Innehållsförteckning för No 171 August 2019 från NZV8

Counterfeit products are a sad but real part of the performance-parts industry, and they have become more prevalent over the past few years. New Zealand is not immune from this problem, although it’s not as serious in the V8 scene as it is in some others — at least, that we’re aware of. It is, however, getting worse, and, while we’ll never be able to stop it — after all, New Zealand is just a tiny blip in the global market — we can do our best to ensure that it doesn’t become commonplace here. Thankfully, one thing that will help limit it is the LVVTA and the LVV certification process — many countries do not have an equivalent of this. The cert process does make it more difficult to…

At the latter end of the ’60s, Plymouth kept busy by redesigning the famed Barracuda for the 1970 model year, removing all its previous commonality with the Valiant. From the thousands of examples produced in numerous options, only 14 Cudas were built as convertibles with the 426ci Hemi. Even fewer came with the 727 Torqueflite automatic transmission, making the 1970 Hemi Cuda convertible that recently sold at Mecum’s Indianapolis sale a pretty damn rare example of E-body muscle. Adding to the rarity of the Cuda was the car’s Canadian history — one of three delivered north of the border and one of the two surviving examples after the third was reportedly destroyed. However, it was the option under the Shaker hood that mattered most: the 426 Street Hemi rated to…

While most of us will have to spend our days imagining the scenario of being given a golden ticket to the legendary race that is the current-day Bathurst 1000, a select group of 20 Kiwi racers from various different classes have been invited to jump the ditch and take part in the 2019 incarnation, Thursday, 10 October to Sunday, 13 October this year! It’s the second time in recent years that such an invitation has been extended; however, unlike the previous visit, which was a stand-alone race, this time, the Kiwis will be racing in the famed Touring Car Masters (TCM) category. While they will not be competing for TCM championship points, that doesn’t mean that the TCM drivers won’t be feeling the pressure of Kiwi driving — although significant…

With the departure of familiar chassis across the ditch, the BNT V8s Championship has announced technical details of the series’ next-generation car. Set to race from the start of the 2020 season, these new cars are an evolution of the current Class One car over the previous TLX and V8 supertourer platforms The first version of the next generation, dubbed the ‘Pace V8GT ZC1’, has been designed and built by Pace Innovations over in Australia. It mimics two-door US-style muscle cars such as the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang — additional two-door body styles could be possible in the future — and features a chromoly space-frame chassis and bolt-on front and rear crash structures for ease of repair. A 6.2-litre LS3 race engine producing a cool 630hp will be at…

The team at Bad Penny seem to be spoilt for choice with some amazing builds currently on the go. Included in that mix is this ’37 Chevy bomb belonging to Simon Straessle. The build is based on an extensively modified original chassis that’s been fitted with Holden Torana front and rear ends. The Torana’s springs and shocks have been ditched with a full hydraulic suspension system taking their place. A custom floorpan has been added to get it sitting down low, and the boot is now full of the required hydraulic components. Under the hood, the car is pure bomb, with a 235ci Blue Flame six fitted with twin carbs on an Offenhauser Manifold with a Fenton split-exhaust manifold. This is backed by a Ford Toploader gearbox, which in turn…

Building a car is always an interesting journey. What should I buy? What do I want? What have my friends got? What’s my budget? The questions are endless. That was the situation that Gary Burnette found himself in about 15 years ago. He liked American cars, particularly Impalas, and he really thought that was the way to go; there were a few around, they looked good, and they weren’t particularly difficult to obtain — perfect, or so he thought. Another of Gary’s passions is rugby. Being located in the mid/lower North Island of New Zealand, he often frequented the rugby fields of rural Marton and, as it so happened, the Marton lads quite like their cars too. One day 15 years ago, after a hard-fought 80 minutes on the field,…

He probably has more hot rods, modified cars, and custom classics under one roof than anyone else in the country, and his collection just keeps on growing. It all began quite by chance for Invercargill modeller Gary Petersen, with a hobby that has taken him to all corners of what we in New Zealand call our ‘car culture’. Gary has developed a solid reputation as having an eye for detail, making high-quality, intricate models of fullsize cars for their owners throughout the country. Gary readily describes himself as ‘The Mad Modeller’ and admits that his dedication to making the best possible model is an obsession. You could say that his creations are bordering on art. Some may think they are toys, but these models are very important to their owners…

What should have been the greatest event for a handful of Kiwi entrants didn’t end quite as expected. Sadly, that was the reality of the Winternationals, hosted at Willowbank Raceway near Brisbane in June. Kiwi entries included Rod Harvey in the all-conquering Battery World/Yuasa–sponsored Toyota Camry, Trevor Smith in the P&I Pascoe Holden Statesman, Barry Plumpton in his nitrous-record-holding Camaro, the Mount Shop/Marsh Motorsport team in their A/Fuel dragster, Cory Abbott with his Sport Mod Mazda RX-7, and young Shavaun Harvey in her Yuasa Battery–sponsored junior dragster. With the A/Fueller being on form on Kiwi soil this season, the team were looking forward to seeing what it could do on the legendary Aussie track; however, it was never to be, with the Aussies apparently dealing the team an underarm bowl…

There is no denying that the South Island, and Christchurch in particular, has had a bad rap over the past few years for the ‘boy-racer’ culture that has seen the city in the headlines on a number of occasions. Thanks to the invention of the internet and social media, it doesn’t take much to muster up a crowd of young individuals who soon take over city streets or industrial parks, trashing their cars while performing burnouts and causing utter mayhem. Understandably, there have been a number of people throughout the city voicing their concerns, from the police and council staff to local residents who have to contend with this ongoing problem, not to mention the damage that is caused by these youths. Everyone is of the same opinion: there needs…

I’ve always loved the look of the late ’50s GMC pickups,” states Gary Burnette — and it’s not hard to see why. The dual-headlight look of the 1958 models is his favourite. Obviously, Gary’s now getting used to the extreme power levels of his twin-turbocharged HQ holden, so, for a GMC to end up parked in the Burnette stables, it’d need some power to match. “It’d have to have a twin-turbo 632ci big block in it,” he states. And, while there’s no such thing as an average twin-turbo 632, he’d be planning on making the most of the capacity by getting the whole lot straight from the hands of renowned engine builder Steve Morris. From that experience and expense would come something that would have power measured in the thousands…

“How are you going to compete against the Monzas, the XD Falcons, and the Commodores?” This is a question that Cam Crawford’s been hearing a lot of during the four-year build of his 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II. Sure, he’s giving away a heap of weight and handling advantage to the cars that are generally found at the front of the Central Muscle Cars (CMC) grid, but Cam’s a thinking man. He answers it, with his usual humour, like this: “Aha, well, that’s the beauty of Enzed Central Muscle Cars. Every meeting, we have four races. Two are scratch races and two are reverse-grid races. That means the fast buggers are trying to pass the longest and widest car in the club … Victory must be ours!” He has a…

TWO MINUS TWO It’s hard to believe that John and Karen Nightingale’s two-door ’56 Chev was ever a four-door wreck. In fact, we struggled to believe it ourselves before we saw the photos. We’ve dropped a few in this issue with the article on the car, but, to make sure you don’t miss out, we’ve uploaded the rest to themotorhood.com. Search ‘Nightingale Chev’ to check them out. Beware: they’ll make you feel pretty embarrassed about your home-fabrication abilities. AERO WARRIORS Sure, we’re not quite as mad as Cam Crawford, who assembled the Torino you will have read about a few years ago, but we love the aero wars of the late 1960s and early 1970s. We managed to get three icons of this era together a few years back and…

While this Plymouth Superbird and Road Runner pairing may have had only a three-year run in Nascar between them, with seven-time champion Richard ‘The King’ Petty, the series’ most successful driver, behind the wheel, they shared a total of 46 race wins and two series championship titles! Rule changes rendered the 1970 Plymouth Superbird obsolete after a single season, while the 1971 Plymouth Road Runner lasted two seasons before suffering the same fate. It was a short amount of time for both cars, yet they racked up solid results and are now almost priceless pieces of Nascar history that will have a value attached to them when they cross Mecum’s Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, auction stage as part of the Todd Werner Collection. It’s hard to determine which of the two has…

Ford created buzz online recently with the release of its ‘Venomous Strike’, a V8 power plant producing 760hp and 625lb·ft of torque that will debut in the all-new 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500. What makes this significant is that Ford is claiming it to be not only the most powerful street-legal Blue Oval–wearing offering to date but also the “most power and torque dense supercharged production V8 engine in the world”. This monster of a car will be offered in only left-hook configuration and on American soil, but you can bet that one or two will make the journey to our shores via private imports.…

Make sure you catch the last three episodes of the fourth season of Teng Tools Muscle Garage! Don’t sweat it if you have missed an episode this season; we’ve uploaded all the episodes to The Motorhood for your viewing pleasure — all you need to do is visit themotorhood.com and click through the Teng Tools Muscle Garage post. While you’re at it, don’t forget to enter yourself in the running for the prizes. Not only will this put you in the draw for the weekly giveaways, but you’ll also be in to win the mother of all prize packs. Thanks to Teng Tools, Meguiar’s, Need A Car, and Mount Shop for helping to make it all happen again. TENG TOOLS MUSCLE GARAGE SEASON FOUR EPISODE EIGHT — SUNDAY, 14 JULY…

That’s a cool-looking pickup, Troy, what model is it? Troy: It’s a ’71 Dodge Sweptline D100 pickup. We bought it as a father–son project. We bought it when Dad got sick, and we decided, bugger it, let’s build an American pickup as a father–son project. We found a really good Chev C10 that we were keen on and struck a deal, but when we went to arrange pick up, the guy said that it wasn’t ours, as prices had gone up. So we saw the Dodge, and there didn’t appear to be much interest in it, probably because it looked like a four-wheel drive. So I called the guy and made a deal. I chucked a grand into his account straight away. He told me that he had bought it…

WE KNOW THERE ARE SOME FANTASTIC CARS BEING BUILT OUT THERE, SO DON’T BE SHY — FLICK US AN EMAIL WITH A BIT OF A BLURB AND A FEW HIGH-RESOLUTION PICS OF WHAT YOU’RE UP TO. ONE PROJECT EACH MONTH WILL WIN A $100 VOUCHER FROM RARE SPARES! WINNER! $100 RARE SPARES VOUCHER Hayden ‘Budda’ Wilby purchased his VT Commodore, ‘Nutout’, with the sole intention of entering the NZ Burnout Championship (NZBC). Having always had Commodores, and been known to drop the occasional skid, his car love was put on hold for a few years while other aspects of life took priority. When the NZBC was announced, though, he saw it as the perfect chance to get back behind the wheel. “But after competing in the first round of the…

Starting with one of the most readily available cars may seem like an interesting choice when the goal is to build something unique — in fact, from the outside, buying a car to change as much of it as possible seems like an inherently flawed plan, as, surely, it’d be a whole lot easier simply to buy a car that you liked to begin with. However, as the owner of this radical 1956 Chev Bel Air points out, where would the fun be in that?! When you compare the car that John Nightingale started building around three years ago with the one that he and wife Karen are behind the wheel of now, it’s clear that John’s idea of fun involves spending plenty of hours in the shed. He’s not…

Organized by Graeme Holder, president of the Cobra Club of New Zealand, the cruise was initially planned as a way for the geographically dispersed Cobra club members to meet up. Graeme asked if my partner and I, and maybe some other Fraser Car Club members, would like to accompany them. Firing the cars up on 16 February, we set out — six Cobras and two Frasers rumbling out of Auckland through the morning traffic, ready to collect others on the way through. We would soon be a group of 20 Cobras, six Frasers, a GT40, and a late-model Ford Falcon Cobra. During stops along the way, some characters soon distinguished themselves. We tried unsuccessfully to push-start the Roush-powered Backdraft Cobra — until the owner realized the battery had been isolated.…

If you could pick one ’70s American coupe to park in your garage, what would it be? It’s a fairly safe bet that a ’76 Chev Malibu wouldn’t be anywhere near the top of the list, but take a look at Alun Rees-Williams’ and you may just change your mind. That being said, it wasn’t a car that he’d set out to own. Having gone through a spate of late-model muscle cars — a 2009 Mustang California Special, 2011 Shelby GT500, and a 650hp 2011 Hennessey Camaro — Alun felt ready to take the plunge and get himself something from the carburettor era. “I was looking at a ’70s Mercury I’d seen at Bunce Autos, which is where I took my Camaro for servicing,” he explains. “I had been looking…

In a nondescript commercial area in a nondescript part of town, there’s something special lurking behind a door that looks the same as many others. However, inside, it isn’t just your average commercial unit but a place that Dennis Tarrant’s called home for the last 25 years. Of course, it wasn’t always as it is now. In the early days, it had wall space you could see, floors that weren’t covered with a lifetime of collecting, and even room for the cabinetmaker by trade to work out of. Those days are long gone now, though, as every square centimetre of wall space is now hidden by the many treasures that Dennis has accumulated and the cars that he’s amassed along the way. Not all the items were acquired new, and…

Start praying to the weather gods, as tentative dates have been set for the upcoming Enzed Central Muscle Cars (CMC) season. Obviously, at this stage in the game, many factors are outside of the club’s control, but currently the event calendar is as below. ROUND ONE: PUKEKOHE (V8 SUPERCAR MEETING), 13–15 SEPTEMBER ROUND TWO: MANFEILD, 18–20 OCTOBER ROUND THREE: PUKEKOHE, 29 NOVEMBER–1 DECEMBER ROUND FOUR: HIGHLANDS, 17–19 JANUARY ROUND FIVE: TIMARU, 24–26 JANUARY ROUND SIX: MANFEILD, 14–16 FEBRUARY ROUND SEVEN: HAMPTON DOWNS, 13–15 MARCH RESULTS CORRECTION Last issue, we ran the full results for the 2018–2019 Enzed CMC season, but we managed to mess up Group 1B, saying that Dean Owens took the top spot when it was in fact a different yellow Camaro, belonging to Steve Doughty. Our apologies…

Hi, Todd. Congratulations on another top coverage of Beach Hop at Whangamata. The mag gave a good balance of group and feature photos with some exceptions. My following comments are made with the greatest respect for your team and I have tried to offer what I feel are practical and affordable suggestions for a better product, especially the DVD. For instance, this year, the Galaxies and Fairlanes led out the cars for Saturday’s Grand Parade. Surely, a photo of the cars as a group could have been taken before they moved out, as it was only a few of the Galaxies featured in the mag photo. The DVD is overdue for a makeover, both in terms of content and presentation. To me it has become stale, with too much older…

Chances are that by now you’re well aware of the Route 66 tours hosted by Beach Hop frontman Noddy Watts. The concept is simple: book the fully escorted self-driving tour, which includes accommodation, vehicle hire and insurance, a fully programmed GPS unit, and a US mobile phone, and simply arrive and enjoy it. Many of those who’ve attended to date haven’t stopped at just one tour; they have headed back stateside to enjoy one of the other tours on offer. Noddy and Andrea have taken 21 tours to date, and are heading into their 10th year, making them the most experienced Kiwi-based US tour guides, with more than 700 people having toured with them so far! Now, there’s another tour in the mix. Dubbed ‘The West Coaster’, it will take…

We need not lecture you on the good time that is Caffeine and Gasoline, the Caffeine and Classics spin-off event held concurrently at Hampton Downs and brought to you by Protecta Insurance. You’ll already know that it goes down on the last Sunday of every month and that the format sees the Hampton Downs Motorsport Park facility crammed with all kinds of glorious steel. With attendance levels rapidly increasing and plenty of room still to spare, organizers have extended the invite to those that the foundation of this community is based on: car clubs. While a number of clubs are already attending Caffeine and Gasoline, more are encouraged to join in. And, to sweeten the deal, you can contact Hampton Downs directly to sort out an exclusive track cruise and/or…

Bad Penny are no strangers to cool builds, and the ’34 two-door sedan they have on the go is one of many currently underway. The vehicle arrived as a glass body on a chassis. However, to get the new suspension sitting right, the decision was made to ditch the old chassis completely and design and build a replacement inhouse from the ground up. The front- and rear-end suspension systems now consist of a variety of Kugel components, which will see the car driving as well as it looks. An MSD fuel-injected 383ci Dart block–based engine built by Proformance Unlimited will power the car. And, for added driver appeal, it’s backed with a Tremec five-speed manual gearbox. You’ll get the chance to check it out in person at the upcoming CRC…

20–21 JULY ■ TENG TOOLS GRAND NATIONAL ROD AND CUSTOM SHOW AT CRC SPEEDSHOW ASB SHOWGROUNDS, AUCKLAND Fancy yourself a spot at the 20–21 July CRC Speedshow as part of the Teng Tools Grand National Rod and Custom show? Organizers are looking for expressions of interest from hot rod and custom car owners wanting to take part. The show is open to pre-1973 street machines, muscle cars, hot rods, and customs, with any top-quality custom pre-’73 car or motorbike considered. There will be no entry fee if you are selected, and you’ll receive two free weekend passes, free parking, and a goodie bag for your efforts. With loads of prizes and trophies up for grabs, get onto speedshow.co.nz for entry requirements and general information. 3 AUGUST ■ PALMERSTON NORTH HOT…

Stu Goldsworthy’s drag racing career may have only recently begun, but he’s already aiming for the top. After getting the hang of the sport behind the wheel of the 1800hp ’64 Impala previously campaigned by Josh Trybula, Stu has now acquired something completely different. The rolling chassis is the former Kevin Maddux ’63 Corvette, which was raced with a blown Hemi engine package that propelled the car to 3.7-second eighth-mile passes at over 190mph. The car was raced in the Mid-West Pro Mod Series with great success, Maddux taking out first series win during the fifth annual PSCA Street Car Super Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park near St Louis in 2018. As Maddux is the nephew of well-known chassis builder Jerry Haas, the car understandably runs the best that Haas…

Simon Harman is a bloke who has been around cool cars and hard-revving engines for most of his life, and, while his name may not be well-known today, it’s safe to say that he was infamous at the drag strip a few decades ago, which was about the time that he parked up this wild ’40 Ford coupe. His story was a pretty typical one for a lot of car guys of the era. He got his first coupe, of 1947 vintage, when he was just 17, which he soon traded for a ’56 Riviera. He did the Riviera up and eventually traded that for a ’65 Thunderbird convertible — great taste in cars for a young fella in the ’70s. Then came a ’64 Pontiac Grand Prix, which was…

Previous CMC club president Dr John Elliott has just completed the build of his much-anticipated Sl/R5000 L34 replica. The car is set to compete in Group 2, a class that has become more competitive than when he was last behind the wheel just a few seasons ago. Much of the build has been looked after by the team at AV8, the main exception being the bodywork, which was taken care of by Steve Roberts in Whanganui. Steve also fitted all the factory SLR flares, boot spoiler, and front air dam, and replaced both of the weakened front chassis rails and much of the front firewall, restoring the original pedal and brake booster mounts, all of which had been previously modified and removed. Now that the car has been coated in…

People say that they build custom cars, and then there are those people like Trev Halstead, who actually did. His 1950 Studebaker delivery isn’t really what it sounds like: it’s not from 1950 and not from the Studebaker factory. In fact, it incorporates bits and pieces from around 10 different Studes, none of which was a delivery — simply because Studebaker never actually built those. The car is based on a 1947 Studebaker Champion chassis that has been fitted with a Torana front end and narrowed Ford nine-inch rear. But the bodywork is all Trev’s own doing. He custom fabricated the whole rear end himself, before pulling out the spray gun and completing the paintwork. Like many of Trev’s custom builds, and we’ve seen a few over the years, the…