Table of contents for No 302 June - July 2023 in NZ Performance Car

Ah, the race track — I am finding myself there more and more in recent times, as I just can’t get enough of the feeling of satisfaction when your skill improves each time out there. As I mentioned in the previous issue of NZPC, I bought a 2021 Honda Civic Type R that was intended to be my nice road-going, track capable car in months to come — something that would allow me to take part in track days, but something comfortable enough that I can go on a road trip in. There aren’t many cars that are as good at doing both as the Civic Type R of any sort of modern generation in my opinion — especially if you want something reliable and easily upgraded. Wanting to sink…

Get ready to fuel your passion for cars and join us for the 12th season of Repco Muscle Garage, streaming on Three’s CRC Motorsport. Lock in Sunday 14 May, for the premiere and buckle up for the ride of your life. Every episode is jam-packed with the best cars, sheds, and events that New Zealand has to offer, so you won’t want to miss a single minute of the high-octane action. But if you can’t make it on Sunday arvo, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered with streaming available on YouTube. Thanks to the support of Repco New Zealand, Meguiar’s, and Mount Shop Ltd, this season of Repco Muscle Garage is revving up to be the best yet. So why not join us and forget all about dreading work…

THE 1JZ IS UP FOR SOME SERIOUS POWER FROM FACTORY AND BENEFITS INSTANTLY FROM SIMPLE AND WELL THOUGHT OUT BOLT ON MODS, LIKE WHAT SUHAIL HAS OPTED FOR The journey of every owner is full of defining moments, and this ride known as KING JZ is no different. You see, we at NZPC have met Suhail before. He has been around the scene for a while and had a run for over six years where his 1981 Datsun Sunny cleaned up show awards around the country and, while it wasn’t ever going to set any records, did plenty of laps at every cruising event. It was one of those cars that was just so distinctive that everyone knew it, but had it not met an untimely end you wouldn’t be…

CAMEL RACING TO DRIFTING, AUTOCROSS, BURNOUTS, DRAGS, AND A FREESTYLE CAR STUNT COMPETITION We’ve all had late nights scrolling YouTube, the spiralling entertainment that usually starts with a knowledge-growing search for a how-to guide and generally ends with watching Huskies howling or guys two wheeling down the motorways in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and doing fast tipins. My end-point has been much like the latter, so the question is: what happens when you decide you have to see this madness in real life? Stuck in a loop on YouTube, and suddenly, five years later, you are at the event. Here’s a quick spectator’s guide to dune-bashing events in the Gulf, brought to you by late nights of YouTube and a touch of extremely overpriced Christmas airfares. FIRST STOP: LIWA…

Got Instagram? Want print fame on top of all those likes that fly your way each time you post a photo? Want to show us your whip without actually talking to us? Want to see what other readers are up to in their sheds? The answer to all these questions and why these two pages exist lies in the use of the hashtag #nzpc. Search it, use it, and thrash it! We keep a very close eye on it and will be choosing a bunch of hashtagged posts each month to print right here. So remember, next time you’re gram’n’, use #nzpc.…

When was the last time you heard someone utter the words “I love my car stock, there is no need to modify it”? Yeah, I thought so — never! The scale-model world in times gone by was very ‘stock’ — it was a case of opening the box, following the instructions, painting and sticking parts together, and that was it. Models nowadays still have that stock option; however, they now share many more customisation similarities with their 1:1 counterparts than ever before. For a while now, I have been introducing you to some of the sweet stock examples that you can buy straight off the shelf to build, which look superb all buttoned up, but what happens when we shift the hobby up a notch? Welcome to the world of…

“Imagine if I could work all day writing, photographing, and designing content about cars.” Those were the words of my 16-year-old self as I flipped through NZ Performance Car magazines on my way to a Night Speed Drag Wars event at Meremere with a mate. Time flies. It truly feels like that wasn’t that long ago, and now, here I am, doing exactly that. It’s an honour to be this issue’s hero contributor. Working behind the scenes of NZPC has given me the fuel to pursue my true passion and allows me to delve deeper into New Zealand’s awesome car culture. At NZPC, I’m involved with a number of roles that help to bring the brand we all love to life. From designing magazine page layouts and adverts to being…

You would be very much living under a rock if you didn’t recognise the Bemrose fleet, with prime-time TV covering the ‘Rotarri’ rotary-engined Ferrari, which included a rumoured letter from angry Italians, and the 747-plus-kilowatt 2JZ WRX being a NZPC cover car. It was perhaps a little surprising then to see ‘Lord’ Bemrose take time out of his schedule setting lap records to accept a number of trophies, including the coveted People’s Choice at the recent 4&Rotary Jamboree event. The cars brought the event to a near standstill, be it with start ups, engine bay display, or quite literally on the track, where the wheel parted company with the Ferrari. There were always big crowds around both, and to Reuben’s credit, he is always happy to talk about the cars…

Get ready for the ultimate winter weekend with Wintergeddon – the first King’s Birthday long weekend celebration! With three days of entertainment, gaming, and performances, this is an event you won’t want to miss. Meet your favourite TV and movie stars from Doctor Who, Vikings, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, The Witcher, iZombie, Once Upon A Time, Legends of Tomorrow, and Lost. Plus, enjoy the best in gaming with Valorant, League of Legends, Evercore Heroes, RedBull Racing Sims, Just Dance arena and BYD Esports tournaments and much more! Don’t forget to check out the all-day Saturday Armageddon Talent Quest, Neon Giant Robot, amusement rides, airsoft shooting range, axe throwing, contests, Spookers Zombie Maze, Anime, Cosplay, trading card demos and more. Bring the family and enjoy three days of geekdom, entertainment,…

You’re sitting down, trawling through Trade Me listings, and meandering through Marketplace madness, trying to find the ideal candidate for a bit of a nostalgic car build. It’d be too easy to pick one of the favourites, surely? There’re the usual default options. Cars like the venerable Ford Escort (Mark 1 or 2, you choose) with a proven modification pathway, optimised by their popularity as a competition car. There’s the Mazda-rotary route, a swathe of street-brawlers honed by Kiwi expertise and fanaticism. Or there’s the older Datsun and Toyota route — again, cars that captured the imagination of past tinkerers, offering a wealth of go-fast and look-great options. They’re all a well-trodden path. But what if your eye catches something a little bit different? What if it’s a mid-sized Japanese…

There’s no hiding the fact that I am one of New Zealand’s biggest Honda enthusiasts. I would say I have owned around 20 Hondas now, mostly of the SiR vintage, being that I never had the money for the Type R offering until lately, with the recent acquisition of my 2021 Honda Civic Type R (FK8). Honda New Zealand kindly invited NZPC to the latest Jazz RS launch, and before I even checked the calendar, the deal was sweetened even further, with mention that not only would we get to drive one of its Honda Heritage cars to the venue, but we’d also get to drive the entire heritage fleet throughout the day. On offer besides the latest Jazz RS would be basically every Type R or sports variant that…

LIEMBURG SPECIAL When the topic of first cars is brought up, you expect to hear words like ‘Pulsar’, ‘Laser’, ‘Corolla’, or ‘Lancer’. Daniel Liemburg of Timaru, on the other hand, owned an AE85 when he was only 12 years old. Can you believe that? He and his friend built it up from a rolling shell and installed an S15 SR20DET in it, which he got certified and rocked the plate ‘AE ON P’. In 2013, during the Christmas break, Daniel rounded up his boys in the hot hatch and went to Wanaka for a holiday. Little did he know that this road trip would cost him the head gasket and eventually a seized SR20. Kiwi ingenuity led him to fill the engine with two bottles of Chem-i-Weld, which allowed him…

World Time Attack Challenge has the tagline “bringing back the world” for 2023, and with support from destination New South Wales, it feels like a nice fit. One aspect of the event that Kiwi fans have always been keen on is the drift portion, which brings the party atmosphere to the evening once the circuit laps are run and done. With the dates being 1–2 September, now is the time to be looking at flights and accommodation for what will be a top-notch event. We are still waiting on announcements of drivers and cars at this stage, but we do know that New Zealand will be represented, with Kiwi officials Jo Maulder and Brendan Duncker heading across and NZPC contributor the ‘Grumpy Ninja’ Warren Sare back on commentary duties. The…

If you were around somewhere near the end of summer in 1996, you were probably privy to having your eardrums assaulted by the earworm that was Mark Morrison’s big R&B hit, ‘Return of the Mack’. Lyrically, Morrison assumed the protagonist role, rising from the ashes of a grubby break-up only to return stronger, with a heightened desirability to the opposite sex, and some might say more of an er, ‘mack daddy’ than ever before. I’d recommend checking that one out on urbandictionary.com, if you’re unfamiliar with the term. Morrison, and his four-minutes of braggadocio were everywhere, the crooning UK ladies-man streaking to the peak of the pop charts. Despite the lyrical content, the track was critically praised for its production, gaining a reputation as a considered, balanced piece of music…

The sport of drifting has seen a massive global transformation since its birth in the Touge mountain roads of Japan. It is no secret that the world has adopted it with open arms, but nowhere on earth does it resonate louder with people than its birthplace: Japan. For many drifters in Japan it isn’t just a sport, it is a way of life, and this couldn’t be more true for 13-year-old Hiroya Minowa. Despite being five years too young for a driver’s licence, this hasn’t stopped him becoming Japan’s youngest professional factory-backed drifter. Hiroya is showing skill and ability well beyond his age behind the wheel of Cusco’s 900-horsepower GR Yaris in Formula Drift Japan, which has made plenty of people sit up and pay attention. At 13 years old…

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. PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT Rev up your car’s protection with Meguiar’s Ceramic Wax – the latest ceramic…

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