Table of contents for No 195 August 2021 in NZV8

If you flick forward a few pages, you will see a news piece about Noddy Watts — the main driving force behind Beach Hop — having been honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Noddy received the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to the community and charity fundraising. Anyone who has attended the Saturday prize draw at Beach Hop will be aware of the charity element to the event, with charity auctions taking place, but many will be unaware of just how significant the combined contributions from the five days are. Take this year’s event, for instance. The Beach Hop crew were able to donate a total of $100K, with $60K of that going to local emergency services, $25K to CanTeen and Hamilton’s Cancer Society’s Lions Lodge, and…

When Ford and Ken Block parted ways in early 2020, some very mouth-watering pieces of motorsport machinery were offered up for sale by LBI, a Michigan-based dealership. While the rally cars are cool and all, none has caught our eye like the ’77 Ford F150, dubbed ‘Hoonitruck’, which was built specifically for shooting Gymkhana 10. The truck has a list price of US$1.1M, which is a little over NZ$1.5M. While that’s probably the most anyone has ever listed a ’77 F150 for, it was reported to have had a build cost of over US$1.5M! The truck was built by Detroit Speed and features a custom tube-frame chassis with modular front and rear clips to allow quick repairs while filming on set. It comes with two sets of body panels, lightweight…

Well-known Wellington panel fabricator Terry Lynch has always had a soft spot for Ford’s humble Pop, and in recent years he’s been chipping away at a rather serious one. Despite having a Pop street car that’s been off the road for a few years, he decided to build a dedicated strip weapon based around a body that he picked up five years ago. Being too busy with work commitments for the first few years, the body sat waiting while the plans evolved in his head. Since then, he’s managed to slice 2.5 inches out of the roof height and raise the rear arches three inches to allow the car to sit much lower. “It was about this time Dion Crook put up a Facebook post of his FED [front-engine dragster]…

There are few body shapes as iconic or desirable as an early Corvette, but despite that, they’re not commonly seen as drag cars on this side of the globe. The Crook family of Lower Hutt — notable for being lifelong supporters of Masterton Motorplex, just so happen to have a’Vette in their stable. The car was imported complete from Australia, but in recent months has been undergoing chassis alterations at the hands of Rod Benjes — in part to try to ensure that there’s enough room inside for an average-sized driver. Due to the car’s narrow width and set-back 510ci Sainty three-valve engine, room in the cabin is at a premium. Being set up to run in Supercharged Outlaws, the car runs a Whipple screw blower and the engine is…

It’s no secret that some of those who stand among us consider their creations — their cars — to be part of the family. While to others it might sound absurd that a hunk of steel with four wheels and an engine can be regarded as family, in the case of the Williams family, their ’56 hardtop, which has been in the family for 30 years, has been the cornerstone of many memories, road trips, and holidays. It’s also served owner Sean his share of angst as it’s grown older. How could you not consider it family? The ’56 first appeared in the family garage when Sean was in his early 20s and eldest son Chris was still in nappies. Dragged from a barn on Waiheke Island, it was in…

Over the years, hot rodding has certainly enjoyed some very colourful characters. Sadly, one of them, Robert ‘Bob’ Armstrong, passed away on 3 June 2021. I didn’t know Bob all that well but first learnt of him maybe 30 years ago. He was a larger-than-life figure who knew everyone — as was apparent at his service in Auckland. There was also a final service and burial at his marae in Pipiwai, Northland. A loyal family man with strong Māori heritage, Bob was also a loyal friend to many and a father figure to many more. He also had a sense of humour and could tell a good story — much like the late Billy T James. In the early days, Bob was best known for his ’34 Chev sedans —…

By now, chances are that you’ve seen and heard Bplenty of talk about the Clean Car Discount — the government’s plan to transition New Zealand towards lower carbon-emitting vehicles. If you believe everything that’s been getting thrashed around social media, you probably see this policy as equivalent to the sky falling … We’ve done some digging though and can confirm that’s not exactly the case. Yes, there’s a decent chance that you’ll be affected in one way or another, but it may not be the doom and gloom that you’ve been led to believe. HERE ARE A FEW MYTHS DISPELLED 1. It’s the death of our old vehicles That’s not the case at all. Like most vehicle policies, the Clean Car Discount is aimed at the mainstream vehicle market, and,…

Some six years since his first race start in the Supercars ranks for the 2014 Bathurst 1000, Kiwi Andre Heimgartner has landed his first Supercars victory, while also ending a winless drought for the Ford Mustang this season. Heimgartner, who joined Kelly Racing in 2018 (now Kelly Grove Racing) even copped a five-second time penalty during the race for a pit-lane collision with Jamie Whincup. “When we had contact I was like, ‘Oh geez, that just made it a lot harder for myself’, and I knew I had to get five seconds,” Heimgartner said. “On the last lap, it was 4.5 seconds [spare], so I just knew but they didn’t tell me.” The win was the first for Kelly Grove Racing, and the first since the team switched to the…

We all knew this day was coming — the day electric vehicles (EVs) would have their own legitimate drag class under the NHRA. What we probably didn’t expect was that it would start from 2022. NHRA has announced the introduction of the Summit Series EV class, which will race in all seven divisions. The rules for the class are not yet public, but it’s understood that NHRA has been intalks with OEMs, so expect the class to be based around street cars. NHRA vice-president of competition Ned Walliser stated, “The NHRA is excited to provide the OEMs [with] a platform to showcase their EV technology, production, and racing efforts. Adding an EV category to the Summit Racing Series expands our involvement in EV racing and better solidifies our effort to…

SIMPLE DIMPLES Speed holes are an age-old technique used by fabricators to lighten components or allow airflow, but they can also add strength if dimples are punched. Franklin Performance offers a set of 45-degree dimple dies that remove the barrier of needing to have a press in your home garage, as they can be actioned using an M12 or M16 bolt through the central hole. This is also great for working in situ, or on large panels. Offered individually, or as a set of six ranging from ½-inch to 2-inch, they are machined from tool steel, and heat treated with a unique oil-impregnation process right here in New Zealand to ensure they will last. A complete set retails for $399.00. Order online from franklinperformance.nz. EASY SWAP A true bolt-in adapter…

These days, we’re very used to the idea of a Tconcept car, not to mention the inevitable disappointment that follows when the production version appears a few years later as a shadow of its former self. Before the 1950s and the proliferation of the American ‘show car’, however, this just wasn’t something that large-scale automakers did. That all changed thanks to one man — GM’s Harley Earl. After beginning his career working in his father’s coachbuilding business in Hollywood, Earl eventually caught the eye of GM’s then president Alfred P Sloan, who was impressed enough by the young designer’s work and use of clay modelling — something that Earl is credited with bringing to the automotive industry — that a Design and Colour division was created in Detroit, and the…

Gisborne’s Ben Lewington is probably representative of a lot of readers here, in that he thought the VL Walkinshaw was the greatest car he’d ever seen when he first laid eyes on it. Let’s face it, with the aggressive bodykit, stylish (for the time) wheels, and comparatively low stance, it really was unlike anything else on the road, or track, in 1988. Helping the love affair of 10-year-old Ben was that his dad actually drove a VL GTS — a car that Ben thought was the best VL around until he found the Walkinshaw and witnessed Larry Perkins take one to victory at Bathurst. From that moment on, young Ben knew eventually that he’d end up owning a Walkinshaw. What he never expected, of course, was the meteoric rise in…

I think we are going to nickname our project ‘Mighty Murph’, not as in Kiwi motorsport icon Greg Murphy but more that thing called Murphy’s law, as it seems that every direction we in go throws up more obstacles and issues in our path — but hey, that’s car building, right? The steel we were promised and had waited for for too long because the price was right ended up not turning up for reasons that we don’t need to go into. So, at the last minute, and at a not-insignificant cost, the decision was made to change construction to chromoly. Not only was it available locally, but it would also bring the car in line with recent rule changes and impending ones, which once again need not be mentioned…

Originally built by Autocolour Matrix as a promotional vehicle for Mothers polishes and waxes, this ’48 Bonus will be very familiar to anyone who has been around the block a few times. But the truck’s days as a show pony are over, with Pariah Custom Werks rebuilding it from the ground up to handle 1000hp from a twin turbo and blown 351. Having only recently been lifted off the chassis table, the original frame now features a John Reid coilover front end and a McDonald Bros rear clip with a triangulated four-linked nine-inch. The chassis has been braced with a custom K member. A built 351 on the way to cope with the boost the pair of turbos and supercharger will throw its way. The big catcher will become the…

While not the only Kiwi duo featuring on the grid for ‘The Great Race’ this October, you can bet there will be plenty of interest with the return of No. 51 to the mountain following the announcement that retired Supercars drivers Greg Murphy and Richie Stanaway will make a return as a wild card entry for Erebus Motorsport and Boost Mobile. The idea was first floated on social media by Boost Mobile’s owner Peter Adderton back in April and has been growing in momentum. “Originally, the idea was a bit tongue in cheek, but the fan reaction has been incredible, so I wanted to make this team happen for them [the fans],” Adderton said. “I got on the phone to Greg and Richie, and, although they initially weren’t interested, it…

AutoFest is fast growing into the country’s biggest two-day car event for hot rods, classics, V8s and street machines. All it really needed was a track — and now it’s got one! After skipping last year, Autofest 2021 is back, on the weekend of September 11-12, stronger than ever. It’s roaring back with a new format offering more for drivers, and most importantly a new location — Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon! New track-focussed events include a cruise with your mates, slow sessions, ladies only sessions, roll racing, grip sessions, drifting (demo only), powerskids (demo only) and much more. Proven highlights from the previous Mystery Creek Autofests held include a V8-only burnout competition, a BBQ competition, Retro-o-rama, live music, Miss AutoFest and a wheel changing competition. Burnouts! Competition is hot for…

The staging lanes at Willowbank Raceway for the final of IHRA Pro Mod are a far cry from the dirt oval at Paradise Raceway in Rotorua, a track where Stew Walsh spent his younger years strapped inside an A-grade stock car, thanks to the influence of dad Tom, a founder member and racer at the track. But 24 years later, the Kiwi would be etching his name into drag racing history as the first to win Pro Mod at the Winternationals, and the first Holley engine-control-unit (ECU) car into the five-second zone. Stew, who runs his own auto-electrical business in Queensland, moved over in 1998, giving up speedway in the process. He’d never even been to a drag strip and had zero interest in the sport — that was until…

Trev has been around the drag racing scene in New Zealand for many, many years — you could say the 66-year-old is a bit of a petrolhead! Over these “too many years to remember”, Trev’s worked on hundreds of mates’ cars, but, although he loved helping out and learning shit over the years, deep down he really wanted to build something for himself. He explains, “I’ve always wanted to build a fun drag car, rather than race normal cars. I wanted something like we used to race in the ‘good ol’ days’.” One day, while cruising around his home town on the Kapiti Coast, Trev spied something underneath a tarpaulin on the front lawn of a house; it required further investigation. A quick peek underneath the tarp confirmed the presence…

The humble Holden EH wagon has long been a favourite for us Kiwis, but when it comes to modifying it, we tend to stick to the mild side of life — unlike our Anzac brothers. However, this would all change if Curtis Nikora had his way and near-unlimited funds to bring his concept to life. Curtis’s concept would see ’50s custom style merged with pro-touring — in his words: “It looks like it would be slow, but goes like stink”. The EH ‘Nomad’ would start as a ’64 wagon. It would have the rear doors removed and be converted to a two-door by having the front doors stretched by six inches — the original inspiration comes from Chris Bell’s two-door, which Curtis spotted at Summernats 10 or 12 — although…

Steve and Steph Batey purchased their ’55 210 as a fresh import, running the factory six and with worn paint and upholstery, around 10 years ago. With the intention of it being a driver and even a tow rig for their drag car, the original focus was on upgrading the running gear. In went an LS1 backed by a 4L65E, and the 10-bolt was ditched for a narrowed 9-inch with 3.25:1 LSD and disc brakes. The front end is an all-CPP affair with disc brakes, drop spindles, and upgraded sway bars, and a modified big capacity Ford Galaxy fuel tank was installed for those long haul trips. Although the firewall and rocker covers received a coat of shiny blue metallic, the original green and white patina was left, along with…

NZV8: Hi, Bruce, great-looking truck. What exactly is it? Bruce: It’s a ’57 Chevy pickup. It’s been in New Zealand since 2010 and we bought it about three years ago. What’s driving it? It’s got a 454 up front with a three-speed turbo 400. Was that in it when you got it? Sure was; never had an issue with it except for cooling. It came out of Auckland so not sure how the last owner got around in the traffic without it overheating. We spent a lot of time getting the cooling just right; now it’s not an issue. Did you have to do anything else? Yeah, it was a bit rough all over. I drive this every day for work, so we needed a few creature comforts. I put…