NZ Classic Car

12/09/2024

Here is one of our archives’ ‘Lunch with…‘ articles by Michael Clark. This is an interview with one of the Kiwis from our golden age of F1, who really knew what was going on because he was there in the pits working as a mechanic.
Cary Taylor worked with all our greats as well as the Braham team. He has quite a few tales to tell from a very long and very distinguished career in motorsport
https://classiccar.co.nz/lunch-with-cary-taylor/
Michael Clark writes, “Without doubt, the top mechanics, those involved in the highest echelons of motor racing, have stories galore — after all, they had relationships with their drivers so intimate that, to quote Geoff Manning all those years ago, “Mechanics know what really happened.”
Rangiora’s Cary Taylor has long been on my radar for ‘Lunch with’ but distance has been the barrier. However, in December 2020 we finally got a chance to sit down. Cary has suggested Untouched World Kitchen near Christchurch Airport.
I’ve got to know Cary over the years and have interviewed him in front of audiences at dinners for both Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme, but always as part of a panel with other notables from our rich motor racing history. Consequently, never before have I had a chance for a decent one-on-one, and right from the get-go I find myself discovering new and fascinating information.”
Read this online article from NZ Classic Car magazines’s 34 years of archives, just uploaded to our new look NZ Classic Car website.

Many years ago — in June 1995 to be more precise — I was being wowed with yet another terrific tale from Geoff Manning who had worked spanners on all types of racing cars. We were chatting at Bruce McLaren Intermediate school on the 25th anniversary of the death of the extraordinary Kiwi for who...

10/09/2024

The third member of the Aussie Big Three motor industry in the ‘60s and ‘70s was Chrysler, and didn’t they build some awesome cars. We feature one of those beauties in the current issue of NZ Classic Car magazine, the September/October 2024 issue 395, a 1972 Valiant. The Chryslers easily footed it with the Holdens and Fords of the period and this Hardtop Coupe is a great example of the Valiant range.
Vaughn Wilson writes “Those fans of the 1980s remember La Bamba and the story of Ritchie Valens. Both he and Holly, along with the pilot, died in a small plane crash along with JP Richardson. JP’s real name was the Big Bopper, a less famous singer of the time. Like the Big Bopper, Chrysler’s big Aussie coupé of the 1970s has been largely forgotten.”
Find a copy of this edition wherever good magazines are sold across NZ.
You can also check out the fully illustrated content rundown of this magazine on our website classiccar.co.nz and you can purchase a copy of this current issue, books, merchandise, back issues or subscribe anytime on Classic Car magazine’s own online shop, magstore.nz

06/09/2024

The history of automotive invention and design never fails to fascinate and amaze. Here is an article from our NZ Classic Car magazine archives of a Citroen with a rotary engine, now who would have thought that? Not only is this one rare as hen’s teeth model that was never meant to leave France, one kiwi has one. Read all about the journey Citroen fan has been on that started way back in the early ‘70s whilst on his OE. It's quite a journey.
https://classiccar.co.nz/rotary-chic/
Quinton Taylor writes, “I got interested in this Birotor when I bought a GS in Paris in 1972. I got in contact with Citroën Cars in Slough, and they got me an invitation to the Earls Court Motor Show where they had the first Birotor prototype on display. I said to a guy on the stand, ‘I’d like one of these,’ and he said I wouldn’t be allowed to get one. Citroën were building them for their own market to test them, and they were only left-hand drive.”
Read this online article from NZ Classic Car magazines’s 34 years of archives, just uploaded to our new look NZ Classic Car website.

Kerry Bowman readily describes himself as a dyed-in-the-wool Citroën fan and a keen Citroën Car Club member. His Auckland home holds some of the chic French cars and many parts. He has also owned a number of examples of the marque as daily drivers, but he now drives a Birotor GS. They are rare, ev...

04/09/2024

The 1950s was possibly the best design decade for classic cars, especially in the USA. Here’s an article in the current issue of NZ Classic Car magazine, the September/October 2024 issue 395, about a team of designers whose job it was to make a point of difference to the GM range, starting in 1955 with the ‘58 model range.
The unique point to this new team of 11, was that they were all women in a design department that was almost totally male dominated. Learn all about the damsels of design in the current edition of the magazine.
Richard Truesdell writes “The Damsels influence, however, could be seen in the interior designs. It went far beyond selecting trim materials, colours, and detailing although that was their primary responsibility in the Chevrolets, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, Buicks, and Cadillacs in GM’s brand hierarchy. There was still one area of interior design where they had little if any influence: the instrument panels were designed by their male colleagues.”
Find a copy of this edition wherever good magazines are sold across NZ.
You can also check out the fully illustrated content rundown of this magazine on our website classiccar.co.nz and you can purchase a copy of this latest edition, books, merchandise, back issues or subscribe anytime on Classic Car magazine’s own online shop, magstore.nz

30/08/2024

Now you don’t get to see many of these classic Holdens, so this is a rare opportunity. This is an article from our archives about an absolute cracker of FJ Holden and a panel van too boot. It's quite the restoration tale of a unique car we came across one year at Beach Hop, owned by a true Holden fan.
https://classiccar.co.nz/tradies-choice-2/
Ashley Webb writes, “Clint Wheeler purchased this 1962 Holden FJ Panelvan as an unfinished project, or as he says “a complete basket case”. Collected as nothing more than a bare shell, the rotisserie-mounted and primed shell travelled the length of the country from the Rangiora garage where it had sat dormant for six years to Clint’s Ruakaka workshop. “Mike, the previous owner, was awesome. He stacked the van and parts nicely. I was pretty excited to get the van up north. We cut the locks and got her out to enjoy the northland sun,” says Clint. “The panelvan also came with boxes of assorted parts, some good, some not so good, but they all helped.”
Read this online article from NZ Classic Car magazines’s 34 years of archives, just uploaded to our new look NZ Classic Car website.

Clint Wheeler purchased this 1962 Holden FJ Panelvan as an unfinished project, or as he says “a complete basket case”. Collected as nothing more than a bare shell, the rotisserie-mounted and primed shell travelled the length of the country from the Rangiora garage where it had sat dormant for si...

27/08/2024

A pair of sturdy 1970s Wolseleys grace the pages of the current issue of NZ Classic Car magazine, the September/October 2024 issue 395.
It didn’t win any prizes for beauty but the acres of space in Issigonis’s Austin 1800, and its relative toughness, helped convert the world to front wheel drive. However these upmarket Wolseley versions added power and finesse to the 1800 range.
Quinton Taylor writes “Designed in conjunction with Italian styling house Pininfarina, many critics expressed the view that perhaps Issigonis and BMC should have left the styling with Farina as they had done with successive A40, A60, and A110 models and, of course, the MGB.
Farina showed what could have been with its 1967 Aerodynamica, based on an 1800 floor pan. Often maligned and saddled with the gawky ‘Land Crab’ nickname, BMC’s no nonsense 1800 nevertheless developed into a competent international rally and endurance race competitor.”
Find a copy of this edition wherever good magazines are sold across NZ.
You can also check out the fully illustrated content rundown of this magazine on our website classiccar.co.nz and you can purchase a copy of this latest edition, books, merchandise, back issues or subscribe anytime on Classic Car magazine’s own online shop, magstore.nz

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23/08/2024

Here is an article of one of the best known cars in the local Central Muscle Cars race series, a 1970 Chevrolet Camaro known as ‘Big Red’.
This article from our archives is about the car changing hands from Invercargill racing driver and businessman Brendan Mason to fellow racer, Rob Lewis.
Big Red has quite a racing history being at one time part of the well-known northern Pinepac race team as well as competing over the ditch.
https://classiccar.co.nz/big-red-and-beyond/
Quinton Taylor writes, “They got a new engine from the States. It was completely hand-built in the States. The engine that came with the car was the latest engine that he [Dorton] built and cost over NZ$100,000. All brand new, it dynoed at 910hp [679kW]. It really is a weapon of an engine. They put the car on the dyno in Auckland before it went to Bathurst, and it was 804hp [599.5kW] at the rear wheels. It’s definitely a proven engine.”
Read this online article from NZ Classic Car magazines’s 34 years of archives, just uploaded to our new look NZ Classic Car website.

For more than a decade, Invercargill racing driver and businessman Brendan Mason has turned out for motor race meetings a lot less often than he would have liked with the 1970 Chevrolet Camaro known as ‘Big Red’. “In total I have only done 37 race meetings in 12 years, which isn’t a lot due ...

21/08/2024

Need a windscreen, rear or quarter glass for your Classic Car contact the team Hutt City Autoglass - they can install too!!!!

21/08/2024

Looking for the best Father’s Day gift? That’s easy!

A gift subscription to NZ Classic Car or The Shed magazine is the perfect present for every Kiwi dad. Head to magstore.nz to subscribe PLUS be in to win one of 10 Meguiar's car care packs worth $120

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https://magstore.nz/

18/08/2024

The new issue of NZ Classic Car magazine, the September/October 2024 issue 395, is on sale across NZ from today. This new issue includes our first FREE, huge, wall poster. Pick up a copy at your favourite magazine retailer or head to Classic Car’s own online shop, magstore.nz to purchase a copy.
You can check out the fully-illustrated content rundown for this current issue on our website, classiccar.co.nz
On magstore you can also source back issues or subscribe to a digital or print version of the magazine. We mail and deliver worldwide.

16/08/2024

Twenty or so years ago, Hybrid cars were in their infancy. Here is an article from our archives where our Motorman, Donn Anderson, took part in a fuel economy challenge around the UK. It was also a chance to pay homage to Bruce McLaren and other motorsport greats as he gently eased his Honda Hybrid around the British roads and… winning the challenge and receiving a Guinness World record for his efforts.
https://classiccar.co.nz/motorman-insight-into-the-future/
Donn tells us, “Breaking the magic 100 miles per gallon barrier, or 2.82 litres/100 kilometres, on a seven-day drive around the circumference of mainland Britain was a challenge inspired by Dr Shigeru Miyano, a Japanese medical doctor who enjoyed a special connection with New Zealand. Shigeru had initiated successful fuel economy runs in the past, but his June 2000 attempt came with a significant difference.”
Read this online article from NZ Classic Car magazines’s 34 years of archives, just uploaded to our new look NZ Classic Car website.

Breaking the magic 100 miles per gallon barrier, or 2.82 litres/100 kilometres, on a seven-day drive around the circumference of mainland Britain was a challenge inspired by Dr Shigeru Miyano, a Japanese medical doctor who enjoyed a special connection with New Zealand. Shigeru had initiated successf...

12/08/2024

The next issue of NZ Classic Car magazine, the September/October 2024 issue 395, is nearly here. Print and digital subscribers will commence receiving their copies this coming week and the magazine itself will be on sale nationwide at your favourite magazine retailer from next Monday, June 24.
From that date you will also be able to purchase a copy from our own NZ Classic Car online shop, magstore.nz
At magstore you can also source back issues or subscribe to a digital or print version of the magazine. We mail and deliver worldwide.

New Zealand's leading classic car magazine. From everyday classics to collectable modern classics

09/08/2024

The Italians just can’t help making drop dead gorgeous classic cars and here’s yet another to enjoy and one you may have missed, an Alfa Romeo Junior Zagato 1600.
This was reportedly the last design project handled by the master designer, Ugo Zagato himself. Some stunning fine lines in this reworked Alfa Junior from the man who was once an aircraft designer.
https://classiccar.co.nz/a-real-italian-espresso-alfa-romeo-junior-zagato-1600/
Terry Cobham writes, “Photos don’t do it justice; they tend to flatten the curves. Rather than being made of the flat pieces of metal the pictures suggest, this car is in fact a collection of subtle and shaped curved lines that somehow look almost straight — sort of like Twiggy was in exactly the same era. The final result is just as pretty and doesn’t weigh much more than she did.”
Read this online article from NZ Classic Car magazines’s 34 years of archives, just uploaded to our new look NZ Classic Car website.

Photos don’t do it justice; they tend to flatten the curves. Rather than being made of the flat pieces of metal the pictures suggest, this car is in fact a collection of subtle and shaped curved lines that somehow look almost straight — sort of like Twiggy was in exactly the same era. The final ...

05/08/2024

We are currently building the next issue of NZ Classic Car magazine, the September/October 2024 issue 395 and this edition will be in shops before the end of this month.
Keep an eye out for this issue as it will include a FREE huge wall poster featuring this mean-as Shelby KR thanks to sponsors Star Insurance. This poster is perfect to pin up in your garage, man cave or above the mantle in your living room!
Pick up your copy from your favourite magazine retailer or purchase from our own online classic car shop, magstore.nz where you can make sure you never miss any edition by subscribing to a print or digital version of the magazine.
We mail and deliver worldwide.

New Zealand's leading classic car magazine. From everyday classics to collectable modern classics

02/08/2024

The tale of The Chrysler Turbine Car really is quite unique in the annals of classic car history. Not only was this a bold and unique powertrain experiment, the cars were subjected to the most ambitious consumer test programme of all time – 55 cars given to 203 families to test drive and give feedback.
https://classiccar.co.nz/the-bronze-blowtorch-chryslers-ill-fated-turbine-car-programme-2/
Richard Truesdell writes, “Once selected, the individual was responsible only for gas and oil; everything else, including maintenance and insurance, was covered by Chrysler. The 203 drivers covered more than one million miles, with an average fleet fuel economy of around 13 miles per gallon —on par with contemporary mid-sized domestic two-door hardtops powered by a small block V8. In Chrysler’s case in 1963, that would have been a 318-cubic-inch V8-powered Dodge Dart or Plymouth Fury.”
Read this online article from NZ Classic Car magazines’s 34 years of archives, just uploaded to our new look NZ Classic Car website.

Chrysler’s Ghia-bodied Turbine Car, in its distinctive Turbine Bronze paint and black vinyl top, was a head-turner even before it fired up. To many, its exterior design language echoed that of Ford’s Thunderbird. This should come as no surprise given that both were guided by Elwood P Engel, who ...

02/08/2024

Porsche New Zealand celebrates as three clever kiwis reach new heights in their chosen trade.
https://classiccar.co.nz/porsche-new-zealand-celebrates-certification-of-new-porsche-classic-technicians/

Porsche New Zealand proudly announces that three of their talented technicians have successfully completed the prestigious Porsche Classic Technician training program and are now officially Certified Porsche Classic Technicians. Ricky Urry and Kai Newstead of Giltrap Porsche, along with Savannah Mou...

30/07/2024

The tale of a 1992 Westfield’s restoration is one of the articles in the current issue of NZ Classic Car magazine, the July/August 2024 issue 394. This “Westie” started life in the UK but those salted highways took their toll which meant it needed a ground up resto here in NZ. These Lotus 7 descendants are an enormous amount of fun to drive and this one has been rebuilt to better than new.
Patrick Harlow writes “This car started its life in Wales in 1992. Westfield sold their cars in a range of ways, the most popular being as a kit in a box with all the components required to assemble the car, except for the engine and transmission. This ‘Westie’ was a relatively quick build and on the road in 1993. It changed hands two or three times before Phill purchased it in September 1999, with only 4000 miles (7,000km) on the clock.”
Find a copy of this edition wherever good magazines are sold across NZ.
You can also check out the fully illustrated content rundown of this magazine on our website classiccar.co.nz and you can purchase a copy of this latest edition, books, merchandise, back issues or subscribe anytime on Classic Car magazine’s own online shop, magstore.nz

26/07/2024

Sometime ya just get lucky when you buy a classic car. Right place, right time – lucky. Malcolm Macrae from Wellington was that lucky guy in 2018, when he scored a rare and unique Shelby. A 1966 Shelby GT350 — one of the real unicorns of the car world.
https://classiccar.co.nz/almost-mythical-pony/
Vaughn Wilson writes, “Malcolm Macrae is the lucky unicorn hunter who owns our featured 1966 GT350. Malcolm also owns a 2013 Mustang GT. In the past he has owned a 1968 GT350, a 2010 Shelby GT500, and numerous other Mustangs. He saw his first Mustang as a lad when his uncle brought one in from the States, and has been smitten ever since. Now that he is on the other side of 50, Malcolm can be satisfied he has a daily driver and a weekend marauder. ”
Read this online article from NZ Classic Car magazines’s 34 years of archives, just uploaded to our new look NZ Classic Car website.

The Shelby came to our shores in 2003. It went from the original New Zealand owner to an owner in Auckland. Malcolm just happened to be in the right place with the right amount of money in 2018 and a deal was done. Since then, plenty of people have tried to buy it off him. The odometer reads 92,300....

23/07/2024

Our cover car in the current issue of NZ Classic Car magazine, the July/August 2024 issue 394, is a true Ausssie beast of a car, a 1973 Ford Falcon XA GT 351 Hardtop. Its big brash, beautiful and a concours winning car. David Chase has owned the car since 1998 and was his daily driver till the WOF guy said “too much rust in it now, so you are going to have to do something about it.”
Quinton Taylor writes “There are a couple of things you should know before we get into the nuts and bolts of this restoration. Firstly, this was David’s first car restoration and, as he admits, likely the only one, as this Ford is a keeper. Secondly, David, an electrician by trade, assembled the car himself, completing the task in around 12 months.
David tells us, “I decided if I’m going to do it once, then I’m going to do it right and I stripped it myself in my garage. I’ve never done anything like this before. I stripped it to a bare shell and then got it acid-dipped.”
Find a copy of this edition wherever good magazines are sold across NZ.
You can also check out the fully illustrated content rundown of this magazine on our website classiccar.co.nz and you can purchase a copy of this latest edition, books, merchandise, back issues or subscribe anytime on Classic Car magazine’s own online shop, magstore.nz

19/07/2024

Well our correspondent with Ford issues is back for part two of his dilemma. There may be hope for him yet though with an Es**rt teaching him that the blue oval aint all that bad, great even. Do we have a happy ending? Check out part two.
https://classiccar.co.nz/becoming-fond-of-fords-happy-times-with-escorts/
Our Ford-fearing Gerard tells us, “In part one of this Ford-flavoured trip down memory lane I recalled a sad and instructive episode when I learned my shortcomings as a car tuner, something that tainted my appreciation of Mk2 Ford Es**rt vans in particular. Prior to that I had a couple of other Ford entanglements of slightly more redeeming merit. There were two Mk1 Es**rts I had got my hands on: a 1972 1300 XL belonging to my father and a later, end-of-line, English-assembled 1974 1100, which my partner and I bought from Panmure Motors Ford in Auckland in 1980. Both those cars were the high water mark of my relationship with the Ford Motor Co.”
Read this online article from NZ Classic Car magazines’s 34 years of archives, just uploaded to our new look NZ Classic Car website.

In part one of this Ford-flavoured trip down memory lane I recalled a sad and instructive episode when I learned my shortcomings as a car tuner, something that tainted my appreciation of Mk2 Ford Es**rt vans in particular. Prior to that I had a couple of other Ford entanglements of slightly more red...