NZ Hot Rod

Milestones THIS month's magazine cover is a first for us and makes a dramatic statement in favour of Greg and Diane Haliday's 1941 Willys Americar Coupe. It's dramatic because we decided to feature two photos of the same car on the cover. I took that decision as a sign and show of support for the owners and the team of Kiwis who transformed the car from an import to a world-class show ‘n go street rod. That team deserves mention here, and we're proud to say one of our article contributors and photographers, John Daley project managed the build over many years and hats off and a massive shout out to Dan Tyler and his team at Rocket Speed in Hamilton, who brought the car to its completion. Greg's Willys was…

Where is it now? HI PAUL & LIZ. Seeing the results of my Familiaral Art 4-part feature kicking off in the November ’21 issue portraying the talents of the Campbell brothers was indeed a treat. Extracting information out of those two guys is/was as entertaining as well as educational. I was recently talking with Owen, and we were reminiscing about a madcap trip we made along with equally madcap Canadian Bob Smith in the mid-1980s. We went from Auckland to Wellington to purchase a rare 1963 Fairlane Compact Ranchwagon. Bob Smith worked for an Otahuhubased car dealership selling mainly USA-origin vehicles, and they loaned a LHD Chevy El Camino ute and tandem trailer. We took the western route around Lake Taupo rather than the longer State Hwy 1 and came across a…

The Walk of Fame SEVERAL readers enquired about the story published on Kiwi hot rod trailblazer and drag racing pioneer Grahame Berry's Walk of Fame sign in his local town, Upper Hutt. Here's a close-up of the sign and the text below for clarity. Grahame Berry Hot Rod Trailblazer In 1984 Grahame Berry of Grahame Berry Race Cars helped make the first Cobra replica in a garage in Upper Hutt. The car was designed using photographs and a copy of the book ‘Shelby's Wildlife” by Wally Wyss and was the prototype of its owner Alex McDonald of Almac Cars. McDonald enlisted Grahame Berry Race Cars to create the chassis and build the Cobra using McDonald's fibreglass body kit. The first car was shown at the 1984 National Hot Rod Show, resulting in 17…

The T-Bird's youngest member! “The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” Model 40 Meet IF YOU own a 1933 or 1934 Ford, you'll want to be a part of the Model 40 Convention to be held March 8-10 next year. Celebrating 90 years of this beautiful model Ford, the event is open to modified and original examples but is limited to 100 entries. Having hosted past Hot Rod Nationals and Deuce Days, the venue at Solway Park at Masterton is perfect for this sort of event. Trust House & JRI Insurance have come on board as major sponsors, and registration is open now. For more information, follow the event on the 1933/34 Ford New Zealand Facebook page. Expressions of interest and requests for registration form to…

Brought to you by For all GM restoration supplies. A Late Great Chevy POPULAR Chevrolets from the ‘50s revolve around the Tri-Fives but hold that bus because the ’59 year Chevrolets and Buicks and even Cadillacs had superior exterior styling and stunning interior designs. This one is a ’59 Impala 2-door hardtop which came new from the factory with the 348ci “W” motor backed by a 3-speed manual trans. Since then, it's been changed to an automatic but remains in very original condition. That fact wasn't missed by Chris Hornblow, who's long hankered for one of these and is now working towards making it roadworthy again in pristine condition. Curved Louvres LOCAL Kiwitown Cruisers members Tony & Dawn Roberts just landed this beautiful 1933 Ford Tudor Sedan from the States a week before the Kiwitown…

AS most car enthusiasts know, General Motors’ high-end’ marque was the Cadillac. Their main opposition was the Ford Motor Company, and they also had their opulent brand for the “rich and famous”; this was the Lincoln, and these cars made their mark in the late 1920s. The Lincoln Zephyr production ran from 1936 until 1942. They were bridging the gap between the Ford V8 Deluxe and the Lincoln Model K (in both size and price). In 1942 the line was dropped, and the new Continental was introduced. Only a handful of Lincoln Zephyrs, which had a factory VI2 flathead engine, were imported into New Zealand, with the majority being 4-door sedans. The worldwide production figures on the threewindow coupe was a mere 2,500 units; however, Garth Hogan still has his dad's…