NZ Performance Car

1948 Repco supplies parts for the very first Australian-made car, the Holden 48-215 which rolled off the production line at the state-of-the-art Fishermans Bend plant near Melbourne. Quality Repco components that underpinned early Holdens included piston gudgeon pins and rings, propeller shafts, starter ring gears, plain main bearings and bushes, brake cables, exhaust gaskets and clutch assemblies just to name a few! 1959 Repco launches their first fully designed and built futuristic sports model car the ‘Repco Record’. With a top speed of 120 mph it was only ever used as a test car, but gained worldwide notoriety thanks to cameo in the 1959 Hollywood film ‘On the Beach’. 1967 Kiwi Denny Hulme won the Formula 1 World Championship in a Repco-Brabham. Between his debut at Monaco in 1965 and his final race in the…

I know my friends and family are all getting sick of me buying and selling cars, so I don’t bother telling them much about that topic these days. However, I know you’re all well versed in buying and selling modified cars on marketplace, or Trade Me, and in the past year, you’ve no doubt owned at least a couple of cars — so here I am, telling you lot instead. I feel like it has been a long road on the vehicle front lately. I built the Altezza which I absolutely loved, with the ITB 3SGE engine that sang all the way past 8500rpm, and handling that would leave most for dead at my local circuit. I have built Subarus recently (because they’re brilliant), and even tried my hand at…

Generally, us photographers are a reclusive bunch. Generally, we prefer to lurk behind the lens, letting the pictures do our talking — at least I do. So, to be front and centre like this is a wee bit weird (not to mention slightly uncomfortable) for me, to say the least. But what a time to be chosen! Three hundred issues of home-grown Kiwi car-porn (those who are a bit older will remember the tag line!) Think about that — that’s over 26 years now that this rag’s been going strong, showing off everything from boned RX-3s on modgies to R35 GT-Rs packing billet everything. Hats off to the editors, contributors, car builders, and even advertisers who’ve allowed this to sustain itself for so long. NZPC has become a bible of sorts…

40PSI James and the JT Performance team were always in line to run a quick pass and with the car to spec, a slipping clutch fixed, and sporting a cage, it was a case of when not if the number would be run. It felt pretty nostalgic to hear that unmistakable big-power RB sound building on the line and when James got it off the line, many knew the number was coming, laying down an 8.8-second pass at 163mph. LOROTA We recently ran an update on Steve Ellicott’s Lorota RX-3 wagon and he was among the standouts at the recent 4&Rotary Nationals drag racing, going 8.92-seconds to reset his PB and be one step closer to the team’s goal time. Saying there is still more in it, Steve managed to then run an…

As you’ll see covered in this issue, a 2022 learning for organisers was that people like to be able to come to the event and decide to race if they feel like it, so that’s what 2023 will be based on — no pre-registrations. Simply turn up and pay your spectator fee and then once you’re inside, if you want to race then you pay an extra fee and go through scrutineering with your helmet, etc. Simple and quick, and no complications with transfers of entries for unfinished/broken cars. The event will stick to its twilight format and follow the ultimate track day on Sunday, 29 January, so that gives people an option for a very full day of on-track action. And as we saw in 2022, a hot day plus…

Made up of a team of passionate performance car enthusiasts with over 25 years of experience in performance car builds and modifications, NSTParts is reimagining performance parts supply here in New Zealand. It can be an absolute nightmare being situated where we are in the world — when it comes to accessing parts stock, sound advice, industry experience, and getting an intuitive buying experience, it can all be lacking at times. NSTParts have made a name for itself in recent years, providing not only enthusiasts with quality parts and connecting them with their favourite performance brands from around the globe, but also offering support, parts supply, and stock for the performance trade industry here in New Zealand so the automotive scene can flourish. Having experienced the frustrations first hand and gathering…