Innehållsförteckning för No 266 February 2019 från NZ Performance Car

My mum always told me to follow my heart, and, the older I get, the more I can reason with myself in my own head about why that’s such an important message and why I should live my life that way. Hell, that’s why I’m in this job and not off chasing big pay cheques elsewhere. It’s also why I recently made the call to sell my dearly beloved E36 race car, a car that’s consumed my life for the past half decade. Why the hell am I doing such a thing, you might ask? Well, I can trace the reason back to being five or six years old and being told stories of speedway by my stepdad while looking at his old photo albums and newspaper clippings time and…

If you have an event you’d like to see in the Gig Guide, email editor@performancecar.co.nz with all the details 5 JANUARY 2019 2019 SUMMERJAM MEREMERE DRAGWAY, MEREMERE Come the new year, we’ll be far enough into summer that the weather will be cranking something proper, and, to mark the occasion, the team at Downtime Entertainment is throwing its annual bash — Summerjam. The event has been shifted northwards to Meremere Dragway this time, with an all-out drag racing bash (street classes and exhibition classes) along with burnouts, grass-roots drifting, a hardpark, trade stands, food vendors, live DJs, cash and prize giveaways, and all the rest. This always makes for a sweet lead-in to the best part of summer, and, with the new early January date, a celebration of the new…

A FULL TUBE CHASSIS HAS BEEN BUILT IN STAGES: FIRST, A THREE-QUARTER CHASSIS; THEN A FRONT CLIP WAS ADDED; AND, OVER THE WINTER MONTHS, THE REAR END WAS COMPLETELY REWORKED TO ALLOW FOR BIGGER TUBS AND TALLER TYRES RUNNING A LINK G4+ FURY, BOOST IS CONTROLLED IN THREE STAGES: ONE TO GET THE 13B UP ON THE TRANS, THE SECOND FOR FIRST, AND THE THIRD FOR TOP GEAR There is a lot to be said about those among us who create with their own hands, quietly going about their business, relying on very few others and not blowing their own trumpet — instead, letting their handcrafted machines do the talking. While some old-time naysayers will harp on about this type of craftsman being a dying breed in the modern world,…

“THIS IS THE THIRD ONE I’VE BEEN TO NOW. IT’S SWEET TO SEE THAT THE DRIFTING STILL PLAYED A BIG PART, THAT’S WHO MAD MIKE IS, BUT THERE WAS DEFINITELY A BIGGER FOCUS ON THE CRUISING THIS YEAR AND, OF COURSE, THE HISTORIC MAZDAS.”AARON KERR, WHANGAREI With a name like ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett on the poster, you know that the event is never going to be anything but radness. It’s the third time Mad Mike’s Summer Bash has taken over the Hampton Downs Motorsport Park facility with its antics, and it’s pretty easy to see how much passion Mike has pumped into making it the best thing on the calendar, not only for the hoards of spectators that flooded through the gates, but for all the drivers involved, too. At…

Weight is the biggest enemy of performance, and while some choose to ignore the benefits of reducing it as much as possible and simply throw in some more boost, for those who embrace a serious weight-loss programme, carbon fibre is a must as a Weight Watchers weapon. With many online how-tos, some showing the right and some the not-so-right ways of doing it, tapping into the knowledge of a professional is the best way to get a foolproof system for producing parts in your shed that will not only save you weight but also look good doing it. For this project, Zac is covering the build of a set of rear widebody carbon guards for an EG6 Civic: “This is a race car, not a show car, but the principles…

BEAMS ME UP No matter how financially balls deep you are into the build of one car (or more), when a deal that seems too good to be true comes up, saying no just isn’t an option. You may recall seeing Matt Jaques’ turbo 4A-GZE–powered KP Starlet back in Issue No. 264 of New Zealand Performance Car — a car that has been a labour of love for the better part of 13 years. However, while we were there checking it out for its feature, we discovered another that Matt had been hoarding away for some time. “It just ended up in my shed when he [the previous owner] had nowhere to store it. I eventually bought it off him, intending to finish it under the proviso that if it…

Allow me to wind the clock back to 10 June 1990 at Mallala Motor Sport Park, near Adelaide, for a second. The date marked race day for round six of the Shell Ultra Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC). Dick Johnson (Ford Sierra RS500) and Jim Richards (Nissan Skyline GTS-R) were tied for the championship lead with 64 points each. The Gibson Motorsport team — still flying under the iconic red, white, and blue of Nissan Motorsport — that Richards and a young Mark Skaife drove for was gearing up to debut the freshly developed Nissan GT-R BNR32. It would be the first time that the Australian public and the rest of the world would lay eyes on the monster that the engineers at Gibson Motorsport had cooked up in the…

Arguably the most iconic name in automotive culture, the Nissan GT-R, is turning 50 this year. In a nod to this occasion, Darren Kelly has unveiled all new colours for the ’18/’19 season, paying homage to the GT-R that he holds most dear to his heart. “The inspiration for a retro throwback to celebrate 50 years of the GT-R came from the famous 1991 R32 GT-R that dominated at Bathurst, driven by Jim Richards and Mark Skaife,” explains Darren. Taking the iconic colours from the Gibson Motorsport entry, bending them to suit the modern lines of the R35 and older R34 — and taking into account the need to reflect Darren’s partners — was no easy task. Darren, who is a signwriter by trade, tells us that it took quite…

“WE WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND CAMPAIGNING OF ALL THE SKYLINES IN THE ATCC” NZ Performance Car: Hi Fred, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Could you quickly tell readers who you are and what your involvement with the Nissan GT-Rs was? Fred Gibson: Morning, buddy, sure thing. I’m Fred Gibson, former motorsports driver, winner of the ’67 Bathurst 500 with Harry Firth, and the owner and manager of the Gibson Motorsport team that competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) from 1981 to 2000. Formed out of the Nissan Motorsport team, which I headed after Howard Marsden moved on, we were responsible for the development and campaigning of all the Skylines in the ATCC and Bathurst, including the BNR32 GT-Rs, backed by the Nissan…

How often have you experienced something crazy, either behind the wheel or in the passenger seat, but when you share it with your best bros they just haven’t got it? Wouldn’t it be cool if you could all suit up, strap on skid lids, and have one of the world’s most-regarded drifters bang the lock stops for ya in his backyard playground of Hampton Downs, so, instead of having to try to explain how wild that ride was, you could simply throw up all manner of approving hand signals in the air mid corner as you all grin ridiculously from ear to ear? Well that, my friend, is now the reality. It is also proof that even someone such as ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett, who has reached the top of his…

There aren’t many new cars on the market that are interesting, affordable, or a great base for building a sports car. I mean, there are a lot of quick, small, turbo, Euro hatch offerings — but would you really take one out and track it? You have running costs, repair costs, voiding warranties — and what if the worst case happens? Perhaps you’re after a cheap little car that you can daily-drive / share with your partner but also have a bit of fun in on the weekends, or even take to the track to cut a few laps in. Do we really need a big car with massive horsepower when we all just sit in traffic most of the time obeying the laws? And don’t get us started on…

NAME: COLE WATSON AGE: 34 LOCATION: AUCKLAND OCCUPATION: PANEL BEATER NZ Performance Car: Hi, Cole. When did you get this RX-7, and why did you buy it? Cole: Hey, NZPC. The FD has always been a bucket-list car for me, and I’ve had this one for about five years now. It’s my first rotary, but I’ve always played with Mazdas in the past, having owned a turbo MX-5 and now also owning a RX-8. Had you planned to get this far into the build? The car was a bit tired when I got it, and it was only supposed to be a one-month tidy-up. That has now turned into a five-year labour of love. And what does it get used for primarily? My wife calls it a “garage statue” —…

NAME: MICHAEL MACNAUGHTAN AGE: 24 LOCATION: AUCKLAND OCCUPATION: GEOLOGY POSTGRADUATE STUDENT NZ Performance Car: Hey, Michael. Can you tell us how you got into modifying cars and what the first you dabbled with was? Michael: Hi, NZPC. I’ve always liked cars and started tinkering with my first car for fun around 2012. That was my blue GX81, and it ended up a bit wild … So, that was the car that would eventually become the Pepsi shark nose (from NZ Performance Car Issue No. 223). What made you want to jump from that to a big body like the Verossa? Yeah, that’s what it eventually became [laughs]. Even with the X81 being my first car, since the age of 15, I’d always wanted to specifically own a Verossa. I have…

ENGINE: Mazda B6ZE(RS), 1600cc, four-cylinder; rebuilt bottom end, mild head port DRIVELINE: Mazda five-speed, LSD INTERIOR: Factory EXTERIOR: OEM hardtop, aftermarket side skirts, front and rear lips, and roof spoiler, resprayed purple WHEELS/TYRES: (F) 14x8.5-inch (+4) SSR Longchamp XR-4, 185/55R14 Toyo, (R) 14x9-inch (+11) SSR Longchamp XR-4, 185/55R14 Toyo SUSPENSION: TruHart coilovers POWER: Unknown FUEL TYPE: 98 octane NZ Performance Car: Hey, Aleisha. Tell us how you got into modified cars and what your first was. Aleisha: Hey, guys! I grew up with my dad building and restoring cars, mostly old V8s — it interested me heaps. I guess because he never had a son, I was the next best thing. He taught me how to work on cars, and I spent hours helping him in the garage. When I…

PADDON SECOND AT WRC AUS Producing his best finish of the 2018 World Rally Championship (WRC) season, Hayden Paddon pedalled his way to second at Coffs Harbour, Australia, last month. The result is the best that the Kiwi driver has achieved since doing the same in Poland back in July last year. Paddon laid out a solid drive all weekend, despite the wet weather on Sunday causing a few dramas, seeing 32.5 seconds shy of Toyota’s victorious Jari-Matti Latvala. Norwegian driver Mads Østberg came in 19.7 seconds behind Paddon to tie off the top three. Of the win, Paddon said, “Yes! [I’m] really happy with this P2. We worked hard all weekend and felt great in the car. Made even more special by the amount of Kiwi support we had…

HEART ENGINE: Nissan RB26DET, 2568cc, six-cylinder BLOCK: N1 RB26DETT block, N1 crank, Nitto 86.5 pistons, Nitto H-beam rods, factory oil pump with billet gears HEAD: Mildly ported RB26DETT head, Tomei cams, HKS cam gears INTAKE: K&N pod filter EXHAUST: 3.5-inch Kakimoto Racing dual exhaust TURBO: Garrett GTX3582R, 6Boost twin-scroll manifold WASTEGATE: Turbosmart Power-Gate60 BOV: GReddy Type R FUEL: Walbro 450-litre-per-hour in-tank pump, Go Fast Bits (GFB) fuel-pressure regulator, 1000cc Injector Dynamics injectors, Speedflow in-line filter, Link ECU flex-fuel sensor, Aeroflow twin-entry billet fuel rail IGNITION: Splitfire coil packs ECU: Link G4+ COOLING: Tabata radiator, HKS intercooler EXTRA: HKS turbo timer Obsession, noun: the state of being obsessed with something. An idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind. “he was in the grip of an obsession…

HEART ENGINE: Honda K24A3, 2400cc, four-cylinder BLOCK: Factory internals, K20 oil pump, Toda Racing timing-chain tensioner, Toda Racing billet chain guide HEAD: Drag Cartel drop-in cams, K20 50-degree intake cam gear, ports enlarged and port matched to manifolds INTAKE: BMW E92 M3 52mm individual throttle bodies modified to fit on a custom billet runner set-up, custom billet full radius bellmouths EXHAUST: Custom two-inch four-into-two high-rise stainless-steel headers, twin 2.25-inch stainless exhaust, crossover, single twin-pass muffler FUEL: Custom 40-litre aluminium fuel cell, Pierburg in-line fuel pump, Turbosmart FPR 800 fuel-pressure regulator, Continental ethanol sensor, custom twin Hypertune fuel rails, aluminium hard lines IGNITION: K24 coils, NGK copper spark plugs ECU: Emtron KV8, custom Mil-Spec engine harness (Tefzel wire, Raychem heat shrink, Deutsch plugs, etc.), firewall connector COOLING: Custom Hypertune radiator, custom…

All builds have a story to tell, a reason why they have been dragged into existence by their owner no matter the budget, the style, or the purpose. Some are spurred by long-held childhood dreams; others by a few too many brews; and, some, such as Brad Smith’s show-winning Hilux, by a decision made while sitting stranded on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck. HEART ENGINE: Toyota 1UZ-FE, 4000cc, V8 BLOCK: LS1 ARP rod bolts, rebuilt with new rings and bearings HEADS: Ported and polished, resurfaced INTAKE: K&N air filter, modified intake pipe EXHAUST: Custom headers, 2.5-inch exhaust, dual mufflers, heat-wrapped FUEL: Custom fuel tank, Bosch 044 pump, dual in-line fuel filters, new OEM injectors IGNITION: New OEM ignition system ECU: Link COOLING: Custom-made alloy radiator,…

We probably don’t need to tell you that the SEMA Show is the biggest aftermarket-parts showcase on the planet. We also won’t need to tell you that it happens in Las Vegas each year, and it goes without saying that, if you’re trying to make it big in our world, this is the event at which you need to make a splash. This is why, every year, what happens at SEMA doesn’t just stay within the walls of the Las Vegas Convention Center, because the automotive world is watching. watching. To put it into perspective just how big it is, the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland, which hosts our biggest showcase, the 4&Rotary Nationals, would fit inside the Las Vegas venue not five, not 10, but 17 times, and each and…

NO MORE SCRATCHES When you’ve spent a small fortune on AN fittings alone, the last thing you want to do is scratch the glorious anodizing off and make it look like a monkey has been swinging on them with a head stripper. The REP Wrench set is a colour-coded, anodized, sized, and stamped set of spanners that ensures a perfect fit for all your AN fittings without marking them in the slightest — suited from AN3 to AN20. Priced at $144.63 per set, you can get your hands on them at 1st Auto Parts — call them on 09 638 6439, or visit the shop at 381 Dominion Rd, Mount Eden, Auckland. GRAVEL WARRIOR Taking multiple corners on the tarmac at speed and coming out the other side is impressive,…

#NZPC 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.…

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