NZV8 No 201 February 2022

I can vividly remember the first time I clocked over 200 (kph that is), my uncle driving a notchback Mustang as we blasted down the Taupo-Napier highway, the quarter glass whistling away like crazy. It felt like we were flying — and knowing what I know now about how lacklustre their suspension is in stock form, we probably were. As a young lad I thought we’d set the damn land speed record that day, and I’m sure I bragged about it for weeks on end. It’s a magic number 200, and when you put mph after it, it becomes the stuff of dreams — dreams many devote their lives to. In drag racing and land speed circles, it’s the holy grail, both with their own elite clubs hats and T-shirts…

The only show worth watching on TV (yes we’re very biased) is now nearing the halfway point of season 9, airing on CRC Motorsport once again. Like always, the show takes 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. Don’t have spare time on a Sunday arvo to put your legs up? Don’t stress as the show is also 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 latest in the Batman franchise drops in early 2022, and the dark crusader has finally got himself a muscle car. Although the exact identity of the base car isn’t clear, it’s 100 percent ’70s muscle, with elements from Chargers and Camaros evident. So far only teasers, including a Lego version, have been unveiled to the public, but the glimpses in the trailer of a rear engineered V10 power machine duking it out with the Penguin, and jumping through fire with suspension travel befitting the Baja 1000, were enough to capture our attention. The film, which is directed by Matt Reeves, focuses on the early years of Batman. The concept is said to represent something more like Bruce Wayne could have purchased and modified himself, which is why it would…

It’s been a big year for the LVVTA, first unveiling the new digital cert tag system, and now the announcement they have just signed a deal to manage the repair certification process. The two systems will be run independently of each other, with LVVTA establishing a new company, Specialist Certification Management [Repair] Ltd, which will oversee the repair certification process, and implement the template that LVVTA has developed for the low-volume certification process. “We’re really excited about having the opportunity to use a lot of the very specialised processes we’ve developed and learnt over the past three decades to make another part of the vehicle certification system a better place to be — for the repair certifiers, the industry, and the members of the public who use the system,” said Tony…

One of the only events left standing this summer (at the time of print) — the iconic Repco Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival at Kumeu — is forging ahead with plans to yet again host a massive summer festival at the Kumeu Showgrounds. Should Auckland shift to Orange (or Green) under the new Covid framework, the 27th running will be held on 14–16 January 2022, with no cap on attendees. Under red it will not be able to take place. So if a shift to Orange is announced, it will be as big as ever, with anyone attending required under law to present their vaccine passport at the gate. An expected 3500 cars and 100 bikes will attract around 25,000 people to the show, which now occupies the entire…

Although the biggest race of the year might not have gone the way Shane Van Gisbergen would have liked, the Kiwi can walk away from the Covid-affected 2021 Repco Supercars season having earned his second championship (his first was back in 2016) thanks to a dominant showing, winning 42 percent of the season’s races — that’s 14 of a possible 30. The Red Bull Ampol driver kicked off the season with six straight wins, despite driving with a broken collar bone and six broken ribs at the time. Taking pole 11 times, and securing the championship with one race in the bag, SVG ended the season 211 points clear of his nearest rival and team mate Jamie Whincup, and was set to podium at Bathurst until a puncture in the…