On the first weekend of October, hundreds of car and bike enthusiasts were welcomed to Victoria, Australia for three days of nostalgia and merriment. The 2013 Chopped Rod & Custom “is a unique cultural experience similar to that of being thrown back to a 1950s/60s Hop Up Carnavale. Thousands of fans from around the country partake in a mix of traditional style hot rods & custom cars alongside bobber & chopper motorcycles with entrants running head to head throughout the show in two-lane old-style dirt drags entertaining the crowds.”

Along with a field of customs and traditional street rods, the event featured a camp site for visitors to stake a plot under the open sky, more than 15 live bands, a tiki themed bar and a replica of an Easter Island head statue all of which set the tone for a festive time warp of a weekend.

The folks who coordinate the event are as much about safety and providing a positive environment for attendees as they are about making sure you’re not strolling the grounds without a beer in hand or are without a felled trunk to plant your bike’s front tire against for some major burnouts. The event prohibited patches and colors, a no cruising curfew (in/around camp event site) past 1:00 a.m., no pets, and proof of identification upon alcohol purchases.

Chopped limited there vehicle entries to the following rules:

• Pre ’65 traditional style rods and customs only
• No billet wheels or accessories
• No I.F.S. on fenderless cars
• Customs must be lowered and have a wheel alteration
• 60s and earlier mag wheels only
• Race cars welcome
• No VWs
• Volksrods and era correct VW drag cars are welcome
• Traditional style American and British choppers and bobbers welcome

The dirt drags throughout the video above got Rod Authority revving. It’s a part of hot rodding that we feel there just isn’t enough of in the states. It’s great to see the folks who throw Chopped unafraid to throw a little, or a boat load, of mud on their beautiful classics. Who knows maybe we’ll muster up next year and make our way down under for a little octane, camping, and donuts in the dirt!