The 12th edition of the country's best motorsport, hot rod and automotive show – CRC Speedshow –will take place at the ASB Showgrounds over the weekend of July 21 and 22, and it looks set to be an absolute cracker for fans and families alike.

Now under new ownership, the show will feature all of the favourites but there are some new additions that will only add to it being the petrolhead heaven it has become over the past decade and more. And this year one of the most recognised personalities in global motoring and motorsport will also be a big part of the show....

The main Halls 3 and 4 will once again provide the opportunity for companies, organisations, teams and sponsors to display some of the country's finest automotive machines and the trade area in Hall 2 will once again be in full swing too.

The outdoor Live Action arena will operate both days too, and plans are well advanced for a spectacular two days, as well as regular opportunities for visitors to try electric vehicles for the first time when there are gaps in the live action schedule. Other live displays and demonstrations will be going on throughout the show, and will include pit stop competitions, police recruitment and numerous other initiatives designed to engage and immerse the fans.

Hot rods again form a solid element of the show and 2018 will build on recent years when CRC Speedshow has become the number one place in New Zealand to launch new rods or show rare creations. Organisers again expect the Teng Tools Grand National Rod & Custom show in Hall 1 to be packed to the brim with more than 50 of the best machines in New Zealand and indeed the world....

Hall 6 will also be used and the plan is to make the Hall and the area around it the Club Paddock where car clubs can have a specific area to display their cars with the best displayed in the hall itself.

As well as making the Speedshow a destination and day out for the owners, visitors will also have a chance to get up close and see some of the finest machines in our car clubs today. The hall itself will be a feature display area, showcasing some of the finest vintage and veteran cars from a bygone era (including historic race cars). The hall and feature display will be called as Vintage Alley. The area outside will be the Club Paddock where car clubs from around the country will be able to gather.

To celebrate the big screen history of the automobile, CRC Speedshow will also have a huge area dedicated to the vehicles at this year’s show. Already lined up are a '69 Dodge Charger – General Lee from the Dukes of Hazard; the KITT Trans Am from Knight Rider, the Eleanor Mustang from Gone in 60 Seconds, the Ford Falcon XBGT Interceptor from Mad Max, an Auburn Boat Tail from Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom, the scary 1958 Plymouth Fury from Christine, a Herbie VW Beetle, the Indian Streamliner from The World’s Fastest Indian; a Jurassic Park Ford Explorer; a '32 Deuce Coupe from American Graffiti, a '66 Ford Thunderbird convertible from Thelma & Louise and of course a mini from our own Goodbye Pork Pie blockbuster!

CRC Speedshow gets underway on Saturday July 22 at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland. Tickets are available from Eventfinda and there are a number of Early Bird offers with tickets starting from just $25 and family tickets available for mum and dad and two kids and also tickets for groups with kids under 12 going free when accompanied by an adult. More information is available from www.speedshow.co.nz  

STOP PRESS:  Stig back from the grave

You might never recognise him if he walked past you on the street, but CRC Speedshow's special guest for the 2018 event is one of the best known motoring personalities in the world.

Perry McCarthy was not only a very noteworthy and successful racing driver who famously made it as far as Formula 1, but he was far better known as his anonymous alter ego – The Stig – in the early series of the world's biggest motoring TV show, Top Gear.

It will be McCarthy's first visit to the show and to New Zealand and he will be on hand all weekend to meet exhibitors, talk about his experiences as the Stig, as a racing driver and perhaps confirm or quash a few of the biggest questions Kiwis might have about the Top Gear phenomenon.