NZ Performance Car No 295 April - May 2022

Destination and event chosen, flights booked, camera gear arranged and charged. Airport shuttle confirmed, parking paid, boarding commenced. Seat allocated, bags stowed, seat belt clicked — adventure mode engaged. Ah, automotive adventure abroad — remember that? There’s a crushing realisation of the time that is now for us curious car enthusiasts and the time when we could lock in an international event, crossing the deep blue sea in a rivet-heavy bird seeking high-octane hysteria. World Time Attack, Tokyo Auto Salon, Sema, Formula Drift, and so many other high-level automotive events the world over are missing out on having us Kiwis in their grandstands or in their halls. That is, of course, if those events haven’t been cancelled — or even worse, gone under. I have been thinking a lot during the Christmas…

Howdy! It is very cool to be this month’s Hero Contributor. My NZPC journey began 147 issues ago in 2009, while I was based in Japan. I was asked to do a monthly column, and that pushed me to explore the Japanese automotive scene and travel around Japan chasing cool people and cars to document. Some of you may remember my ramblings and adventures through ‘Tuning Japanese’, which was a total blast to produce. In many ways the pressure to have something photographed and written about every month was the real catalyst behind getting the chance to experience all the amazing cars, workshops, and iconic places spread all over Japan. It allowed me to gain lifelong friends such as Nakai-san, Miurasan, and Kato-san, to name a few. The real icing on the…

With COVID-19 restrictions limiting shenanigans, ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett has been hanging around New Zealand, keeping us all entertained with numerous events, rides, and social media content. However, this year there’s big things on the cards, with Mike heading over to the USA in June — his first time back since 2016. It’s no drift event this time, but he will indeed be sideways at times, as the race he’ll be contesting is the 19.99km-long, 4302m-tall Pikes Peak Hill Climb, which will be celebrating its 100th anniversary. According to Mike, the event will have plenty of well-known motorsport celebrities, along with a few other Kiwi drivers, such as the Millens. Mike will be unveiling his all-new Mazda 3, which is going to be packing a 26B quad-rotor, with twinturbos, specifically built…

Nineteen per cent stiffer, lower, longer and VTEC turbo — the all-new Honda Civic is here in New Zealand and, according to Honda themselves, is the “most fun-to-drive Civic hatch ever”. There’s nothing quite like a Honda Civic hatch and we’ve been modifying them here in New Zealand ever since they’ve been available. Their engines and chassis lend themselves to modification, as out of the box, they’re a naturally sporty platform. Gone are the B16A, 1600cc screamer days, as they have now been replaced with a new series of engine, and in this instance, a 1.5-litre, 16-valve turbocharged VTEC engine that produces 131kW at 6000rpm and 240Nm of torque. To put the torque into perspective, compared with an older generation Honda 1500cc D15B engine it’s a staggering 110Nm more torque…

IF YOU HAVE AN EVENT THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SEE IN THE GIG GUIDE, EMAIL EDITOR@PERFORMANCECAR.CO.NZ WITH ALL THE DETAILS DUE TO COVID-19 ALERT LEVEL FLUCTUATIONS, ALL EVENT INFORMATION IS CORRECT AT THE TIME OF PRINTING BUT MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE Like many events, the annual 4&Rotary Nationals were impacted this year, being hit in what was essentially event week by setting changes. This has given event organisers Alan and Pare Togia of Downtime Entertainment the chance for a bit of reflection and review, making a decision that has many in the community excited with a move back to Labour weekend in October. The format for 2022 will see drag racing and a track day form the core of the event, with an inside show just not being practical to plan…

Normally at this time of year, this section is full of all the happenings around the country. It is, after all, the peak of the summer event and motorsport season and many of us would have been gearing up for 4&Rotary Nationals, the new D1NZ season, REunion, and a whole host of other events run at both national and club level around the country. One thing we know from talking to event organisers is just how hard they all worked, and keep working, in the background to bring these events to us, which are months, and in some cases even years, of brand build. No option was left unexplored and we know how devastated many of you are. So, from us here at NZPC, we just wanted to take the chance…