Cars & Motorcycles
NZ Classic Car
No 360 December 2020New Zealand’s longest running classic car magazine – celebrated its 300th edition in January 2016, an amazing achievement for a publication which began as a simple idea to put local classic car owners in touch with event organisers, car clubs and trade professionals. NZ Classic Car has been a vital part of the local motoring scene for more than 25 years and features unique and extensive classic motoring coverage. NZCC’s enthusiastic and passionate writers cover the length and breadth of the country ensuring extensive classic motoring coverage. Our coverage of New Zealand’s motoring heritage remains unrivalled, especially in the field of motorsport history, plus we include stunning photography, authoritative features and event reports from throughout the country.
in this issue
new breed
If there’s one domain that New Zealand excels in, it’s sport. Our small nation has produced an abundance of noteworthy athletes across various disciplines, from rugby union — no surprise there — rugby league, cricket, and netball to America’s Cup sailing and a host of Olympic sports, and it’s fair to say it punches well above its weight in motor racing. Over the decades New Zealand motor sport fans have enjoyed the success of many exceptionally talented race car drivers. It’s easy to recall the 1960s and ’70s, when Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme, and Chris Amon were at the pinnacle of their careers competing in Formula 1 (F1) — the golden age of New Zealand motor racing. Nor will we forget the achievements of Kiwi drivers such as Howden Ganley, who…
the one and only
For most car-conscious folk of a certain age, the sight of a whale tail still has its own magic. No mere spoilers, these excessive peacock-fan displays signal a car with too much power to be held on the road by the weak fundamental force of gravity. Porsche 930 turbos needed them to correct the wrong-headedness of having all that power thrusting from behind the rear wheels, and Sierra Cosworths also needed them for genuine road-holding reasons. When Ford launched the bravely rounded Sierra in 1982 to replace the boxy Cortina, its blobby shape and expressionless face weren’t universally loved. It was most-often likened to a jelly mould. It was fundamentally a better, more modern car than the Cortina but run-out deals on the Cortina kept sales low in the UK. It sold…
rare rotaries gather in the south
When Incercargill’s Transport World’s Japanese car exhibition was being planned, a Dunedin businessman and his partner readily accepted the invitation to display their rare and special Mazda RX-3 SP. The car, which had recently arrived from Florida, USA is is a lefthand drive model and one of only 1606 SP models built by Mazda. Fresh from a substantial tidy-up and respray in its original Mazda Impulse Blue colour at Cory Wilson’s Retro Automotive Mazda restorations in Dunedin, it is now only the second SP in the country. DISPLAY TRIAL RUN The owners want to remain anonymous at this stage but they are keen to set up a permanent Mazda display in Dunedin as a drawcard for visitors to that city. “We are keen to involve the Dunedin City Council, who could perhaps…
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goodbye pork pie the little yellow mini lives on
The year 1981 was a significant one for New Zealand. For the fans of rugby, there was the Springbok Tour. For the fans of activism, protest marches, and batonwielding there was the Springbok Tour. For the fans of the Royals, there was the wedding of Charles and Diana. And for the rarely nourished fans of goodtime New Zealand cinema, there was Goodbye Pork Pie. Goodbye Pork Pie was written by Ian Mune and Geoff Murphy. Geoff, who passed away in 2018, also directed the movie. It was made on a shoestring budget in late 1979 in largely chronological order, following the action from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island. It had just 24 actors. The film was a massive hit and kickstarted a rash of…
it’ll be suite
Supporting the local community has come into focus for many small businesses navigating the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic. One Southland couple has made that a priority in charting the survival of their classic business. Invercargill couple Brenda ‘Bren’ Mathers and Scott Flynn have met the challenge of economic restrictions, and a significant move turned out to be a great solution not only for their Suite Southern Designs upholstery and auto trim business but also for level 3 apprentice Bronwen Coe, as Bren explains: “Our apprentice is staying on board with us. It’s the reason we shut our workshop and moved back home to set up business in our garage. Not having to pay the lease where we were enabled us to keep her on. We wouldn’t have been able to…
