Innehållsförteckning för No 264 December 2018 från NZ Performance Car

I really should be used to it now, but every time the terms ‘boy racer’ or ‘car enthusiast’ are mentioned on the six o’clock news, I cringe and think: what now?! It’s been going on since the dawn of automotive modifications, and, for our generation and our Japanese machines, it’s an ongoing struggle. It seems that we’ll just be getting over one mainstream media fire when another is lit and a drum of methanol is poured on top. Whether it’s a skid/drift vid that some news agency’s intern has pulled off Facebook or Instagram, or some dickhead in a non-modified car just causing trouble late at night, or roads that are constantly tagged up day and night, all of this bad press has an impact on our scene that reaches…

2 NOVEMBER NIGHT SPEED DRAG WARS 1 MEREMERE DRAGWAY Featuring some of New Zealand’s quickest street-legal imports and rotary-powered machines, the Night Speed Drag Wars series is one of the few events in the country in which drivers (with a current license, warrant, and rego) can compete in anything from their high-powered street car to their nana’s old Corolla. This season has been increased from six meetings to eight, three of which will be on Saturday nights to make getting to the event easier with traffic. It’s split into the full range of classes and you must have a helmet and a minimum of a restricted license to drive. All classes, except King of the Street, must run DOT-approved street-legal drag tyres only — race slicks are strictly prohibited. Priced…

That age-old argument of built or bought is one that will never be fully settled. There will always be those who sit staunchly in each camp, unable to see the logic in the other side’s argument, no matter how solid it may be. It’s not something that we will attempt to weigh in on today, but, when it comes to drag racing and running numbers here in New Zealand, there is no denying that the route Sam Khamis took with his new racer was a solid move to get the desired results. We featured Sam’s nine-second 323 hatch last year in NZPC Issue No. 247. It was a basic build at the time, one that Sam intended on taking to the next level, as mentioned in the feature. In fact,…

OWNER: DEAN CURTIS When Dean set out to build his Monte Carlo Mk2 replica, he went straight to the pros at Gartrac in the UK, a team responsible for the Ford Works Team shells in the ’70s. Built to exacting Group 4 specs, the shell was shipped to New Zealand for the roll cage and finishing touches, including the 2.5-litre YB Cosworth — a monster naturally aspirated (NA) motor that sings to 9000rpm! The build is simply stunning and correct in detail right down to the smallest stickers adorning the bodyshell. ENGINE: Smith and Jones YB Cosworth 2500cc four-cylinder DRIVELINE: BorgWarner T5 (Quaife first gear) SUSPENSION: Four-link with adjustable Watt’s, Gartrac tension rods, rose-jointed control arms EXTERIOR: Full Gartrac Group 4 tarmac spec, Gartrac alloy guards, fibreglass bonnet, fibreglass boot,…

It may have been the successor to the wildly popular Mazda RX-7, but, unfortunately for the RX-8, it never received that same kind of glory. Many critics slammed it for its beefier appearance, which was in part designed as a by-product of the elongated MX-5 chassis used to test the 13B-MSP (Renesis) heart that it would eventually receive. The car, featuring rear suicide doors, originally appeared as the RX-Evolv concept after catching the attention of the higher-ups at Mazda. And that new rotary power plant didn’t do its public opinion any favours either, with almost all examples being sent to hell thanks to a handful of serious issues presenting between 80,000km and 120,000km. Apex seals were notorious for leaving the building prematurely (even more so than normal), and they have…

Spending every waking minute with your feet sunk in the sand, a cold brew in hand, all the while watching the waves lap at the shore while the sun turns your skin redder by the minute is one hell of a way to enjoy the classic Kiwi summer — it’s the kind of thing that most people spend their working days dreaming of while staring out the window, wishing that they were anywhere but at work. Although, for those of us with 98 octane pumping through our veins, all that sounds like a sweet addition to what would otherwise be the main event. It’s the journey out to these mythical summer spots that’s where the real fun is at. What we crave is that feeling of getting the crew together…

GOING STEALTH You’ve seen the name, heard the noise, but think AdrenalinR are only good for mufflers with drainpipe tips? Think again, fools. Check out the stealth look of their twin tip oval muffler. Delivering the same AdrenalinR performance and punch, without the in-your-face look. Utilizing 100 percent quality stainless, their patented spiral-louvered baffle, and three-stage sound absorption medium, these bad boys are New Zealand-made and can be customized to suit your needs. Starting at $399, further details can be had by contacting the team at AdrenalinR on 06 870 3526, or check out adrenalinr.com THE SWEET STUFF Rotiform just keep dropping bangers and if you thought that the BLQ wasn’t already all kinds of abstract badassery, they’ve gone and made it candy red. The one-piece cast monoblock wheel can…

NAME: GREG MARTIN AGE: 40 LOCATION: WEST AUCKLAND OCCUPATION: SIGNAGE PROJECT MANAGER NZ Performance Car: Hey, Greg, we’ve met before at the second birthday meet of the New Zealand GT-Four Owners Club. Tell us why you started the club. Greg: Hi, guys. Yeah we have! The club was formed in 2014 to give New Zealand–based owners and fans of these cars a dedicated place to share our respective love for what is a hugely underrated model. How did you get into them yourself? I’d always been a fan of them, despite having owned the likes of Skylines, Legacys, Supras, Soarers, and a bunch of other cars, so, when my brother asked if I wanted to go halves in an ST165 (first gen) I jumped at it — that car started…

At the time of writing this, I have just filled up my ‘cheap’ basher of a daily with a fresh tank of 98 and it stung me a cool $2.52 a litre — why I continue to buy the most expensive off-the-pump octane I do not know, but I just can’t bring myself to pick up that 91 nozzle and have the poor SR20 feel ever-so-slightly more sluggish as a result. If you wound the clock back 10 years, when I was filling up my first car at $1.50 a litre, and asked me whether I thought gas was expensive, I would probably have said “Yeah”, as I tried to get a full tank out of my part-time job wages. Ha! If only I had known then what was coming.…

I climb into the impossibly tight confines of the cockpit, situate my six-foot-one body into the carbon-Kevlar Recaro, and do the five-point harness shuffle, all the while doing my best to keep my composure and not act like a five-year-old who has just been handed a crisp fiver in the sweet shop. I click the quick-release hub back onto the spline and triple check it as I grip the well-worn RE Amemiya wheel. Mine are quite possibly the least-qualified hands ever to grip it. Just as that dawns on me, owner Aidan Barrett leans in the window and runs over the starting procedure. “Turn that, flick those two switches, and then hit the starter. If it sounds like it’s going to fire, give it a tiny blip; if it sounds…

This year marks 50 years since the Mark 1 Ford Escort rolled off the production line and seemingly onto the podiums of every motorsport discipline it was entered into here in New Zealand. It soon became the car to have if you wanted to win; thus, some very special cars landed in the hands of thirsty Kiwis. It’s because of this rich local racing history that we could not think of a better way to celebrate the car’s 50th anniversary than by welcoming any and all Escort racers to line up at the recent HRC Icebreaker, held at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, for a special Escort-only battle. A call was put out earlier this year, and the response was immediate; there was no shortage of Escort-mad drivers lining up to…

OWNER: DAVID THOMPSON SR Originally built by Ross and Jim Stone, and campaigned in the Bank of New South Wales series with a 12,000rpm 1300cc, it was later brought to New Zealand. Along the way, it ‘lost’ that 1300. Having been competed hard for a few decades, the Mk1 was purchased and restored to its first New Zealand look by current owner David. The car retains as many original parts as possible, although the alloy cage has been replaced. The Brian Hart 416B twin-cam that it’s run while here in New Zealand remains and was also rebuilt. ENGINE: Brian Hart 416B twin-cam, 1600cc DRIVELINE: Four-speed rocket, English diff with LSD EXTERIOR: Bubble flares, Shell Sport livery WHEELS/TYRES: 13x9 and 13x10-inch magnesium Minilite POWER: 99kW…

So you’ve hit the dyno for a fresh tune and want to make sense of that weird-looking sheet handed to you? It may look quite complicated, but it’s actually relatively simple to understand once you know what you’re looking at. All the different dynos will give out different readings, so, for the sake of this article, we’re going to stick with a Dynapack for the sample. What most people don’t understand is that the dyno relies on a series of input values to calculate your power and torque figures. How these are entered can affect the result you will receive, which is what all that information on your dyno sheet is actually telling you. We teamed up with Jacky Tse of Jtune Automotive to give you a quick rundown on…

As we peer into the crystal ball of the automotive future, the direction is an uncertain one. Within the spectrum are glimpses of pure excitement for what may be headed our way, but lurking in the same stratosphere is sheer terror. Our beloved manufacturers, which are responsible for icons such as the R32 GT-R, 22B, and 86 are now creating cars such as the Nissan Leaf; a new generation of Impreza that would make the original one turn in its grave; and the Toyota IQ, which is essentially a dishwasher with wheels. With enough ugly to sink a ship, we then arrive at the autonomous-vehicle line of thinking, where the vehicle appears to be a garden shed with bubble glass windows. When presented with these types of automotive appliances you…

Got Instagram? Want print fame on top of all those likes that fly your way each time you post a photo? Want to show us your whip without actually talking to us? Want to see what other readers are up to in their sheds? The answer to all these questions and why these two pages exist lies in the use of the hashtag #nzpc. Search it, use it, and thrash it! We keep a very close eye on it and will be choosing a bunch of hashtagged posts each month to print right here. And that’s not all — the best shot will earn it’s photographer a little prize for their trouble. So remember, next time you’re gram’n’, use #nzpc.…

For almost anyone who has ever picked up a controller, one series has caused more stir within the gaming world and shaped the way we play than any other of its kind. Whether you have liked it or not, and regardless of where your loyalties lie, you cannot deny the sheer impact and driving force that the Call of Duty (COD) franchise has had on gaming, especially within the first-person-shooter genre. It has consistently changed what we thought warfare gaming could be, reinventing game engines, introducing graphics beyond our comprehension, and providing billions of hours of online game — it’s forced those titles around it to play catch-up at every release. Therefore, it’s not surprising that, with the push towards pure multiplayer formats, the franchise is at the front of…

MAD MIKE FD JAPAN CHAMP! It’s the win that Kiwi drift legend ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett and Team Magic have worked so hard to get. Earlier this month at Okayama International Circuit, during the final round of the 2018 Formula Drift (FD) Japan Championship, a new king was crowned. It’s a season that has been marked by nothing but successes — from the first qualifying session at round one back in May, to the final battle at Okayama, there was never a point at which Mike didn’t lead the points during the five-round series. And, despite how easy he made it look, the road to getting there wasn’t all smooth sailing, as building a twin-turbo four-rotor and keeping it intact, with the way that Mike pedals it, is a tough task.…

They say that a man’s house is his castle, but Takeshi ‘Tux’ Teruya’s house has become more racetrack than castle, thanks to a carefully crafted, long, snaking driveway that just so happens to form a drift track. For Tux, a man whose life has literally been shaped by drifting, it’s been a labour of love — one that allows him to satisfy his everlasting need to drift. That was the very need that brought him to our shores from his homeland of Japan in 2006. “I was 18 years old when I first saw drifting on the Akagi mountain. I finally got my license to transport the motorbike that I was racing and really wanted to drive a manual, so we took my friend’s parents’ Forester up there to watch.…

OWNER: RAYDEN SMITH; DRIVEN BY SON BRENT AT EVENT Arguably the most historic car on the day, the Williment Mk1 started life in the Ford UK competition department. Originally built to Group 5 spec by Williment Racing, it was one of the first Twin Cams built. It experienced a very successful campaign in the British Saloon Car Championship (BSCC), running against the likes of the Alan Mann Escorts. After winning the 2000cc class in 1969, it was purchased and shipped to New Zealand, where Jim Richards dominated the National Touring Car Championship from ’70 to ’72. The car has been through many hands, teams, and liveries, although current owner Rayden Smith, who has owned it for around 30 years, has restored it in the original Williment colours. ENGINE: Lotus-Hart twin…

OWNER: CLIFF WILLIAM It wasn’t all race cars on show. Cliff’s RS2000 was one very special edition on static display. Based on a RS2000, it is one of 10 turbo Mk2s built by the German Ford special-operations department in Cologne. The engine is a Pinto, and features a Janspeed-developed turbo kit with a Garrett T04 huffer drawing air through an SU carb. Cliff admits that it’s a little laggy, but it certainly keeps him on his toes. The bodywork is what is known as a ‘droop snoot’ base, with X-Pack boxed guards / spoiler package. The interior — which is in impeccable condition, we might add — is a full Recaro. As far as special-edition Escorts go, this is right up there, and it is cool to see it in…

Over in the land of the free, where eagles soar, beer is endless, and semi-automatic rifles are provided at birth, there are still groups of the car scene that consider it un-American to own tin cages that were not forged in the depths of Detroit in the US. Despite this hyper patriotism, Japanese cars have been entrenched in the country’s automotive culture for decades. Nissan has been there since 1960, selling flagship models such as the Datsun 240Z and 510; Toyota has been there even longer, opening in ’57 and launching models to compete directly with local examples. Honda arrived in ’58, Subaru followed suit in ’67, and even Mazda showed up with the RX-2 in 1970. These ‘foreign’ cars are not a new phenomenon — and, when you consider…

NAME: DAMO GREENFIELD AGE: 24 LOCATION: AUCKLAND OCCUPATION: TYRE TECHNICIAN NZ Performance Car: Hey, Damo. We’ve followed your antics locally and abroad for a while now. Tell us how you came to own your S13. Damo: Hi, NZPC. I never intended to buy this car at first. I was living in Japan with a couple of mates, and tagged along with them to check out this car, which was three hours away in Shizuoka. The workshop we went to was pretty questionable — super chop shop–esque. The car was rattle-canned black and the tags were ‘missing’. My mate wasn’t able to find a guarantor for the change of ownership, so left it, but I already had one and checked it all out, then bought it a week later. It was…

NAME: RORY CHIARI AGE: 23 LOCATION: AUCKLAND OCCUPATION: “ANYONE HIRING?” NZ Performance Car : Hey, Rory. Your Cefiro caught our eye at Chrome, and we couldn’t not follow it up. Can you tell us how you came to own it? Rory: Hi, guys. I was working as a road surveyor — you know those strips you run over on the road and it goes ‘ga-doonk, ga-doonk’. Yeah, I was installing those; anyway, I was working out in east Auckland and spotted this Cef sitting in a driveway. It looked like it had been there for a while, so I went up and knocked on the door to see who owned it. An older fella had been driving it around and wanted to upgrade to something more modern, so I went back…

ALL-WHEEL-TERROR Most people aren’t game enough to drop stacks on a practically brand new car and go about modifying it straight away, but, for Seng Tran and his 2015 Subaru WRX STi, that’s exactly what happened. He explains: “It started out as a New Zealand–new 2.5-litre EJ25 car. With bolt-ons and a Tomei M8265 it made 432hp [322kW] at the fly on around 22psi. The initial intention was to thrash it until the EJ couldn’t take it anymore, and eventually it did fail.” That failure proposed an ultimatum: either sink in a built example of the EJ25 and see what can be squeezed out of it, or increase the cylinder count by two and make some serious grunt — you can probably already guess which one Seng went for. The…