Table of contents for No 300 February - March 2023 in NZ Performance Car

1948 Repco supplies parts for the very first Australian-made car, the Holden 48-215 which rolled off the production line at the state-of-the-art Fishermans Bend plant near Melbourne. Quality Repco components that underpinned early Holdens included piston gudgeon pins and rings, propeller shafts, starter ring gears, plain main bearings and bushes, brake cables, exhaust gaskets and clutch assemblies just to name a few! 1959 Repco launches their first fully designed and built futuristic sports model car the ‘Repco Record’. With a top speed of 120 mph it was only ever used as a test car, but gained worldwide notoriety thanks to cameo in the 1959 Hollywood film ‘On the Beach’. 1967 Kiwi Denny Hulme won the Formula 1 World Championship in a Repco-Brabham. Between his debut at Monaco in 1965 and…

40PSI James and the JT Performance team were always in line to run a quick pass and with the car to spec, a slipping clutch fixed, and sporting a cage, it was a case of when not if the number would be run. It felt pretty nostalgic to hear that unmistakable big-power RB sound building on the line and when James got it off the line, many knew the number was coming, laying down an 8.8-second pass at 163mph. LOROTA We recently ran an update on Steve Ellicott’s Lorota RX-3 wagon and he was among the standouts at the recent 4&Rotary Nationals drag racing, going 8.92-seconds to reset his PB and be one step closer to the team’s goal time. Saying there is still more in it, Steve managed to…

Last year’s series runner up, young gun Clayton Dalley, has set himself up as a real contender for the MSC challenge for 2022 being held at Meremere Drift Park over four rounds. MSC is a little different in that it is limited to 16 entrants, so everyone moves on to battles. Qualifying in P8, the Reid & Harrison Performance-backed machine of Dalley sat mid-pack in the 16-car field as things started to heat up, with a strong performance from first-time competitor Luke ‘Drift Jesus’ Dunlop, securing him the number one qualifier spot over pre-event favourite Jordan Joyce, and the rapidly improving Jake ‘Parsnip’ Fastnedge. Dalley came to life in battles, and had clearly had angry pills in his Weet-bix, with each chase run being strong and in close proximity while…

It’s the Nats, bro; you know you have to come out swinging so you just chase extra hp or any extra grip you can find.” To me, that perfectly sums up what the event has become. It’s a pinnacle event, a bucket lister you want to win, an event where tales of glory or a big scalp you claimed carry just that much more cred over BBQs and brews as we head into the summer months. Leading up to events, I often read comments of longing for bigger fields and crammed banks, and I get it, I really do, but I think it is now unrealistic and it’s not actually the event promoter that controls this; rather, it’s the punters themselves. Be honest, anyone with even the faintest competitive streak…

PERFORMANCE POWER: 470kW (low boost) 495kW (high boost) BOOST: 18psi and 24psi FUEL TYPE: NPD 100 octane TUNER: Glen Suckling at GDS Automotive What would you build if we tasked you with creating the ultimate R-chassis? Some would go down the more modern R34 Z-Tune route, a big-single R32 dragster, or even a face-tearing, 2000hp-plus R35 GT-R build. But, for the true, old-school Nissan and Nissan Motorsport heritage fans among us, you’d probably dream up something that Gwen had, at 36 years of age and eager to complete what was to him a dream build. There aren’t many colours more iconic than Nissan’s Midnight Purple, and there aren’t too many badges, trinkets, and logos as familiar and as nostalgic as the ‘old logo’ Nismo badge. It’s as if what Gwen…

HEART ENGINE: Mazda BP 1800cc four-cylinder BLOCK: Forged rods, Wiseco forged pistons HEAD: Horsepower Heads custom port work and camshafts INTAKE: Skunk2 (modified) EXHAUST: Custom Auto Care V-band manifold TURBO: Garrett GTX2863R Gen I WASTEGATE: 40mm Turbosmart CompGate BOV: 50mm TiAL Q FUEL: Custom fabricated baffled tank, Holley Red lift pump, fabricated surge tank, Bosch 044 main pump, twin filters, -8 PTFE fuel lines throughout, 1000cc Bosch injectors, Radium fuel rail IGNITION: VAG coil conversion ECU: Link G4+, PDM15 COOLING: RX-7 Fenix radiator EXTRA: Custom fabricated dry sump pan, five-stage dry sump pump THE CAR MIGHT BEAR SOME RESEMBLANCE TO THE COMPOSITE ‘RSR ESCORT’ KITS OUT OF THE UK, BUT THIS ONE’S STILL (SOME OF) A PRODUCTION STEEL ESCORT SHELL. TRUE, THERE’S NOT THAT MUCH LEFT, BUT THE ROOF, REAR…

We get invited along to a lot of events here at NZPC, and while we’d love to attend them all the reality is for most of our contributing team that we balance car stuff versus work versus family and anything else that is going on. One event that we did manage to get down to recently, based on the lure of expecting to see some serious machinery haul arse, was a private drag day put on by Ash Kumar and a group of owners linked to the infamous Auckland-based tuning workshop, Autech. Ash will be familiar to many, having a nine-second R33 GT+R which is currently ‘between builds’ aka ‘dad life’, so he was on organisation duties on the day and took great pleasure in telling me that while he…

"Every time we look at the car and complete a job, we take a step back and ask ourselves if that is what Jake would have wanted,” says Tash, loving big sister and part of the PS Automotive team, which includes her husband Dan, who have put together a project started by Jacob Reid, who sadly lost his battle with mental illness in 2021. While the loss of any life is sad, sometimes there can be good made of tough times and this sleeper-style Legacy wagon is a perfect example of what a young apprentice chippy could and would have put together, guided by the right people and some refined know-how. Each aspect of this car is the best that can be afforded, with nothing unnecessary and nothing flashy, as…

I know my friends and family are all getting sick of me buying and selling cars, so I don’t bother telling them much about that topic these days. However, I know you’re all well versed in buying and selling modified cars on marketplace, or Trade Me, and in the past year, you’ve no doubt owned at least a couple of cars — so here I am, telling you lot instead. I feel like it has been a long road on the vehicle front lately. I built the Altezza which I absolutely loved, with the ITB 3SGE engine that sang all the way past 8500rpm, and handling that would leave most for dead at my local circuit. I have built Subarus recently (because they’re brilliant), and even tried my hand at…

As you’ll see covered in this issue, a 2022 learning for organisers was that people like to be able to come to the event and decide to race if they feel like it, so that’s what 2023 will be based on — no pre-registrations. Simply turn up and pay your spectator fee and then once you’re inside, if you want to race then you pay an extra fee and go through scrutineering with your helmet, etc. Simple and quick, and no complications with transfers of entries for unfinished/broken cars. The event will stick to its twilight format and follow the ultimate track day on Sunday, 29 January, so that gives people an option for a very full day of on-track action. And as we saw in 2022, a hot day…

I feel as though it has been a long time since we first heard from Chopper, of Choppers Auto Body Shop, about the Mazda RX-3 station wagon project the shop is heading. That’s only half of it, though, as the wagon before you has been three and a half years in the making. Well, it has been around since 1973, living out its life in California, but the build under Zane Dykman’s ownership has been three and a half years of testing times, thanks to a certain pandemic. When we first heard of the build, Chopper’s exact words were, “The owner wants it to be the best RX-3 wagon in the country.” Our ears were on fire. It turns out we already knew the owner, but we can’t keep up…

I am going to be incredibly straight up with you; I am one of the biggest Honda enthusiasts you’ll ever meet. I have owned more than 15 Honda platforms — Civics, Preludes, Accords, and more. I love their simplicity, reliability, and grassroots tunability in most forms. As a young enthusiast, hearing a B16A engine hit VTEC for the first time was a memorable moment — how in god’s name is this pulling so many rpm in factory form! As the rpm needle soared all the way to the 8600 redline on the B16A2 engine, I was set for life — and that was after owning several lesser, non-VTEC models. So, when I got the email inviting us to the track-based release of Honda’s latest Civic Type R, it’s safe to…

Hey Drew, nice to meet you. We love it when something different like this comes along. Where did it all start with you, with your love of cars? Drew: Hey guys, I think my dad has a big role to play in it to be honest. He was into his cars when he was younger. He got me and my brother into racing grass go-karts and we have now been doing it for the past 15 years — this fuelled our passion for motorsport and mechanics. From when I turned 16 and got my licence, I’d always wanted a performance car of my own. Tell us, why a Subaru of all things to do what you have done? To be perfectly honest, I don’t know why I built this car.…

PHOTOS: NZV8 Ah yes, there’s nothing quite like heading to hot rod A heaven — hot food stands, swap meets, camping, drag car start-ups, show cars, and street cars. As if two days wasn’t enough, 2023’s Repco Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival is now set to cover three days: 20–22 January. In addition to naming sponsor Repco, Jack Daniel’s, Battery Town, New Zealand Petrolhead, and Classic Cover Insurance have come on board as main sponsors of next year’s event. The family-owned and operated event will feature 1000-plus classic cars and hot rods; more than 100 trade sites, including speciality tools, car parts, project help, memorabilia, retro clothing, antiques, and classic car importers; more than 350 swap sites; a retro caravan display — sponsored by Very Vintage Day Out and Caravans…

AH, YES — WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT. IT’S ABOUT TIME SOMEONE IN NEW ZEALAND WENT ‘FULL SEND’ ON THE GR YARIS PLATFORM. ROCKET BUNNY AND TE37S — DO WE NEED TO SAY ANY MORE? NZPC: Hey mate, tell us about your history with cars. How did you get into them? My first car was a 1990 Toyota Celica back 20 years ago. I had an R32, R33, and an R35, most of all the Type R Hondas, TRD widebody MR-2, a BMW E30 325i, E46 M3, C63 etc. I have always loved them. Why did you decide to buy a GR Yaris? Because not too many people go full send on a Yaris! When did you begin to modify the Yaris? Straight away. Was it difficult finding parts…

Instagram: donkin.13 RESTOMOD S13 It’s a weird world to live in, in which S13s are being restomodded. Long gone are the days when you’d pick them up cheap, flog them, cut the springs, and send them into your local roundabout at full noise. Sam Tonkin is taking on a serious restoration of his S13 Silvia. He likes to call it “OEM-plus”, which in our minds means that you aren’t just doing the usual level of build, but, rather, a well-thought-out, high-level build, considering all aspects of the vehicle. “Not a single part on this car has been left untouched. Countless hours of work are finally reaching an end,” Sam tells us. The S13 was stripped to a bare chassis, had all-new underseal done, the chassis painted, all-new carpet underlay, brand new…

Generally, us photographers are a reclusive bunch. Generally, we prefer to lurk behind the lens, letting the pictures do our talking — at least I do. So, to be front and centre like this is a wee bit weird (not to mention slightly uncomfortable) for me, to say the least. But what a time to be chosen! Three hundred issues of home-grown Kiwi car-porn (those who are a bit older will remember the tag line!) Think about that — that’s over 26 years now that this rag’s been going strong, showing off everything from boned RX-3s on modgies to R35 GT-Rs packing billet everything. Hats off to the editors, contributors, car builders, and even advertisers who’ve allowed this to sustain itself for so long. NZPC has become a bible of…

Made up of a team of passionate performance car enthusiasts with over 25 years of experience in performance car builds and modifications, NSTParts is reimagining performance parts supply here in New Zealand. It can be an absolute nightmare being situated where we are in the world — when it comes to accessing parts stock, sound advice, industry experience, and getting an intuitive buying experience, it can all be lacking at times. NSTParts have made a name for itself in recent years, providing not only enthusiasts with quality parts and connecting them with their favourite performance brands from around the globe, but also offering support, parts supply, and stock for the performance trade industry here in New Zealand so the automotive scene can flourish. Having experienced the frustrations first hand and…

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The last time the World Rally Championship visited New Zealand was a decade ago. Let that sink in, a decade. It has certainly been a long time between drinks for Kiwi rally fans, but damn, was the wait worthwhile. Since 2012, in many ways it feels as if nothing much has changed in WRC. I mean, until this year one Sébastien had merely picked up where the other one left off, Malcolm Wilson still hasn’t aged a day in the last 10 years, and the Finns still provide the best sarcastic end-of-stage commentary out of anyone in the field. However, in that same breath, the reality is everything has changed. The World Rally cars now have batteries, drivers are winning rallies despite barely having their learners’ licence, and the World…

It’s a funny feeling walking into a pit garage at Fuji Speedway knowing that behind a roller door is one of your all-time idols. The weird nervousness that comes over you even though you know they won’t talk back or laugh at the dumbfounded expression on your face is unforgettable. Those are the moments that I live for; more importantly, they are the kind I never want to forget. That is exactly the reason I started building model kitsets of those of my idols I have met. The latest one to hit the cabinet is a solid number two on my list of all-time favourites, and certainly needs no introduction. There is something mystical that I can’t exactly put my finger on with this car; in essence, it has everything…

NZPC: Stuart, finally great to meet you after following you and talking on social media. How did your automotive passion start? Stuart: Hey mate, yeah sure is good to finally catch up after all this time. Been long overdue considering the amount that we speak. The automotive passion started out from a young age, but on the motorcycle side as my father and all his friends were riding at that stage. Then as I grew of age, all my older mates had modified cars and both my brother and I just went all in really. Used to spend many Saturdays at the track along with reading the local and international car magazines to ‘window shop’. So modified cars become a part of life from a very young age and have…

LOCK’EM UP Never let those turbo flange nuts or sump bolts come loose again: hit ‘em with the JB Weld Threadlocker range. Designed to lock and seal nuts and bolts on all mechanical parts, body assemblies, and in hundreds of other applications where things may come loose due to shock or vibration. The red Perma-Lock, High Strength Threadlocker is for heavy-duty applications; it requires heating and the use of hand tools to separate parts. The blue version is medium strength and suitable for loosening with hand tools alone. Both strengths are available in 6ml, 12ml and the larger 36ml bottles. Available from leading automotive and hardware stores. Contact your local stockists for pricing. Trim restomod! If you’re avid weekend warrior detailers like we are here at NZPC Towers, you’ll have…