Custom vans are returning to Dunedin for the city’s first major indoor display since 1992.
The New Zealand Custom Van Show 2026 will bring a wide variety of custom vans, panel vans, wagons and utes to the Edgar Centre.
Hosted by Dunedin Custom Vans, the event will take place during the Labour Day long weekend.
Kelvin “Stick” Laing, of Allanton, owns a 1977 Bedford van that appeared in that last 1992 show.
In 1998, he bought the van, which had been deteriorating in a front yard for several years.
“It was really rusty and rough.”
“The paint on it didn’t last long, there was some problem with the undercoat or something,’’ Mr Laing said.
He took the van off the road for six years to complete a full rebuild.
He stripped the exterior back to bare metal and had it repaired and repainted.
Lake pipes were added as well as a a row of lights on the roof.
The van has a 307 Chevy V8 engine, which makes the heavy vehicle muscular but tough to manoeuvre.
“No power steering, so it is very heavy in the steering but it drives really nice.
“I love driving it.”
The interior serves as a tribute to the 1980s television show The A-Team, complete with a life-sized “Mr T”.
He bought a Mr T mask and then created a body from a “big old stuffed teddy bear”.
At the rear of the van a panel lifts to reveal a collection of memorabilia including figurines, posters, toy cars and even a Mr T soap.
He regularly takes his Bedford to car shows around the South Island and enjoys sharing his work with the public.
“The reactions you always get every time you go out.
“Someone taking a photo and giving you a thumbs up, it is a pretty cool old van.”
He is now working on a matching trailer equipped with a fold-up bed that he can sleep in during overnight events.
Mr Laing continued to watch the classic action series today on streaming services.
“Yeah, we’re still watching it at the moment,’’ he said.
During the Labour Day weekend owners of more than 40 vans from across New Zealand will descent on the Mosgiel A&P showgrounds to camp overnight.
On the Friday night there will be a public cruise through the Dunedin city centre to showcase the vehicles.
Then on Saturday the vans will travel to the Edgar Centre for the show.
Mr Laing said the club did not have plans, at present, to turn the show into an annual occasion.
“This is just trying to do a nice big show in Dunedin and just bringing it back down here.
“Because it has been so long since someone has done it.”
Fitzroy Service Station presents
NZ Custom Van Show 2026
Hosted by Dunedin Custom Vans
Saturday, October 24
10am-3pm
Edgar Centre
Featuring Custom Vans, Panel Vans, Wagons and Utes