Hand-on-car winner Eva Harkness's act of kindness to rival

As stoked as Eva Harkness was to win Ucol Whanganui's "hand on car" competition, she was also upset for her nearest rival.

Seventeen Ucol students began the competition at 7pm on Friday, with contestants placing a hand on a car outside the Whanganui campus with the last to take their hand away winning the car.

Harkness won the competition early on Sunday morning after two sleepless nights when she was the only one standing after 38 and a half hours.

Her prize was a 2005 Ford Fiesta from Wanganui Motors which she was presented with on Tuesday afternoon.

In an act of kindness Harkness has decided to donate her old Toyota Corolla to runner-up Heather Leeves.

Harkness said after the event that she developed an affinity with the last one standing because, "You go through the same thing together."

Both women were emotional after the event.

"I think it's an awesome gesture, I really do," Leeves said.

Meanwhile, the pair have caught up on some sleep since finishing on Sunday.

Eva Harknes (left) won a 2005 Ford Fiesta from Wanganui Motors in Ucol's hand-on-car competition and gifted her old car to runner-up Heather Leeves. Photo/ Bevan Conley

"I went and had a spa, my friend brought her kids around and we played in the spa for a while and ordered Hell's Pizza... I think I got to sleep about 9.30pm," Harkness said.

"I just didn't want to sleep all day, because you don't catch up on sleep eh? You don't sleep for 24 hours, you just have one good sleep."

Leeves said: "I feel pretty good, I don't have sore muscles or anything. I took a couple of hours."

The competition was part of the 10-year celebrations for the Whanganui Ucol campus.