Table of contents for No 305 November - December 2023 in NZ Performance Car

I just hope you all know, I seriously appreciate the feedback I get from you on each issue. The feedback on the last issue was conclusive; people loved the variety. It’s something I have tried incredibly hard to achieve during my Editorship, alongside the best automotive photography the country has to offer — so please, keep the feedback coming in! Something that has been on my mind lately is how some people modify their cars here in New Zealand and the lack of education around modifying your vehicle properly. Because at the end of the day, my opinion is that you modify your car to enhance it — not set it back. Far too often, I get car submissions for features, and I can tell straight off the bat, they’re…

Superlap is about to kick off for the season with a group of eager track enthusiasts aiming to lower their personal bests. For the 23/24 season, the team has announced that each individual day will be its own points-scoring round, which, in theory, will reward reliability along with outright speed. They have also removed the ability to drop your worst scoring round. Manfield, as a single day, will offer double points, making it a must-attend venue for those serious about the title.…

What an incredible year it has been for Mad Mike, travelling across the globe to take part in international drift competitions, and bringing home two world records against the world’s top drivers. It’s time to wrap up this amazing year with his sixth edition of Mad Mike’s Summer Bash, set to bring the heat to Hampton Downs Motorsport Park on Saturday, 2 December. Brace yourself for the ultimate day of non-stop excitement, featuring thrilling drift action, track cruising, hard park and show ‘n’ shine, gymkhana, RC drifting, and much more! This is an event you absolutely can’t afford to miss! For more information, check out madmike.co.nz/summerbash.php. We’ll see you there!…

The first time this writer heard whispers of this build was the night before the 4&Rotary Nationals 2022 (I won’t tell you who it was, but he’s a winner at cooking chicken). “You won’t believe this thing; the bro has been working on it… it will even make you smile,” and then he says, “700 hours have gone into the body and paint!” At this point, I am a little confused. After all, we live in the age of social media hype and reveals, so for a car to simply appear is rare, almost novel — let alone one at the very top end of the build scale. Enter Dan Moller and his build team, who have taken a distinctly old-school route in producing a multi-award-winning ride. Politely, we could…

Hands down New Zealand has the most surprising car scene we’ve ever experienced — one moment you’re minding your own business, thinking you’re aware of all of the wild builds going on around Aotearoa, then BAM, a fresh one hits you right in the DMs. For four months, Ali Salehi had been building his dream Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R, which was just recently finished up, dialled in, and tuned by the GT-R gurus at ST Hi-Tec. It wasn’t always Godzillas and Japanese performance cars for Ali, though — the love for them grew over time after driving, then owning, a Subaru WRX STI GC8. “After driving that car I loved how the car worked with barely any technology and how much potential those cars had, so I decided to sell…

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.…

Welcome to 2023, the age of convenience, where thanks to the good ol’ interweb we can be a spectator at almost any motorsport we desire, live, up close, and without the need to ever leave the lounge, or put pants on for that matter. Live streaming has become so normalised within our beloved sport that many now experience it solely from the couch, chips in hand, and a few cold beers at the ready. Are the days of heading down to the circuit or special stage becoming a thing of the past? I mean, why leave home when you can just experience it on the screen, right? WRONG! I know the couch is comfy and it is the easy option, but we are missing out on so much on offer…

One thing that screams ‘Kiwi ingenuity’ is seeing all the crazy engine swap combos that we Kiwis come up with. Sam Tierney hit us up with his 13B-swapped C33 Laurel and it’s bloody crazy hearing what he has in store for it. But, let’s turn back the clock to 2017 when he first imported this gem — a bone stock RB20E with a factory manual transmission. Initially, it served as his daily driver, but as expected, he got bored and developed a thirst for real power. His desire to transform it into a weekend cruiser led him to make the decision to part with the familiar RB platform, given that he had already accumulated quite a collection over the years. This is when he confessed his love for the rotaries…

ADAM PATMORE Hey, I’m Adam, aka Adam P Photographer. I’m a husband, a dad, mechanic, and a photographer, and I own a small clothing brand, Once Lost, on the side. I’ve always loved cars and didn’t realise I was creative until I picked up a camera. I started dabbling in photography in 2014, soon moving into paid work, before being published in magazines in 2019. With over 40 features, including a dozen covers, it’s been a busy few years. Already 2023 has seen epic automotive shoots, a wedding in Rarotonga, a relaunch for big clothing brands, commercial work for websites, and a multitude of others. I get contracted to cover big events, but recently we got to put together our own ‘From the Streets’ event, raising money for charity, which…

The team from Girls in Motorsport is pleased to be working with the Bar’s Bugs team to raise awareness around breast cancer, and recently hosted the first of a few planned fundraisers. Featuring a strong turnout from both the ladies, partners, and other supportive clubs, along with trade stands, it’s great to see a scene that often gets a bad name looking to take on serious causes and make a difference. The girls tell us they will be out in force all summer and are keen to talk to any prospective new members.…

Lie back on your sofa, put up your feet, close your eyes, and imagine this scenario. You’re a bloke who’s pretty well indelibly linked to racing rotary-powered weapons around various strips of tarmac across New Zealand, and occasionally abroad. Your chosen steed? A highly developed, superbly balanced, and above all, wicked fast FD RX-7, dripping in carbon, aero, with flames belching from its backside at every lift of the loud pedal. And that 20B up the front is loud, all right. This is peak rotary racing, surely? Eventually though, those svelte lines start to show their age. Season upon season of serious competition takes its toll on a racecar. An antidote is required, to recharge, and reinvigorate the racing mind. You’re prescribed a small-wheeled, grip-limited small capacity rotary, dripping in…

There’s an undeniable thrill to hosting automotive events. It immerses you in the heart of the car scene. Unique builds are everywhere, each a testament to passionate enthusiasts. Among them, one exceptional build has consistently captured my attention for quite some time — today, it finally steps into the spotlight. With a quick DM on Instagram, I linked up with the owner and the rest is history. Meet Callum Coombs, a 25-year-old tyre and suspension technician from Hamilton. He’s the proud pilot of this out-the-gate, wide-body turbocharged 2003 BMW 330CI E46. But, before we get into the exciting nitty gritty details, let’s rewind back to when Callum was living in the UK. At 17, his heart was set on the visual aesthetic of slammed, kitted out Japanese drift cars with…

AGE: 24 //LOCATION: MANUKAU //OCCUPATION: HEAVY DIESEL MECHANIC NZPC: Hey Sean, what is your history with performance cars? I started my performance car journey when I was 14 — at that time my brother had a Subaru. Why did you choose this car to build? We were tired of driving a slow car so we bought this car and built it even more. What’s your favourite part of the build and why? When the car goes on the dyno is scary but exciting at the same time! Do you have any future plans for the car? Try to run this car to a nine-second pass. WHEN THE CAR GOES ON THE DYNO IS SCARY BUT EXCITING AT THE SAME TIME! Explain to us in as much detail as you can, what…

For the ute fans, we have Aiden Sayer’s 1984 Mitsubishi L200 which is currently in the midst of a forged 4G63T transplant from a VR4 Galant. It all started back in 2016 when Aiden picked up a “stock, dusty s***box” of an L200 which had a flat-deck and an A-frame for being towed behind a caravan, but was also a farm ute. Before the engine swap, it had a built SOHC motor and was painted in leftover ‘Transit Bus Green’ in his neighbour’s driveway. What a colour! Like many old-school cars, Aiden’s L200 started developing signs of rust, leading him to salvaging many abandoned utes for parts and a wellside that he would install on his ongoing project. Aiden then decided to rip out the built SOHC motor and throw…

Meet Ryan Dunn, a 19-year-old apprentice mechanic hailing from the Mount. He hit us up with his very first project car that he is slowly transforming into a masterpiece, right from the ground up. His canvas of choice? A KE70 two-door wagon that’s had its factory motor binned and replaced with none other than the infamous K24 with a turbo slapped on it! K-series swaps are becoming more and more popular by the day! It was initially a “rusted-out piece”, but to Ryan, it was the perfect opportunity to dive headfirst into getting his hands dirty with the first-hand experience of restoring a car. Luckily he had help from a mate who happens to be an engineer. In the past eight months, Ryan has been putting in the hard mahi…

Well-known racer, car cover owner, and private event organiser Ash Kumar has decided to give back to the sport that he loves, drag racing, by joining the board of Meremere this season. Ash spent years refining his own 8-second R33 GTR, and while that’s on hiatus as his young family grows, he wanted to maintain a level of involvement. Ash says, “My vision is for import racers to be welcomed and treated like part of the family at Meremere. We bring a lot to the table and contribute significantly to the venue, and I’ve learned a lot from our private days that I want to bring to life.” If you have any suggestions or thoughts, Ash would like to hear from you at dragwaytalk@gmail.com.…

From Japanese street weapons and European performance cars, to muscle cars, full-blown dragsters, and timeless classics — Autorama has it all! Make sure to mark your calendar for Autorama in November! They’re gearing up to unveil eight new builds on Friday, 10 November, beginning late in the morning. Friday is also designated as Industry Day, providing a unique opportunity for businesses to come together, spinning yarns, forming new alliances, and creating new opportunities. For all the fantastic suppliers of high-performance car parts and services, the Autorama team has also arranged an exclusive VIP seminar on the Friday. Here’s the plan — witness the unveiling of the eight new builds, enjoy a light lunch, and then listen to the keynote speaker discuss the significance of a cohesive business network and the…

Are you going over for World Time Attack?” is something we get asked a couple of months out before the event each and every year. The answer is simple, and always the same, “F#CK YES!” The Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge isn’t simply an incredible event — it’s the benchmark Japanese performance car and automotive performance scene festival of our time. A hop, skip, and a jump from Auckland, within a few hours you’re walking off a plane, jumping into an Uber, and stepping out to the Holy Grail of racing events. It’s a time attack festival that has grown into an absolute beast, with the world’s most famous and insane time attack cars, personalities, drift cars, show cars, and most importantly — lap times. WTAC as a spectator event…

“THE THROTTLE RESPONSE IS AWESOME! BEING SO LIGHT YOU CAN REALLY STEER IT WITH FEATHERING THE THROTTLE. ONE LITTLE STAB OF THE THROTTLE AND YOU CAN DO A PERFECT 180!” “We used to have one of those!” can only relate to one ’70s automobile here in the land of the long white cloud, dear readers, and you can almost guarantee if your nan didn’t have one, your auntie’s brother’s dad did, and depending on how much hair you’ve got left, you or your old man ended up with it as a hand-me-down. Yes, that’s right — the humble KE20 Corolla. A mighty fine specimen with parts produced in Japan and assembled locally, right here in Aotearoa. Rear-wheel drive in layout, the ‘Coke bottle’ shaped Corolla as it’s known and loved…

AGE: 44 //LOCATION: AUCKLAND OCCUPATION: OWNER OF NITEPARTS NZPC: Hey Brendan, for those who don’t know you, can you give us a bit of a rundown on your automotive history here in New Zealand? Brendan: Most people know me as Niteparts, a company I started over 20 years ago designing and fabricating adaption solutions at night (hence the name) while contracting to several motorsport workshops during the day and driving in D1NZ and other drift events from ’03–’09. More recently I have been fabricating and tuning full-time as Niteparts while also working as head judge and tech manager for D1NZ for the last 10 years. I also have judged and worked overseas at events like WTAC, FormulaD Japan, and HiTec Drift Series, among others. So why an Altezza as a base…

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Oli Philips from Dunedin hit us up with his beautiful sunroof 1996 Mitsubishi Evo IV that’s had quite the journey so far. It all began in Christchurch when he and a mate went on a roadie after work one Friday evening and viewed the car on a crisp Saturday morning. The car had been under the care of an older gentleman who had owned it for several years, barely ever driving it. Having previously owned an Evo IV, Oli knew exactly what to look for when inspecting it, and immediately fell in love with it. Fortunately, the motor already had some goodies on it, boasting a 2.2l displacement thanks to a Nitto Stroker kit, featuring a forged crank, pistons, and rods. Additionally, it had HKS 272 cams, and ARP head…

UNDER CAR Specialists FREEPHONE 0508 86 66 86 WWW.MOUNTSHOP.CO.NZ NEW ZEALAND’S QUICKEST STREET CARS NEW ZEALAND’S QUICKEST STREET CARS RULES Cars must be registered and have a WOF, drive back up the return road, have raced within the last two years, and still belong to the driver who set the time. If you know anyone who should be on the list, make sure to let us know by emailing editor@performancecar.co.nz with their timeslip. NEW ZEALAND–IMPORT DRAG RACING RECORDS…