Indholdsfortegnelse for No 130 Mar 2016 i NZV8

As many of you will know, our parent company publishes not only NZV8, but also New Zealand Classic Car and NZ Performance Car magazines as well as other non-car publications. So, on any given day, you don’t know what’s going to roll through the door of the photo studio or come up as the topic of conversation. As you can probably guess, there’s always a good bit of banter as we take the piss out of one another’s vehicular preferences. Jokes about rusty old Morris Minors being the pride of the classic car fraternity or boy racers in plastic shit boxes are fairly commonplace. The irony, though, is that, as much as we might give one another shit, each of us within the wider editorial team has interests that cross…

WHAT’S UNDER CONSTRUCTION AROUND THE COUNTRY EMAIL YOUR BUILDS TO: EDITOR@V8.CO.NZ GORGEOUS GASSER Dunedin’s Gerard Perkins is well into the build of one of the best looking gassers we’ve ever laid eyes on. Better than just looking like an old gasser, the ’55 Chev actually has genuine history, having been raced in the ’70s and ’80s. The car is being built as a life-size copy of the Revell-Monogram model designed by Tom Daniels back in 1969 — named the ‘Badman Gasser’ — which was, at the time, what Tom Daniels thought a Gasser should be like. The model was a top seller for the companies back in 1969. When purchased, the ’55 had been sitting for a long period, and needed a full rebuild. On top of that, some of…

Tradition is an odd thing — it is almost infinitely recurring nostalgia, an unquestioning method of doing things that runs parallel to the old adage of ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. Nowhere is the influence of tradition more evident than in the culture of automotive modification. Ever since the hot rodders of a century ago began hotting up their Ford Model Ts, there were methods that were generally accepted because they achieved what was intended and ways of doing things that were dismissed as no more than fanciful thinking. Once GM’s Detroit Diesel Roots-type supercharger entered the world of hot rodding, nothing was ever the same. These blowers offered substantial increases in power and torque, and, when coupled with highly volatile alcohol-based fuels, quarter-mile ETs dramatically tumbled, trap…

When chatting to Wairarapa/Wellington resident Kim Macauley about how his gorgeous ’56 Bel Air came to be, it soon sounds as if the man has the perfect wife. “She was cool with me buying it but didn’t want to set foot in it until it was rebuilt to perfection!” Kim laughs. That’s a stark contrast to the situation of many guys out there, struggling just for permission to purchase their dream car, let alone rebuild it! But why a ’56 to begin with? “It belonged to a good mate of mine, John Cathie, who needed somewhere to store it. My father-inlaw, Don, kindly allowed us to store it in his lockup. The more I looked at it sitting there, the more I could see its potential. Eventually, I convinced my…

CAMARO GT3! CONCEPT: NICK WILLIAMSON ILLUSTRATION: MARK CURRAN If the owner [of this issue’s cover car] could have any car in the world built, we’d build him an FIA GT3–spec ’69 Camaro,” says International Performance Classics’ (IPC) Nick Williamson, matter of factly.” This would essentially be a car much like Ian ‘Inky’ Tulloch’s 2014 SaReNi United Camaro GT3, featured in NZV8 Issue No. 119 and built to compete in local endurance series. As a number of IPC’s other race vehicles are also endurance racers, this type of build would be right up the company’s alley. In a ’69 Camaro, the most convenient starting point would be a brand-new Dynacorn bodyshell. This utilizes a separate chassis, so an aftermarket Chassisworks-style front clip would likely be the easiest option for improving the…

There is no doubt that Andre Heimgartner will be a superstar of Australasian motorsport. However, he had a tough induction into the V8 Supercars Championship in 2015 and, at present, has no full-time ride in an Aussie V8 for 2016. We caught up with Heimgartner to discuss his plans for this year, V8s, GTs, racing here at home, and what really went on at Super Black Racing. NZV8: You have one season under your belt in the V8 Supercars main series; in hindsight, do you think you were ready to step up to the main series? Andre Heimgartner: You’re never going to be 100-per-cent ready; the jump from DVS [Development Series] to the main game is so great that it’s always going to be a big learning experience. Long story…

NZV8 v NZPC Dragmasters The V8-versus-imports debate has been one of long standing, and one that was addressed 10 years ago at the NZV8/NZPC Dragmasters event — essentially, the first dedicated V8-versusimports drag racing event in the country. Stop reading now if you want to read the full event report … but the V8s won quite convincingly — V8 power, reliability, and driver experience at the tree clearly count for something in drag racing. Who would have thought? That time we featured an Audi … We’re still trying to work out how that 4.2-litre V8-powered 2006 Audi A6 feature got sandwiched between a Plymouth Road Runner and a Falcon XC Cobra coupe, but it was 10 years ago and probably doesn’t bear too much thinking about. Still, it was probably…

If you love the sound of a high-performance V8 engine screaming at high revs, then you’d love what you hear at any local jetsprint event. The recent ENZED UIM Jetsprint World Championship brought out the best teams in the world, including a handful from America and Canada along with a bunch of Aussies and the finest New Zealand had to offer. The machinery they were competing in was also world class — the Suzuki Superboat class being where the high horsepower machines compete — and included in the 21-strong field were plenty of 1000-plus-horsepower combos. From 1400hp twin-turbo billet-block Nissan V8s to reigning world champion Peter Caughey’s 572ci naturally aspirated ‘small block’ through to supercharged big block Fords, the class had it all. For the duration of a boat’s laps…

DEPUTY EDITOR’S 15 MINUTES OF FAME I’m probably going to be speaking a different language to you in the next few paragraphs, but here goes. Around the time of the new millennium, the import scene — bear with me here — in New Zealand was kicking off in earnest. Enkei had released a wheel called the ‘G-Zero’ (Google it if you want a laugh), intricate vinyl wraps of predominantly tribal patterns were the go, and your car just wasn’t cool if it had fewer than two TVs, four subs, a mountain of amps, at least one PlayStation, and a decorative NOS bottle in the boot. Yeah, I’ll be the first to admit that was a bit of a one-sided look at the whole thing, but it does draw into light…

HAVE YOUR SAY WRITE TO US TORQUEBACK, NZV8 MAGAZINE, PO BOX 46,020, HERNE BAY, AUCKLAND 1147; EMAIL TORQUEBACK@V8.CO.NZ LAND OF THE LONG WHITE BURNOUT Dear Ed, I am writing to inform you that I love your magazine! You guys produce a world-class publication that you should be well proud of. Now to the point … burnouts. I have recently been viewing insane footage from Summernats in Australia and the amazing burnouts that those guys get up to. This should be a national sport with a national series like drag racing and drifting have. In some ways, it is heartbreaking to see their pride and joy being written off when they meet the wall, but, as we all know — and history shows — this is all part of the entertainment.…

FEBRUARY 14 NZ CLASSIC CAR SHOW The NZ Classic Car Show, incorporating the Ellerslie Intermarque Concours d’Elegance, is the largest show of its type in the country, with more than 75 car clubs and 800 classic vehicles on display. From restored Hillman Imps through to weird and wonderful rarities and multimillion-dollar exotics, the event never fails to impress with its variety and quality. The highlight of the show for many is the Masters Class judging, which sees every aspect of the best vehicles from the show go under extreme scrutiny with the aim of taking home the coveted title of Masters Class Champion. The NZ Classic Car Show will take place at the Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland, on February 14, with gates open from 10am till 4pm. MARCH 5–6 FRANKTON THUNDER…

It rained in the week leading up to The Rock FM Nitro Shootout — sufficiently so to create speculation as to whether the event would be rained out. However, the bloke controlling the weather must have sensed that a lot would be missed if the event didn’t go ahead as planned, and treated Meremere Dragway to both sunshine and happiness on the day. The number of spectators entering the grounds on Saturday morning, January 9, showed just how eager everyone was to witness the spectacle that is Top Fuel racing. The highlights were the Top Fuel dragsters of Fish Family Racing, piloted by Reece Fish, and the Mount Shop / Marsh Motorsport Top Fuel dragster, piloted by Anthony Marsh. The schedule was a busy one, as the event formed part…

One of the keys to the enduring success of the Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival — which ticked off 22 years in 2016 — has been its formula. The event spans the entire weekend, with participants — be they vehicle entrants, parts swappers, or commercial traders — usually setting up shop in the days before and usually camping on-site throughout it all. The camping makes the show much more accessible to those who have to travel great distances to get to Auckland, such as the Far North Rod and Custom Club, whose members arrived in force after a four-hour drive down and kept the party going all weekend. This accessibility yields an enormous field of cars of all varieties, as well as an equally impressive display of wares…

If you were at The Rock FM Nitro Shootout recently or you have experienced the spectacle that is Top Fuel, you’ll be well aware of just how much force is produced by the nitro-burning engines to propel a vehicle down the quartermile in four seconds, and at 300mph. In our last issue, we visited Tony and Anthony Marsh at Marsh Motorsport, and they showed us what an engine requires to produce in excess of 8000hp. This time around, Reece Fish was kind enough to give us a guided tour of his own Fish Family Racing (FFR) Top Fuel dragster, and show us how that much power is converted into a — hopefully explosion-free — quarter-mile pass. The FFR top fueller is based on a Uyehara chassis, fabricated by the famous…

This is a simple procedure that can prevent unnecessary wear, or even breakage, in your valvetrain — especially if you’ve got a solidlifter cam shaft. Here’s how valve lash is set. ‘Valve lash’ is best described as the clearance between the valve-stem tip and the rocker-arm tip. It’s very important to get it right, especially on engines equipped with solid-lifter camshafts where there is no ‘slack’ in the valvetrain. Metals such as those found in an engine’s valvetrain expand with heat. If valve lash is too tight — too little clearance between valve-stem tip and rocker arm/roller — the valve may not seat properly as the engine heats up. Conversely, if the valve lash is too loose — there is too much clearance between the valve-stem tip and rocker arm…

To kick off the new year, ENZED Central Muscle Cars (CMC) embarked on a sojourn down under to the world’s most southern FIA-approved racetrack, Teretonga Park, to compete in Southern Thunder, round five of its seven-round series. Friday’s test day was sprinkled with heavy showers and only a few hardy souls braved the first practice session, with most getting out later, as, for the majority of the class, track familiarization was the main focus. Circulating the tarmac in its first outing at this track was Dr John Elliott’s XU-1 Torana, but its outing was to be short-lived; it withdrew with a broken camshaft, thus ending the doctor’s weekend before it had even begun. Dean Perkins was fastest in practice, with a best time of 1min 2.1s, but quickly realized he…

01 SCT X4 POWER FLASH VEHICLE PROGRAMMER Want to improve your vehicle’s power, torque, throttle response, and fuel economy? Look no further than the SCT X4 Power Flash Vehicle Programmer with an Isaac Performance Vehicles’ tune programme — available for Ford Falcon/FPV, Mustang, Territory, and the F150 vehicle range.* For more information on the SCT X4 Power Flash Vehicle Programmer, which has an RRP of $1199, contact the team on 07 377 2081, or visit ipv.co.nz. *Conditions apply for US-manufactured vehicles. 02 MURPH’S FAST-PACED READ As Greg Murphy is one of New Zealand’s most celebrated motorsport characters, it should come as no surprise that he is launching a new book, titled Murph: The Illustrated History of Greg Murphy. Murph is perhaps best-known for his famous ‘Lap of the Gods’ —…

HSV’S LAST HURRAH? There has been a fair bit of excited whispering going around, all to do with the impending closure of Holden’s production in Australia. The excitement isn’t about that, as such, but about the likelihood that Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) will not let its Holden-based range go out without a bang — a last hurrah — via a hero vehicle to end all hero vehicles. While nothing has been confirmed, it seems that HSV has been offered a special price on a number of LS9 crate engines, which would likely form the overpowered heart of any such hero model. Speculation points towards a revival of the GTS-R badge, last seen on the VS series Commodore in the mid ’90s. As the LS9 crate engine offers 638hp straight out…

LOCAL GOSSIP EMAIL YOUR NEWS TO: EDITOR@V8.CO.NZ BIG PURSE AT WAIKARAKA There’s set to be plenty of action later this month at Waikaraka Family Speedway, with around $16K in prize and appearance money up for grabs. February 20 will see the Modified Grand Prix, in which drivers will not only get the chance to settle old rivalries but also be in with a chance to take home their share of $4K. Almost 30 cars are already entered and will provide a great spectacle for the crowd as they race for victory. While hometown hero Jamie ‘Foxy’ Fox is known as the man to beat at Waikaraka, he’ll have his work cut out for him to stay at the head of the pack with that much cash for the taking. The…

Welcome to 2016 — a year when the Oxford Dictionary contains a definition for ‘selfie stick’ but doesn’t acknowledge the protouring phenomenon. That’s a damn shame, because the pro-touring style of build is now, quite possibly, one of the most important facets of the modified car scene. To steal an extremely general definition from Wikipedia, “Pro-Touring is a style of classic muscle car with enhanced suspension components, brake system, drivetrain, and aesthetics, including many of the amenities of a new performance car.” The pro-touring style of build is hugely popular overseas, especially in the US — no doubt helped by North America’s vast surface area; if you aren’t crossing the continent by plane, you’ll most likely be crossing it by car. So, you can see why one might want to…

Arriving early on Thursday morning at the Rangiora A&P showgrounds, we found that the 26th running of Muscle Car Madness (MCM) was already well under way. The saying goes that the early bird catches the worm; well, in this case, the early camper got the best site. A walk around soon after arriving revealed that the camping area was almost full, leading us to the conclusion that this was fast shaping up to be a great weekend. Thursday, as usual, was a laid-back day, with campers putting the final touches on their sites and some trade stands moving into position; the heat was welcomed after a few wet days. Friday dawned warm, with the outlook being for hot, dry weather and a high of 32 degrees. More campers arrived, hoping…

NITRO RECORD SMASHED Nearly one year ago, Anthony Marsh made local drag racing history in the Mount Shop / Marsh Motorsport Top Fuel dragster by being the first drag racer to crack 300mph in a standing quarter-mile, as well as achieving the country’s quickest quartermile ET at 4.87 seconds. This year, at the recent The Rock FM Nitro Shootout at Meremere Dragway, he followed that up with a 4.789 at 315.12mph — not only achieving the country’s quickest and fastest quarter-mile ever, but also being the first to crack 500kph (311mph) down the strip. BOGAART’S NEW BULLET Meremere Dragway track manager Gary Bogaart is well known for piloting the second-quickest street car in the country and for previously driving the Brian Roberts Towing– sponsored Falcon. It doesn’t end there —…

1923 FORD MODEL T ROADSTER ENGINE: Ford 289 Windsor, double-row timing chain, ported stock Ford iron heads, original 1960s Hilborn mechanical fuel injection, custom fuel tank, Hilborn pump, modern twin-point internals installed in period-correct distributor and cap, vintage coil pack, generator, custom weed-burner headers, custom radiator, original vintage B&C valve covers, Moon breathers, DRIVELINE: C4 transmission, seriously rebuilt, shift kit, reverse-pattern valve body, rebuilt ’56 Customline diff SUSPENSION: Dropped I-beam axle, suicide spring, Rotoflo shocks, Model A rear spring BRAKES: 1940 Ford front brakes, Mac’s Speed Equipment finned drums and scoops, Ford F100 rear brakes WHEELS/TYRES: 15-inch steel 1940 Ford centres with VW rims, baby Moon caps (front), 15-inch steel Ford Thunderbird rims with baby Moon caps (rear); 560-15 Firestone whitewall cross-ply (front) and Hurst whitewall cheater slick (rear) tyres…

Over the last five or so years, I’ve written a number of books that focus on motoring collections around New Zealand and cover everything from vintage, classic, race, and muscle cars to motorbikes. I never cease to be amazed by what is hiding behind shed doors around this little country of ours. While I’ve visited collections as far north as Whangarei and as far south as Invercargill, this particular collection exists virtually in my own backyard — about 10 minutes from where I live in the Wairarapa. Yet, this is the first time I’ve seen it. A few years ago, I visited local hot rodder Bob Wilton at the Gasoline Heaven museum he runs from his large barn-style house. Bob told me about a car collection housed inside a large…

“Way back in the day, when I lived in Papatoetoe, my guitar teacher owned an orange Holden Monaro HT, a guy down the road had an E49 [Valiant] Charger, and another had a Boss 302,” Brett Pearce recalls, leaving little doubt that, in a way, he had always been destined to own — or, at the very least, lust over — fast and loud classic muscle cars. Being a man in possession of a great deal of common sense, however, Brett decided to sort his life out before pouring valuable time, effort, and money into toys. Devoting his energy towards his life, comprising wife, kids, and a successful career, Brett eventually found himself in the position where he could begin looking for a toy. Just over a decade ago, he…

NEW CMC CHALLENGER Hamilton’s Mitchell Race Xtreme (MRX) is set to be seriously busy over the next year or so. Not only does it already have two Group 1 Camaros under construction, the first of which is nearly completed, but it’s also soon to begin work on a 1970 Dodge Challenger. The car will be built using a recently landed brand-new reproduction bodyshell, which was the first production unit off the assembly line after the shells were showcased at the SEMA Show. The plan at this stage is to build the Challenger to a similar spec to the Camaros, with a Nascarsourced small block engine and all the usual highend components we’ve come to expect from MRX. At this stage, MRX is tight-lipped about who the driver is, although it…