Innehållsförteckning för No 254 February 2018 från NZ Performance Car

If you caught my feature on the rebuild of ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett’s RX-8 ‘BADBUL’ a couple of issues back, there was something Mike said during that interview that really resonated with me, as I’m sure it will have done with you: “I enjoy building and creating them from a vision in my head and have my own shop where I can go and create. I love it as much as I do going to the track, putting on a show, and wrecking them, the revealing photo shoot, [and] the revealing event where people come out to see it. It’s always been that way since my first rotary, when it was about going to town and having the baddest rota, the noisiest bridgey, the lowest 323 whatever — it’s an addiction,…

HEART ENGINE: Mitsubishi 4B11T, 2000cc, four-cylinder BLOCK: Factory HEAD: Kelford 272/260-degree camshafts INTAKE: Blitz manifold, custom piping, custom dual-pass intercooler, Aeroflow filter EXHAUST: Three-inch mildsteel turbo back, Adrenalin R mufflers, three-inch Bozo Euro style tips, Sidewinder manifold TURBO: Garrett GT3076R WASTEGATE: TiAL 44mm BOV: TiAL FUEL: Injector Dynamics 1000cc injectors, HKS fuel rail, DeatschWerks 500hp (373kW) fuel pump, braided fuel lines IGNITION: Genuine Mitsubishi plugs ECU: Reflashed by Spec Performance COOLING: Fenix radiator EXTRA: HKS EVC boost controller, de-loomed engine bay with ECU relocation, relocated oil catch-cans and brake reservoir, braided lines, MAPerformance spark-plug cover, HDi clamps, metallic bronze powder-coated pipework Sketch out your dream car down to the very last bolt, swear through and through that you’ll stick to the plan, and even put money down on the table…

The ’80s were a massive boom period in the world of automakers, and, in a bid to outdo one another, concept cars became boardroom measuring contests of bigwig executives’ proverbial members, and the major shows their strutting grounds. Cash money was poured into developing the latest and greatest technology, and, although little made it to a proper production run, some did contribute vital systems still in use today. In a bid to develop the standard against which performance sedans would be measured in the ’90s, Toyota debuted the FXV (Future eXperimental Vehicle) at the 1985 Tokyo Motor Show. The carmaker’s biggest selling point was the amount of technology that it had managed to cram into the thing, with four-wheel steering and four-wheel drive. Unlike the Nissan MID4 (which we looked…

Rust is the silent killer of the car world. Like a cancer, it grows and slowly eats away at vital organs until there are more holes plaguing the panel work and chassis than there are skid marks at your local burnout pad. Those that have been diagnosed with the affliction are found by the hundred, rotting away in paddocks — especially in the South Island — while sheds are filled with more near-death examples that overly ambitious owners collected with grand intentions of restoring them to their former glory. The reality of it, though, is that almost none of them ever will be restored — it’s the circle of life, as what comes out of the ground must eventually return. But what if we didn’t look at rust as a…

Get hyped, people, the upcoming season of the D1NZ National Drifting Series is just around the corner, and with the recent announcement that even more custom-built tracks have been added, things are set to get wild. It all kicks off in the capital for the first time ever, with a custom track at Wellington Speedway on January 12–13. With all this change, and little in the way of rules to dictate what you can and can’t build, the pressure to keep the game fresh was always going to see teams emerge from the workshop with some next-level weaponry — but we weren’t quite expecting this much baddass. The lineup for both the Pro-Spor t and Pro classes fixes to read like a drifter’s Christmas wishlist 20 times over, with everything…

NAME: JACOB DAVIDSON // AGE: 25 LOCATION: TIMARU // OCCUPATION: PANEL BEATER NZ Performance Car : Hi, Jacob. Sweet KP — how did you end up with it? Jacob: Hi, guys. It was originally my grandparents’ car, which they bought back in 1983. As a kid, my brother and I were always off for drives in the KP to the fish and chip shop, or out to the middle of nowhere with a box of racing pigeons in the boot — the wee 2K and four-speed were no match for the pigeons on the trip/flight home though. From around the age of 12, it became my dream car, and when my grandad stopped driving and it came up for sale, I had to snap it up. That was the start…

WSR RESURRECTION Take a step back to the early days of drifting on our shores, and you might recall a certain camo-clad Cefiro from the WSR crew slaying local tracks left, right and centre. Originally piloted by Adam Richards to the 2006 D1NZ title, the car has spent a fair few years sitting in the paddock feeling the brunt of harsh weather and the livestock it has shared living space with. Not wanting to see it waste away forever, Adam offered it up for free as long as it would live to see another day, a deal which Ginga Muir swooped on. He’s since spent over 11 months working on the project. A lot of parts had been robbed for other cars while it was out of action, and Ginga…

www.mountshop.co.nz freephone 0508 86 66 86 WHEELS / TYRES MAGS, TYRES, WHEEL ALIGNMENTS, WHEEL BALANCING, AND REPAIRS AUCKLAND MTS PERFORMANCE Lowest price guaranteed on wheels, tyres, and suspension mtsp.co.nz / 021 4 TYRES (021 489 737) / 82 Wairau Road, Glenfield ARROW WHEELS NZ’s leading builder, repairer, refurbisher of alloy wheels for 35 years arrowwheels.co.nz / 09 818 8388 / 6D Westech Place, Kelston, Auckland BRUGAR ENGINEERING Mag wheel repair specialists since 1979 magwheelrepairs.co.nz / 09 486 6832 / 7 Barrys Point Road, Takapuna, Auckland WAIKATO WORLD OF TYRES Hamilton’s leading retailer of tyres, wheels, batteries, and wheel alignment servicing worldoftyres.co.nz / 07 847 0330 / 62 Greenwood Street, Frankton, Hamilton TARANAKI TARANAKI TYRETORQUE LTD Taranaki’s leading tyre/mag specialist, providing automotive services and customization tyretorque.co.nz / 06 757 5988 / 53…

I usually ramble on about some lighthearted carry-on that’s relevant at whatever given time I sit down to write these things, but, this month, a conversation with a couple of good friends left me with a simple piece of advice that resonated — especially given a few events within the community lately — and I thought it important now more than ever to put out there: “Don’t leave yourself behind.” Life moves fast. As in, real damn fast. And that means you’re either in the fast lane and up with the latest, or you’re left behind in the dirt. The demand on a person’s physical and mental well-being is higher than ever, and we strive to the point of failure to please each other. Whether at work or in our…

Another year has passed — another 12 months of good old-fashioned Kiwis doing all kinds of good shit from the Cape to the Bluff and in all the automotive hot spots around the globe. So, we’re here to celebrate all those who ‘done good’ and throw them a chocolate fish or two for their efforts. We’ve assembled a cracking group of know-it-alls from the NZPC ranks to figure out exactly who busted out big time and made 2017 their bitch. CAMBER KINGS Jared Coft and Blake ‘Cany’ Harpur went back-to-back January issues. Having a cover-worthy machine is something not to be taken lightly, but you and your best mate both building two each inside 12 months is definitely worth shouting about. The second time around, Blake completely rebuilt his S15…

A wise man once said, “If you keep doing the same thing as everybody else, or doing the same thing over and over, you will keep getting the same results.” That man was Dick Richardson of Hytech Engines, an old dog who has screwed together more hypo engines than we’ve had cooked brekkies. What he was referring to is the driveline combination found in his nine-second Evo I, which has been serving its purpose as a drag test dummy for the past seven years. Being a purveyor of highly strung race engines, trying new things on customer engines can be risky business, so R&D is best done at your own risk, and on your own gear. So, when he had achieved all that he wanted to with his 10-second GT-R,…

The last time the Rally New Zealand took place was in 2012, when it was a round of the World Rally Championship (WRC), and Sébastien Loeb won the coveted trophy. This time, the organizers had intended it to be a precursor to a bigger and better event in 2018 — the WRC Rally of New Zealand. As we all now know, New Zealand’s bid was unsuccessful, but, fortunately, the Rally New Zealand continued, and with one big name — Hayden Paddon, fresh from his third place on Rally Australia — while a few drivers from the Asia-Pacific region also joined in the fun. The rally would also see the standings of the New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) decided, which, this year, went right down to the wire, with three cars…

If you’re tempted to construct a car to demonstrate the breadth and talent of your motorsport organization, you may find that targeting one of the best-attended, most vibrant speed events delivers a bit of a doubleedged sword. The sheer numbers attracted to the mania that’s the World Time Attack Challenge (WTAC) absolutely has to guarantee some of the best live exposure available. But this isn’t an event targeting the shrinking violet; it’s the polar opposite. The weekend is bulging with engineering solutions and styles that bridge the spectrum from fully sick to bordering on outright insane. In short, if you want to make your mark — if you really want to be noticed — WTAC is one of the toughest arenas to choose. So it’s a massive credit to Sydney-based…

ENGINE: Toyota 1JZ-GTE (non-VVTi), 2500cc, straight-six; TA Fabrication twin-scroll manifold; GT3582 turbo; Turbosmart Hyper-Gate 45 wastegate; 2.5-inch intercooler piping; Fenix intercooler; Fenix radiator; three-inch stainless exhaust; four-inch blast pipes DRIVETRAIN: Toyota W58 five-speed, 1JZ-to-W5X bellhousing, Exedy Sports Tuff five-puck clutch INTERIOR: Racetech seats, Sabelt harness, Autogauge water-temp and oil-pressure gauges, A’PEXi boost gauge EXTERIOR: Factory two-tone paintwork WHEELS/TYRES: (F) 15x8.75-inch (-6) Epsilon Southern Ways Mesh, 220/580-15 Kumho C03; (R) 15x10-inch (-6) Epsilon Southern Ways Mesh, (grip) 220/580-15 Kumho C03, (drift) 195/50R15 Crosswind SUSPENSION: MX73 BC Gold coilovers, Techno Toy Tuning negative-camber roll-centre adjusters POWER: 229kW (307hp) FUEL TYPE: Avgas NAME: TODD AIKMAN // AGE: 24 LOCATION: DUNEDIN // OCCUPATION: UNDERCAR TECHNICIAN NZ Performance Car : Hi, Todd. Cheers for sharing your Celica with us. How did you come to own it?…

BIG DADDY Those seeking something serious would be wise to get on top of a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. It’s clearly demonstrated its circuit potential through wins in the Superbike World Championship (WSB), as it claimed the world championship title in 2015 and 2016, along with the manufacturer title for Kawasaki. This road-going version encompasses numerous parts developed on track by the Kawasaki Racing Team, making it the closest thing you can get to a highly advanced factory superbike. Now sporting increased performance, the Ninja ZX-10R looks to continue Kawasaki’s Ninja dominance on the world stage. Priced from $28,490, you can find your local dealer by heading to kawasaki.co.nz. RACING GENES If you’re still on your blue licence but want to straddle a sports bike in its purest form, we’ve got…

If you have an event you’d like to see in the Gig Guide, mail editor@performancecar.co.nz with all the details SUMMERJAM 2017 ASB BAYPARK, TAURANGA We’ll be far enough into summer come December 23 that the weather should have started to play ball, and, to mark the occasion, the team at Downtime Entertainment is throwing its now annual bash — SummerJam. With an outdoor car display, dedicated cruise route, trade stands, food vendors, live DJs, cash and prize giveaways, and much more, this will be a sweet lead-in to summer. More event information, including entry costs, can be found on the Downtime Entertainment Facebook page. D1NZ NATIONAL DRIFTING CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND ONE WELLINGTON FAMILY SPEEDWAY For the first time in the series’ history, D1NZ is headed to the capital, and you bet…

HORN ON THE HUNT Jason Horn’s bright yellow Lancer GSR will make its return to the strip this January looking a lot more menacing thanks to a rather large bonnet protrusion required for the 83mm Turbonetics 83-82 huffer. After securing the IHRA 1 NZ number last season and hitting a new PB of 8.59 at 263kph (164mph), Jason has made a raft of changes to the car, including a set of much longer sprung chromoly wheelie bars made by Frank Wigg, and a threepiece rear sway bar, which should also help tame those big twisting wheelstands that Jason pulled all last season. The front suspension has received a much needed rework, with Scott Belair constructing a set of custom front struts with chromoly arms, KYB inserts and some “South Auckland…

No matter how many times we venture south for the V 4&Rotary South Island Champs, or how much digging we cram in beforehand to get the lowdown on what will be showing up, we never truly know exactly what to expect to come out of the woodwork — and there were even some bangers that not even we knew were kicking it around on that big hunk of Mainland dirt. These things have a natural order to them, with day one of this year’s event switched up to take place on the Friday as a rotaryonly affair at Levels — now Timaru International Motor Raceway — in celebration of Canterbury anniversary day. It drew in a serious number of cars — some which don’t tend to see many sun hours…

One of the simplest DIY performance modifications that the average car person will carry out is the removal of the factory air box in order to add a pod filter, or cold-air intake. Sure, that will net a significant induction-noise increase, but there is much more at play in the intake than you may realize — and that so-called performance upgrade might not be an upgrade at all. To find the answer to what works and what doesn’t, we locked ourselves in the dyno booth at Jtune with Mr Jtune himself, Jackie Tse, a Honda whisperer who has spent 20 years seeking to squeeze every last kilowatt from naturally aspirated motors. Our test mule for the day was a B16A-equipped EG Civic, which was headed to the drag strip, so…

Taking the rule book and tossing it out the window is something Nissan is very accustomed to doing, and when the R32 GT-R was unleashed in May of 1989, it was to send shock waves through the automotive world. Nissan had created a monster to out-Porsche, well … Porsche. At the time, the 959 was lapping the Nürburgring in 8min 45s, so when the R32 GT-R smashed that by 25 seconds, the world rightly sat up and took notice. But it was the performance a little closer to home in the Group A ranks — namely Mark Skaife’s thundering around Bathurst — that became firmly etched in Matt Frecklington’s mind. So, late last year, he set out to find his own Godzilla. EXTERIOR PAINT: Resprayed in factory black by Colling…

While most of us will happily admit that we look to the Japanese for automotive inspiration, there are some far reaches of Japanese car culture that the Western world dares not touch. Perhaps it’s for a lack of understanding them, but the truth about these ‘fringe’ subcultures, like the bippu-styled kei cars, is that they’re all about having fun. These tiny and completely impractical machines are never intended to be functional; they are devoted to the absurd, built to shock and wow bystanders, and perhaps this is where the disconnect with the Western world lies — we often take what we do too seriously! But cast your mind back to NZPC Issue No. 225 and the Tamiya GX81 of Christchurch automotive-artist Thomas Gordon, and you’ll instantly understand this is one…

In 1999, I remember coming across a photo of a yellow and black Nissan in Japan that ran in a series known as the ‘All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship’ (JGTC). It was love at first sight. Since then, this particular Nissan has adorned my computer desktop, I’ve built models of it, and it just seems to be the one car that I can never forget. So, not long ago, I decided to track it down and do something that, as a 15-year-old, I never thought I could — come face to face with it. Fast-forward some years, and there I was standing in a foyer in Kanagawa. A super-polite Japanese lady ushered me through a red door. The pre-hype, combined with the unknown, tipped my expectations into overload. I was…

THE SWEET NOTE Need to reduce annoying cabin drone, knock off a few decibels or simply clean up the s ound o f a s traight p ipe? T he A drenalin R A DR019 L ouvre B affle R esonator i s where it’s at. Manufactured in New Zealand from top-quality materials, this 4.5-inch resonator incorporates a three-stage sound absorption process that uses exhaustgrade stainless steel wool, ceramic matting, and a needle mat fibreglass blanket, and it’s available with inlet sizes from two-inch to 3.5-inch. Priced from $199 — head to Adrenalinr.com for further information or call Brent on 06 8703526. ROLLIN’ ON REVS Let’s face it, people take things at face value, and if your wheel game is super weak, then you ain’t going to score cool points…

NAME: JAMIE SUMMERILL // AGE: 25 LOCATION: TIMARU // OCCUPATION: SCAFFOLDER NZ Performance Car : Hi, Jamie. Tell us about your first car? Jamie: Hi, team. Yeah sweet, my first car was a 1990 Toyota Celica GTR 4WS. It definitely wasn’t the best car in the world, but it was a good car to learn how to fix and modify things on. So, how did you end up owning the E92? Back when I bought it, I was doing a lot of driving back and forth to work so wanted something cheap to run, with some luxury, but I didn’t want it to be boring. I’ve had many BMWs in the past — in part, thanks to my parents always having awesome cars that they chopped and changed all the…