Indholdsfortegnelse for No 384 December 2022 i NZ Classic Car

At a local classic car gathering recently I was asked what my daily job was. My usual response to this question is to say that I work for a media company, and, as often happens, the person pressed for a more precise answer. At this point I responded by saying that I am the editor of New Zealand Classic Car magazine, to which the reply is more often than not, ‘What a great job you have, you must see some great cars.’ The conversation carried on to my favourite, the most expensive, or most exotic classic cars I have seen, and the discussion became a lengthy one about great classic cars. I am fortunate enough to see fabulous classic cars on a regular basis, some of which are worth eye-watering…

When you think Porsche, you will often think of the 911 or 356 — both rear-engine, both air-cooled (or at least until more recent times for the 911), and both icons of the sports car world. The 356 is very desirable, in hardtop coupe or in one of the three topless derivatives — speedster, roadster, or cabriolet. Similar to larger car firms, Porsche experimented with a cheaper entry-level car for the keen but more modest income prospective purchasers so they could obtain their first foray into the brand. Reaching back to their roots, Porsche collaborated with Volkswagen and released the mid-engine 914 in 1969. It sold in significant numbers in the USA, and was a modest success. It was only available as a Targa with either a flat 4 or…

Today we take royal tours for granted but, once upon a time, or at any time before the 20th century, it was impossible for our monarchs to visit their downunder dominions because of the distances involved and the unreliable transport. The advent of steam power for ships and trains, the evolution of the motor car and, finally, the arrival of passenger air travel shrank their world, and ours, considerably and the royal tour became a feature of empire and commonwealth. The first British royal visitor to Aotearoa New Zealand was Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1920. During his 28-day tour, he travelled mostly by the royal train, which was both safer and more convenient for royal personages. A variety of best-available cars were used locally. Ideally these would be Daimlers.…

When the Suzuki Cappuccino sports car first arrived here in 1993 it was quite rightly lauded as one of the more interesting new models on the automotive scene. Launched for the Japanese domestic market two years earlier, New Zealand became an early export territory for the technically advanced two-door, rear wheel driven baby sportscar. Look beyond the light-hearted funky styling and there’s a level of technical sophistication that commands attention. Believe it or not, this is no toy. The compact exterior dimensions are similar to the Mark 1 MG Midget and Mark 2 Austin-Healey Sprite of the ’60s and ’70s but, once the British were gone, compact and economical sports cars became thin on the ground. Mazda’s MX-5 from 1989 was an admirable contender yet it was longer than an…

He remained working working in Jack Brabham’s triumph dealership hoping 1962 would return him to the fringes of Grand Prix racing Denny Hulme returned home at the end of the 1960 Driver to Europe programme armed with a near-new F1 Cooper-Climax that he ran in local events at the start of 1961. He won the Dunedin Road Race in early February and accumulated sufficient points in other events to be crowned NZ Gold Star champion. Then it was back to Europe for more Formula Junior, but a Cooper wasn’t as effective as a Lotus and the stardom that looked imminent a year before quickly faded. He remained in England over the northern winter, worked in the workshop of Jack Brabham’s Triumph dealership, and hoped 1962 would return him to the…

It’s been about 30 years since Christchurch Holden enthusiast Ross Johnston took up tools to restore his very original 1956 FJ Holden Standard sedan. The Holden is now nearing completion in the hands of a group of experts at Auto Restorations in Christchurch. Ross looks back with considerable satisfaction on a project that provided many challenges and a great deal of work. “I thought I had better do something about finishing this car before I kark it … Nah, I’ve still got a way to go yet.” Back in his youth, Ross regularly spotted his FJ Holden cruising around the New Brighton area when it was owned by the Good family. In time, local schoolteacher Betty Good became the registered owner after her husband passed on. Ross knew the family…

Like a good wine for which his home region is justifiably famous, Nelson Targa event regular Bruce Farley and co-driver Glen Warner from Lower Hutt just seem to get better with age. As the driver of the distinctive orange E30-series 325i told reporters after finishing this year’s new two-day Targa South Island event, held over October 15 – 16, in an amazing fourth place overall: “To get a classic car up to fourth place overall is astounding really. It’s blown me away.” As it did most keen Targa observers. Glorious early spring weather conditions with a complete absence of rain over the event weekend certainly levelled the playing field on which late model 4WD models like Subaru’s various Impreza WRXs and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10s have — of late anyway…

In the 1970s, distinctively styled Charger coupés attracted a group of talented New Zealand drivers who used them to great effect, dominating local motor racing. The list of successful drivers reads like a who’s who of the New Zealand motoring elite. It remains an oddity of the era that the Charger was notably less successful on Australian tracks. Chrysler’s Australian designed Charger dominated New Zealand endurance racing and its success is creditable, saying much about its speed and handiness as well as its durability against opposition from Fiat 125s, Leyland P76s, Triumph’s 2.5, PIs, and Mazda RX2s. The Benson & Hedges 500 was a happy hunting ground for the car, especially in the capable hands of Timaru drivers Leo Leonard and Ernie Sprague, and later his son Gary Sprague. The…

The Heron was manufactured in Rotorua during the mid-’80s as a turnkey sports car. When the factory closed its doors in 1986, almost nobody noticed. Apart from a brief write-up in an Australian magazine in 1990, the car would not be heard of for the next three decades. The Heron that features in these pages was the last Heron MJ1 to be road registered. It is car number 25, and when it was built the factory had already closed its doors. At the time, the car’s designer, Ross Baker, had bought the manufacturing rights back from Summit Engineering and was considering putting the car back into production with possibly a Mazda 626 / Ford Telstar drivetrain. The moulds had been altered, and a couple of cars had already been retrofitted.…

The price of petrol continues spiralling upwards to more than NZ$3 per litre thanks to international problems and government taxes, and there’s now very little we can do except take our medicine. So I thought some history on the Marsden Point Refinery — which would have helped protect us if the government had been brave or smart to have stopped shareholders from closing it to cash in — would be handy, along with some arguments for re-opening it. Would you believe it was the Nash-led Labour government that first investigated the possibility of constructing our own oil refinery to meet increasing demand for petrol and petroleum-related products? The site at Marsden Point was eventually chosen for the oil refinery due to its convenient location next to a deep water port,…

You occasionally hear petrol heads tossing around the term ‘blueprinting’ when referring to an engine they have assembled, and have sometimes altered significantly. What they are probably trying to say is that their engine was carefully machined to optimum tolerances and balanced — probably for racing. But that isn’t what the term meant originally. You see, in the 1950s when US stock car race cars really had to be stock, the racing teams would go to the factories and rummage through the parts bins until they found components that were closest in tolerance to the original blueprint developed by the engine’s designers. They did that because carefully assembling such components would produce the best possible engine, given the original configuration. It worked well, and you can do the same today.…

The Historic Grand Prix is New Zealand’s leading classic race meeting and will feature eight different race categories in 25 races over the two days. Categories include Formula 5000, Historic Formula Ford/Formula Junior & Invited Historic Single-seaters, Historic Muscle & Saloon Cars, Historic Sports Sedans & Invited Allcomers, Trans-Am, Heritage Touring Cars, Formula Open NZ, and Hooters Vintage Race Series Pre-1966 Saloons & Sports Cars. There will also be a Jaguar-only handicap race for all competing Jaguars. After celebrating Alfa Romeo in 2020 and Ford in 2021, Jaguar is the marque being officially feted in 2023. The VCC Permitted Pre-1966 Saloons & Sports category is tailor made for road-going Jaguar saloons without roll cages. Note that all open sports cars must have a roll hoop or be fully caged. To…

Rounds five and six of the New Zealand Rally Championship were run in conjunction with the welcome return, after a 10-year hiatus, of the WRC Rally of New Zealand in late September/early October. The cars started off in the Auckland Domain with the ceremonial start and demonstrations of heritage rally cars followed by a 1.78km sprint around a section of the Auckland Domain on Thursday evening. The fast-flowing roads of the New Zealand rally are often billed as favourites among the WRC drivers old enough to have been here before, and rain over the weekend did little to deter crowds who turned out to show their support for WRC rallying. It was a nice bonus for event organisers to see this year’s WRC champion secure the title and be crowned…

“The first time I saw the car I fell in love with it,” says owner Kelly Chen. She was set up on a date with the Mini Cooper by a friend who had previously fallen for its timeless appeal but he is more of a manual car/sports car guy, says Kelly — and he’s quite tall. So he thought Kelly might like the Mini’s style, and he was right. “The first time I saw him get out of the car I couldn’t stop laughing,” she says. But that only convinced her that she was a much better match for the car than he was. “I love it!” says Kelly. “It’s like a toy and you just want to drive it.” Kelly owns a café in Newton, Auckland, called Zest. She…

Webb’s final Collectors’ Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia catalogue of 2022 is online. Incredible vehicles will be available including a rare 1968 Ferrari 330 GTC. This car has had a detailed restoration with no expense spared. It features a 4-litre V12 and a Pininfarina body and is one of under 600 made. This will be auctioned alongside a 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280SL, a 1973 BMW E9, and a 1990 Porsche 964 Coupe (Presented as a 1973 RSR Revocation). The catalogue is now online ahead of the live auction on Sunday 27 November, 2pm at the Due Drop Centre, Manukau. The auction will be streamed live on our website with in-person, online, absentee and telephone bidding available. For more information and bidding assistance please contact our team on 09 529 5600 or email…

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West Auckland has always had the reputation of being the larrikin cousin to the more civilised areas of Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland). There has long been a frontier flavour to the West, which has often been viewed as shady by residents of other parts of this fine metropolis. Some of this has likely been earned and the mystique of the past still lurks in many areas just below the surface. For much of the early to mid 20th century, West Auckland was off the beaten trail for most Aucklanders. The roads weren’t that flash and, backed up against the raw natural barrier of the Waitakere Ranges, there didn’t seem much incentive for the masses to head there. That is, unless you were heading to the raw black sand beaches, or you…

Ian Callum retired after 20 years of heading Jaguar’s design three years ago, after delivering a revitalised line-up of distinctively modern Jaguar cars, including their first electric SUV, the I-Pace. It seemed like a fitting point to leave but the timing coincided with the energetic Scot’s age of retirement. He wasn’t keen at that point to take on another new car cycle even though Jaguar’s chief executive, Ralf Speth, wanted Ian to stay on — at least to launch the new electric XJ which was nearly complete. However plans were already afoot for Ian’s next venture — his own design company. Ian thought he could consult for Jaguar, but Covid then hit and Jaguar’s new management canned the XJ — one of many manufacturers who moved away from big saloons…

Bruce Turnbull lives in Bunnythorpe, a small country town between Palmerston North and Feilding. Beside his house is a big shed, and inside it is a space frame that is said to be the last of its kind — at least in New Zealand. Bruce is a racing car driver, well known in certain circles for his back-to-back wins of the New Zealand Sports Car Championship in ’81 and ’82 driving a car called the Fronzelli. He started racing in his early 20s at the old Levin racetrack. Now, despite being in his 70s, when given the opportunity he will still go out for a blast on the Manfeild racetrack. Having won the ’81 and ’82 championships, and being an engineer, he decided he would like to have another crack…

EYES IN THE SKY The full HD 1080P dual dash cam XV22DVR records wide angle 152-degree views through cameras mounted to both front and rear screens to capture the view — or the antics of other drivers. The units turn on automatically and use GPS tracking to log journeys. Footage can be viewed on smartphones via the Xview app. A G-sensor automatically saves footage in the event of an impact, and a hand gesture will also take a snapshot and save recent footage. The unit comes with adhesive mounts, power cables, and a 16GB Micro SD card, which continuously loops recordings over unsaved footage. The XV22DVR dual camera kit is available from Repco, as are the single front camera model, a 4K Ultra HD model, and an HD 1080P dashcam.…

Got a secret admiration for muscle cars and V8s? Then chances are you’re also a fan of Repco Muscle Garage. The weekly TV series showcases New Zealand’s finest V8s, hot rods, and muscle cars. This show delves into muscle car culture in interviews, workshop profiles, and tours of sheds across the country. Season 11 is now broadcasting every Sunday on TV3 as part of the CRC Motorsport line-up. As Season 11 of Repco Muscle Garage is well underway, it’s time to put yourself in the draw for this season’s prize pack from the show’s long-time supporters — Repco New Zealand, Meguiar’s, Rislone, and Mount Shop. The prize pack includes a Mechpro Blue 9 Drawer Workbench valued at $724, a Meguiar’s and Rislone complete car care package valued at $760, a…

Attractions Exhibitions, museums and other vehicle-related curios Marlborough OMAKA CLASSIC CARS A unique collection of vehicles giving insight into New Zealand Motoring from the 50s to the 80s. 90 cars on display at any one time. omakaclassiccars.co.nz / 03 577 9419 / Aerodome Rd, Blenheim Coatings Heatproof, cosmetic, chrome, and specialist coatings & water transfer printing Auckland HIGH PERFORMANCE COATINGS Exhaust coatings, piston coatings, turbo coatings, and much more hpcoatings.co.nz / 09 267 1007 / Unit 0/62 Mahia Road, Manurewa, Auckland HP COATINGS New Zealand’s leading performance coating specialists, serving you over 20 years hpcoatings.co.nz / 09 267 1007 / Unit 0/62 Mahia Rd, Manurewa, Auckland Consumables Oils, additives fluids, fuels and workshop consumables Auckland RECHARGE BATTERIES Battery revitalizer and conditioner recharge.net.nz / 0800 36 66 36 / PO Box…

Onya, mate The ground-breaking Hilux commercials featuring Barry Crump and ‘Scotty’ won many advertising awards. The pairing — or should that be trio — featuring A Good Keen Man author and genuine Kiwi bloke Crump, his city slicker sidekick Lloyd ‘Scotty’ Scott, and the cross-country careering Hilux, continued for 12 years. We went to great lengths to track down the Toyota Hilux used in the television advertisements. So is the trusted workhorse we found still performing its farming duties in Central Otago that actual vehicle? Find out next month. Surviving the decades Our apologies for not featuring this gorgeous Lancia in our current issue as implied in last month’s issue, but we can assure you it’s worth the wait. This particular Lancia is probably the most original example anywhere of…