Table of contents for No 205 June 2022 in NZV8

I know it’s a bit of a cheeky thing to brag about, but, man, having the ability to obtain a media pass for drag racing is hands down the best perk this job has to offer. It’s the only motorsport where you can get close enough to the cars to have your hat blown off; for all other sports, the media vantage points may as well see you sitting in the stands with the crowd. Thanks to the dedicated team behind me — who are far more talented with a camera than I — shooting drag racing isn’t something I do very often. But each and every time I do, it leaves me buzzing for days afterwards — especially when it’s shooting stuff like nitro cars, FEDs, and gassers. Apart…

The deadset Aussie legend that was Chic Henry has finally succumbed to the cancer he had battled for the past six years, passing aged 75. Founder of the iconic Street Machine Summernats, Chic was a well-respected and much-loved figure on the Australian car scene, growing Summernats from an idea to a festival attracting more than 100,000 people and turning over in excess of AU$17m. Chic ran the event right up until 2009, when he sold it and started his political career — somewhat aptly in the now defunct Australian Motorist Party. The funeral of this larger than life character will take place as we go to print, with everyone (and their cars) welcome. Chic requested everyone hang round afterwards and turn it into a party — a fitting tribute to…

I had a bit of a poke at a particular slice of humanity last month — that ever-growing segment of our society who get outraged and offended over anything and everything. From the feedback I got from friends after that issue of NZV8 hit the news stands (which was a lot more than usual), it seems that the behaviour of these constantly-offended people — mostly two or three decades newer and shinier than us old dinosaurs — is pissing everyone off. It’s quite a topic of conversation now; not to the extent to which everyone I know expresses their hatred for the current Labour government, but it’s getting up there. Old mate Andy Smith from Levin said, “I think your article in the latest NZV8 magazine is hugely relevant as…

It’s been an odd season, with Covid-19 interrupting any sense of flow or normality, but a few hard-core racers have used that to their advantage, Nigel Dixon being one. Nigel was going to sit the season out to crew for Bronson Dunne. However, after Bronson had a brush with the wall, his season was over, leaving a crew assembled and no car to race. Having had the Kruzin Kustoms Falcon top doorslammer in bits over the off season, Nigel managed to convince the crew to help get it together in time to make it to the first national round at Napa Autoparts Dragway (Meremere). The effort was well worthwhile, as he came home with the Top Doorslammer Class win despite being slightly off PB pace. Round two saw him come…

Wind the clock back to early 2020, to a time when life was somewhat normal. Some might even remember the last drag event that would take place before Covid-19 hit — yip, the New Zealand Rodder Gasser Wars Reunion Drags, which took place at Tokoroa dragway just before we all went into lockdown. Fast forward two years, and, as we’re just beginning to come out the back door, it was somewhat fitting that one of the first restriction-free drag events would be the delayed 2022 running of that very same event, now at the bigger venue of Napa Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere. With the gasser movement well and truly on fire here, it should be of no surprise that a huge 20-car field fronted. They included some new cars like…

Back in 2010, Waimate’s Paul ‘Zippy’ Thompson was browsing through the pages of classic cars listed for sale on Trade Me. Flicking through the virtual pages, as many of us do, he came across something that made his heart skip a beat. Although he owned a ’68 Mustang GT at the time, as soon as saw this ’66 Ford Falcon Futura sports coupe it was love at first sight. “Being a vehicle I’ve always been attracted to, and the fact that they are quite rare, it instantly caught my eye,” he tells us. As luck would have it, the car was in Invercargill, exactly where Paul had a work trip the following week. A quick call to the seller answered a few questions and a date was booked to check…

As you may have picked up from my past ramblings, I am all about the fun of it and reliving what it once was. Hot rodding and drag racing, like life in general, have become more complex; nowadays, it’s refreshing to keep the perspective on the fun aspect while reliving or remembering the heritage. After what I consider to be a weird summer event season restricted by Covid settings, it was great to conclude the summer schedule with the New Zealand Rodder Gasser Wars at Napa Auto Parts Dragway, Meremere, on Sunday, 24 April. Due to Covid, this was the third attempt at hosting the event, and the organisers, Craig, Andi, and Dave, were brilliant in their communication and promotions with sponsors and entrants. GMS Hot Rods was a sponsor…

The VG Valiant was produced by Chrysler Australia from 1970 to 1971 and the coupe version was popular in the day, but we don’t see a lot of them on our roads these days. That hasn’t stopped this coupe from going under the knife at Peterson Fabrication. This stroked, small block Mopar–powered VG coupe has so far received a custom exhaust system, chromoly driveshaft, and LVVTA loop, along with one of their nine-inch rear ends. The Val is off to paint soon and will be hitting the streets of Dunedin in no time. One to keep an eye out for. SHARE YOUR PROJECT WITH US! Have you been spinning spanners, hammering panels, crimping wires, or polishing metal until your fingers bleed? We’d love to see the progress and share the…

IF YOU HAVE A COOL DAILY-DRIVER AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT APPEAR IN DAILY GRIND, EMAIL EDITOR@V8.CO.NZ NZV8: What a beautiful looking car Allie, what exactly is it? Allie: It is a 1971 Ford Torino. It’s not a very common car, what made you buy it? We are Ford people, but it was the colour that attracted me. They had two different roof styles too, this one is a ‘formal roof’, which has more room inside. So you have a few Fords then? We have a ’37 Pickup which [my son] Taylor is building for us, a ’68 Mustang running a supercharged small block, an ’07 GT-P Falcon, and we have another car on the way… but it’s not a Ford. [My husband] Dave has a Redeye Charger coming…

If you’ve been wondering what your Sunday arvos have been missing recently, the answer is your fix of Repco Muscle Garage. But never fear, on 29 May the show is making a return to its home on Three’s CRC Motorsport for its 10th season. As always, the show will also stream via YouTube, and will showcase the best cars, sheds, and events our great country has to offer, alongside some of the characters who are driving forces behind the scenes. Season 10 will air for 10 episodes, and is made possible with the support of Repco New Zealand, Meguiar’s, and Mount Shop Ltd. The season kicks off with a Repco Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival special and a look at New Zealand’s newest nitro-burning nostalgia machine, Nitrohoon, so…

The world’s number one selling toy has announced that, after nearly a decade of on again-off again, its live-action adaption is back on — again. Mattel’s movie arm, Mattel Films, has partnered with Warner Bros Pictures and JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions to produce the live action film that is said to be a high-throttle actioner that will showcase some of the world’s hottest cars and trucks — as you’d expect. Robbie Brenner, executive producer, Mattel Films, stated in the press release: “Fans of all ages are now in for the ride of their lives with the incredible talent of JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot joining us alongside Warner Bros Pictures to transform Hot Wheels’ legendary IP into a thrilling story for the big screen.” Just when it will be released…

SEE EZY FOR LONGER The new 71322 See Ezy Rechargeable LED Inspection Light takes the popular Narva workshop light to the next level. It has an effective output of 500 or 1000 lumens, giving up to 16 hours continuous run time. It is IP65 and IK07 rated to ensure it keeps working in the toughest workshop conditions. Narva reckons the new See Ezy Inspection lamp is long lasting, powerful, and virtually indestructible. Available from automotive stores throughout New Zealand. For more information see narva.co.nz. PUSH BUTTON Carrying out a resto-style build on a VR, VS, VT, VU, VX Holden Commodore, or perhaps the buttons on your daily driver’s steering wheel are so worn you can’t remember what button does what? Rare Spares are now stocking the highly sought-after steering wheel…

Masterton Motorplex regulars may be familiar with the name Paul Ramakers and the silver VK Commodore he pilots. Paul’s bought and sold countless cars over the years, the VK being the most recent to leave the fleet. While he hadn’t exactly been planning on selling it, when a Torana sedan previously campaigned by Glenn Boyd popped up for sale, he simply knew he needed it. Running the VK in Super Sedan for three seasons, where the 383ci/TH400/nine-inch package pushed the car into the low 10s, Paul couldn’t resist the urge to go even faster. As a result, the Torana was purchased as a roller from Andrew Browning, who had intended to run the car in partnership with Rikki Bloemsaat, but that plan never eventuated. Rather than the turbo LS combo…

Dan Southall’s PRO406 ’69 Camaro has plenty of fans, and it’s easy to see why. The small-tyre leaf-spring car is currently the third quickest street car in the country. Better still, that’s an achievement performed with a small block up front. Making the trek up from Christchurch, Dan competed at Masterton Motorplex’s Grand Finals event in early April. Having had Reece Fish at FFR Engines and Machine go over the small block and the team at C&M Performance work their magic on the tune, Dan was keen to make the most of the event, and he didn’t go home disappointed. The Camaro was on form over the weekend, running three 7.9-second passes, the best being a PB run of 7.95 at 182.59mph. That run saw the car hook a 1.35-second…

As I have mentioned before, driving a 10,000 horsepower NHRA-spec top fuel funny car is to me the ultimate in this sport. These cars have the motor in front, a short wheelbase, you get covered in clutch dust, they’re hard to drive, and a challenge to tune, but man are they fun. Our first public outing with the new car was set for Willowbank Raceway and a match race with the Nitro Freak team owned by Rod Bailey, who happened to bring his nitro funny car to NZ some 10 years ago. We went up to Queensland with the intention of doing a half-track test pass on Friday night — as we wanted to try a few things — and then a three-round match race on Saturday. In typical drag-racing…

If you’re a regular reader of these Knowledge Blasts each month, you may have already picked up that General Motors’ decision to put a stop to all factory-backed racing in 1963 was a pivotal moment for the US auto industry. It’s a historical blip on the radar that seems to come up again and again when discussing rare and special vehicles of the era. Chevrolet’s 1963 Impala Z11 is just one more machine that will forever be linked to GM’s misguided racing ban decision, thanks to its unfortunate — or fortunate, depending on how you look at it — timing, having arrived on the scene with just enough time to dominate and electrify the US race scene before being pulled from the podium by its masters for good. ‘Z11’ is…

The Napa Central Muscle Cars (CMC) circus made a welcome return to the grid at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park over Anzac weekend. While the season was officially cancelled prior to the event, a reduction in Covid restrictions meant that some sense of normality could return to the Speedworks Grand Final. Although some drivers, such as Bruce and Andrew Anderson, had season points to compete for in Touring Car Masters at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, no fewer than 20 cars lined up on the grid. Among them was a handful of new drivers to the class, most notable being Dave Robinson in his ’66 Mustang. Dave has had a long relationship with the car, having previously campaigned in Pre ’65 before deciding to step up. With the chassis well sorted, he…

Much has been written on the roots of hot rodding-and if you’re reading this magazine, you’ll likely have a good grasp on its history – but to boil it down to the simplest summary, hot rodding was born out of a yearning to go faster. As the hobby has developed, that background seems to have been lost on some; and hey, that’s fine, going fast isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but this month’s concept is without doubt built with speed as priority number one. Thanks to the aftermarket, it has never been easier to build a speed machine, and we’d go as far as saying you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to building a truck like this. However, the conceptee wants to keep things traditional to hot rodding, an…

The next big, or should we say little, project for the team at Real Rides is this Anglia. Both the car’s owner and Kayton of Real Rides had Anglias as teens and both always dreamed of powering one with a V8. Fast forward a few decades, and when the owner approached Real Rides, Kayton jumped at the opportunity to finally build one. The already highly modified four-banger-powered machine was torn down and now features a new front clip from the firewall forward. This converts it to a double A-arm and steering rack using narrowed a Rods By Reid crossmember and tubular arms. There is also a set of six-pot Wilwood calipers, and two-piece rotors with alloy hubs. Out back will be a custom four-link to house the shortened XR8-sourced BorgWarner…

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Heading into the final round of the Ryco 24·7 V8 Utes, there were three drives with one championship trophy in reach — and one driver, Peter Ward, who had a 44-point lead, ready to snatch it if he could keep Shane Dias and Brad Kroef at bay. The wet track at Hampton Downs ensured the battles would be fierce, and neither Dias nor Kroef was going to make Ward’s job easy. Dias would take two of the three race wins, while Kroef would also grab a podium spot in one race. But in the end it wasn’t enough to overtake who would nab two thirds and a second over the weekend to claim the championship 32 points clear of Diaz.…

Yip, although the C8 Vette is currently struggling to even make it off the production line, as reported last issue, GM has begun teasing the next iteration of the car in a short and sweet video that shows an AWD C8 ripping up the snow. It is titled Corvette: Electrified. Although the video lets the visuals drop all the hints, GM’s president, Mark Reuss, confirmed the new hybrid C8 would utilise GM’s ultium battery technology as well as its new energy recovery system, which uses heat that the batteries produce to boost the vehicle’s range by about 10 per cent, heat the cabin, and increase acceleration. This first step towards an electric Corvette is expected to drop as early as next year, and a fully electric variant will arrive soon…

Remember that 10-day C10 build that we covered a few issues back? You know, the complete resto that the mad dogs from Real Rides undertook in the lead-up to the Repco Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival this year? Well, would it surprise you if we said it wasn’t Real Rides’ first Discovery Channel–style rodeo? That honour actually falls on this ’63 Impala SS, which was built — for the most part — in 12 days of fury from a pile of parts leading up to the 2020 Kumeu running. If you’re a regular to the west Auckland show, then you’ll know that Real Rides is always present under the big white tent opposite the show halls, and it always brings something fresh — and by fresh we mean…

The Vauxhall Cresta of father and son combo Adam and Graeme Bates is a great example of drag car evolution. Over the years it has been transformed from a street car into a tube chassis race car and gone through various turbo combinations in the process. After it ran a best of 7.35 at 188mph with the 372ci engine combo, a change was made to new 80mm turbos and capacity increased to 400ci. The car came off the trailer to run a 7.40 on the first pass before the body sustained damage. Rather than opt for another steel body, the Bates lads whipped up a full carbon fibre replacement. Adam tells us, “Once we got the car back out on the track we persisted with the mechanical injection, but we…

With the goal being to shake things up on our Quickest Streetcar List - a list dominated by big power V8s - Matt Grundy isn’t pulling any punches when it comes to his Barra powered BA Falcon build. To take on the big boys with two less cylinders, the Barra has been built for serious boost with a billet crank, drag spec I-beam rods, and custom Cp Pistons. The head has been ported and stuffed with large valves, upgraded springs, and the biggest cams Kelford offers, as well as plenty of other fruit. The boost maker is a 102mm Garrett, and will be controlled by a CO2 activated wastegate. The straight six will run on methanol and also have a little squirt of nitrous to help the party get started.…

As a young kid, Jason Robertson was dragged around the drag strips of New Zealand. His dad, Neil, was busy scoring race wins in his top alcohol funny car, while Jason was more interested in playing with toy cars. However, as Jason and his brother Jordan got older and started to have hobbies of their own, Neil and sold up everything and stepped away from racing to spend time with the family. Jason’s main hobby was rugby and, just like his dad, he didn’t take part just to make up the numbers but was highly competitive and successful. Neil did his part, too, being the coach of the rugby team for many seasons. The sport took its toll physically and eventually it got to a point at which even Jason…

Okay, we’re into part four of your guide to knowing most things about drag racing. If you just stumbled onto this, then we have some news concerning your wallet. Yes, feel free to increase NZV8’s coffers because back issues are available if you want to know what we’ve covered in the previous three editions. Everything from convincing buddies to come along, to driving through the gates, to knowing what a christmas tree does and reading your timeslip. Yes, over the past four months we’ve taken you from complete novice to “actually, I know that” when it comes to getting down a quarter-mile. Before we get into this issue’s tips and tricks there’s a number of questions we’ve fielded over the past few months that may need clarification. We’ve had comments…

We don’t need to tell you that the cost of living is going through the roof currently, and that petrol prices have many thinking twice about filling up the tank for a Sunday cruise around the neighbourhood. But that’s not right — if cars are your passion, nothing should stop you getting out there, and thankfully there are some practical steps you can take to ensure that you’re making the most out of every overpriced drop that goes into your tank. Because let’s face it, most of us are still going to get the gas guzzler out, we just want to make sure that it’s as painless as possible for ya. We’ve talked to the pros to get some real world tips that will increase your MPG without costing you…

Mustang race cars are nothing new in New Zealand, but there are few around that have the history of Craig Buchanan’s. While some of the car’s story has been lost in the mists of time, word has it the car has never been a streetcar, having rolled off the production line always destined for the track. While we can only assume that’s true, the history comes a lot clearer from 1979. As Craig recalls: “We know the owners back to 1979 when Ed Reinert purchased it. Most of the work was done on the car between 1979 and 2005. Jeff Kaiser then had it from 2005 to 2016. Then, Dennis Harsch — a Canadian living in Australia — purchased the car from Jeff. Apparently, he saw it in the US…

After cancellations, postponements, and date changes, it was fantastic finally to see an event take place in Christchurch without the restrictions of the past two years. The move down in the government’s traffic-light system meant that things could return to a somewhat normal state, a time when people could just get on with doing the things they love. With the 2022 Prowear Chrome Expression Session — Christchurch event already having been postponed from March, fingers had been crossed in the hope that nothing would get in the way of it happening on its revised dates of 22–24 April. Much to the relief of many, it went ahead as planned. PEOPLE WERE JUST ABLE TO GET OUT AND ENJOY DRIVING THEIR RIDES Starting on Friday with VIP-pass holders getting that early…