Innehållsförteckning för No 155 April 2018 från NZV8

The realms of American muscle contain few names more sacred or desirable than that of ‘Yenko’, with original Yenko-built vehicles commanding a crazy premium when they do happen to come up for sale. Now, decades after the brand’s heyday, the famous Yenko supercars are set to return, and, in true Yenko fashion, will be available through select Chevrolet dealers in the States. The Yenko/SC Supercharged Stage II Camaro is effectively the final evolution of the latest generation, with up to 1000hp and 875lb·ft on tap. This is achieved by filling the LT1 V8 with a 4340 forged steel crank, H-beam rods, forged pistons, and the mother of all top-end set-ups. This comes in addition to the uprated suspension incorporating Magnetic Ride Control technology, an electronic LSD, and a big Brembo…

EXTRA CHARITABLE We’re suckers for charitable events, so would like to congratulate the team behind the Hibiscus Rodders Beach Festival, held at Orewa Beach recently, for having raised a massive $45K for the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust. This would not have been possible without the massive support of the local community and the thousands of car enthusiasts who entered their cars or took part in the event. You can read a full event report later on in this issue, or search ‘Orewa Beach Festival’ on themotorhood.com to find out more. LOCAL MUSTANG ARRIVES The 2018 Mustang, a car that Ford is touting as the most advanced Mustang yet, is just weeks away from landing on our shores — and it is a case of ‘new year, new car’. The new…

Gruntar Hammonds has given his WB ute death over the past 10 years, smashing tyres and winning burnout comps along the way. Getting busted for skids on the street, though, left him with a bit of time to think while he walked everywhere. The outcome of that loss of licence was a radical rebuild of the ute. The previous 450hp 383 and turbo 350 were biffed and a wild 427ci small block constructed. Built around a Dart four-bolt mains block, the engine features all the indestructible bits you’d hope for in a vehicle that gets driven like his, such as a Crower stroker crank, H-beam rods, and Diamond pistons. The set of Dart Pro1 heads is now force-fed, thanks to a 6-71 supercharger sitting up top, and, with a Super…

Jason Hansen from Auto Colour Matrix has been blowing minds at events around the upper North Island for the past few months with his ‘Brat’ Mustang, but he assures us that it’s not finished yet. What makes the widebody Mustang project unique is that Justin’s been developing the bodykit with renowned Japanese bodykit-maker Liberty Walk, to sell around the globe. The theory is that now, thanks to a collaboration between Auto Colour Matrix, Ford New Zealand, and CTB, people can order their own ‘Brat’, specced with either the full kit or components of it. With Brat sitting a full 10 inches wider than a standard Mustang, the car has been copping attention everywhere it goes. Soon, thanks to CTB, there’s set to be a whole heap more power under the…

Work and utes, mince and cheese, stubbies and singlets, lemon and Paeroa — all pairings that are quintessentially Kiwi, although, for the purposes of this feature, we’re mostly interested in the first. The year was 1995, the All Blacks had lost the Rugby World Cup to the Springboks amid a final darkened by the shadow of culinary sabotage, and a teenage James Taylor had seen his dad, Lindsay, come home in his new work ute — a 1970 Ford XW Falcon. “He’d gone to look at an old Triumph bike, but remembered the ute the owner had, and bought that instead,” James recalls. “It was a one-owner car with 50,000 miles on the clock, a six-cylinder with column-shift manual, and the tray was mint as it had never been used…

If there were any doubts about the popularity of Muscle Car Madness, held in January each year, or whether it had the right recipe for a great event, then you can rest assured that the doubts were put aside after this year’s event, which marked 28 years of automotive excess. With camping numbers reaching 1400, and show entries topping 1500, this year’s Trillo Metals Muscle Car Madness (MCM) promised a huge four days. It delivered. There really aren’t a lot of car events around the country that can compare to this, thanks mostly to its camping and cruising aspect. With camping set-up starting at 8am on Thursday, the cruise out to Ashley Gorge on Friday, and the usual show and shine over the weekend, the calendar of events was similar…

The man to beat, Reece Fish, in his twin-turbo ’56 Chev, made the most of the Masterton track conditions, extending his dominance over the field with a new PB at the recent IHRA Auckland Invasion, held over February 17–18. Although he’d hoped to be able to break the magic 200mph mark — a number usually reserved for full tube-frame doorslammers, not the realm of four-door street cars — that didn’t quite eventuate. What did happen, though, was a straight-as-an-arrow 7.40s at 194.50mph. Winding the boost up had Aaron Jenkins launching his twin-turbo Torana hard, with a 1.278s 60-foot time from his first quarter-mile pass on the Masterton track — a sure sign of things to come. A short while later, he’d claimed an impressive 8.33s ET at a rapid 164.17mph…

If you were in the lower North Island over the weekend of February 17–18, then Masterton Motorplex was the place to be. Over the past few years, the IHRA Auckland Invasion has been cementing itself as an event not to be missed, and this year that reputation was well and truly confirmed. The event was billed as the place to see the Marsh Motorsport / Mount Shop Top Fuel dragster break its PB. Although that didn’t quite happen, the car secured a whole legion — and region — of new fans. Making the most of the stacks of new parts purchased over the off-season, the Marsh / Mount Shop team were keen to put on a show, as the first Top Fuel car ever to run at the venue, and…

Late at night the Friday before Rebel Round Up, I was browsing Facebook and a friend posted the following as his status: “If you decide not to go to Rebel Round Up this weekend, I just want you to know I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed.” Finding amusement in his play on the old parenting convention, I lay down for the evening knowing that I, at least, was not going to be the one to cause him to suffer from a furrowed brow. Little did I realize, however, that fewer than 24 hours later, I would fully understand the seriousness of his status. Rebel Round Up made the move from its original home in Rotorua to Pukekohe Park Raceway for its 2018 incarnation, held over two days on the weekend…

James Taylor’s first car was a Ford Anglia. He restored it in his dad’s panel shop, and it was that car that got him into cars as a hobby. It will come as no surprise, then, to find out that James has fond memories of the humble Anglia 105E as something more than just a quirky-looking economy car of the 1960s. However, it’s what James would do to an Anglia that would really set it apart from all the other Anglias out there. The best thing you can do to those cars is give them a bit of power, and James’d be jumping feet first into the deep end, with a Nascar donor car sourced for the running gear, mechanical support, and ancillary components. This means that a 358ci Roush-Yates…

Paul Walters was just 23 when he spotted this Ford Bonus being advertised in Autotrader. After a night on the beers with the lads, it seemed like a good idea to head to Taranaki and take a look. It all checked out all right, and, before long, Paul and the lads were cruising the wheels off it. It’d be 12 months of happiness for Paul before he noticed a few rust bubbles appearing and would send it off to the now-defunct Junior’s Kustom Rides and Classics to get sorted. With his brother, Scott, starting work at an engine reconditioners at the same time, Paul figured he could give the motor to him to sort out while the truck was off the road. This seemingly simple thought was what kicked off…

In the world of Enzed Central Muscle Cars (CMC), the cars have become tougher and tougher, but that’s not stopped Taranaki’s Ross Graham from keeping his car street legal. The Torana was built from scratch as a dedicated Targa machine, but the allure of track time called, and the car has continued to evolve. These days, the car sees time not just in Enzed CMC but also in Mainland Muscle Cars and Northern Muscle Cars events. Under the hood is a 406ci LSX backed by a Hollinger box and nine-inch diff that is clearly not only making huge amounts of power but also doing so reliably. To date, Ross has clocked up around 80 events in it, while wife Carmel, who co-drives in Targa events, has also had her fair…

GOON DIGITAL Can’t get enough of that Rangiora action in this issue? If you head onto themotorhood.com and search ‘Pure Madness’, you’ll be able to check out a stonking big gallery of photos that we couldn’t fit into our print article — you might even be able to spot yourself if you look hard enough! RAISING THE BAR The problem with print media? We only have so many pages on which to show you some of the country’s coolest cars, and in the case of Sean Williams’ beautiful ’33 Ford roadster, that difficulty rang even truer than normal. Despair not, though — Sean provided us with a massive library of build photos, so you can see all the work that has gone into creating what must rate as one of…

TENG TOOLS MUSCLE GARAGE SEASON TWO Episode five — Sunday, March 18 Episode six — Sunday, March 25 Episode seven — Sunday, April 1 Episode eight — Sunday, April 8 Episode nine — Sunday, April 15 Episode ten — Sunday, April 22 The second season of Teng Tools Muscle Garage is a happening thing, and, as you read this, is in full swing each Sunday afternoon as part of CRC Motorsport on Three. You can expect more of the same Kiwi V8 coverage, with all episodes being uploaded to themotorhood.com after they air. While you’re at it, make sure to enter the Teng Tools Muscle Garage giveaway, offering the chance to win a weekly $250 prize pack, or the big daddy grand prize with a value close to $5000 —…

Hi Todd, The reason for this email is that the caption write-up on page 53 in the current mag [NZV8 Issue No. 154] isn’t quite correct. These things happen from time to time, I’m sure. The blurb states that with my mods the car is putting out 700hp. The car has actually been dynoed at 640kW, which converts to 858hp. This isn’t a big deal, but in my opinion the magazine is the ‘holy grail’ of performance and modifications. At 700hp, that would make my car nothing special, as Roush-produced cars put out up to 700hp and Shelby Mustangs are similar. The replacement engine in mine is an Aluminator, as you stated, with a Whipple 2900 supercharger. This punches out big numbers, such as the 1114Nm or 821lb·ft of torque…

LIQUID FURY Few motorsport disciplines are as exciting to watch as jetsprint boats, and, when local displays are concerned, none can offer quite the same spectator experience as the Enzed Stadium Jetsprints. Held on a purpose-made track within ASB Baypark Stadium in Mount Maunganui, the event brings one hell of a show to town, thanks to the screaming engines, lightning-quick driver reflexes, and super-short lap times, keeping the adrenaline high and downtime low. To check out the latest, search ‘Enzed Stadium Jetsprints’ on themotorhood.com. ESCAPING REALITY With our pretty hefty back catalogue of feature cars and the like, it’d be rude not to chuck a few your way via the internet, and this one’s a doozy — Tarus Yanakopulos’ super-smooth XA Falcon hardtop, as featured in NZV8 Issue No. 93.…

Previous NZV8 feature car owner Con Bentley is Mopar mad, but, more than that, he’s equally obsessed by building cars himself, in his own style. His latest creation is way out of left field — a 1968 VE Valiant sedan with a massive four inches taken out of the roof height and a two-door conversion. As if that wasn’t enough on its own, the car’s now sporting 15x15-inch rear wheels on the rear under a custom back half chassis. The front end’s not lacking attention in getting bits, either, with not one but two superchargers force-feeding the 383ci engine. Con’s steadily making progress on the build, keeping the fun factor high and the budget realistic along the way. While people may have started to expect the unexpected from him, we’ve…

MARCH 17–18 NZDRA 50TH NEW ZEALAND NATIONALS If it’s drag racing that floats your boat, you’re going to love the NZDRA 50th New Zealand Nationals, taking place at Masterton Motorplex over the weekend of March 17–18. This meeting represents the final of the current NZDRA Championship Series, and promises two days of all-out racing action, with a $5000 cheque waiting to be claimed by the first top doorslammer driver to crack a five-second quarter-mile pass. Gate entry is $20 per person per day, with under 14s free. Gates open at 9am on Saturday and 8am on Sunday, with racing beginning at 10am on Saturday and 9am on Sunday. MARCH 18 GEAR JAMMERS ALL FIRED UP! SHOW The annual Gear Jammers Rod and Muscle Car Club show is all go for…

MAKE OR BREAK “That grille was going to make or break the car, and Brian at Fabtech absolutely nailed the brief,” Sean tells us. It started as a fibreglass mould, built with the help of John Lisle at Cascade Auto Finish. This was scanned by Sean Dunne as a three-dimensional image from which to cut the grille bars — a mock-up was made from mild steel so as to check fitment, before the final stainless item was cut and welded together. The perfect fitment is one thing, but the perfect proportions are something else entirely. How many times have you heard that old nugget, ‘Photos don’t do it justice’? Well, here’s an example in which that statement conveys the absolute truth. Despite the world-class photo shoot, this article must begin…

Anyone who’s committed to a car build knows just how often things can go wrong. Whether or not we admit it to ourselves, it’s all part of what we sign up for when embarking on a project. As the old saying goes, ‘If it were easy, everyone would do it.’ What sets John Marston’s 1968 Dodge Dart two-door post build apart isn’t just that everything went wrong — multiple times, in fact — but the fact that the whole build kicked off completely unexpectedly. Having previously had Matamata Panelworks rebuild a 1966 Mustang to concours condition — a rebuild that would see it win Best Hardtop in its class at the 2007 National Mustang convention — John’s no stranger to monumental builds. That said, the Mustang was a car that…

Neil Morgan’s ‘Aminal’ lives up to its name on a regular basis, bucking and fighting its way down the quarter on almost every pass. The IHRA Auckland Invasion saw things take a turn for the worse, though, as the car speared across the track during a burnout on day two of the event. Thankfully, the Minchington funny car in the other lane was stationary at the time, meaning that Neil’s spin saw him land bum against the concrete barrier. Credit for this photo and those in our coverage of the Auckland Invasion goes to John Faulkner, who was the man in the right spot to capture the action. Luckily, Neil was OK and has vowed that he’ll be back.…

In 2010, the Hibiscus Rodders hot rod club kicked off its inaugural Beach Festival, held at Orewa Beach, north of Auckland, an occasion with all the makings of something more than just an event. Hindsight tells us that it’s no surprise the festival has become the regional treasure it is today, as well as one of the most highly regarded events on the motoring calendar. The reason for this can be squarely attributed to the drive and passion of the team behind the event, and the strong community focus prevalent throughout. It’s all about giving back, and this is made clear through its dedication to supporting the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust: the event is not run for profit, and all proceeds are given directly to the trust. Sharon Morris, who…

Hanmer Springs, in the Hurunui district of North Canterbury, is well known, both locally and by overseas visitors, as an alpine resort town. Popular for its bush walks and seasonal skiing, the small town is even better known for its thermal pools and spa, and people flock to this scenic village all year round for a relaxing getaway, to escape and unwind from the rigours of a busy life. However, as summer draws to a close, the last weekend of February saw the town’s lazy atmosphere disrupted by the rumble of motors and the aroma of spent gasoline as travellers arrived en masse for the annual Hanmer Springs Motorfest. The annual event is organized by the Falcon Fairlane Car Club of Christchurch, and hosted at the local domain. This year,…

New Zealand isn’t a big country in the grand scheme of things, and this is exemplified within the local hot rodding scene — everyone knows everyone or knows someone who knows them. Within this scene, Larry Beck is no exception to that rule; even if you don’t recognize him or his name, you’ve probably seen him selling all sorts of cool gear at a swap meet near you. How exactly does someone become that guy with no apparent shortage of desirable stuff on hand? Well, when you’ve been working in the shipping industry as Larry has, you’re gonna have a bit of an advantage over us regular joes when it comes to scoring the deal of the century — time and time again. Along with his good mate Chris Hornblow,…

Given that the category seemingly races for chocolate fish, it was intriguing to watch the mentality of competition come to the fore. Human nature takes over and being in front of your rivals becomes more important than the clichés of ‘I’m having a great time’ and ‘it’s lots of fun’. It doesn’t matter whether you are in a tier-one or grass-roots category; the instinct to win kicks in. It’s quite rare to hear competitors talk about their struggles on the track — especially with humility being such a common attribute for New Zealanders. In fact, even though you wish everyone the best of fortune and for them to do well, it makes a pleasing change when someone comes out and tells it like it is. Clarke Hopkins is a case…

STAY COOL Older classics are often let down by their cooling systems, which were designed in the days when rush hour really was just an hour. But overheating is avoidable, and the team at Adrad can sort you out with a high-quality cooling system. They can custom-design radiators for both classic and modern performance cars and have a huge range of aftermarket radiators, cores, and components — all of which have been proven in New Zealand and Australian conditions. All radiators come with a nationwide warranty, so you won’t be left steaming on the side of the road. Visit 0800radiators.co.nz, or phone 0800 RADIATORS (723 428) for more info. EYE-POPPING FINISH Water beading is a tell-tale sign of well-looked-after paintwork. Meguiar’s Ultimate Quik Detailer provides increased surface tension, meaning that…

Who was it who said, “If you want it to rain, hold a drag race”? I guess it doesn’t really matter, but they sure were right. Of course, a further look into the climatology and meteorology shows us that we’ve just been given a wet and warm summer, and we're in for more of the same for autumn. I’m not really planning on talking about the weather, though, so much as the recent Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Cars exhibition at Meremere Dragway, which was cruelly put to rest by relentless rain in the middle of summer. The Meremere and Aeroflow teams pulled out all the stops to try to make it the best event they could, and, as you’ll also read in Morice McMillin’s column later on in this issue,…

That’s a nice-looking truck, Martin. How long have you had her? Quite a while now — must be 15 years or more. I had always wanted a jailbar, and, when I came back from working overseas and had a bit of money in my pocket, I started looking for one. It turned out that one of my mates here owned one; he was looking at emigrating to Australia, but needed to clear some of his cars first. He had the jailbar, a ’39 coupe, and an A-roadster he was looking to get rid of. The truck was still in the paint shop and needed putting back together, so we worked out a deal, and I got my jailbar. The cool thing is that I got the original ownership papers with…

Steve Walker, proprietor of Mikes Engines in Whangarei, has had his share of space in our In the Build section, and he’s at it again. This time, it’s the very cool shop truck that we’re keeping an eye on, and it’s not your average beater. The ’51 Ford F1 body is being channelled over a late-model Toyota Hilux chassis, for its modern driving dynamics, although the rear end is to gain a custom four-link suspension set-up with coilover shocks. The slammed stance will be perfectly finished by a set of Work Meister three-piece wheels that are currently being custom assembled in Japan. With those, plus its bare-metal finish, the truck’s sure to turn a few heads — perfect for promo! In typical Steve fashion, power will not be lacking, and…

Well, if there was ever a case of being so close to success but not making it, I’d say the 2018 Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Cars (AONFC) tour would take the cake. The entire event was so close to being the biggest event New Zealand drag racing has seen in a very long time, but Mother Nature had other ideas. The teams all arrived on Friday morning to a really good New Zealand day. We washed the trucks, set up the awnings, and got the cars out of the trailers. We had our TV crew from Australia over, so we did some TV interviews and some show openers, all in preparation for what we hoped would be a busy Saturday. At about 3pm, the New Zealand racers started to arrive…

February promised to be a massive month in New Zealand drag racing, with Australia’s premier nitro drag racing series — Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Cars (AONFC) — scheduled to perform at Meremere Dragway. Unfortunately, it was not to be, with appalling weather nullifying the best efforts of the track crew and the Aeroflow team. It wasn’t all bad, though. Despite the ominous forecast, the enormous crowd that poured into Meremere Dragway served as a positive reminder that the combination of nitro and marketing is a winner, and, in lieu of a full event report to bring you, we sat down with Morice McMillin, AONFC series manager, to find out more about the most exciting nitro series in the Southern Hemisphere. NZV8: Hi Morice, thanks for giving us this interview. How…

“I was gutted, absolutely gutted,” states Brent Ward, talking about the time his much-loved ’64 Bel Air was written-off. It’s hard to believe it now, but the car he’s talking about is the pristine machine you see before you. “Someone did a U-turn right in front of me, while I was going about 90kph,” Brent continues. While, clearly, Brent’s lucky to be alive, the car didn’t fare so well, bending almost everything forward of the firewall, chassis included. Having first laid eyes on the car a decade earlier and falling in love with it but not having the cash to buy it, Brent found that the car stayed on his mind. Three years after he first spotted it, the car came up for sale once again, at a much more…

Where’s your mobile phone? If it isn’t in your pocket, it’s probably within a 1m radius of you — there’s no denying the integral part these devices play in our day-to-day lives. Gone are the days when mobile phones were just a way of taking, or making, phone calls on the go, so it makes sense that you should be able to secure your prized possessions with them. The New Zealand Police reported 51,922 domestic burglaries in the year ending December 2017, and, with cities such as Wellington reporting a seven-per-cent surge, it’s never been more important to take the initiative to protect what matters. We caught up with the team behind Dominator garage doors to check out the new Dominator Smart Phone Control Kit — an innovative system that…

It was the most simple of requirements for two Enzed Central Muscle Cars (CMC) competitors when they headed into the final round of the season at Manfeild at the end of February — don’t get a did-not-finish (DNF). Of course, given that this particular sport can be a cruel mistress, there was no guarantee that they would be able to meet that requirement. Both Dean Perkins in his Group 1 Falcon and Steve Noyer in his Group 2 Mustang knew what was expected of them; they didn’t need to be reminded by crew or other drivers. Practise, qualify, then go and race four times. Don’t crash, and try not to get any penalties. If it’s a mechanical problem and nothing can be done about it, your frustration is allowable, but…

Some of the cars that we feature in these pages are just timeless. Stuart Clumpas’ Ford F1 is one of them. The vehicle looks like it could have been completed today — the tasteful use of colour and the simple style of the build leave the vehicle looking as if it’s not aged at all. Of course, while it may look simple, there’s a bit more to the build than first meets the eye — that ground-hugging stance coming courtesy of an Air Ride Technologies bag set-up that works in conjunction with a four-linked rear end being just one hint. The front end, too, has seen some clever work, with the installation of a Mustang II front end that works along with Wilwood brakes. The truck has a story to…

Word gets around in little old New Zealand; when there’s a cool new build underway, someone usually tells someone, who tells someone, and so on — well, Kruzin Kustoms in Palmerston North has well more than one cool build underway, so we decided to take a look. Having been in business for 13 years, Kruzin Kustoms’ main focus is on full turnkey builds; every car you see here is a complete in-house turnkey build. However, to get there, you’ve got to get past the retail section, where you can purchase clothing, dress-up kits, hot rod parts and hardware, suspension, wheels, tyres — basically anything rod and kustom related. Moving on through the doors to the huge workshop space, complete with paint booth, things start getting interesting. As you can see,…