Table of contents for No 313 March - April 2025 in NZ Performance Car

What a solid break that was! Hope you lot managed to get some solid R&R over the holidays. I sure did — put the camera down, shut the laptop, even parked the keys for a bit, and just spent time at the beach, explored our unreal backyard, and used the absolute shit out of the barbecue instead of being glued to cars. And you know what? Sometimes you need that reset. As crazy as it sounds, stepping away from cars for a minute makes you appreciate them even more when you come back. When your nine-to-five is all about cars, your weekends are spent at events, and even your spare time is lost in Facebook Marketplace doom scrolls, it’s easy to get sick of it! But once the break was…

It’s no secret that it has been a tough few years for this event, and 2025 could perhaps be seen as the year that the show cemented its new direction. While the brand remains, and possibly always will, the market has shifted, and ‘The Nats’ has adjusted to this by welcoming all makes, models, and engine configurations. Think about it: how many of your friends now own rapid or luxury Euros, have a soft spot for the no-longer-made Holdens, or just want to be different? The Nats welcomes and showcases all, and that’s the way it should be. A quality field of nearly 200 cars – including those in the NZ Lowrider Nationals, supplemented by 30-plus Vicla bikes – was offered up to the eager public, who flowed steadily through…

The Boostmasters club members tell us that the group is driven by a shared love and appreciation for building high-performance cars, with a real focus on self-built cars, using their own tools and knowledge. Founder Navy says, “We have a strong sense of community. All of our members are treated and respected as you would a close family member.” The Boostmasters is led by a dedicated team of leaders, including Nava Heng (‘SNEEKK’), Sheahkana Ellison (‘MSNEEK’), and Navy Heng (‘KIZMAZ’), supported by a group of committed leaders — Kent, Jesse, Cameron, Marc, Griff, James, and Monshiva. They also have a presence in Christchurch, where Janet Ritchie serves as their Christchurch-based leader, welcoming new members from down south. The Boostmasters celebrate the individuality of each vehicle, where its owner(s) have worked…

Rain or shine, car enthusiasts are always eager to show face at an event. To non-car folk, it’s the equivalent of heading to a sports game, a festival, or catching up for a barbecue. Just like fans gather to watch their favourite teams, car people link up to admire builds and chit-chat. Street meets are the backbone of the culture. For newcomers, they’re the first step into the scene — whether you’ve just picked up your first car or you’re scoping things out before taking the plunge. While the big events at the track or strip are always a buzz, they don’t happen every weekend, can be a bit of a drive (not that we’re complaining), and usually sting the wallet a bit. Street meets, on the other hand, are…

NZPC: Hey, Justin. Your DC2 Integra is looking mint — easily one of the tidiest around! How did you first get into modding performance cars? Justin: My first car was a 1996 Honda Civic EK, and it was right around the time The Fast and the Furious had just come out. Back then, the car scene was all about modding whatever you had. Body kits, suspension, wheels, and an under-glow neon kit — let’s just say my bank statement reflected all of that at the time! How long have you had the DC2, and what’s your absolute favourite thing about it? I’ve owned it since 2013, and to be honest, I love the factory Phoenix Yellow (Y56) paint colour. Originally, I bought the car to tidy up and sell, but…

When Deven asked me to write this piece, it really got me thinking. It’s been almost 13 years since I was invited to start contributing to sister publication NZV8 magazine, and a couple of years after that, Marcus — editor at the time of NZPC — offered me a gig to do a shoot for them. It’s been an amazing journey, one that has given me the opportunity to not only shoot some of the country’s best cars but also to meet the owners. Personally, I’m not brand loyal or fixated on any particular type of car — I love ’em all. Be it a big block–powered HQ or a quad-rotor Mazda, they all have a story to tell, and I guess that’s why I enjoy doing this — hearing…

Hayden Kirkwood and his team have achieved a major milestone, returning from Summernats with a trophy in hand — taking out first place in the 4 & Rotary Open Class. The 13B methanol-powered Cosmo joined the Downtime Downunder Australian Burnout Tour alongside Shaun ‘BARELY’ Jury and Hayden ‘NUTOUT’ Wilby. All three drivers secured their entries via Autofest, with BARELY and NUTOUT qualifying as Pro Burnout Series finalists, while ‘MRRLPH’ made the cut as a wild card. The Kiwi machines aren’t heading home just yet — all three cars are staying on until June, competing in various Australian state comps, with BARELY already locking in a wild card for Summernats 38. As we went to press, Shaun had just achieved another solid result, making the top 25 of 120 at Burnanza.…

We got the invite to an exclusive track sesh at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, and you know we weren’t going to miss it. Media and GR enthusiasts hit the tarmac to give the latest 2025 GR Yaris, GR Corolla, and the all-new GR86 Hakone Edition a proper thrash. Toyota didn’t just revise the Yaris and Corolla for fun — the changes are heavily based on feedback straight from their World Rally Championship (WRC) drivers. So, when you jump in, you’re getting behind the wheel of cars fine-tuned and tested by the pros who push these cars to the limit in the field. Let’s kick things off with the 2025 GR86 Hakone Edition, named after the Hakone Turnpike. This limited-edition model rocks a special Ridge Green paint job, bronze-finished alloys, and…

Growing up, the boys and I were all frothing over cars. First cars we got our hands on — straight into the dodgy eBay ‘mods’; rattle-can paint jobs; and, of course, hacking off mufflers to wake up the neighbourhood,” laughs Remi, a 26-year-old sparky from Tauranga. It was the classic rite of passage: big dreams, empty wallets, and a whole lot of backyard mechanics and Supercheap Auto cosmetics. Remi’s love for cars didn’t start with an S-chassis or anything remotely spicy. It started when his ’rents got him an iPod, and he’d spend hours taking photos and following car pages on Facebook. Before he ever owned a performance car, he was running a Toyota Camry — reliable, but not exactly setting pulses racing. “I drove that thing to work and…

There couldn’t have been a more perfect way to end the seventh edition of Mad Mike’s Summer Bash than with the man himself, the namesake of the event, standing on the top step of the podium. He won the event in the car that kick-started a global journey and put the name ‘Mad Mike’ into the vocabulary of car enthusiasts across the globe. There isn’t a bigger name in the drift world right now, but Mad Mike, aka Michael Whiddett — or just plain ‘Mikey’—has never forgotten where he came from; who supported him; or what it was like to see, dream, and start working towards his ultimate goals. Summer Bash is his way of celebrating and giving back, open to all who want to enter, and the only event…

NZPC: Hey, Jacky, it seems like you’ve just ticked off a massive dream drive — Tsukuba Circuit in the HKS-built GR86. Congratulations! Jacky: Yes, thank you! One more tick off the bucket list, and it was more than just a drive — it was an unforgettable journey with my friends, and it’s a memory we’ll talk about for the rest of our lives. It didn’t all go to plan, but I’m still thrilled. It’s not easy to secure a drive at Tsukuba, let alone work with HKS Japan on such an incredible project. Sharing insights, developing the GR86 platform, and collaborating with the HKS team — this has been one of the biggest highlights of my career. Definitely a moment right at the top! Can you tell us all about…

MOUNT SHOP — H&R SPRINGS Suspension is one of the most important factors in determining your vehicle’s dayto-day drivability. The first step in suspension tuning is to upgrade your vehicle’s stock springs. Upgrading your suspension components will ensure that your vehicle has improved handling and reduced body roll. H&R springs provide superb ride comfort and increased driving convenience. H&R Special Springs are high-quality products — they will not set or sag; they are designed and manufactured to be strong, resilient, and more durable than other automotive coil springs. All H&R springs are crafted from a special (hf) 54SiCr6 spring steel to ensure premium quality and performance. H&R springs are shot-peened to increase their life by more than 200 per cent. All production is completed in-house, so product quality is ensured.…

As we went to print, the results came in from the double-header round held at Taupō via our contributor and now-returning D1 host Warren Sare. Teng Tools stepped in as naming rights sponsor for the rounds, and day one for Pro saw the first-ever all-Australian final, with Brodie Mahar edging Luke Fink in a messy final, and Dave Steedman finishing in third. Day two’s reverse layout was won by Team DSR’s Adam Davies, with Fink again in second, and the first-ever tie for third between Connor Halligan and Steedman (due to a one-more-time [OMT] call and time-certain finish). Pro-sport day one went to Guy Maxwell over Deane Young, with Corbyn Wilson in third. Wilson then took Sunday’s win over Kurtis Lilley in his first podium appearance, with Young in third.…

Drift League Tasmania boss and Australian National Champion Brodie Maher has become the first international in a long time to ship his personal competition car to New Zealand for a full-series campaign. The appropriately named ‘SRplenty’ has landed on New Zealand shores, ready to unleash its full 1000hp from a billet 2.4L engine. Maher is known as an absolute animal behind the wheel — always on the door, even in practice — and his car packs serious power and grip. Having built it himself, he knows every inch of it. Once he gets dialled in, he’ll be a real threat to the national title heading offshore.…

Heroes. In recent history, it’s a term whose definition has morphed somewhat, thanks to the ever-changing landscape afforded by technology. In the past — particularly in the automotive space — the folks who’ve attained hero status have been moulded by big budgets, big exposure, and especially big personalities, whether scripted or not (we’re looking at you, American Chopper). With the rise of the automotive YouTuber though, the script’s been flipped. Instead of carefully curated, spit-shined productions, we’ve got real people, building real projects their way, and with their own tastes. A new generation of spanner jockeys, slaving away behind roller doors, sharing their creations from mild to, as you’ll soon discover, very wild and extremely left field! Unless you’ve been reliant on good old-fashioned 56k internet for the past wee…

Lately, the car scene’s been getting some bad press. A few clowns are out there ruining it for everyone, and the media’s quick to slap the ‘boy racer’ tag on all of us. But let’s be real — most of us are in it for the love of cars. There’s always going to be a minority who get their hands on a ‘skid hack’ just to cause chaos, doing illegal stuff where they shouldn’t and making the rest of us look bad. That’s not being a car enthusiast — that’s just being a nuisance. Rotationals and Downtime Entertainment are out here showing the positive side of the scene — putting in work for the community and running charity events every year for I Am Hope. This time, they linked up…

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? Here’s the deal: keep an eye out on our story, where we’ll ask you to share your favourite photo on your ‘gram and tag us. Each month, we’ll handpick some of the best shots to feature right here in print!…

Rewind your memory back to the early 2000s, and if you’re old enough to do so, chances are that you’ll recall the name Dale Williams. Dale was a regular on the burnout pad at the 4&Rotary Nationals behind the wheel of his gold 12A-powered Mazda 323. The car’s short wheelbase, decent level of horsepower, and the animal behind the wheel made for a good show, and it was a car that became very well known. Dale wasn’t solely focused on the skids though, as he extended his talents to circuit racing too, where he went on to have great success. His best success though came in the form of a 1974 RX-3 coupe. Being a panel beater by trade, Dale was never one to shy away from a project, and…

Times are changing, and Euros are everywhere — on the streets, at local events, tearing up track days, and even hitting the drag strip. But they still cop a bit of hate. That stigma’s fading fast, though, as JDM prices skyrocket. The days of scoring a cheap Skyline, Supra, Evo, or RX-7 are long gone — what used to be budget-friendly is now collector-tier money. With the cost of buying, modding, and maintaining performance JDM icons climbing, more and more enthusiasts are making the switch to the Euro side. European cars — especially Audi, Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes — often get criticised for issues like reliability, high maintenance costs, and a “lack of performance”, but most of these are just myths. In this article, we’re setting the record straight by…