NZV8 No 209 October 2022

What inspired you to have the automotive preferences you do? That vision is usually shaped by your youth, the people you grew up with, the cars your friends owned, or even the motoring members of your family. For as long as I can remember, I can always picture the garages of whichever house we were living in at the time. I would see my father after work at dinner time, and the rest of the time, if I wanted to see him, I’d find him in the shed, spinning spanners and swapping stories with his buddies. He was not the type of father who would sit down and help me with my homework — he taught me how to change a tyre or do an oil change, among other skills I…

Pukekohe Park, the current home of the Supercars New Zealand round, and in some opinions the home of motor racing in New Zealand, has announced that it will cease hosting motorsport events in 2023. The news sees the end of 60 years of motorsport at the venue come to an end on 2 April 2023. Auckland Thoroughbred Racing (ATR) now owns the facility, which is centred on a horse racing precinct, following a merger with Counties Racing Club in 2021. ATR has announced that it will discontinue its motorsport endeavours after this year in order to focus on thoroughbred racing. It suggests that this year’s ITM Auckland SuperSprint round of the Supercars Championship (9-11 September) may be the last to be held at Pukekohe Park Raceway. Pukekohe and its surrounding…

GM President Mark Reuss told CNBC in April that a battery-electric Chevrolet Corvette is on the way. “We will offer electrified and fully electric Corvettes in the future, in addition to the spectacular new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and various gas-powered versions. An electrified Corvette will be ready as soon as next year. Details and identities will be revealed later.” The big question right now is when. According to Muscle Cars & Trucks, a battery-only Corvette will not be available during the current C8 generation because the Y2 chassis may require too much tinkering for an optimal conversion. MCT, on the other hand, believes that “the C9 Corvette EV feels more or less inevitable”. The site also believes that electrification would contribute to the growth of the Corvette brand, which has…

Ford is adamant about continuing its Bronco blitz despite ongoing inventory and supply chain shortages. The Bronco Raptor may be the star of 2023, but it won’t be the only iteration of the Blue Oval’s revived 4x4 nameplate to make its debut for the new model year. One of the newcomers will be recognisable to fans of the vintage Bronco. It is known as the Heritage Edition and is heavily influenced by the original 1966 model, right down to the ‘Ford’ script on the Bronco’s Oxford White grille (it is also available in a fancier Heritage Limited variant, limited to just 1966 units per model). The Bronco Sport joins in the fun as well, albeit a little less overtly, by adopting retro paint colours (Robin’s Egg Blue, anyone?) and more…

The Knights of New Zealand, avid fans of Knight Rider and keen to see the KITT legend live on, will once again be on tour. The last tour held in Wellington in 2020 was a huge hit with all the fans of the TV series, and in celebration of 40 years of Knight Rider, the Trio will take to the Auckland Sky Tower, where they will be on display from 23-28 September. The Trio — Scott ‘the Huff’ Harvey, Steven ‘Muscles’ Sykes, and Greg ‘the Historian’ Hackett — say they are there for an amazing display and to keep the legend alive, also raising awareness and fundraise for a charity they admire, the Child Cancer Foundation (CCF). The Knights mention that they are working hard to bring back the original…

While some racers are still stuck in the past dwelling on the NZDRA/IHRA split that took place a decade ago, IHRA NZ recently announced that there’s another change afoot, although unlikely to result in wholesale changes for racers. A press release from IHRA states ADRL Pty Ltd has completed a purchase of the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) New Zealand from IRG Sports + Entertainment (IRGSE). ADRL, as many will know, is the Australian Drag Racing League and has been responsible for shaking up the Australian drag racing scene. While clearly this is a business decision for all parties, the IHRA NZ Board remains unchanged, so it should be business as usual for racers, spectators, and track volunteers. ADRL is headed up by Maurice Allen who has previously served as managing…