Indholdsfortegnelse for No 403 January/February 2026 i NZ Classic Car

A LITTLE HELP FROM FRIENDS Unfortunately, it was at this point that the project stalled. “I had a local panel beater who made a good commitment but failed to deliver. That resulted in a delay of approximately 12 months while the car sat with him untouched, and I had to find someone else to do it. Good mate Leon Hallet helped me out, and he called in a favour with a friend who undertook the metal work in Dunedin,” Stacy says. New front guards, sills, complete right-hand side and partial left-hand side panels, new inner and outer A-panels, boot floor section, rear seat base section, and front floor sections were fitted, along with a couple of other minor patches. Once the metalwork had been completed, it was ready for the…

Based in Hinckley, Leicestershire – also home base for Triumph motorcycles – Ultima Sports Ltd, has a history of building some formidable performance-related cars beginning in 1983. The company has grown into a respected builder of British supercars and racing cars in the worldwide racing industry. Lee Noble, the well-known name behind some very rapid sports cars, set up Noble Motorsport in 1983. The Ultima 1 was its first design, which rapidly morphed into the Mark 2 before any Mark 1s were sold. Mid-engined, with a three-litre Ford V6 Essex, it later evolved into a twin-turbocharged V6 Ford Mondeo engine and a Renault 30 five-speed transmission, achieving remarkable performance statistics on launch. Unfortunately, the market wasn’t yet ready for a road-going Le Mans–style car. Ted Marlow placed an order for…

It’s wonderful when we can transform our hobby into a main source of income. For Christchurch’s Andrew Farrow of Eyrewell Forest Motor Company, that is exactly what he has been able to do. “I’ve been going for about six years after starting in 2019. It came about really through a love and passion for cars. Prior to selling cars, I had my own small collection of cars, such as the McLaren M6 GT replica, which I have owned for about 12 years and still own, and a yellow Ferrari 355, which I’d had for 15 years. I’ve always loved cars, and I thought, why not have a career shift and have a go at selling them?” says Andrew. CHANGING INVESTMENTS With an extensive background in property investment for the last…

Toyota Industries, formed by Sakichi Toyoda in Japan in 1926, began making looms and other machinery. Sakichi’s son, Kiichiro, founded a subsidiary in 1937 to make motor vehicles. The company expanded after World War 2, benefiting from a recovering economy and from exports. It is now the largest motor vehicle manufacturer by turnover in the world, producing over 10 million vehicles per annum and has produced over 300 million vehicles in its history. Toyota has overtaken more experienced car manufacturers and is now Japan’s largest company and the world’s ninth largest. It started producing the Corona (meaning ‘crown’, which strangely is also a Toyota brand of larger, luxury vehicles) in 1957. Toyota began selling vehicles in New Zealand in the mid 1960s, and the Corona was the first model locally…

Anyone entering the grounds of Cholmondeley Children’s Home in Christchurch on 1 November may have thought they had walked into a full-on Jaguar national rally. RELAXING IN THE PARK A big crowd throughout the day enjoyed Jaguars of almost every model, from the very early to the latest, filling shady spots under the tree-lined park for a great outdoor display, paying homage to the big Mark VI to Mark IX saloons from the 1950s that made Jaguar. These were the cars synonymous with “Grace, Space and Pace”, powered by the legendary XK engine, a twin-overhead-camshaft unit that, in various forms, lasted up until the ’90s and was used for a host of other applications. It was a weekend of celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Mark VII, the car the…

Sunday Drive has moved from its previous premises in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga. Around 250 bidders online and fewer hopefuls on site for the October auction began slowly but soon gathered pace. SPOILT FOR CHOICE While many heavy metal lots failed to sell, Sunday Drive director Taylor Campbell said over 50 per cent of the lots were successful. Of the 327 vehicles on site, almost 150 are regarded as classics and performance models valued at $4M, and an anticipated 45 of these were up for the October auction. Auctioneer Robert Tulp kept the action in place with his Aussie humour, and he will also be controlling the action when Sunday Drive holds its classic car auction at the Ayrburn Classic 2026 in Central Otago on 21 February and Repco…

The models were collected by the late John McCulloch (1944–2021). Chris, John’s widow, asked Paul Boden, the museum’s owner, if Cars Inc would like to display them. “We said yes straight away, as they’re so good,” he tells me. Then Chris and John’s family arranged these eye-catching die-cast models for the museum in their attractive groupings. As a schoolboy, John had saved up and spent his pocket money on his first Matchbox toy, the Horse-drawn Milk Float (No. 7), the model that started his collection. He seldom played with the toy, as its immaculate condition shows. John bought Matchbox toys for his own sons, who were not allowed to play with the models in his own collection. He received the models for his collection when his sons had outgrown them.…

1957 Ford Ranchero Mark Kelly is a dedicated Ford man, and this issue’s poster features two from his growing Queenstown stable of Fords. Mark’s Ranchero was found in Boise, Idaho, at a used car lot and in surprisingly sound condition. Shipped to Christchurch, he was thrilled to be able to drive the big black ute home to Queenstown, and he saw the potential for changes right away. They weren’t long in coming and included a foldaway seat in the rear tray. It had to withstand the Queenstown weather for a couple of years before it was in covered storage, but it did sterling duty as Mark’s daily driver, a role it still fulfils with ease, comfort, and plenty of room. That colour? It’s called ‘Amethyst’, a purple tint that looks…

You have got to admire that British spirit of tenacity under extreme duress. Larry Killip’s impressive Jaguar Mark II, featured elsewhere in this issue, evokes a similar feeling. Both cars had their origins in World War II, when victory was not a given and Britain was under siege. At the start of hostilities, the Nuffield Group’s Morris Motors soldiered on with a ’30s design, the Morris 8. Due to the war effort, car manufacturing was halted. In 1941, vice chairman Miles Thomas was encouraged by chief engineer Vic Oak to use the talents of a young engineer, Alec Issigonis, who became the designer for the team tasked with developing a new car ready for peacetime. That car was the ‘Series MM’, beginning a design metamorphosis that would eventually deliver over…

Designed in the early 1940s, during World War II rooftop fire-watching duties as German bombers flew overhead, Jaguar’s engineering team of chief engineer William Heynes, Walter Hassen, Harry Weslake, and Claude Bailey, with company founder William Lyons, discussed several new engine designs ready for the cessation of hostilities. Two configurations were proposed for both four- and six-cylinder engines, and the eventual result was the stunning XK120 3.4 Litre sports car introduced at the London Motor Show at Earls Court in 1948. Built in two cylinder block sizes (2.4 litres and 2.8–4.2 litres, with several capacities in between), the XK engine became a versatile British engine in both civil and military uses up until 1992. The engine became a legend in motor racing, especially at Le Mans, with Jaguar XK120s, C-Types,…

Shelby is closely associated with the Ford Mustang for good reason. In recent years, Shelby American has produced a powerful line-up of fast Mustangs. However, the Shelby range has now expanded to include some of the most impressive trucks on the market, including the Shelby Raptor, Shelby F-150, Shelby F-150 Super Snake, and Shelby F-250 Diesel. The Shelby Performance Parts division is thriving, and Team Shelby has grown into a vibrant community that brings Shelby fans together through exciting events, shows, and forums. ON YOUR BUCKET LIST Over the last two issues of New Zealand Classic Car, we have shown you through the Shelby Museum in Colorado, courtesy of Vaughan Wilson’s Shelby Heaven series, looking at the cars that launched the legend that is Shelby, the major racing successes of…

SUBSCRIBE TODAY T&Cs: Renew, gift, or subscribe before 23 February 2026 to go into the draw. Winners will be notified by email and have their names published in New Zealand Classic Car magazine. These prizes are for New Zealand subscribers only. New Zealand Classic Car subscription terms and conditions: • Prizes/Gifts are as stated, not redeemable for cash, and the publisher’s decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into. • Prizes/Gifts are administered by the magazine publisher. If the subscription purchaser is a gifter, prizes/gifts will be sent to the subscription recipient unless requested otherwise by the gifter. • Prizes/Gifts are available to New Zealand residents only. • Prizes/Gifts are available/applicable for direct subscriptions purchased through Magstore only and are not applicable for third-party subscriptions. • Staff, friends, and…

For any classic car enthusiast, a restoration project is a journey of passion, patience, and persistence. It’s a process that demands careful planning, countless hours of research, and a deep appreciation for automotive history. But amidst the excitement of sourcing parts and bringing a vintage vehicle back to life, one crucial element is often overlooked: protecting the investment while it’s still being restored. This is a story about one such journey - a 1939 Chevrolet Master sedan resurrected from swap meet finds and transformed into a beloved road-tripping companion. It’s also the story of the man behind the wheel, Alan Walker, whose lifelong dedication to the hot-rodding community has given him a unique perspective, not just as a restorer, but as a classic car insurance specialist at Assurant. His experience…

There are certain privileges to being the editor of a car magazine, I discovered at an early stage more than six decades ago. Motoring up Auckland’s Parnell Road on a sunny Sunday afternoon in a spectacular new British sports car was a special and privileged occasion not to be missed. It was October 1961, and I was riding in one of the first, if not the first, 3.8-litre Jaguar E-Type open roadster to arrive in New Zealand. The fact I was a passenger rather than the driver was not surprising given my status as a 16-year-old fifth-former school lad still in short trousers. WORLD’S BEST VALUE Shorters were the life and soul of the classic Jaguar brand in Auckland, dating back to 1938 when William Lyons awarded the SS franchise…

It can take many forms, depending on the individual. Some seek the pleasures of a Harley-Davidson, model trains, or completing an Iron Man or biking over the French Alps. Others are content with computer games, playing squash, or entertaining childhood fantasies of a car of their dreams – this magazine is full of those. Many are modified, refurbished, and in better condition than when they left the factory. It’s a testament to the midlife challenge, to the enthusiast’s inherent skills and ability to learn or to their wallet supplanting these skills. DEVELOPING A TASTE Some men develop a taste for new challenges and actively seek out more. They might sell their first fantasy and enter the ring for a second round – or, they might add new dreams to their…

For many in New Zealand, the humble Morris Minor holds a special place, whether through personal experience of driving one, family memories created in one, or simply through remembering the New Zealand motoring landscape when it seemed to be filled with them. Hardly surprising when you consider that there were 70,000 of them brought into the country (some also being assembled here), and, at one point, there were more per capita here than any other car. In 1990, the first Morris Minor Convention was held in Hamilton, with 120 cars attending. The 30th National Morris Minor Convention was held at Timaru in April this year. We had about half that 1990 number, but this is still impressive, considering how many are currently likely to be roadworthy in New Zealand. We…

The ‘KR’ designation has been assigned to three Shelby GT500 models. The first was introduced in 1968 with a 428-cubic-inch Cobra Jet V8 engine, boasting a declared 335 horsepower (hp), which many considered understated. This model is rare, with only 1053 Fastbacks and 517 convertibles made. In 2008, the KR returned with a powerful 540hp, special wheels, tyres, and unique badges. Only 1000 units were produced that year, followed by 712 in 2009. The latest version, based on the Ford Shelby GT500, was released from 2020 to 2022. PENNY’S PERFECT KR You would go a long way to find a more enthusiastic owner than Penny Murray, who picked her GT500KR from the team at Matamata-based Shelby New Zealand at a special unveiling in July 2024. New Zealand Classic Car was…

IN TUNE WITH Miranda It was one of those sweltering Canterbury days when I met Stan Tumu, owner of Dr Trans in Rangiora, just north of Christchurch – a man whose passion for cars runs as deep as the grease in his hands. Among the array of gleaming classics in his workshop, one in particular stood out: a super-rare 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado with a story every bit as captivating as its design. CONTINUING THE LEGACY Stan acquired the Toronado from Derek, a gentleman who had cherished the car for an incredible 49 years, caring for it with meticulous devotion. And though he travelled the countryside often, with his caravan, wife, and family in tow, word has it that the car never once saw a single drop of rain. When Stan first…

Acknowledged today as the crown jewel of New Zealand’s competition Ferraris, chassis No. 0514M began far from our shores and very much in the thick of mid 1950s European motor racing Delivered new in 1955 with Scaglietti bodywork to Roman privateer Luigi Piotti, the car quickly earned its keep: outings at Montlhéry, Monza (multiple times), Bari, and the Targa Florio punctuated a season that also delivered a headline result – overall victory at the Tunis Grand Prix (GP) on the Belvédère street circuit. The Monza’s specification was typical of Ferrari’s four cylinder sports racers of the era: a jewel-like inline-four of three litres, breathing through enormous 58mm Weber carburettors delivering 240bhp, mounted ahead of a rear transaxle in a light 850kg spaceframe, and clothed in figure hugging hand-formed aluminium. On…

Jaguar Mark VII, Mark VIIM, Mark VIII, Mark IX: Celebrating the 1950s Flagship Saloons is the latest in a line of books by prolific author, Rev Dr Richard Waugh. His latest book pays tribute to a Jaguar saloon, long overdue for a proper acknowledgement of its significance to the marque’s reputation and success throughout the 1950s. He also gives credit to Auckland Jaguar enthusiast Grant McMillan, who put in a massive amount of work, helping compile the detailed history and development of these saloons for the book. Paul Skilleter, Jaguar historian, writes in his foreword for this, Waugh’s latest book, “I thoroughly commend this book to everyone keen to know more about this magnificent Jaguar.” Skilleter also assisted with the preparation of the book for publication and has written many…

Sadly, and on almost a daily basis, we learn of yet another classic vehicle owner who has (as we used to say) gone to that highway in the sky, or as they say in the Vintage Car Club, gone into the ‘passing lane’! Many of them leave behind a collection of classic vehicles, which other (often younger) enthusiasts then snap up. It’s not something we give a lot of thought to, especially when we are pursuing the vehicle of our dreams. We want to get our hands on one! Take, for example, the 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood that we were custodians of for a little under 17 years, the ultimate American car from our perspective. As far back as 1959, when I was at Boarding School, I’d already identified a Mark…