Table of contents for No 284 August 2020 in NZ Performance Car

Uncertainty is something that does not sit well with me, so the very fact that each and every one of us has been suspended in a state of uncertainty for the past few months, not really knowing which way is up and which way is down, has been a horrible ride. I’ve spoken about the more serious sides of this in previous editorials, and, thankfully, as we slide on down into Level 1, a lot of this uncertainty has been alleviated and we can all begin to get back to whatever we deemed normal life to be. However, the reality is that that’s just not the case for car people. Yes, we can now all get back together at the track and smash some tyres; bounce off some ripple strips;…

As we finally start seeing things return to normal and motorsport re-emerging from the blank calendar abyss, local governing body MotorSport New Zealand (MSNZ) has announced a massive support package for all its member clubs and competitors — to the sum of $200K. Acting CEO Elton Goonan stated that MSNZ wants to encourage member clubs to begin hosting events again and enable them to offer cheaper entry fees for competitors. There will be a 25 per cent discount on permit fees and participation levies for all events from 20 May until the end of 2020. Competitors will also receive a 25 per cent discount on competition-licence and authority-card renewals until 31 May 2021. The two-event requirement for authority-card renewals has been removed, and the safety audit period extended from 6…

If there’s one name that has become synonymous with filming wild all-wheel-drive drifting and automotive stunts, it’s Ken Block with his infamous Gymkhana series. From tearing up abandoned industrial yards in rally-spec Focuses to creating a custom all-wheel-drive Mustang that destroyed downtown Los Angeles and its twin-turbo F100 counterpart that took on some of the most dangerous roads in China, it’s an internet phenomenon that 99 per cent of the automotive world has heard of. So how does American professional motorsports competitor Travis Pastrana fit into all of this? Well, the freestyle motocross and American rallying champion made appearances alongside Block in both the 5th and 10th instalments of the series, and now this time Block will hand over the reins for Pastrana to take on the starring role. In…

With real-world racing being cancelled across the globe, most major series have taken to the digital realm to keep racing alive. The trans-Tasman Virgin Australia Supercars Championship was one of those, with the launch of the 28-race BP Supercars All Stars E-series. Kiwi driver Shane Van Gisbergen (SVG) has been crowned the e-series champion after claiming 14 race wins and eight pole-position starts. He sealed his season with a win and top-five finish across two races at Oran Park and Mount Panorama, making it his second Supercars championship title — he also took the 2016 championship crown. Fellow Kiwi driver Scott McLaughlin took out five race wins to put him in second for the season, while Penrite Racing’s Anton De Pasquale rounded out the podium in third. The series now…

STREET FIGHTERS ROUND FOUR BRUCE MCLAREN MOTORSPORT PARK, TAUPO It’s a question that’s nearly as old as time: Mitsubishi v. Subaru — which is truly the better platform? Hosted by the team at Choice Events, Street Fighters’ fourth incarnation will again take place at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo. It encompasses cruising, drags, burnouts/helis, race car sessions, and a show ’n’ shine. While the event is predominantly aimed at Evos and WRXs, the team will accept entries for any Subaru or Mitsi — Libero, Forester, GSR, B4, or otherwise. Entry is set at $160 for early birds and $190 for second release. Check out choiceevents.co.nz or find the event on Facebook for more information. WINTER DRIFT MATSURI 2020 BRUCE MCLAREN MOTORSPORT PARK, TAUPO The team behind this banger of…

Jesse is a self-confessed car guy and has been that way as long as he can remember. Like most of us, though, his early days were not cash-filled, meaning the dream machine at the time — an FD RX-7 — had to wait. Instead, the void was filled with all manner of four-wheel-drive machines better suited to rally stages than drift sections. It wasn’t until the age of 24 that he could eventually live out his childhood dream by purchasing an FD. The RX-7 would be Jesse’s first full build; despite that, he went all-in on the project. This meant ordering a brand-new (at the time) Rocket Bunny kit out of Japan — the first on New Zealand roads after ‘MADBUL’. Under the bonnet went a single-turbo bridgeported 13B, which…

Every object ever created has its own story. There are those with a straight-cut, carbon-copy tale because nothing of note has happened to the object during its lifespan, while others have been through so much that the subsequent yarn is almost unbelievable. We’ve heard our fair share of ups, downs, left, right, and around again stories. Some of those have made it into the final features, others have been so far-fetched that they’ve been left out as you’d think we were just talking shit. For all the stories we do hear, most of those out there actually go undiscovered, mainly due to the fact that the end of the road is no happy ending, and there is little-to-nothing left of them to talk about. Thankfully, there are still those that…

For the humans on planet Earth who harbour an obsession with these absurd four-wheeled contraptions boosted along by a suck-squeeze-bang-blow sequence, collecting comes as a non-negotiable part of the hobby. Some outsiders or non-believers might prefer to call it ‘hoarding’, but really, there’s an intoxicating allure to sniffing about and unearthing rare, sought-after, or unusual treasure. Squatting solitary in the corner of a sparse warehouse, this wee Corolla represents something beyond past ambitions of touring car glory. It’s reflective of one man’s pursuit of the slightly offbeat, occasionally forgotten pieces of automotive history. For Auckland CNC engineer Sam Wattam, ownership of some of motorsport’s lesser known candidates (of well-known eras, no less) was almost accidental. It includes this 1994 AE101 Corolla sedan, part of Toyota’s assault on the 1994 Japanese…

Inspiration can hit you at any time and anywhere. It might be just as you’re nodding off to sleep; sitting on the john deep in thought; or, for Air Force avionics tech Dean Hart, while strapped into the rear of a P3 listening to the engine fire up ahead of a flight from Scotland to New Zealand. It was that moment, right then and there, as he decided a jet-powered dragster was the answer to the question playing in his head, that sealed Dean’s fate to eventually enter the land-speed record books. The question in his head was one that had arisen a few years earlier at the 2007 South Island Champs. “This all started because of Honda K-series engines,” he recalls. “I was racing my CRX with a B18C…

Welcome to the Weekend Workshop, a place where you can save some cash by getting your hands dirty. These tech guides aim to arm you with the necessary info and knowledge to get out there and give it a go yourself, with no professionals needed, and at a price tag that won’t break the bank. This month, we delve into refurbishing a set of alloy wheels with the help of Delta J Panel and Paint. Maybe you’re not after the latest wheels for your car and want a classic Japanese wheel, or maybe you have damaged your wheels and want to repair them. Picking up a set cheap and refurbishing them is not only rewarding but can save you a good amount of money for other parts. You can pick…

NZ Performance Car: Hi, Matt. Tell us how you got into modifying cars and why you chose this Primera. Matt: Hi, NZPC. Well, ever since I was young, my dad has always worked on his cars. I guess I took after his habit of working on them myself. Nissans were always my favourite. I had an SR20DE Primera some years ago and missed it. I figured, why not build a quick turbo one? Plus, you don’t see many turbo Primeras out there, as they didn’t come factory turbo like some other SR-powered chassis. What was the intention for the car initially and has it stuck to that plan? I initially wanted a unique turbo Nissan. I got this and it is now where I wanted it to be all along,…

Like a bad habit, there’s always that one car you just can’t quit. Whether it’s extended tenure or sentimental value, we’ll all experience a car that we’d never sell, or live in regret about the one that got away. For Mitch Wilson, that car is still in his possession, giving us a first-class example of what it looks like to never quit on a car no matter how many times it changes. He’s owned this 1997 Honda Civic (EG) for over 10 years, and, in that time, it’s changed more times than we can count on two hands. A quick tally up indicates that it’s on its sixth engine transplant — yes, sixth! — and that’s not just blowing up one example and switching it out for another of the…

I told myself that selling my weekend car and not immediately replacing it was a great idea. Imagine all the time and money I would save not having a financial drain sitting in the garage, I thought, then, when I find a car that I really want, I’ll have extra funds and certainty that I’m going to hold onto it. It was great in theory. I waved my Toyota MR2 (AW11) goodbye as the new owner drove off into the sunset and stuck the pile of cash I’d exchanged it for into the bank. Happy as Larry. What a great deal, the greatest, such a great deal. Yay. That lasted all of five minutes, if I recall correctly, and then it dawned on me, what am I going to do…

It’s a heartbreaking blow to the local rallying community that the long-awaited return of Rally New Zealand to the World Rally Championship (WRC) series has been cancelled. The decision comes after concerns surrounding the event’s ability to go ahead in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Initial communications indicated that it would go ahead, but that has now changed with the announcement from New Zealand organizers confirming the cancellation. The event was not scheduled to go ahead until September this year. However, according to Rally New Zealand CEO Michael Goldstein, the uncertainty surrounding border controls meant it wasn’t feasible to continue and it was time to pull the pin. “It became clear that, with our borders closed to international travel and the logistics required to host thousands of international visitors…

More than 2000 vehicles have been recalled by Honda New Zealand after the discovery of potential fuel-pump issues. Included within that number are 78 locally sold Civic Type Rs, with the rest made up of Civic sedans and hatches, CR-V and HRV models. Fuel pumps are reportedly faltering and/or failing due to defective impellers and that can lead to loss of power or the inability to drive. “Owners of the affected vehicles, identified through NZ registration data, will be contacted directly,” said Honda New Zealand in a statement. “We encourage each owner of an affected vehicle to take it to an authorized Honda dealer as soon as they receive notification of parts availability.” The recall comes as part of a worldwide action that has seen up to 1.4 million vehicles…

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? The answer to all these questions and why these two pages exist lies in the use of the hashtag #nzpc. Search it, use it, and thrash it! We keep a very close eye on it and will be choosing a bunch of hashtagged posts each month to print right here. And that’s not all — the best shot will earn its photographer a little prize for their trouble. So remember, next time you’re gram’n’, use #nzpc.…

After a few years of learning the basics of drifting in his old 298kW S14, Jesse wanted to give competition a go and build something to a pro level. It just so happened that at the time his favourite car was an S15, so a shell was picked up and a cage by BD Motorsport soon followed. Jesse’s now been competing in D1NZ for the past three years, with development never slowing thanks to his in-house crew chief Matt Gibson of Pariah Custom Werks. Barely a round goes by without things being refined somewhat, and it’s only now that Jesse feels they have a solid package. “It took me a couple of years to get the car properly dialled in. There is so much more than just buying all the…

Jesse already has another quad-rotor project under way. Remember the mention of FD at the beginning? Jesse wants to shift his focus to an international stage, and would have been getting his first taste of FD Japan had Covid-19 not completely killed 2020. The goal is to have one car here and one based in Japan, so that he can start to take advantage of opportunities “to do rad stuff”, if they arise. With nothing in the stables FD legal, and a fresh FD licence in his wallet, a new car had to be built — one that will make both the S15 and Aristo look mild in comparison. This is a car built off everything learned from all those that came before it, taking influence from those first drives…

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Stubbies and gumboots. Marmite and chips. Sake and ramen. Some combinations just work. To have one without the other would leave you feeling unfulfilled, a void that is longing to be made whole. Which is exactly how you could describe the boot space of an ’80s-era Honda City. How does this all relate to a 1.2-litre econo car from Japan and its rear cabin? Well, it’s not so much the City itself, but the unlikely pairing with a folding scooter that not only shaped the very space it would occupy but the almost inseparable relationship it would create, one that quickly became perhaps the best automotive combo of all time. Ladies and gentlemen, allow us to introduce to you the Honda Motocompo. Sold between 1981 and 1983, the Motocompo was…

We may not have been able to get out to shows over the past few months, but the country’s biggest virtual incarnation kept the car scene alive and kicking! Calling on all passionate car owners, the Repco Enats was a socially distant show ’n’ shine hosted online and beamed directly to you via social media. It took place over the weekend of 6–7 June, with thousands of entries posted across social-media channels and curated into one massive show — the #repco #enatsnz hashtags were humming! Encompassing 10 categories — classics, performance, muscle, hot rods, race cars, off-roaders, customs, motorbikes, caravans, and projects — finalists for each category were chosen by Repco and then the favourite of each voted by you, the public. The best of each category went on to…

SUZUKI GSX250R When you’re still on your blue licence but want some excitement and satisfaction on your rides, look no further than Suzuki’s sport bike heritage. The new GSX250R is a fully faired street machine that offers responsive yet easy-to-control power, nimble handling, sharp good looks, and a comfortable riding position. This is a bike that is as at home on the daily commute as it is going the distance on a weekend-long tour. Featuring an optimized 249cc four-stroke liquid-cooled heart that maximizes low- to mid-range torque, the GSX250R is a solid choice for a wide range of riders. You can find all the finer details at suzuki.co.nz. TRIUMPH STREET CUP Offering a proper street-racer attitude while maintaining minimalistic bodywork with modern flair, Triumph’s Street Cup was born from stripping…

Giving a car up without seeing it through ain’t easy, especially when it’s in the pursuit of bigger dreams. It’s unfinished business stuck in your mind that is hard to shake: what could have been and what would it be like now? It’s these thoughts that can see us obsess over recovering those we lost, or holding on to the ones we managed to keep. However, when offered the chance to get your hands on an old love, you better take the opportunity! Azhar Bhamji needs no introduction to these pages, and if there’s going to be one man that has unfinished business with a car it’s him, a prolific modifier and car scene OG. For Azhar, that what-could-have-been thought has always focussed on one specific car: this Mazda RX-3…

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know that the SEMA Show was flooded with mirror-image widebody examples and that there was considerable commentary about it. Now that you’re over the hangover, we’ve got good news for you: there’s an alternative about to hit the market, courtesy of long-time widebody producer Liberty Walk. The company throws its own signature look into the mix and appears to alter the lines on damn near every panel of the fifth-gen Supra bar the roof. All four arches get the hearty serving of extended flares that we’ve come to expect from Liberty Walk, opting for an exposed hardware style. The doors receive a lower cap and feed into low and wide side skirts, while the front bumper is treated to a chunky lip fit back into the…

Despite efforts to see out the final round of the Motul Honda Cup 2019–’20 season at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, organizers have made the call to close out the season early due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The round was ultimately cancelled because the nationwide lockdown and subsequent restrictions made it too hard to determine when a revised round would be possible. This meant that champions in both the cup’s main class and the N1 category were crowned early. Palmerston North’s Bayley Walker was granted the title in the main class after former points leader Paul Muldoon was docked points after the discovery of a technical breach. Chris Hughes nabbed second place while Andrew Johnston rounded out the podium in third — the pair were separated by just…

With the loss of E85 nationwide and a scarce supply of ethanol-blended 98-octane fuels, one fuel retailer has been keeping modified car owners covered with quality fuel, but only in the South Island — until now. NPD has been operating since the 1960s and in more recent years introduced 100-octane fuel to the country’s bigger island; the North was left out of the fun. That’s set to change with NPD announcing it will step into the North Island with two sites planned to be up and running by Christmas. Stage one will see self-serve stations in Porirua and New Plymouth, with a further four sites to be set up later: one in Hamilton and Palmerston North, and two in Auckland. Not only will that bring the country’s highest grade of…

When drifting first arrived here on our shores, it was incubated by bootlegged Option DVDs and Limewire-sourced sketchy potato footage of AE86s, S13s, and FC RX-7s blasting the touge in Japan. That was enough for the sport to find its footing here and solidify itself as anything but a passing trend, soon spreading like a certain pandemic and spawning a new breed of driver, this time influenced first-hand by one of the most intoxicating and addictive places you can find yourself — the passenger seat of a drift car. Like any good drug, all it takes is one hit and you’re chasing that high your entire life. The name Jesse Greenslade is one most of you will know of, but what might surprise some is the fact he is fairly…

To most reading this, the thought of having a certified 746kW drifter is insanity, but what if you had two in the shed? Bonkers — right!? Well, Jesse’s second 746kW drifter came about one night after he popped a bottle with his girlfriend, only to stumble on a certain 26B turbo Lexus GS300 owned by Carl Thompson. “I had priced up a four-rotor maybe five times over the past five years and it kept coming back at 80–90 grand just for the engine. I was at the track one day and it had been booked with Carl Thompson. I didn’t know who he was. We ended up becoming sort of friends, and one night Carl posted the GS300 up on Facebook and asked how much. We got to a price,…

Three simple letters. That’s all it took to transform a midsize family commuter into one of the most highly revered sub-models of all time. The motorsport feats subsequent generations would go on to achieve, both within the brand’s motherland and abroad, quickly became the subject of legends, some so incredible that they’re still recited eagerly as though they occurred just yesterday. Whether you know it as the ‘Godzilla’, the menacing foreign chassis that arrived on Australian shores and proceeded to destroy anything that got in its way, or simply as the pinnacle of automotive creation, the GT-R nameplate has transcended a sub-model identifier to become a whole beast of its own. WHETHER THEY’RE MODIFIED TO WITHIN AN INCH OF THEIR LIVES … OR BONE-STOCK TIME CAPSULES … YOU CAN FIND…

Despite there being few motorsport events at present, the silver lining is that it has given our team more time to focus solely on our electric vehicle (EV) project, the construction of which has progressed well as a result. With the bulk of the chassis build done last month, the past few weeks have been spent on the smaller, more time-consuming tasks — things such as the seat mounting, pedal box, steering-column mounting, and mounts for various other internal and external parts. The mounting of these components can only be done by sitting in the car and feeling the effect of their location. In a way, it has been good to finally be sitting in the car and getting a good feel for the bigger cockpit. The car is now…

NZ Performance Car: Hey, Richard. Can you tell us how you came to own this DC2R? Richard: Hi, NZPC. I was looking for something a bit more raw and ’90s feeling than the FD2 [featured in NZ Performance Car Issue No. 258]. At the time of purchase, it was what I considered to be a road-legal-but-incomplete project that needed some TLC and improvements. However, the main selling point for me was that the previous owner had spent a decent amount of time and money on the motor, which left the other bits down to me to finish off the way I wanted them to be. What was the goal for this car when started? Well, the initial goal was really just to drive and enjoy it with a few minor…

FORGET THE REST Unlike some batteries, which focus on delivering higher starting power at the expense of more critical design features, Century batteries are designed to suit our climate and remote conditions. Century’s Ultra Hi Performance batteries incorporate a sealed maintenance-free design, eliminating the need for the topping up of electrolyte levels and preventing contamination in off-road environments. The Ultra Hi Performance range is ideal for all types of modern power-hungry vehicles, designed to provide superior vibration resistance, extra reserve capacity, and added starting power that will keep you on the road for longer. For more information on Century’s Ultra Hi Performance range, contact your local retailer on 0800 93 93 93 or visit centurybatteries.co.nz. PLAY WITH CLAY Some are still unaware of the benefits of clay bars, but those…

We love to see forgotten cars brought back to life, examples of early modified pioneering that have fallen prey to the cruel march of time only to have been found and given a new lease of life. It’s like restoring an old building; sure, you could build a new one, but this one has meaning to it — character! For Logan Garden, that preservation of the past has come in the form of this 1987 Nissan Pulsar Milano X1. According to Logan, it was originally built by Mark Hewitt, also known as ‘Tricky’ from Tricky Tune. The car was used as a test bed for parts and innovation in the early days of Gizzmo Electronics, where Tricky formerly worked. The car’s factory economy power plant has been ripped out and…