NZ Hot Rod April 2023

IMMEDIATELY following the recent disaster at Napier, I visited my elderly Aunty to check if she was ok. She lives alone and was hunkered down in her home, which was fortunately not affected by the Cyclone. However, she commented, “We've had a major flood, immediately followed by an earthquake – I keep looking outside in case there is a plague of locusts coming! Do you think God is trying to judge us?”. Of course, that's not the reason for recent events in Auckland, Gisborne and Hawkes Bay (and Nelson before that). Still, I can understand how people are searching to make sense of unprecedented havoc with the weather in multiple parts of the country simultaneously. Personally, I don't ascribe to global warming theory per se, but I do acknowledge climate change. Our…

Honoured HEY PAUL. I just got a glimpse of the feature in the magazine from the CHRR. We are so honoured and blessed to be part of the article. I would love to get some copies of the magazine. Let me know the best way to make this happen. I am more than happy to pay for each magazine and the shipping as well. Also, you and your friends always have a place to stay and hang out if you guys make it back to Bakersfield. Our race shop/home is always open. Thanks again, Gabe Wood. Paul Sattler from Tauranga spent Saturday crewing for a fellow competitor back when he was racing in the NE1 division. Gabe Wood from Bakersfield was short of a crew chief, so Paul offered to help him get…

Kiwi Hot Rod History SEEN for the first time since Autorama at the Kustom's Hot Rod Breakfast Stephen Stafford's Mk1 Zephyr fastback. Gus Burke performed the original metalwork, and the second-round restoration was by his son Jason Burke at Burke's Metalworks. From Craig Stare. ” The most common substance in the universe is stupidity.” Frank Zappa Radical WHO needs a V8 or windows when you cut a profile as cool as this? This is a pretty hot running lil’ 4 banger at the RPM Drags. From Squeak. Quad turbo, Injected & Intercooled THE terms blown and injected are common parlance among hot rodders, especially those with a penchant for maximum thrust, so to speak. The fastest Ford flathead V8 in NZ is undoubtedly the blown, injected, and muchmodified engine in the Hogan-Martin-Rea ‘34 Ford roadster salt car. However,…

Brought to you by For all GM restoration supplies. Spotted A KIWI hot rodder spotted this ‘51 Jaguar XK120 OTS (Open Top Sportscar) on Craigslist during COVID. It was located in northern Montana, close to the Canadian border. After some preliminary checking, it was purchased, then picked up by Duane and shipped to NZ via Kiwi Shipping. It'd been painted British Racing Green 20 years ago from its original blue but never fully reassembled. After a couple of hours of prep by the owner, the car was running again and now runs like a clock, likely thanks to its low 48,000 miles. The LHD has been changed to RHD for safety on our roads, and we suspect it's a perfect candidate for an LS3 engine swap. Classic A FACTORY straight eight engine originally powered this…

JOHN Fearn is a patient man. He had to be because it took him 16 years to build this 1932 Ford 3-window coupe in his hometown Wanganui. His wife Debbie was even more patient, as it seemed a long, drawnout build. Before, during and after the 32 build, was the pleasure of raising six children. Now it's finished, and the last headcount was 12 grandchildren to add to the Fearn household as well as the ‘32 coupe. A big influence on his love for cars goes back to his early teens and his father owning several ‘50s and ‘60s Chevrolets. At the age of 18, he purchased his first American-bodied car, a 1965 Impala, which was often seen with a bunch of mates in it on Friday nights cruising the main street…

THERE'S something appealing about small-town car shows, whether the whole population seems to have an organisational role or you are always surprised who winkles their pride and joy out for a cruise through the sunny southern countryside. Otautau, in Western Southland, is blessed with a particularly lovely venue, Holt Park, which is sheltered from most prevailing winds by a hill and surrounding trees. A good number of varied exhibits, food and merch stalls, and a great live covers band combined with a hot, sunny day made for an excellent family day out. All funds raised are to remain within the local community.…