Table of contents for No 200 January 2022 in NZV8

If you’ve read my eds from the past year you will know that I’m open to these new-fangled EV power-train swaps. I can see their appeal on some levels, and would even slot one into an engine bay of some old Chev tin and daily drive it — and I’m not afraid to admit it. If you’ve ever ridden in a Tesla, you’ll understand why I could deal with one — in the right build. This year at SEMA the EV industry was everywhere; this is the new thing on the block and EV conversion start-ups seem to be the new dot com boom. Don’t believe me? Ford released its crate power plants at the show and they sold out almost instantly, so I’m clearly not alone in my interest…

TITAN EVOLVED The next evolution in flat roof trays, the Titan Flat Tray by Rola offers more options for cargo mounting and storage, with heavy duty channels on all sides providing the freedom to configure the tray to suit your needs. Furthermore their range of accessories such as rails, further the possibilities. Rated at 300kg, the trays are constructed from high-strength, lightweight, anodised aluminium. Assembly and Installation are simple, and the trays come in four sizes to suit most vehicle types. Titan Trays start from $685. For more information: titantray.com or 0800 698 227. MODERN ICE If there is one thing that dates your car faster than anything else, it has to be the audio system. Bring your Ford Falcon BA-BF and Territory SX-SY up to modern specs by retrofitting…

Last time we checked in withJono Corlissof Corliss Race Engineering (CRE), he’d just relocated back home from Thailand, bringing with him a few containers of TA2-based TAV8 race cars, and setting up a new race shop at Hampton Downs. While here, the team got stuck into endurance racing. But with the rest of the world now opening back up and returning to some kind of normal, which of course means racing once again, the team has since shipped two cars back to Thailand, ahead of the 2021 Thailand Super Series. But their time in New Zealand has seen one major upgrade… Through CRE’s relationship with Ford, finally the cars are powered — rightly so — with Ford power plants. But not just any power plant. Teaming up with Mostech Engines…

Living near Whanganui, it’s hard not to be lured into the tough street car culture the town exudes. Jason McKillop didn’t escape it, and built himself a tough LJ Torana. The 421ci small block in the car was good enough to push it into the high nine-second zone, with a best of 9.85 at 137mph. While that’s not slow in anyone’s books, Jason has decided to have TPE Racing — which built the car to begin with — take it to the next level. For this, the old F2 ProCharger set-up from Dan Southall’s Camaro has been fitted along with an in-cabin water-to-air (ice box) intercooler set-up. To allow for this, the small block has been rebuilt with Diamond pistons and Oliver rods. The E85-fed combo is currently in the…

Just when we thought we were getting our lives back, Covid strikes again. Over the past 18 months, there have been thousands of events cancelled throughout New Zealand. Our favourite sports, concerts, and shows have all fallen victim to the lockdown rules, as one by one the organisers have been forced to postpone or cancel events that they have worked hard on for our pleasure. As disappointing as it is, there hasn’t really been a lot of choice. With the South Island sitting at level 2, a number of event organisers have viewed it too risky to play the wait-and-see game and have pulled the pin, but on 7 November, the Rakaia Dog Park committee pushed ahead regardless with their plans to host a fundraiser event, and were duly rewarded…

Wellington City may be known for all things plain and boring, like politics and environmentally friendly econoboxes, but on Friday, 5 November Union Car Club fixed all that. The club’s annual Roll the Boulevard cruise has gained momentum over the years and this year, its fifth, was without a doubt the biggest and best yet. The premise is simple: if you’ve got a cool car, rock up to Oriental Parade at the specified time, find a park — legal or otherwise — and hang out for a bit before hitting the streets of the capital. While the cruise is open to all sorts of vehicles, with it being a low-rider–based club the majority of cars that show up are understandably lowriders — although there are certainly exceptions. Phil Mackley and…

Perhaps not unexpectedly, given the current climate, the NAPA Central Muscle Cars 2021-2022 series has been stifled by the Covid lockdowns. The initial race calendar had the season beginning at Hampton Downs in November, followed by round two at Pukekohe in December. The November round has now been cancelled, and the December round, if it goes ahead, will be utilised as a non-points shakedown for the teams before heading to Highlands Park in Cromwell for the opening points round on 14 January. As it stands, the rest of the 22-race calendar remains unchanged, except for a proposed addition of an extra round in April. We’ll keep you updated as it all unfolds.…

It’s probably not that unusual for an automotive scribe, particularly of the freelance persuasion, to be penning a yarn for the second time about a certain car — especially when it’s a car with a good whack of history, and a hearty serving of outright coolness. Maybe what is a bit strange is when there’s 30-odd years in between those two stories. Getting personal isn’t really the typical way one of these tales would start. However, when it comes to Bevan Wright’s Almac Cobra replica, it goes a long way towards making sense of the impact this collaboration of Kevlar, steel, and a whopping great big block Chev had on classic motor racing. It also made quite the impression on yours truly. Picture a nine-year-old kid, blonde mop blowing in…

We checked out Zach Kohl of Kohl Rod and Custom’s VH back in issue 185, which unfortunately was rear ended and is currently away for much needed repairs. With the VH out of his hair, and a little more free time of late, he finally found some time to get stuck into his next build, a VN SS destined for daily duties. Well, actually he was building another VN when, just prior to lockdown, a manual SS popped up for sale in Auckland, which Zach says was a little bogan and had a wrap on it that hid many sins below. Built up over only seven weeks after hours and on weekends, the first VN served as a parts car, helping keep progress swift. The body received a few subtle…

Finally, some seven years after his first offer was rejected by shareholders to purchase the then insolvent Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo, Tony Quinn has secured a deal to obtain all park assets and land for $9.8M — close to three times his original offer. It’s been a busy year for Quinn, who is currently unable to visit New Zealand, first making a second offer to purchase Taupo in July, which was voted down, before the third offer reached the necessary 85 per cent vote. ‘‘Third time lucky,’’ he said. The Taupo deal follows the recent purchase of Queensland Raceways, another track he has been eyeing up since 2014. What the change of ownership will mean for the Taupo facility is yet to be announced, but even from right…

The next generation RTR enhanced Mustang is headed our way, with delivery to customers in early 2022. Much like the Series 1, the S2 takes the Mustang GT and transforms it to not only look more aggressive thanks to no less than 17 body modifications, but it is also track tested to perform better, with 25mm RTR lowering springs with a revised custom spring rate tested by both RTR’s creator Vaughn Gittin Jr, and Ford Performance. Power-wise the S2 runs 339kW of power at 7000rpm, and torque of 556Nm at 4600rpm, just as the GT does. “We are excited to bring another limited run of Mustang RTR vehicles to the market,” said Rachel White, Ford New Zealand’s marketing manager, SUV and passenger vehicles. Offered in only a select few colours,…

Back in 2019 when Auckland’s Charlie Bailey first popped up on our radar, he happened to mention his dream to own and enjoy a ’67 Chevy Nova one day. Those who have followed Charlie’s automotive adventures will know he has been a busy boy over the past couple years. Through the stuff we have featured you already know about that blur of conquests, but in between Charlie has also dabbled in a few activities that escaped our attention. We recently managed to tie Charlie to a couch for a morning interview — through masked protection — in an effort to find out about the latest of his fleet. Knowing he really, really, really wanted a Nova, it came as no surprise to learn he had found one. What is interesting…

Still 1981, and still a bunch of clowns. Just down the road from the first paint shop — Stewarts Auto Painting, in the old home-town of Wangavegas — at the end of Hinau Street (ironically, right next to the Wanganui rubbish dump) was Suzuki New Zealand’s headquarters. Back then, there was a proper big vehicle assembly plant down there, assembling the Suzuki utes and vans that came across from Japan as bits in a box. While the plant had a big flash spray painting facility, it couldn’t deal with small touch-ups, so it had become a customer, and we always had brand-new Suzuki utes and vans in our shop getting small jobs done when they got a dent or a scratch prior to leaving the assembly plant. There was something…

For years, car designers across the globe have dipped their toes into the concept of a modular vehicle, that is, a car that uses a universal platform or chassis, on to which different bodies can be swapped. The idea was that a driver could run their van-style work body during the week, for example, and quickly swap over to their convertible sports car body for the weekend. It’s a promising idea that, truthfully, has never really gone anywhere. What’s news to most is that this modular concept, in a way, is actually much older than you might think. This brings us to the 1953 Dodge Storm Zeder Z-250, a car with a brilliant core concept that had the potential to be a real game-changer and shake up the industry at…

Here are some quick hits of content from social-media channels around the globe, curated by Low Fast Famous. They relate to some of the projects and completed builds that have been generating the most interaction and impressions in the past 30 days. Check out more of the work from the vehicles highlighted via their Instagram handles listed or at Low Fast Famous: @lowfastfamous 1966 CHEVROLET NOVA @FULLCIRCLE1966 Oh man, Marc certainly nailed it with his Nova build that has so many mods it could fill up this whole column. With a 408ci LS2-based power plant putting out 620hp, along with the Tremec T56 transmission and Mark Williams rear, you know the party is about to start. To harness all that power, Detroit Speed supplied a full coilover setup and, along…

While most view SEMA as one of the biggest car shows on the planet, the backbone of the show is really showcasing aftermarket products. It’s what SEMA, or Specialty Equipment Market Association, is all about so it makes sense that it plays host to thousands of product launches, which is what our eyes are typically trained to seek out. What new innovations are happening? What trends in modifications are starting to emerge? And what parts will everyone be adding to their Santa list? The scale of the show is mind boggling, with more than 1200 vendors peddling their products inside halls that span over 57 acres. It truly is the mecca for the aftermarket industry, which amounts to a staggering US$50 billion-a-year industry. We’ve done the leg work to compile…

Rodney Heads isn’t particularly proud of the fact that his gorgeous A9X Torana ended up on its roof, but he’s going to be proud of how good the car looks once it’s back on track. As mentioned in these pages previously, Moselle Panel and Paint took on the task of repairing the body work, a task now completed. The major hurdle with this was finding parts, the last of which was a replacement roof skin that has just been supplied. That means the car can now be painted, followed by reassembly, which Rodney says shouldn’t be too time-consuming, and with him having built more Toranas than anyone else in the country, he should know. While no major changes are set to be undertaken during the rebuild, we have no doubt…

In recent times, many of us serious about car care have included the use of a clay bar in our home-detailing processes — if you haven’t, then you’re missing out. Clay bars remove bonded contaminants from the paint surface without hazing. However, while traditional clay bars work well, they are a pain if you drop them on the ground — yeah, we’ve all been there — as it basically means bin time for the bar. But the future is here thanks to Meguair’s, which has developed a synthetic clay pad that will change the way you go about clay baring your paintwork. If you drop one of these synthetic pads, simply wash it and go right back to work. The other great benefit is that they last use, after use,…

The only show worth watching on TV (yes we’re very biased) has made a return for season nine, taking up residence on CRC Motorsport once again. Like always we’ll be beaming an in-depth look at the finest hot rod, street machines, and muscle cars on our shores, while also getting to know those talented Kiwis and characters behind the scenes. The show will run for 10 consecutive weeks, and by the time you’re reading this, it will have already started airing. But don’t stress as the show is also hosted on our YouTube channel so you can watch it any time, anywhere. We’d also like to thank all our very supportive sponsors of the show — Repco, Meguiar’s, Rislone, and Mount Shop. We could not do it without them.…

Kyle Larson has gone from being dropped by his Nascar team and sponsors in 2022 for a slip of the tongue to absolutely dominating the 2021 season, picking up 10 wins to secure his first Nascar championship. Driving almost like he had a point to prove, he drove home Phoenix Raceway to secure the monster five-foot-tall Nascar Cup Series. As many will know, Kyle is a busy man and while Nascar is the main priority, if he isn’t racing his stock car on a weekend, he will be strapped into something that pounds the dirt ovals. This has led to what many are describing as the most dominant season in American motorsport history, and we’d agree. His wins this year include Midget racing’s prestigious Chili Bowl, a BC39, Sprint cars…

Today developed into another milestone of sorts for NZV8. That achievement? Actually double in reality. First, you get to absorb two very nice cars owned by the same person in a single edition. Second, we managed to unearth a feature without hearing about it through the grapevine before it was complete. I can tell you now, in little ol’ New Zealand where degrees of separation are counted on two fingers, hiding a nice car from us is pretty hard. That person who owns these two features? Yep, Auckland’s one and only Charlie Bailey. For those who don’t recognise the name, may I point you towards our subscriptions dept where you will find back issues of NZV8, or search themotorhood.com, where you’ll uncover a few of the many Bailey cars we’ve…

Chances are you’ll know the car, but it’s never been quite like this. Steve Walker, owner of Mikes Engines and a prolific NZV8 feature car owner, has recently taken possession of the former Paul Hammond Valiant and wasted no time in working his magic on it. Purchasing the car as a roller minus motor gave him the option to build up any combo he fancied. As much as the Mopar purists may not like it, the combo of choice is one that’s hard to argue with in terms of bang for buck. The GM LS-based set-up Steve has assembled is based around an iron block with a 403ci capacity. A dry-sump system has been added, while a pair of Precision 7576 turbos that feed through a water-to-air intercooler will be…

If it’s made of metal, there’s a good chance that Vince Douglas has made one, modified one, or repaired one. As the man behind Douglas Automotive and Engineering, he knows his way around a welder, and what it takes to get a job done right. The attention to detail he (and staff) put into their workmanship is top notch, regardless of whether it’s a heavy trailer build, a motorbike modification, or rust repair on a classic car. So, it kind of goes without saying that when the man decides to build a car for himself, it’s going to be done right. Although there’s a story behind most of his cars — and he has certainly owned a few — this ’67 Falcon is somewhat different from the rest. Sharp eyes…

During the current Covid restrictions I have noticed some interesting material pop up on social media. Car guys have been spending some of their time delving into scrapbooks and photo albums and sharing photos and memories from past cars and events. It’s been a great trip back in time with photos shared on pages such as NZ Hotrods & Memories on Facebook and @nzhotrodhistory on Instagram. We haven’t had to delve too far back in some cases to remember what it used to be like to go to a car event nationally or internationally. With many events cancelled or postponed before Christmas and uncertain times into the New Year, I cannot help but notice how it seems that our USA friends seem to be getting on with things and enjoying…

Peter Ward was a welcome addition to the CMC grid in the 2019-2020 season behind the wheel of the ex-Sean Fowler Torana sedan. The car had been successfully raced by season for a number of seasons, so the decision was made to leave it as is until Pete had enough races in it to find his groove. That happened by the end of the 2020-2021 season, so the car was delivered back to its original builder — Heads Racing Supplies — for a freshen up. With the 2021-2022 season delayed due to Covid-19, that freshen-up expanded into the car’s first major rebuild since it was first completed in 2015. As part of this it was stripped right back to a shell to enable Cody and the team at Triple C…

I am building a hotrod using a 1969 Rover P5B Coupe,” States Doug Gale. Now a Rover is by no means a run of the mill choice for a hot rod build on our shores, but that’s exactly why we like it so much. And better yet, this is actually a car that is currently under construction, and being that it’s a real thing, Doug has considered each and every little detail about the P5B build. “I’ve always wanted to do this to a Rover. It was going to be a P6 but I got this car cheap. I always knew she’d look good and be a one-off original as no one has ever done this much to one,” he states. The body modifications, although subtle, are extensive. First up…

It’s not even 12 months since we featured Willy Dodson’s ’77 LX, but that hasn’t stopped him completely reworking the car from top to toe. In fact, he began tearing it apart right after the NZV8 shoot. The stout Tremec-backed Holden 383 now wears a Shaun Customs Alloy tunnel ram with a pair of Holley 650 XPs, a new cam with 620 lift, new valve train, and a 250 shot of nitrous. The bottom end will also be receiving a rebuild. And the changes haven’t stopped there! The underbody has received all new bushes, etc, as well as a big set of AP Racing brakes. The interior has been rewound back to near stock, because, as Willy says, “I’m not a teenager anymore, I don’t need that dumb shit.” The…