NZ puts skids under winner

Nathan Crombie | 7th July 2010

''Bumblebee'' Camaro winner Michael Holland waited months for his $200,000 Transformers car but now Kiwi Immigration has told the Englishman to buzz off home.
Mr Holland took delivery last weekend of his yellow and black-striped car _ one of two replica American vehicles offered to Dick Smith shoppers in a transtasman draw _ and is now fighting to remain in New Zealand after being ordered to leave the country by tomorrow.
The single Masterton engineer has decided to sell his luxury muscle car, which arrived just in time for his 40th birthday on Sunday, despite realising its grand worth as a romance magnet.
''I can't afford to keep it _ the wheels alone cost $6000 each and the insurance premiums and the petrol would be horrendous. I need the money, especially with Immigration trying to kick me out.
''I've been in Masterton for two years but because I can't be guaranteed 30 hours of work a week I was told to leave by Thursday. I've appealed to the minister and it's all up to him now.''
Mr Holland has a unique history of winning road-running prizes. He started his turn as a ''wheelman'' by winning a new chopper pushbike as a boy growing up in Lancashire before taking home a Sinclair C5 moped. Now the Bumblebee has buzzed into his life.
Alicia Rameka, acting manager of Dick Smith Masterton, said that Mr Holland beat 6500 other New Zealand car-contest entrants who had purchased goods through the electronics retailer.
Dick Smith sales professional Phoebe Wickham presented the Camaro keys to Mr Holland yesterday and said he had won the car after buying two sets of computer speakers at $99 apiece _ his brother, James, paid for the second set of speakers.
Mr Holland has handed over the selling of the car to classic-car salesman Rick Walzack, of Carterton, who will next week list the vehicle for sale on internet auction site TradeMe.
Mr Walzack said he usually sold ''collector'' cars but had been stung by desire for the Bumblebee and would buy it ''if I had the cash''.