Indice dei contenuti per No 227 May - June 2025 in NZV8

It’s been a hell of a ride lately at NZV8 — I’ll tell you that for free. Between the usual chaos of deadlines, photo shoots, and the occasional impromptu burnout, a few big changes have rolled through our garage. The most notable? I’ve decided it’s time to hand over the editor’s keys to a fresh set of hands. Stepping up to the plate is none other than Isaac Western, who’ll be taking on the bulk of the editorial duties from here on out. Don’t panic though — you’re not getting rid of me that easily. I’m sticking around in a new role as Editor-at-Large, still very much part of the NZV8 family. Think of me as the bearded uncle who turns up with a yarn and a project car, rather…

Building a unique car can lead you down one of several paths. For those who are more focused on the finished product, and have the appropriate funding, one path can mean raiding the performance parts catalogue and firing a parts pile at an appropriate hot rod shop. If you’re more inclined to enjoy the journey of the build, you might even have a go at putting all those aftermarket parts together yourself — something that is fairly common in the modified car community. At the other end of the modification scale is building a unique performance car using a combination of the performance aftermarket parts market and global OEM parts bin. This route requires a lot of research and industry knowledge to know what can work and whether the required…

Tony Marsh has been a smiling face around the drag racing scene almost since wheels were invented. For the last few years, he’s stepped away from just being a team owner and crew chief and back into the hot seat behind the wheel of his controversial Ford Maverick Wild Bunch car. All good things must come to an end, though, and atage 72, Marshy decided that the appropriately sponsored Marsh Motorsport Mayhem at Masterton event would be his final drive. The goal was to better his PB of 6.36 seconds, but that didn’t eventuate following a trip into the sand trap. The event saw plenty of laughter and friendly banter and was a great send-off for a much-loved legend of the sport.…

REPCO BEACH HOP 25TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTOR’S EDITION ONSALE DATE 5 MAY While many events bring life to small towns, Repco Beach Hop doesn’t just happen in Whangamatā — it completely transforms it. For five days each year, this usually laid-back coastal town on New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula becomes the beating heart of Kiwi car culture. The streets are lined with chrome, the air is filled with the rumble of V8s, and the town’s population explodes from a quiet 3800 to nearly 100K. The 25th anniversary of Beach Hop was the biggest yet, setting new records for both crowd sizes and entrants. In late February, over 1800 entrant packs were sent out, and when you factor in the Saturday day-pass shows — including the Bikes Show, Caravans, low rider Slamfest, Cool…

There’s a secret — a common thread that runs through the story of most things fast and expensive. When you really need to let loose on something, to create a once-in-a-lifetime machine, there’s often only one way to start without making things difficult for yourself. Those who are skilled in this technique can go on to create absolute marvels of engineering, but for those who aren’t, it’s a risky game. Hayden Brown seems to have got the hang of this secret, because this is exactly how this nutty Cummins-powered GMC C10 build started out: by making a little deal with the wife. Hayden and Kristina had been working hard on their farm for an age already, so the deal was this: if they could get off the farm, to somewhere…

THE BULLET IS BACK! Just when we thought the New Zealand doorslammer scene couldn’t get any hotter, Barry Plumpton and the Pot Belly Racing Team come out swinging. Following a high-speed crash at Masterton Motorplex at the start of 2023, the Auckland-based team have kept a low profile but have clearly been very busy behind the scenes. The team’s nitrous-assisted ’68 Camaro was shipped across to PRC Fabrication in Missouri in the US to save what was feasible and build new anything that wasn’t, and the result is nothing short of stunning. The unveiling on the team’s Facebook page shows the meticulous level of detail that has gone into the build, including paintwork by Bruce Mulin and wiring by Dan Campbell, both of which would look at home on a…

To say it’s been busy since my last column is an understatement. The last column was written on the way home from New Zealand after helping Michael Franklin in the ‘Nitro Hoon’ funny car, which was the week after we won the New Year Nitro in the Aeroflow funny car. So I flew back on Sunday night, and on Monday night we finished licensing Damon Paton in the Xpro funny car. It was work (yes, I still have a job to do at Rocket Industries) until around 2pm, then out to the track. A successful test had Damon licensed and ready for the next National Drag Racing Championship (NDRC) race. Move forward four days, and we were back at the track for the New South Wales (NSW) track champs. From…

Working as an orthopaedic surgeon at Auckland’s Starship children’s hospital, it would be fair to say that having attention to detail is a job requirement, rather than a personality trait for Richard. And with such a stressful job, he needed a good chance to clear his head outside of work hours. That supposed relief came in 2008 when his son Rob and partner Felicity found a Volvo P1800 coupe for sale. Although Richard had initially thought about purchasing an E-Type Jag, or perhaps even a Porsche, the P1800’s rarity appealed to him. With Rob and Felicity living in the UK at the time, they were able to check it out in person, and found that the vehicle was part of a deceased estate. The owner — who was apparently the…

410 SUPER NOVA While the owner of this 1964 Chevrolet Nova would prefer to stay low-key, we can’t help but ogle at these progress shots of it fully caged and immaculately painted. Sitting in safe hands at Real Rides in Silverdale, it’s having the full refresh done in period-correct GM Ermine White, but with some curious steel aero parts added. What could that be for, we wonder? Well, it gets interesting when you learn that the owner has an ex–sprint car’s 410ci small block Chev, with multiport injection sitting there, ready to drop into the engine bay, along with a six-speed sequential gear-box. It’s also going to run a nine-inch rear diff, with torque arm suspension added to the equation — an equation that some people may have clicked could…

Thunder Ridge Motorsport Park is a proposed motorsport and driver training facility planned for TECT Park, between Tauranga and Rotorua. Led by Tony Roberts (co-creator of Hampton Downs), Roger Williams, and Gary Stirling (Playday on Track), the project aims to create a multi-purpose venue for the latest generation of motorsport enthusiasts. The planned 3.2km circuit will feature eight corners, a 26-metre elevation change, and banked turns designed by professional racers. The facility will include a clubhouse, café, restrooms, camping grounds, and motorhome accommodation. It’s also being designed to meet FIA standards, and is privately funded. Roberts envisions Thunder Ridge as a modern version of the former Bay Park, offering grassroots motorsport events, club gatherings, and track days. Planning permission is secured, but a lease agreement with the regional council is…

From its humble beginnings in a local business car park, Muscle Car Madness (MCM) has grown into one of New Zealand’s most iconic car events. Held on the third weekend of January each year in Rangiora, the event has a long history with the town, and this year it was back for the 35th time. It attracts participants from not only all four corners of New Zealand but has also hit on a recipe that appears to be appealing to a number of overseas guests who have made it part of their New Zealand holidays. The festival gets underway on Wednesday evening, with the gates being flung open to allow entrants to grab and set up their camping spots. As I have been told many times, this is one of…

Having a five-second blown doorslammer has been and remains the goal of many racers, but now one team can lay claim to getting it done. The DB Racecars team from Upper Hutt made the momentous achievement on 2 February at NAPA Autoparts Dragway, Meremere, running a 5.92-second pass at 245.61mph. ‘Wyld Stallyn’ Mustang driver and co-owner Rod Benjes was quick to credit all those who have supported the team along the way, including crew, fellow racers and track staff. Co-owner John Dillon is also extremely grateful for the assistance and support of a long list of sponsors, including (but not limited to) LA Wellington Shipping, Red Line Oils New Zealand, and Childs Play, which have all played a big part in the team’s success. Making the event even more significant…

WE ALL KNOW THAT THE COMPETITION SIDE OF HOT RODDING STARTED ON THE DRY LAKES RATHER THAN ON THE DRAG STRIPS WAY BEFORE THEN If, like me, you’ve spent the last hundred or so years being immersed in hot rodding, then skip this page and read on. But, if you’re relatively new to hot rodding, or — again like me — if you’ve had a yearning to go to the Salt Flats of Bonneville in Utah but (I’m ashamed to say) haven’t, this might be of some interest. I thought I knew a bit about the early days of hot rodding which were centred on the dry lakes of California and Nevada, but I was surprised recently to find out how much I didn’t know about it while reading a…

JARRED & CATHERINE SINCLAIR 1965 CHEVROLET IMPALA SEDAN LOCATION: WAIKATO Some love stories start with flowers or romantic dinners. But for Jarred and Catherine Sinclair, it all began with a dusty old Chev tucked away under a carport. When Catherine first visited Jarred’s place, he led her out the back to show her something special. Sitting there under a thick layer of dust and cobwebs was a 1965 Chevrolet Impala — once a beauty, now a shadow of its former self. Jarred had owned the car since he was 20. Back in the day, he’d put time into tidying it up, but as life rolled on, priorities changed, and the Impala was left to slumber for years. That all changed when Catherine came along. She took one look at the…