Innehållsförteckning för No 238 October 2016 från NZ Performance Car

I can almost guarantee that there is not a single person out there who hasn’t, at one time or another, been affected by theft or known someone who has. Yes, it sucks that we live in a world in which there are people who will take any damn thing they want, and the sad fact is that, as long as there is someone willing to purchase those stolen goods, the basics of supply and demand dictate the cycle will continue. I see it all too often when someone is targeted mid project, and all those juicy parts they have scrimped and saved for, built — or, hell, even ticked up — are gone in the blink of an eye, never to be seen again, and the project is all but…

D1NZ SEASON ANNOUNCED After a stellar 2015–’16 season, the D1NZ team had to do something big to one-up what it’d already achieved. If you follow the series, you should have already heard the announcement made at the CRC Speedshow last month: the 2016–’17 Demon D1NZ National Drifting Championship will kick off (no pun intended) in Dunedin at Forsyth Barr Stadium, over December 2–3. Yes, you read that right — the 24,000-seat indoor stadium will become home to the largest custom-made motorsport track in the southern hemisphere, with 360,000m2 of asphalt laid over turf that the All Blacks usually play on. Since this news, there has been a huge influx of entries into the Pro and Pro-Sport series, and fans and drivers alike can look forward to the stadium event, alongside…

NZ Performance Car is putting the power in your hands — decide which feature car stands above all others and most deserves to be crowned Castrol Edge Performance Car of the Year 2016. Each issue, we select three feature cars to go head-tohead for that month’s spot. Who’ll take it is up to you, so jump on themotorhood.com each month to vote for your favourite. Once we have our 12 finalists, these will be put to the vote once more, and you will get to decide who will be crowned Castrol Edge Performance Car of the Year 2016. So, what are you waiting for? Get voting, and let us know who you think should be crowned champion! 20 LUCKY VOTERS WILL EACH RECEIVE • NZ PERFORMANCE CAR POSTER BOOK VOL.…

Kanjozoku (Kanjo racer), noun: a driver of a road vehicle, typically manufactured by Honda, powered by a four-cylinder internal-combustion engine, and capable of manoeuvring the expressways of Osaka, Japan, at high speeds during night runs. For the average, everyday citizen of Osaka, the elevated highway system located in the heart of the city is just a means to get to work. But, after regular work hours and for the better part of three decades, Honda enthusiasts have been racing the expressway known as the ‘Kanjo Loop’ — named for the near-perfect clockwise connecting loop that it forms. The roads aren’t closed for their antics, and other vehicles use the expressways at the same time — including law enforcement. The goal of Kanjo racers is to manoeuvre around anything that gets…

NAME: MARK DUNKLEY LOCATION: WAITAKERE, AUCKLAND OCCUPATION: PANEL BEATER NZPC: Hi, Mark. It’s great to see an old MkI Escort that gets beaten on at the track — how long have you owned it for? Mark: Hey. I bought it about six years ago now — I was at the track crewing on an F5000 that my brother was driving, and I saw our family friend, Ivan Selak, racing his one. After seeing that, I thought it would be good fun to race with that sort of group, so I started looking for something to buy. This one popped up down the line, and we went to look at it three times before finally buying it. The first owner built it as a weekend track car back in the early…

Car clubs are pretty broad these days in terms of the models they permit, and often the club’s membership will include at least one example from each of the big manufacturers. There aren’t too many still-active niche clubs left, and those which are tend to fly under the radar, with you not likely to hear much about them unless you are directly involved or an avid fan. But a dedicated bunch of car owners has formed a club primarily focusing on the Toyota Celica GT-Four, which spans three generations — ST165, ST185, and ST205 — and is considered one of the most successful rally chassis of the last few decades. Admittedly, when we received an invitation to attend the NZ Toyota GT-Four Owners Club 2nd Birthday Meet and Car Show,…

13B 323 Front-wheel drive ain’t no fun when you want to chuck a little rotang into your wagon, but not many of us would go to these extremes to complete that kind of conversion. Shaun Williams, on the other hand, is one brave soul determined enough to undertake such a task. He decided to chop the floor out of his 1990 Mazda 323 and replace it with a 1984 Toyota Corolla DX floorpan — a rather large job but one vital for converting the wagon to rear-wheel drive. The body has also been dropped one inch, mini-tubbed, and the chassis C-notched, while a van pedal box was adapted to keep the brake and clutch components behind the dash to clean up the engine bay. The rear end has gained a…

GET YOUR DAILY FIX ONLINE: themotorhood.com WHAT’S ONLINE AT THEMOTORHOOD.COM THIS MONTH The Motorhood is the new online home for NZ Performance Car and its sister publications, NZV8 and New Zealand Classic Car. It’s the hub for all things automotive, from news and reviews to event coverage and more. You can enjoy articles from the magazines at The Motorhood home page, themotorhood.com, or, if you want modified performance-import vehicles only, just head to our old website address — performancecar.co.nz — to be redirected straight to the NZ Performance Car side of the new site. CHRIS AMON CSL FEATURE With the sad passing of one of New Zealand’s greatest motor sport exports, Chris Amon, we thought it right to pay tribute to the great wheelman and the infamous 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’…

PERFORMANCE POWER: Lots ET: 6.96s at 195.99mph (315.4kph) HEART ENGINE: Mazda Cosmo 13B, 1300cc, two rotor BLOCK: Bridgeported plates, semi-PP housings, S4 RX-7 rotors, billet eccentric shaft, aftermarket apex seals INTAKE: Semi-PP manifold, fourbarrel throttle body, Extreme Velocity alloy intake, large screen filter EXHAUST: Five-inch stainless dump pipe TURBO: Garrett GT WASTEGATE: TiAL BOV: Dual TiAL FUEL: 12x 2000cc injectors, Aeromotive mechanical fuel pump, Aeromotive regulator, Bosch 044 lift pump, Speedflow in-line filter IGNITION: M&W capacitordischarge, M&W coils, MSD leads, NGK plugs ECU: MicroTech LT16C COOLING: Alloy radiator, electric water pump EXTRA: Custom alloy sump, custom fuel tank, custom catch tank, remote oil filter, AMS boost controller Weight is the enemy of any drag racer, this is why you will find plenty of carbon components throughout the car, including the…

Drifting is, by definition, a non-contact sport; proximity is king, and the only things you want to make contact with are the clipping points. But rubbing is racing, as the saying goes, and there is one circuit in Japan that takes this literally. Nestled down in Nara Prefecture is Meihan Sportsland, and leaving your paint and fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) at the circuit is not negotiable; it’s compulsory. Meihan’s drift circuit needs no introduction to most. It’s home to Naoki Nakamura and Team Burst, and it has seen some of the most balls-to-the-wall drifting that Japan has to offer. What makes this circuit special is that the front-straight concrete wall — which most drivers would prefer to keep their distance from — has become the stuff of legend. The perfect run…

If I’m brutally honest, very few new cars to have hit the New Zealand market of late have excited me enough to want to share them in the magazine. It’s simply the nature of the world that we’re forced to live in. Sure, we all need a daily-driver of some sort, but it’s hard to muster enthusiasm for some tin can on wheels that’s as sloppy in handling terms as it is in gear changes. However, I’m happy to report that not all is lost in the non-supercar market, as Ford has delivered a knockout with the new Focus RS — so much so that there was plenty of infighting in the office as to who would get a drive. Secretly, I think everyone just wanted to hit the Drift…

KEEPING CURRENT We’re currently experiencing a time of year that’s particularly hard on cars during start-up, so ensure your ride is ready to crank at a moment’s notice with a Century Ultra Hi Performance battery. With specialized internal components, unique design features, and industryleading technology, these batteries have been designed to combat battery failure and keep your car cranking harder for longer. Maintenance-free, with superior starting power and reserve capacity, and corrosionresistant calcium/calcium technology, they should be just the ticket. For more information, free phone 0800 93 93 93 or visit centurybatteries.co.nz. GET A GRIP Not all clutches are created equal, and, unlike some off-the-shelf options, the Mantic Stage Clutch System is designed, engineered, and manufactured with one thing in mind: performance. The five stages of the range suit everything…

TEAM PICK SEPTEMBER 24 PEGASUS BAY DRAG RACING CLUB DRAG DAY RUAPUNA DRAGWAY, CHRISTCHURCH AUGUST 31 BIG DAY OUT — HAMPTON DOWNS HAMPTON DOWNS MOTORSPORT PARK, TE KAUWHATA The team at Hampton Downs is giving you the chance to get yourself along to a massive track day that will see six race-utes, an NZV8 touring car, and a classic BMW 635CSi coupe running hot laps around the international-level 3.8-kilometre-long circuit. Plus, the skidpan will be open all day to put your own car through its paces. The management team and a few familiar faces will be there to challenge you along the way, too. With places selling out fast at a cost of $295 (excl. GST), to secure your spot, head to adrenalin-events.co.nz. SEPTEMBER 10 SEPTEMBER SWITCH BACKS HAMPTON DOWNS…

ADAM CROY As the head of our light-capturing team, Adam is the only team member actually qualified for the role at hand. As he’s the longest-serving member of our team, if you think of an NZPC style shot, then chances are that it was this man who was behind the camera. Just as at home shooting our models as he is capturing someone popping a set of tyres, this man is never afraid of getting in there, up close and personal, to get the perfect shot. Time and time again, while we stand around talking shit at a shoot, Adam gets the job done. The unsung hero of our team? We think so. AARON MAI As a Kiwi living the gaijin life in Japan for many years, Aaron has long…

The Kiwi driver who was widely considered to be the best Formula 1 driver to have never won a championship Grand Prix, Christopher Amon passed away on August 3 — aged 73. He leaves behind a legacy as a driver with sublime talent at the wheel but a career plagued by near-wins after constant mechanical failures robbed him of the winner’s laurel wreath in championship races. He also held the record for driving for the highest number of teams in the history of the F1 championship. Born in 1943, Chris grew up in Bulls, a small town near Palmerston North. The family farmed sheep and cattle on their 485 hectares of land, which may have provided a handy practice ground after a magazine report on the 1956 French GP sparked…

HEART ENGINE: Mazda 13B, 1300cc, two rotor BLOCK: Xtreme Rotaries–built, 13B bridgeport INTAKE: Quad throttle bodies, Xtreme Rotaries cast-aluminium intake manifold, carbon trumpets, custom aluminium airbox, VE Commodore intake duct EXHAUST: Custom two-inch stainless system, Adrenalin R rear muffler FUEL: Jaz fuel cell, custom surge tank, Carter lift pump, Bosch 044 main pump, 750cc injectors IGNITION: AEM coils, MSD leads, NGK plugs ECU: MoTeC M84 COOLING: Custom aluminium radiator, twin custom oil coolers, Setrab gearbox oil cooler, Setrab diff cooler, custom aluminium ducting, Davies Craig electric water pump, Mocal diff oil pump EXTRA: Custom motor sport wiring loom, Xtreme Rotaries dry-sump front cover, custom coolant swirl pot, custom powersteering reservoir, Mechman alternator, Xtreme Rotaries oil block, Xtreme Rotaries coolant outlets EXTERIOR PAINT: Complete rotisserie respray inside, outside, and underneath by…

Many of those over the age of 40 and who attended the Rally of New Zealand in the mid 1980s will recall the likes of Juha Kankkunen pedalling one of these wild TA60 Celicas as part of the Toyota Team Europe rally programme — cars we Kiwis lovingly referred to as ‘whistling pigs’. Sadly, as is typical for many of the competition machines of this infamous era, only six of the 38 TAs built have survived to this day, so getting your hands on one is all but impossible. Luckily for Ross Clarke, the same cannot be said for sourcing genuine and period parts to build your own rework; you just have to know exactly where to look. Starting with a road-going TA60, Ross worked closely with Neil Allport and…

The world of Instagram is a great one for those of us looking for a little build inspiration or simply a never-ending dose of car culture from all corners of the world. Through the use of hashtag searches, you can locate and pinpoint any damn thing you want — from something as wide reaching as #drift to as targeted as #K20swappedcivic. If you’re not on Instagram, get on there and get yourself started! Here are six accounts we follow that we think you should, too. @3D_MAGIC_MIKE As lead engineer for The Roadster Shop (if you don’t know it, google it right now), Mike O’Brien’s ’gram is loosely based around his personal project, a Datsun 620 pick-up powered by a Toyota 1UZFE. Sounds simple enough, but it truly is the kind…

NAME: MATTHEW HOLT LOCATION: EAST AUCKLAND OCCUPATION: COMPANY DIRECTOR NZPC: Hi, Matthew. How long have you owned the wagon for, and what made you buy it? Matthew: Hey, guys. I’ve owned it since the end of March this year. I had just sold my new-shape 3.2-litre manual Audi A4 and wanted to replace it with something nice but had a few boxes to tick: leather interior, black paintwork, practical for daily driving, tuneable, good looks, and a true driver’s car. This was the only manual 335i I had seen after a year of searching, and it just happened to have black paintwork, [a] black leather interior, and it’s the Motorsport edition. All the other goodies it came with were the icing on the cake. You picked up a good score.…

OWNER: HADLEIGH PELLS LOCATION: WELLINGTON OCCUPATION: AUTOMOTIVE MECHANIC NZPC: Hey, Hadleigh. How long have you owned your Datsun, and what made you buy it? Hadleigh: Hey, team. I’ve owned the car for a little over three years now. It was a bit of the old ‘right place right time’ — the same family had kept it since new and really looked after it, so I thought it would be a good one to get and hold onto. My better half really liked the look of it, too, which was a bonus. Being in such good condition when you bought it, have you done much to it? Yes and no. First on the list was trying to make it a bit more user-friendly and handle a little less like a small…