NZV8 No 203 April 2022

Ever since moving to the big bad city for work, I’ve been hamstrung by shed space. I love a good project and having space to do it has always been high on my priority list. I’ve painted cars in some of our rentals, even had a shell soda blasted at one, which I’d never recommend anyone does. Frame-off jobs, engine swaps, airbag installs, and complete race car builds — I’ve done it all in small suburban garages (much like many of you). Basically it’s the type of stuff no domestic two-car garage is ideally suited to, but you gotta do what ya gotta do, right?! During that time I’ve been fortunate enough to have also had some great spaces to do it in – an inner-city live-in workshop, and even the…

America is getting back to normal, and that means shows are returning to the calendar, including a return for the crème de la crème of hot rod shows, the Grand National Roadster Show, which takes place in Panoma, California, each year and awards the most coveted awards in the industry. Taking out America’s Most Beautiful Hot Rod award for 2022, which is a trophy that stands no less than 9.5 feet (2.9m) tall was Jeff Breault and his innovative ’34 Chev built by the team atDevlin Rod and Customs in Wichita. The car is a very rare (one of only 31) Holden-built Chev, and was purchased in bone stock condition some 10 years ago. Eight years ago the goal was set to build it to win the AMBR award, and…

All good things must come to an end, and with GM moving on to other platforms, it was inevitable the LS7 was bound to eventually have its retirement card pulled. First offered in the C6 Corvette Z06 and later the fifth-generation Camaro Z/28, the 7.0 litre 505 hp LS experienced a huge following in the aftermarket and was utilised in racing applications the world over, including our very own Supertourers. Similar to the powerhouse LT5, which was axed last year, the LS7 stock is now on run out and is already unavailable in many places. It would seem that the LS3 is the last LS-based crate available, although we’ve been told stock is non-existent here in New Zealand, and in the US it’s a four-month backlog of orders being filled,…

As we’re sure 99.9 percent of you are aware, the iconic Bathurst 1000 is held on public roads around Mt Panorama. So when reports of a green Falcon flying over the mountain were made to the police, they took it seriously. To make matters worse the Falcon, an XY (possible GT), had no plates and was clocked down Conrod at 125km (the speed limit is 60). It was also witnessed crossing the centreline, presumably to run the racing line. Pulling the driver over it was soon found he had no licence, and being clocked at over two times the legal limit the car was instantly impounded. The wanna-be racer is now facing upwards of AU$7000 in fines and 12 months (or more) in prison for his unlicensed racing antics. The…

The longest-running rivalry in Australian motoring is set to hit the big screen. WildBear Entertainment, the same crowd responsible for the Brock Over the Top doco, is in the final stages of production. This new feature-length movie is narrated by comedian and actor Shane Jacobson and features archival footage spliced in with for-the-film interviews from the likes of Dick Johnson telling thestory of a rivalry that has spanned 60 years, and played out on race tracks both here and Australia. A release date of April has been announced for Australian cinemas, but no word as of yet if it will hit the big screens here. If it does, we will be sure to be the first to let you all know, so you can don your favourite vintage supporter’s jacket…

With Gen3’s introduction now well and truly on our doorstep, the most contentious car spec — the gear shifting mechanism — has been set in stone. Would they ditch the stick and go paddle shift or stay true to their roots? The current stick shift requires mastering the special driving technique of heel/toe downshifts, something that sets the series apart from other international race series. Because of this, plenty of racers and fans alike were very vocal in support of keeping it. “We have always celebrated the difficulty that comes with driving a Supercar. The shifting of gears has become part of the artform required to succeed in our category,” Supercars’ CEO Shane Howard said. During Gen3 testing, both systems were fitted to the six-speed Xtrac transaxle before the decision…