Wheel Love: Liesje Kirkbeck and her 1969 Peugeot 404
07 April 2026
A classic 60s Peugeot 404 evokes sentimental family memories for owner Liesje Kirkbeck.
Wheel Love: Chris Key and his 1967 Chevy
Chris Key shares what he loves about his 1967 Chevrolet C10 pickup truck.
“When I was a kid my dad ran a business bringing classic American cars in from the States. We’d go away on family holidays in old Chevy trucks; I learned to drive in a 1961 Chevy Impala.
I’d always wanted a Chevy pickup. I told Dad the exact year I wanted – 1967 – which is one of the harder ones to find. He said, “I know where there is one, but it’s a heap of junk.”
The truck was originally in Alabama. My dad had helped ship it to New Zealand sight unseen in the early 2000s. It was owned by a guy in Te Awamutu and sure enough it needed a lot of work. The American standard of repair can be pretty dodgy; they’ll just fill holes with bog and paint the car so that it looks lovely on the internet. I bought it anyway and my dad and I spent two years completely pulling it apart in a job that my dad described as ‘once in a lifetime because there’s no way I’m ever doing that again.’
Chris and his 1967 Chevy. Photo by Rob Trathen.
The engine was a random 80s Chevy V8. We replaced it with a 2002 4.8L Chevy engine and upgraded the gearbox to an automatic transmission so I could drive it in Auckland and reliably and sit in traffic without it exploding. Old car owners will know that you always drive around with a hint of anxiety hoping that nothing blows up or overheats. I’m proud to say that with the engine and upgrades that dad and I did it’s like driving a Honda Accord from the early 2000s. It’s all electronic, everything works really well.
Chris enjoys driving with the windows down 'for ventilation, not to look cool.' Photo by Rob Trathen.
In summer I drive it to work whenever it’s sunny. I work at Radio Hauraki and on a nice day I’ll drive in from West Auckland and park my very bogan Chevy pickup next to Mike Hosking’s Audi or Porshe or whatever he’s driving that week.
I get a lot of attention from dudes my dad’s age. Because it’s a lefthand drive and I always drive with the windows down – as a ventilation thing, not a looking cool thing – people at the traffic lights are right beside me. I’ve had many a conversation with an older fella about the truck.”
This story is from the Spring 2026 issue of AA Directions magazine.
