the movie," Mr Kelly said.
The film’s stunt car was still owned by a crew member who took ownership after production ended.
The "back-up Mini" used by the family in the movie had gone "MIA" since it was last registered in 1998.
A fourth Mini did not survive the movie and was set on fire during the film’s final standoff in Invercargill.
It was immediately taken to the tip where it was buried.
Once roadworthy, the question would be whether the Christchurch family’s Mini would meet the mark to take part in the annual countrywide Pork Pie Charity Run.
Parked up next to the original was another, newer Mini, used in the 2017 re-imagination of Goodbye Pork Pie.
"The director of the newer film is the son of the director of the original movie ... he said that his dad would be proud," Mr Kelly said.
Autospectacular organising committee chairman Ashley Boorer said there were about 30 different car clubs and a handful of motorbike clubs that had put on displays.
There were many movie-themed exhibits, a collection of boats and some military vehicles to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War 2.
The show was organised in conjunction between the Otago Classic Motoring Club and the Otago Falcon and Fairlane Club.
They estimated about 4000-5000 people attended.
This year the show was supporting the SuperGrans Dunedin Charitable Trust, which received a percentage of the ticket sales.
