Table of contents for No 301 April - May 2023 in NZ Performance Car

I don’t know about you, but I have seriously enjoyed having a break over Christmas and New Year’s this year. I feel as though 2022 was an absolute grind, with non-stop work, talk of the economy pancaking itself, and that treacherous Covid-19 still meandering around our community. Although it has been a seriously wet break period for most of the country, I did manage to get out and do some camping in my Land Cruiser, but on my return, with a couple of weeks left of leave, I was incredibly grateful to have some time at home. Don’t get me wrong, I love getting out and doing stuff, but in 2022 I didn’t have much free time, and there were plenty of home projects that got left behind. The main…

The Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R has truly come into its own in recent years. Traditionally the ugly duckling, the wider-bodied, curvier platform is lending itself to the wider offset, aggressive fitment of our generation of car modification and styling. Being the lesser common of the R-series trio, there’s more of them around in tidier, more original condition too, which is becoming something car builders are craving — more time modifying and less time getting their platform up to scratch. For Melvin Sami, this wouldn’t be his first R33 GT-R, but rather his second. The first one was modified when he purchased it, but what he was craving the second time around was a blank canvas — not because there’s anything wrong with purchasing a modified car, but Melvin really was…

HEART ENGINE: EJ22, 2200cc four-cylinder BLOCK: EJ20 closed-deck block, JE pistons, Argo con-rods, EJ257 crank, ARP Custom Age 625 head studs, baffled sump, 12mm oil pump HEAD: Ported and polished Beehive valve springs, titanium valve spring retainers, Kelford 272-degree cams INTAKE: Four-inch intake, 2.75-intercooler piping, Plazmaman clamps, Mishimoto intercooler core with custom end tanks EXHAUST: Custom stainless steel equal-length headers, 3.5-inch downpipe, two AdrenalinR mufflers, two 3.5-inch shotgun tips TURBO: Precision 6062 (single-scroll turbine housing) WASTEGATE: 50mm Turbosmart Progate Gen4 BOV: Turbosmart Race Port FUEL: Radium Engineering dual in-tank fuel rail, 4x1300cc Injector Dynamics ID1300 injectors, Turbosmart Fuel Pressure regulator IGNITION: Ignition Projects coil packs ECU: Link G4X COOLING: Mishimoto alloy radiator and custom fan shroud, custom radiator overflow tank EXTRA: Kein Fab engine mounts, Cusco pitch stopper mount It’s…

I found myself humming the famous Queen song (this story’s title) as I sat down to pen this post-event, as I couldn’t help but be amazed by the dedication and passion shown for their hobby by the thousands of show attendees, show car owners, and traders who descended on Hamilton’s Globox Arena for the 4 & Rotary Nationals over Auckland Anniversary weekend. Now broken into three distinct parts, the ‘Nats’ refers to the show, and that would usually flow into the Ultimate Track day and then Nationals Drags, but that wasn’t to be with the weather gods having other ideas. However, spirits remained high and it was very clear that for those within the scene who are passionate about static show ‘n’ shine their pinnacle event is now well and…

NZPC: Hey, Aaron. How did you get into modifying cars? Aaron: My whole family are car mad; from classics to hot rods, race cars, and anything in between, so it’s in the blood. Our equivalent to family Christmas is going to Beach Hop together and being involved with different car clubs along the way, organising runs, cruises, track days, and car shows. One that I am a part of is the Stragglers car show, which has been named the biggest one-day car show of the year, with all proceeds going to kids and families in need. Even though the show is hot rod based, it’s open to a full range of modified and classic cars. What modified cars have you owned in the past? First road car was a Honda…

NZPC: Hey, Mark. Nice to finally get the GR Yaris behind the lens! Can you tell us about your history with cars and motorsport? Mark: I’m from the UK, where I used to race karts when I was younger, then when I moved to the Middle East for work, I started competing in autocross-/gymkhana-type events in my Corvette Z06, which was fun, but it was kind of like wrestling a bull through a China shop. Through that, I met a few local guys who raced in the National Touring Car Championship. They persuaded me to buy an ex-BTCC [British Touring Car Championship] Civic Type R one of them had in storage, and that led to me winning Rookie of the Year in my first season. I won the next two…

Put together by the same team that has been managing the Special Interest Vehicle Association of NZ (SIVANZ) for the past six years, Autorama 2023 has been created to demonstrate, and celebrate, the significance of the automotive industry supplying parts, services, and expertise to the special interest vehicle sector. To make the event a success, SIVANZ is inviting everyone in the automotive sector to get involved. When most people look at modified Japanese or performance cars that have had thousands of hours, blood, sweat, and tears poured into them, very few see the businesses that have also been the backbone of the build and a part of the journey. The businesses who sold the tools that assembled the car, or who rebuilt the transmission, or who sold the specialised machines…

Greetings dear readers, It is me again, your tour guide sometimes known as Mr Grumpy Ninja, or MGN, or to some just plain old Warren or Waz, that annoying voice at Nationals, Jamboree, or Clubfest. We are now well into the event season and it has re-energised me to have these back on the calendar. I was asked at Nationals where I thought we were at as a scene now and my personal belief is that anyone who is now at events truly wants to be there. The casual fan and fly-by-nighter has moved on to the next thing and that is seeing quality and passion step up a notch. This can only be good for the true enthusiast and for me there is nothing better than seeing happy and…

Recently we bought you coverage of the first ever Impulsive Rotary Only day and with the massive success in the upper North Island it has meant that the Lower North Island will get its turn as part of the traditional ‘Jambo’ weekend held at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon located in Fielding. Organisers are again expecting over 200-plus rotary-only powered machines to descend on the track and it will form a double header with the traditional 4&R Jamboree show being held in the hall at the same time. Expect plenty of wild antics with the popular and stupidly loud burnouts being held and roll racing is always exciting when you combine high horsepower and rear wheel drive. For those who want to get in a track fix before parking up for…

PERFORMANCE POWER: 185kW at the wheels FUEL TYPE: 100 octane TUNER: Edgell Performance Ako ay isang uri ng tao na hindi mabubuhay nang wala ng proyektong sasakyan sa aking buhay.” Translated this means, “I am the kind of guy who can’t live without a project car in my life.” Something that many of our readers can identify with. “I tried owning a few other cars, I had late model Evos and other things, but I always seem to come back to Hondas.’’ This is how Je Poy describes the habit he has had since the age of 21 of taking things with an ‘H’ badge and putting his own unique spin on them. Since coming to NZ in 2015, Je Poy’s garage has always had something on the go, and…

The Ford Escort and Minilite combo is one of those automotive styles that’ll never go out of fashion. Ever since the halcyon sepia-tinted days of the late ’70s and early ’80s when our dads were cruising town in them, the tried-and-tested formula has remained the same. Mix one hefty dose of rear-wheel-drive Escort with one part naturally aspirated (NA) screamer engine, slam it low on 13-inch wheels, keep the arches stock, add paint, and voilà! This pretty wee example reared its head in a chat group and immediately it grabbed my attention. Now all you young whippersnappers might be wondering what Nana’s sporty looking Escort is doing in the pages of NZPC. “It isn’t Japanese!” I can hear you all scream. Yeah, well back in my … wait … when…

LOCK ’EM UP Never let those turbo flange nuts or sump bolts come loose again: hit ‘em with the J-B 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…

IF YOU HAVE AN EVENT THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SEE IN THE GIG GUIDE, EMAIL EDITOR@PERFORMANCECAR.CO.NZ WITH ALL THE DETAILS Heart of Racing (HOR) pilot Darren Kelly has done what no one else has been able to do since the Mad Mike Summer Bash was created and taken down multiple national champion Gaz ‘Gary the Goat’ Whiter at the most recent version of what many think of as the unofficial NZ drift championship. It’s an event all the leading drifters in NZ want to win and the only event at the moment where the best of the best go head to head in a one-day winner-takes-all showdown. It’s also the only time NZ fans get to see Redbull Pro Mad Mike Whiddett and Gaz Whiter compete on our shores. Held…

IF YOU HAVE AN EVENT THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SEE IN THE GIG GUIDE, EMAIL EDITOR@PERFORMANCECAR.CO.NZ WITH ALL THE DETAILS Emissions are the topic of the day in the automotive world and there’s few people more acutely aware of this and the impact it has than the team behind Autorama 2023. The event is the brainchild of SIVANZ — the Special Interest Vehicle Association of NZ — and the team of volunteers have been monitoring, evaluating, and submitting proposals on climate change initiatives that may affect the use of our SIVs (special interest vehicles) for the past six years. They have dedicated their time and efforts to making the voices of car and industry people heard because they are passionate about the fantastic car culture in New Zealand. This is…

Nissan’s Fairlady range of vehicles has a special place among enthusiasts’ hearts here in New Zealand. Their rear-wheel-drive layout and ease of modification mean they’re incredibly fun to drive and customisation is almost endless. In 1969, Nissan came out swinging with the initial Z, and ever since then, they’ve been following the same recipe to produce seven generations of enthusiast-carting fun. How far has the Z platform come in 54 years? DRIVE TIME! It wouldn’t be a NZPC drive without a sprinkling of serious hoonery, but this time we were bound to New Zealand road rules so we had to keep this review somewhat under control. This drive has been long awaited, as any new version of our hero cars is always an exciting time and the Z is no…

The World Rally Championship is a canvas upon which some of the finest motorsport artwork on earth is painted. It delivers some of the most jaw-droppingly spectacular and demanding racing in the world, not to mention in some of the most incredible locations. It is the crème de la crème of rallying, yet at the same time, it is very much still the people’s motorsport. Unlike other disciplines, the World Rally Championship has not lost its human element, and if you want proof, you need to look no further than this year’s Rally New Zealand. There is an unexplainable romantic element to rallying that is unrivalled by any other series. The sport is more about human vs mother nature rather than human vs human, as is so commonly seen in…

Growing up, so many of us pined over cars with names such as ‘F40’ and ‘Countach’, they were the poster child of so many youngsters’ car fantasies. You were hard pressed to find any kid drooling over names such as ‘Primera’, ‘Accord’, or ‘Vectra’, however if you wind the clock forward 30 years it is funny how things change. I have never been a huge Honda fanatic (yes, yes, I have just pissed off at least 60 per cent of the reader base writing that) but since my six-year escapade living in Japan, that has changed all because of one car — the Mooncraft JACCS Honda Accord. The ’90s were a magical era for motorsport, and the Japanese Touring Car Championship (JTCC) was no exception. Despite running since the ’60s,…

The NZPC Under Construction section of this magazine has chopped and changed over the years — sometimes, it’s cool to do something a little different. This time around, we thought that we’d showcase something a lot different from the usual project of the JDM variety and one that’s well finished. Surely that would just be a normal feature, right? Well, yes. But, this is unique in the fact that Zahier Carr set out to undertake a very unusual project challenge — to build a project car for nothing! We have been keeping up to date with Zahier on this build and now that it’s done, we wanted to showcase the hard work in his ‘Under Construction’ phase — and seriously, what project is truly finished anyway? “What a crazy nine…