At an age when most people consider slowing down - Reg Cook is speeding up.
The 70-year old has already set a bunch of land speed records, but his ultimate goal is to reach 800-kilometres an hour in car built in a barn.
It's more than a dream - it's his dying wish.
Surrounded by dusty old cars and piles of broken parts you'll find New Zealand's grumpiest man.
"I'm tired of putting up with a lot of bullsh*t, so I don't get into a lot of trivial conversations, I just make an excuse and bugger off," admits Cook.
"I just can't be bothered putting up with crap."
It's one of the reasons he set up shop below the Hunua Ranges.
"I wanted to move into the country and do things without being annoyed by people."
The truth is that Cook hasn't mellowed, nor has he slowed down.
In fact, after half a century spent racing pretty much every kind of car, at 70 he's faster than ever.
And that's official after another season of record breaking runs on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
It's an expensive business but you could say where there's a will there's a way, because it's all being paid for by what was going to be his children's inheritance.
But seeing daughter Louise's reaction to Dad's record setting run you get the feeling it's all worth it.
"The problem is I still think I'm 25."
He jokes, but 50 years spent under the bonnet has left him in the biggest race of - make that for - his life.
"I've got a problem because I'm full of lead, and that came from motorsport and other chemicals.
"I'm okay now, but at some stage it will probably get me."
He's given himself five years to live - enough time to secure two world records.
Cook reckons his home built Wairua - powered by a VW Golf engine - can break the diesel land speed record set by JCB ten years ago.
Then based on the success of his Little Cookie in setting a class record (306 km/h) - he will turn this tubing into a Big Cookie to take Speed Demon's record for a petrol powered car, his goal 800 kilometres an hour.
"Every record that's existed - we're after it. We're going to put New Zealand at the top of the heap."
Cook hopes a place in the record books will inspire other Kiwis to give it a go before he drives off into the sunset.
Newshub.
