Indholdsfortegnelse for No 154 i NZV8

SEXIST STANDOFF As always, great magazine [Issue No. 152]. I particularly loved your tech feature DIY De-Rusting on a Budget. Can’t wait to try it! However, I did find the article somewhat discriminatory towards men, so would like to offer a few words to the author, Andrew Clatworthy. First of all, Andrew, welcome to the 21st century! Nice to have you on board. I think you will find that there have been a few changes. It has been a hard battle, but men are coming out of the garage shadows and can finally stand shoulder to shoulder with the women of this world. No longer are they locked into stereotypical generalizations; they have taken charge and are finding their way into every crevice of the ‘women’s domain’. No longer do…

Hi Ange, neat car. We have to ask: why? My dad passed away and I came into some money. I have always wanted a V8. I wanted a Willys first, but I’m older now and a bit of a poof and I wanted air con! I was initially looking at Camaros, but I talked to my mechanic Mike Witteveen and he said, “You should get a Hemi.” Also, friends said that I’d be the only chick in the country with one, and, at the time, I was. I started looking, and I originally balked at the price, then I thought, f*ck it, you only live once and bought it. You own a cattery; did you buy the car with the business in mind? No, it was just a coincidence, but…

Tony Witinitara was 12 years old when he walked into a Masterton car-sales yard with his father and caught sight of a white 1979 Holden HZ Premier. For him, it was love at first sight, even though the old man thought differently. Tony recalls, “I’ll always remember my words to my dad that day, when I tried to get him to buy it, knowing that they would fall on deaf ears — ‘I’ll have that car one day, Dad!’” Luckily, Masterton’s a pretty tight-knit place, so Tony didn’t have much trouble keeping tabs on the Premier that started it all, and, as he got older, his passion for V8s only grew stronger. At the age of 13, he helped his dad rebuild the 308 in their Statesman, before getting into…

Cromwell, population 4500, is a stunning little town in Central Otago, situated where the mighty Kawarau and Clutha rivers collide and start their long journey to the sea. The town’s beginnings can be traced back to 1862, when two long-bearded miners first discovered gold not far from where the town lies today, starting a massive gold rush, with thousands of people descending on the area in the hope of finding riches beyond their wildest dreams — a chapter of Cromwell’s story long since confined to the history books. In the present era, the region is nicknamed the ‘Fruit Bowl of the South’, and it isn’t hard to see why, with vineyards and orchards covering thousands of acres of this sun-drenched land. It is that charming character that makes this the…

“I always wanted a tough street machine,” Peter Ganley reminisces. “When I was a young kid — [I] woulda been about 14 — we went to Matamata, and there was a blown Ford Capri in the car-sales yard; that’s what did it for me!” While it’s taken Peter his entire adult life up to this point to get the tough street machine he dreamed of, it’s a goal he can now happily tick off the bucket list. “Growing up in Morrinsville, there was nothing else to do,” Peter explains. “You’re into cars, or you’re into trouble!” Peter started off with a Ford Pop, moving up to a Humber Super Snipe and the usual medley of Zephyrs, before getting himself a Holden HX ute, then a T-bucket — a logical progression…

If you saw the cars that Jason Reder has owned, you’d never guess that he’s still got a few years to go before he hits the age of 25. Growing up in a car-mad family, Jason never really had any option: simple — be into cars or find somewhere else to live. Of course, one thing car guys do, regardless of age, is look at other cars, dream about other cars, and talk about other cars. When Jason’s parents attended the Grand National Roadster Show in 2015, Jason couldn’t wait to check out all the photos. It was while doing this that he first laid eyes on this 1935 Ford pickup, which made its public debut at the event. The car, built by well-known rat rod pioneer Rudy Rodriguez and…

On the Kiwi automotive calendar, a handful of events exist that, through age, heritage, or reputation, have entered into the car enthusiast’s vernacular. Ask any Cantabrian petrolhead if they’re going to ‘Goon’, and they’ll reply in either the positive or the negative — they either will or won’t be attending Muscle Car Madness. Likewise, ask any car person closer to the Auckland region about ‘Kumeu’, and it’ll be much the same scenario. The annual Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival has been around for so long that it’s part of the furniture that makes up West Auckland. Throughout sheds and workshops across the North Island, the third weekend of January is marked off on grease-stained calendars as a date to be revered in the same manner as Christmas to…

When you observe an Enzed Central Muscle Cars (CMC) race — as many did at the recent Hampton Downs 4Guys Autobarn Legends of Bathurst event — you can sometimes get a little perplexed. The event never lacks for enthusiasm or excitement, but confusion can sometimes reign. It’s justifiable, given that there are two classes within the category and two of the weekend’s four races were handicapped. Unless you are a regular follower of the category, there’s no easy way to understand what you are observing — but these two tips can help: first, listen to the commentators and hope they have it right (this cannot be guaranteed), and, second, look at the banner at the top of the windscreen — one is red and one is blue. Once you have…

TRIM THE FAT Given up the new year diet already? At least your car’s got it easy with Brown and Miler Racing Solutions (BMRS) Progold Polyester Braid Convoluted PTFE Hose. In a race car, every gram counts-Progold hoses weigh less but have the same race car quality-in fact, they’re used by all Nascar and IndyCar teams in the US. With a PTFE inner, they can perform in high and low temperatures and are compatible with all race fluids. The unique convoluting design resists collapse and flow restriction when pulled through tight-bend radii, offers amazing flexibility, and no variation in performance at high pressure or extreme vacuum. For more info on BMRS hoses, contact BSL Racing Ltd on 09 573 2211, email info@bslracing.com, or visit bslracing.com. IN A TIGHT SPOT? We…

Well, where did that year go? Remember when you were a kid and it felt like an eternity between Christmases! In this gig, our years seem to be structured by Beach Hop, and it feels like only a few weeks ago that we were gearing up for the most full-on week in the NZV8 calendar. Now, just a few weeks back into the working year, we’re beginning to make our preparations for Repco Beach Hop all over again. It was nice to get a break, though. The pressure to produce the best damn magazine we can, while sticking to unrelenting deadlines, can and does get a bit hefty — sorta like a gerbil on a spinny wheel, even though that cliché could also be applied to many aspects of normal…

VERRY CHARITABLE On January 14, well-known Nelson-based hot rodder, Dave Verry, hosted a cruise with a difference. Created to help raise funds for the Nelson Tasman Hospice, the event raised over $5000. More than 140 cars showed up to Founders Park, a great location for such an event. The huge variety of cars on display ranged from T-buckets through to late model Dodge Vipers, and the crowd in attendance was equally varied. Founders Park has a very comprehensive train collection that children can ride on, as well as an old plane that people can walk inside, imagining what it was like to fly in it — both of these attractions giving the successful event a point of difference. All in all, it was a very successful day for the car…

BONUS WITH A BONUS As Monty Python characters would say, “Now it’s time for something completely different” — and that is certainly the best way to describe Mike Guy’s latest creation. Starting with a bare Bonus bodyshell, and using his Jag circuit racer as a donor car, Mike is well on the way to building one of the country’s wildest looking pickups that should perform well both on the street and on the track. Being an engineer, Mike had no problem stitching together his own chassis with plenty of tubular bracing and generous kick up front and rear before grafting in the Jag’s independent suspension. With the unchopped body channelled over the chassis, Mike had to build a new floor six inches higher inside the body than stock, which has…

“This car is — if I can say so myself — a work of art, and it is a testament to everyone involved in the build. The amount of hours spent building a car like this from scratch is quite significant, and sometimes you wonder when it will end!” declares New Zealand motor racing icon Angus Fogg. Seeing that Angus has not only driven race cars but also built, rebuilt, and finessed them for 35 years, there’s a fair chance that he knows a thing or two about what’s involved and what constitutes a good car. His own feelings of the car being something special were echoed by everyone who laid eyes on it during its track debut late in 2017. The oohs and aahs, and the internet chatter, all…

EMAIL YOUR INFO TO EDITOR@V8.CO.NZ SWITCHING SIDES Craig Wilson’s Holden HT sedan is a bit of a local legend, and has been widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s toughest HTs. With a blown and injected 383ci stroker small block in the car, Craig spent the last season trying to get his head around methanol, eventually giving up out of sheer frustration. “I’m old school and love shiny shit out of the bonnet!” he admits — but that hasn’t stopped him from progressing towards the next stage of development. In the quest to go even faster, he’s decided to ditch the concrete mixer for a pair of BorgWarner S475 turbos. With Craig’s assistance, Dave Tunnell from TPE Racing fabbed up the trick set of turbo headers over the course of…

One of the toughest decisions when building a car is, without a doubt, making your wheel choice. While we have a greater selection than ever before, at even better price points, working your way through the hundreds of styles, available in confusing amounts of finishes, PCDs, offsets, and disc clearances, can be a real head-scratcher. And then you’re trying to imagine just how they will look on your ride — a conundrum that can leave you staring at the wall of sample mags for hours on end, in a futile attempt to make a decision. One that may have you finding out the hard way that the wheel you eventually choose doesn’t clear your brakes or rubs on your front struts. It’s a process and a predicament that one of…

As a mechanic by trade, Bill Spears is, naturally, a practical, hands-on guy. From an early age, he would pull things apart and put them back together again — and they would work. The 1980s, when Bill did his apprenticeship, came well before today’s throwaway era; it was a time when vehicle parts weren’t considered consumables, and you had to have a solid mechanical understanding to repair things, rather than simply bolt on replacements. It was this refurbishment of old cars and parts that Bill enjoyed — machining up parts when required and putting things back better than new. Over the years, as Bill’s career progressed, he soon found himself off the tools and with a few more coins in the piggy bank — and with the itch to build…

It’s not strange — not even in the slightest. There is absolutely no reason to doubt the attraction of a combination of noise, beauty, and thrills, and that is exactly why the Enzed Central Muscle Cars (CMC) was the centrepiece of a race meeting at the Timaru International Motor Raceway. If Enzed CMC was coming, then South Canterbury Car Club would make something special out of the meeting that would celebrate the 50th birthday of the venue. This would be an opportunity for the CMC teams to race on a highly technical and fast circuit — and, to top it off, neither the club nor the majority of its drivers had ever raced there before. When the crews arrived at the circuit, the welcome from South Canterbury Car Club was…

WHERE IS IT NOW? 1975 HOLDEN HJ MONARO GTS DEAN GIBBENS If Dean Gibbens’ HJ Holden sedan were debuted today, it’d stand out — let alone when we featured it back in 2008. What makes this car even more impressive is that it was actually built a long time prior to that, with Dean having brought it back to life and a perfect level of presentation. During Dean’s ownership, just to change things up, the supercharger came off and nitrous went on. It was in this state that the car was used as Rowan Costello’s wedding car, and Rowan loved it so much that he ended up purchasing it off Dean in 2015. Having bought it minus motor, Rowan built up a 555ci Dart-based big block, which, in the quest for…

PARTY OUT WEST You know what to expect from the Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival — loads of real-deal hot rods, muscle cars, and classics, and a party-like atmosphere throughout the Kumeu A&P Showgrounds. That formula didn’t change for the 2018 event. If you like what you saw earlier in this issue, you can check out more photos by searching ‘Kumeu 2018’ on themotorhood.com. HOT STUFF For those who can’t get enough of the automotive life, SummerJam certainly came through with the goods — an early Christmas present, with the event held at ASB Baypark on December 23. We’ve got an event report in this issue, and, if you’d like to see more, you can find the gallery online by searching ‘SummerJam’ on The Motorhood. LOST BOSS They…

NITRO FUNNIES By the time you read this, the Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Cars — the most spectacular nitro funny car event we’re ever likely to see in New Zealand — will have been to Meremere Dragway. You’ll be able to catch an event wrap-up in the next issue of NZV8, and on themotorhood.com, but in the meantime we’ve got a comprehensive guide to AONFC, where you can read up on the cars and drivers that make up this exciting series. Just search ‘AONFC’ for more. SMOKEFEST ’Tis the season to fry a bit of rubber, it would appear. You can read all about SummerJam 2017 later in this issue. Street Machine Summernats 31 went down over in Canberra, and Masterton didn’t want to be left out. The team at…

FEBRUARY 25 WANGANUI ROAD RODDERS STREET DRAGS For decades, the Wanganui Road Rodders has held its annual street drags on Taupo Quay — an excuse to let the inner hoon free, with big burnouts and high speed down a public road! Not only is the event an experience for the drivers, but it’s also one hell of a spectacle for those on the sidelines — after all, it’s widely stated that Road Rodders is the ‘most supercharged’ car club in New Zealand. You can bet that there will be one heck of a lot of firepower on display, as usual. Lock the date in, cruise to the river city, and don’t forget to bring your earplugs — you’ll thank us for it! MARCH 11 SUPER SOUTHERN SWAPMEET Yes, it’s almost…

March 1980, 19 years old, bulletproof, stupid! Fleetwood Mac was coming to New Zealand to play two concerts — Athletic Park in Wellington and Western Springs in Auckland. The album Rumours had just been released, and Fleetwood Mac was massive — maybe the biggest act on the planet at the time. We set off on the exciting road trip in high spirits, entirely unaware that, even nearly 40 years and more than 100 rock concerts later, it would still, without doubt, be the worst rock concert I’d ever see. We went in Brett Guthrie’s ’58 Ford Customline — a great car back in the day, with a healthy 302 Windsor and C4 trans, ROH mags, and a decent-sounding exhaust system. I can’t remember for sure who was on board during…

I first met Tom Morland in 1987, during the Nissan Mobil 500 race in Wellington. One of the sheds on the waterfront had been set up for a car show, and Tom was there with a white Pontiac Firebird. Being a great fan of the movie Smokey and the Bandit, I was sufficiently intrigued to ask him how much effort it had been to convert the Firebird to right-hand drive. At that point, I discovered that it had not been so much converted as re-created! We then had a long chat about how easy it is to make a Pontiac Firebird out of an HQ Holden. A couple of years later, when I was in Christchurch, I took the opportunity to visit Tom’s St Asaph Street shop/factory and was amazed…

Ask almost any bloke when his wedding anniversary is, and there’s a damn good chance that he won’t be able to tell you. Ask him how long he’s been married, and you’ll probably get the same response. However, if you were to ask most racers who frequent the lower North Island’s only dedicated drag strip, Masterton Motorplex (MMP), how long it’s been operating, you’d probably get a very different answer The 2017–2018 season sees the venue celebrate an astounding 20 years of tyre-frying, quartermile madness — well, kinda. The actual dedicated strip — still based within the Hood Aerodrome (Masterton airport) surrounds — has only recently blown out its first candles. However, the same crew of dedicated volunteers — and many of the same amenities — have been carried over…

In the internet age, boundaries — once clearly defined and nigh-on impregnable — have begun to dissolve, blurring the divisions between trends, scenes, and cultures. While this is evident almost everywhere you look, to readers of this magazine, the phenomenon is likely to express itself most obviously in the automotive scene. It’s an age where, to the old guard, nothing is sacred. Once upon a time, there was a way things were done, and woe betide anyone who refused to comply. Now, it seems that anything goes, as the generation once categorized as ‘boy racers’ moves into the realm of V8s. We have LS engines being transplanted into Japanese drift cars, Japanese turbo engines in American classics for shock factor, and clear examples of styling crossover in both the V8…

We’ve seen what Tony Witinitara can do with an HZ Premier, chipping away bit by bit as time and money allow. However, if he were to hit the Powerball jackpot, there’s a good chance that Tony’s next build would look something like this: “If money were no object, I’d pretty much build the ultimate version of my car. It’d have the same front and features, but be long and low in shape to cut a better profile as it heads down the quarter.” This is a good thing. Stance is important, and having it super slammed would be sure to provide a number of benefits, not least in terms of the aesthetics. In addition, mounting the front subframe further forward would extend the wheelbase, allowing better weight distribution, with the…

Maybe it’s not quite true that no one would ever have expected the legends of Bathurst to come to New Zealand, as, with Tony Quinn in charge of Hampton Downs, we’ve come to expect the unexpected. The 4Guys Autobarn Legends of Bathurst event took place over the weekend of January 13–14 and saw not just some of the hero cars from days gone by assemble at Hampton Downs but also many of the legendary drivers — names such as ‘Gentleman Jim’ Richards, a seven-time winner of the Bathurst 1000, and, of course, a man made famous for his speech to the crowd back in the 1990s, were a welcome feature of the event. Richards wasn’t present just to sign autographs, though; he also got back behind the wheel, where he…

VK TIPS IN Trevor Swan’s a familiar face to many Enzed Central Muscle Car (CMC) drivers, as a longtime crew member, a friend, a sponsor, and a supporter, but, for round four of the 2017–2018 Enzed CMC championship, he donned a helmet and hit the track. Having previously raced in the BMW E30 championship, Trevor’s not new to the hot seat; however, his car of choice was exactly that. Having been a long-time Brock fan, when the ex– Adam Newall VK Commodore came up for sale, Trevor decided that the time was right to make the move. While he’d hoped for the transition to the class to be a smooth one, as is always the case, teething issues soon saw to the end of that. Despite a bit of a…

4 + 2 = SICK! It feels like a lifetime ago already, but we decided to spend New Year’s at one of the country’s summer hot spots, Whangamata — which, at new year (and during the worldfamous Beach Hop) really comes alive like no other town in the country. While New Year’s Eve often has a reputation for drunken youths and the odd bit of trouble, it is New Year’s Day that Whangamata starts to get exciting for us, with the World’s First Car and Bike Show! From humble beginnings a few years ago, this show is now a big event on local and not-solocal car buffs’ calendars, with folk travelling from all over to attend. It is hosted at the Whangamata Club, and entrants are encouraged to turn up…