Table of contents for No 299 December - January 2023 in NZ Performance Car

Something I have been thinking a lot When did we stop being car about lately is this: are some of the JDM cars we’ve been thrashing, tuning, and modifying for the past 25 years here in New Zealand actually worth the huge price we’re currently paying? Are the ‘glory days’ holding us back from trying newer, more affordable, and, in some cases, better performance cars? The ’80s and ’90s were epic for performance cars. Those years shaped us all as enthusiasts, this magazine, and our New Zealand car culture. However, I recently paid too much for a Japanese car from the ’90s. That particular Japanese car is now for sale again — for even more than I sold it for. Fair enough, too, as that is where the market is.…

Earlier this year, Mobil motor oils and their brand From ambassador, motorsport legend Greg Murphy, went searching for New Zealand’s meanest machine. With $10,000 cash up for grabs in the Mobil Mean Machine competition, entries were open to all kinds of vehicles — whether it was a street sweeper, a drift hack, or a project that has been going on for decades, it was eligible. Suddenly, whips from all over NZ came flooding in, leading to over a thousand entries and nearly 100,000 votes from members of the public. The top 20 featured Mazdas, a Mitsi, Subaru, Chevs, Fords, a couple of trusty Corollas and a fair few Holdens, including a 2008 HSV Murph edition featuring an underhood mural of the man himself! Here’s the rundown on the two runners-up…

You’d be damn right if you thought we don’t feature enough classic Japanese tin these days. It’s not for the sake of trying; it’s because they’re getting harder and harder to find and therefore modify — especially in New Zealand, where almost everywhere is coastal and rust starts to become a real problem — plus there’s the problem of getting the parts. With the Nissan Sunny platform used as a utility vehicle ever since the ’70s, these vehicles are often flogged, thrashed, and left for dead. When Leah Davies decided to get stuck into her first-ever project car, she definitely wanted a smaller Japanese ute. With local searches not proving fruitful, she cast her net wider — to Japan, where these utes are still alive and kicking in much larger…

Titled 2 Fast 2 Furious, actor Paul Walker continued in the role of fugitive ex-police officer Brian O’Connor and was the only character from the first film to feature other than Thom Barry, who portrayed Agent Bilkins. Co-starring alongside Walker was Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce, in addition to rapper Ludacris, who played local garage proprietor Tej Parker, with both becoming mainstays in the franchise. New director John Singleton joined existing producer Neal H Moritz, with the film now taking place in the flashy neighbourhoods of Miami rather than the rough setting of Echo Park, Los Angeles. More important, new hero cars were injected into the film to provide a fresh appearance, and these featured on the theatrical-release poster alongside Walker, Gibson, and Eva Mendes, who played US Customs agent…

Being the hero contributor for this month is a great joy. Photography has taken a step back for me for the past two years while helping raise my small family, but a very understanding wife — thanks, babe — has allowed me to continue to pursue my true passion. It feels great to have achieved this, too. Over a decade ago, when the D1NZ cars were still in their infancy, I started my career as a photographer by standing trackside. Thanks to my photography, I landed me the position of media manager for Choice Events, which organises events such as REunion, Auto Atsumaru, and Street Fighters, to name a few. With REunion being my most recent experience — you can read about the event in full in this issue —…

A diamond is something that is formed by pressure over a period of time. OK, so maybe that wouldn’t satisfy Sheldon and the guys from The Big Bang Theory as being scientific enough, but you get where I’m going here as NZPC heads to the South Island to delve into the latest incarnation of GM3OVA — Pete Kearney’s big-power Evo that first graced the pages of this mag back in issue 231. At that time it packed over 500kW, although with quite a wolf in sheep’s clothing vibe going on. We set out to see if this rebuild really is the final incarnation and if it lives up to its name — the final battle before ‘game over’, if you will? What do you do when in excess of 800…

Let’s be honest, folks — when you see a wagon pull up next to you at the lights you generally aren’t too worried that it will dust you up; in fact, you probably almost feel sorry for the owner for having to compromise their boy racer dreams for family life. Well, if you happen to see this well-tuned weapon across from you, we suggest you think again. This machine has bad intentions, and might just be the perfect form of sleeper — if that is possible in a land that prides itself on making the unexpected fast. We’re not by any means suggesting that this ride doesn’t look menacing, but it’s a station wagon, right? Surely, it can’t be that fast. What if you could get your hands on something…

If you’ve been reading my previous articles, you’ll know I recently imported a rusted and bashed-up S14 Silvia to New Zealand. Bringing it up to compliance standards was going to drain the wallet heavily, so what did I do instead? I imported another S14 Silvia. The … exact … same … one — nearly. Ever wanted your dream car, but couldn’t find it on Trade Me? Another option is importing it from Japan, yourself. In this article, I’ll reveal how easy it is to import your dream car, bringing it right to your home. Plus, I’ll spill the beans on how much it costs to import it all by yourself. Over my four-year period in Japan, I fell in love with the S-chassis — specifically, the S14. I couldn’t see…

A picture is worth a thousand words — well, so they say. It is perhaps the ultimate way of documenting memories and experiences, and has the ability to transport you emotionally back to a specific moment in time. Since I picked up a camera, I have been lucky to freeze hundreds of thousands of moments in time — onethousandth of a second frozen forever — I will look back on them in years to come and think: “Damn that was fun!” The biggest issue with all my photos is they tend to sit on a hard drive packed away in a drawer typically connected up for backup purposes. What if there was a way to relive some of those memories, at any moment, without plugging in a hard drive, or…

YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO BEFORE DECEMBER 12, 2022 AND BE IN TO WIN 1 OF 5 SUPERSCARE PASSES*  EACH SUPERSCARE PASS INCLUDES ENTRY INTO ALL ATTRACTIONS — THE HAUNTED HOUSE, DISTURBIA, THE WOODS (OUTDOOR), THE FOG, AND A GROUP PHOTO FOR EACH PERSON SUBSCRIBE OR RENEW NOW AT MAGSTORE.NZ ONE YEAR | $59 TERMS AND CONDITIONS: 1. The Superscare Pass is eligible for two people. 2. Subscriptions or renewals purchased from 17 October, 17 2022 — 12 December, 2022 are valid for entry. 3. Photo ID required (school ID acceptable). 4. BYO Torch for The Woods (a minimum of one torch is required for a group of seven) or purchase a torch onsite for $12; note, you cannot use a phone torch. 5. Vouchers must be redeemed before 15 March, 2023.…

LOCK’EM UP Never let those turbo flange nuts or sump bolts come loose again: hit ‘em with the JB Weld Threadlocker range. Designed to lock and seal nuts and bolts on all mechanical parts, body assemblies, and in hundreds of other applications where things may come loose due to shock or vibration. The red Perma-Lock, High Strength Threadlocker is for heavy-duty applications; it requires heating and the use of hand tools to separate parts. The blue version is medium strength and suitable for loosening with hand tools alone. Both strengths are available in 6ml, 12ml and the larger 36ml bottles. Available from leading automotive and hardware stores. Contact your local stockists for pricing. Meguiar’s gamechanger—Hybrid Ceramic Pre-Wax Prep! Meguiar’s has come at us with yet another brand-new product, part of…

MSC TO RETURN FOR 2022 Sky Zhao and his Drift Academy team have locked in dates for the upcoming MSC Challenge, which is set to be held at Meremere Drift Park at the end of 2022. The popular 16-driver format is likely to sell out quickly, with drivers keen to be showcased to an international audience. Featuring a 235-wide radial tyre rule and unique track set-ups for each round, plus plenty of practice time, this is a massive opportunity for the experienced and the up-and-comers to really make a name for themselves. There were a few rumours there would be international drivers and commentators attending the event, and we can confirm that Iwata San and Robbie Nishida will be judging the final double-header two-day round. This event will be livestreamed,…

It could be considered the golden era of the JDM scene. Rare cars now seen as out of reach or extremely rare often cruised the avenues, showing off the best of what the car scene had to offer. Christchurch local and big-time old-school Toyota enthusiast, Andy, was eager to get his hands on one. “Growing up in the ’90s and early ’00s, I was lucky to be around what we call the classics now — but back then they were everywhere. I remember when I was about 16 or 17, skating down to Washington skate park late at night; we would watch the boy racers race past, saying, ‘I want those cars!’” After his very first purchase of a Honda CRX, Andy was absolutely hooked. His next cars came hard…

GARY’S REALLY A HONDA GUY THROUGH AND THROUGH, SO A 13B WAS NEVER GOING TO BE IN THE MIX. THE HEARTY K24 IS A WORTHY SUBSTITUTE — SOME DIE-HARD ROTOR-HEADS MIGHT BE UPSET BUT, WITH A HANDY 375KW TO THE TYRES, CAN ANYONE REALLY HATE ON HONDA’S FOUR-CYLINDER WARRIOR? IT’S BUILT TO BE RELIABLE, WITH A FORGED BOTTOM END, AND GARY RECKONS IT’S MORE THAN CAPABLE OF TAKING A BEATING FOR A ONE-HOUR ENDURO Ideal’ isn’t an attribute most folk chuck around in the general direction of the Mazda RX-8. Sure, the ‘Is it a coupe, is it a sedan’ styling definitely polarises opinion, especially given its follow-up status to the quite simply sublime form of the FD RX-7. Then there’s the dynamics of the chassis, lauded by the motoring…

Ah, kids these days — 23 years of age and bored with 500kW at the rear wheels, in a lightweight, Japanese tin can. Jayden Douglas was featured on the cover of NZPC 290, which just seems like yesterday; since then, he has grown bored with his 500kW powerhouse — some people are just built differently. While most of us are happy street sharking in our peasant-spec 200–300kW ‘high-powered’ machines, there’s the odd Wild Thornberry that needs to more-than-double that. As we discussed in Jayden’s last feature, this S15 was largely built by someone else, with Jayden purchasing what was his dream car, then dialling it in to his taste. We can’t help but think that, this time around, Jayden wanted to make the build his own, with an engine so…

NZPC: Hey Kristina! We don’t think you could get a better track day than the humble Civic. Where did it all start for you getting into cars and motorsport? ​Hey guys! Growing up I hung around the track a lot with Dad racing over the years. I’ve always loved anything with an engine and going fast, whether it was go-karting, quad biking or out on a jet ski, so it made sense to get into motorsport. It’s a bit of a family affair with Dad, my brother Shane, and my fiancé Dion all out there racing! How did owning the Civic come about — was it something you always wanted? It was 2017 and I was just starting to get into track racing with my Honda Integra (DA6) doing a…

If you haven’t seen or heard about Duane Huxtable’s Fueled by Fab business, you’re seriously missing out. The man behind some of New Zealand’s best fabrication is building his very own project, so we knew straight away, it’d be a weapon with some seriously trick fab work. “The FD came about a few years ago, originally owned by a friend of mine. I jokingly said one day if he ever sold it I’d have first dibs. Six months later I was looking for a new street car project. He messaged me that it was for sale and I brought it that week,” Duane told us. After driving it around with the stock motor and single turbo conversion for a few months, Duane had a good bit of time to decide…