NZ Performance Car No 294 February - March 2022

It has been a hard couple of years for us car enthusiasts, with Covid-19 dictating when and how we can congregate and enjoy our performance car passions here in New Zealand. With a huge amount of us in Auckland, not even able to leave the house, and the rest of the country not in a position to have gatherings, there certainly have been limitations on us. However, the online car community has been flourishing. I have seen more and more people taking to creating their own car content than ever, whether that be on an online social video platform like TikTok or Instagram Reels or somewhere like YouTube. It seems that there’s no stopping our passion for expressing ourselves as car enthusiasts — normally done at the track or a hardpark-style…

When I found out I was going to be Hero Contributor of this month’s magazine, I was absolutely ecstatic. It’s a massive honour to be recognised in such an incredible magazine with such talented people. I’ve always had a passion for photography and picked up my first proper camera just over a year and a half ago. When my interest in photography met my passion for cars, I realised it was something I had to keep doing. I specialise in combining cars with the landscapes they deserve. To me, creating content is about showcasing the experience of the vehicle and creating a lasting memory for the owner to keep and share with friends. For this issue, it was no exception. When the editor, René, approached me with an opportunity to feature…

Kiwi rally ace Emma Gilmour has shown the world that Kiwis can fly after her appointment to McLaren’s Extreme E team for 2022. McLaren’s latest driver signing is all the more special with Emma making world motorsport history by becoming their first female factory driver. “To be their first female driver … It gives me goosebumps,” said Gilmour. That’s because the British-based team has largely stuck to circuit racing, primarily Formula 1, throughout their past. They have won 12 F1 Drivers’ titles and eight Constructors’ Championships, making them the second most successful team in F1 history. McLaren is the latest team to join the Extreme E series, raising awareness of climate change, participating in Extreme E’s robust legacy programmes, and engaging its fans around the world to take climate action. The series…

The only show worth watching on TV (yes, we’re very biased) has made a return for season 9, taking up residence on CRC Motorsport on Three once again. As always, we’ll be beaming an in-depth look at the finest hot rod, street machines, and muscle cars on our shores, while also getting to know those talented Kiwis and characters behind the scenes. The show will run for 10 weeks and will also be hosted on our YouTube channel so you can watch it any time, anywhere. We’d also like to thank all our very supportive sponsors of the show — Repco, Meguiar’s, Rislone, and Mount Shop. We could not do it without them.…

The iconic Repco Classic Car & Hot Rod Festival nestled in the heart of Kumeu, one of the only events left standing this summer (at the time of going to print), is forging ahead with their plans to host a massive summer festival at the Kumeu Showgrounds. The 28th running will be held on 14-16 January 2022, and it will be as big as ever, with an expected 3500 cars and 100 bikes bringing around 25,000 people to the show, which now occupies the entire 16ha showgrounds site to capacity. More than 350 swap sites, 120 trade stands, and 25 food and drink vendors will fill the paddocks surrounding the main drawcard — the invitation-only show hall, where new cars will be unveiled and some old favourites showcased yet again. However,…

Toyota is just out there droppin’ bombs lately. We’ve all seen the new GR86, powered by a 2400cc flat-four, but what you haven’t seen is Toyota’s latest drag-racing masterpiece — a comically silhouetted GR Supra for the upcoming NHRA Funny Car class. For nearly a decade, Toyota has campaigned a Toyota Camry in this particular class, so no doubt it is chomping at the bit to be running a proper sports car-based body. Although hardly anything like the original A90 GR Supra, the funny car shares sticker-based designs to imitate it. As you’ve probably guessed, this Supra shares nothing with the actual road car, besides the badging. It’s a carbon tilting body, atop a custom tube frame chassis built to take the onslaught of the 10,000-11,000hp, 8200cc supercharged V8 engine the class…