Table of contents for No 304 September - October 2023 in NZ Performance Car

Do you know that feeling when you read something that just rocks your socks right off, to the point where you need to drop tools and take immediate action? Well, I am afraid that might happen to you this issue, dear reader, as when I read the article Aaron Mai presented to me about a fellow contributor’s die-cast automotive collection, I stopped editing it immediately and started scouring the depths of the interwebs until I found my first victim. It has been a seriously long time since I have been rocked so hard by someone else’s passion that I have needed to get involved immediately myself — and I am not mad about it one bit! Mid article, I opened another tab and simply searched ‘die-cast cars nz’ in Google…

Our loyal fans of tyre-smoking action down south haven’t been forgotten. The South Island’s very own DriftSouth series has locked in five rounds with a variety of layouts at Ruapuna, plus an additional round at Timaru’s Levels Raceway. An increasing number of drivers are crossing the Cook Strait in search of track time and experience, and their convergence with local talent promises exhilarating race days. Check out ‘DriftSouth’ on Facebook for more details!…

Undoubtedly the flagship event on the car club calendar, Downtime Entertainment has solidified two days of excitement for Labour Day weekend at Hampton Downs. Moreover, they’ve sweetened the prize pool by offering $2000 in cash for the winner of the best overall club, $1000 for second place, and $750 for third. Qualification as a club is straightforward: a minimum of five members must be registered for the event. The festivities encompass abundant cruising sessions, roll races, wet skid pan challenges, and burnouts. With an annual sell-out and a cap of around 600 cars, there truly is something for everyone.…

In this ‘tuner’ car sphere we all so enthusiastically occupy, there’s a pretty staunch argument to be made for a conventional thought pattern to ‘stand out from the crowd’. It makes sense, right, that in a culture that since its inception has been dominated damn near exclusively by pushing the limits, to stand out you need to be concocting something wild. Innovation and imagination has long been at the forefront of creating a presence, or making some waves within this scene. Whether centred on bleeding-edge performance upgrades, or retina-assaulting aesthetic techniques, individuals have strived for years to create something representing their zenith. It’s an attitude that’s come to epitomise this publication. NZPC has undoubtedly represented the cream of the crop — an aspiration for those pushing things the furthest to…

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There are a handful of engines in the world that have that unmistakable sound that a boxer engine has. Iconic, the flat-six sound has become pure Porsche noise porn, thanks to basically every badass Porsche on the planet running one and due to their positioning rearward in the Porsche frame, the exhaust systems never have much length to them and the sound exits those rear pipes. Strangely, Subaru released a family estate vehicle designed to tow the caravan or boat, with an engine very similar in design — horizontally-opposed, with six-cylinders. Guess what? They sound just as epic, if you let them. Much like his good friend Duane, Jeremy is a huge Subaru Legacy fan and has the mindset of, ‘Why not build a Legacy, something different, as quite a…

AGE: 67 // LOCATION: WELLINGTON // OCCUPATION: RAIL NZPC: Hey, Gary — thanks for letting us check out your Evo — what an absolute weapon! Can you fill us in on your automotive background? Gary: I started modifying and racing cars in my early 20s. The very first conversion car was a HB Vauxhall Viva with a raced and ported 1600cc Cortina motor and a Consul gearbox with a VW top plate to convert it to floor change. Since then, I have owned several cars, the last being a 1999 WRX STi coupe. When did the Evo come about, and what state was it in when you purchased it? In 2011, while in discussions about using the WRX for racing, I was offered a caged Lancer shell to be built…

Jack Mayo from Hawke’s Bay is currently spinning tools on his 1981 Toyota Cressida Wagon (GX60). He’s been the proud owner of this classic beauty for roughly seven years, originally running the factory 1G-EU paired with the factory W55 manual box. Early in his build journey, Jack binned the factory suspension and replaced it with adjustable coilovers supplied by Manon Racing Products (MRP). As always, adjustable suspension requires certification, so this gave him the perfect excuse to start looking into engine-swap options, killing two birds with one stone. And what motor did he choose? The infamous and unbreakable 1UZ-FE from a neglected Lexus LS400, which, according to Jack, had “just as much corrosion as the Titanic” and “made perfect sense to slap in the old girl”. Thanks to the skilled…

It feels like just yesterday I was given the call to have one of my photoshoots featured in NZPC magazine for the very first time. Issue 279, March 2020, Connor McKinley’s EJGOD. Just over three years later, with 18 NZPC issues under my belt and multiple covers, every issue still gives me such a rush to see my photos in print for you all to enjoy. Since starting out in the photography game back in 2013, it was always a dream of mine to someday have my photos in the magazine. Mumma, I made it! Naturally, the opportunity arose to also shoot for NZV8 magazine, and of course I said yes! Now I am kept busy shooting for both magazines. I’ve only shot for NZV8 for a short time, but…

Hold onto your seats, because we’ve got some awesome news for you! The Autorama team is stoked to unveil Machinery House as the headline sponsor for Autorama 2023! Alongside the heat, Machinery House is bringing over a team from across the ditch to ensure there are plenty of wizards on hand to showcase just how epic its range of fabrication toolware is. If you are in the metal fabrication business then you need to be at this event to see the sparks fly! The Autorama team would also like to give a shout-out to our mates at DTM Wheel and Tyre, who are taking the wheel as sponsors of the Pro-Builders Hall. They’re joining the Autorama family with a wicked display of wheels and tyres that will have you drooling.…

Back in the early 2000s, when Sameer Kumar was working away on his own cars in a single garage, he could never have imagined that his passion would transform into a highly respected business. A lot has changed in the years since, and now Lower Hutt–based Forged Development is well and truly on the map. It’s been a never-ending story of progression, determination, and hard work that has seen the business become what it is today. From the early days of the single garage, Sameer wasn’t tying himself to a single aspect of work, but spread himself across both audio and mechanical facets. Sameer’s reputation for creating quality audio installs, along with his reputation for researching the latest products and best techniques soon saw him shoulder tapped for a full-time…

The Subaru Legacy platform is a Kiwi staple. We’ve all owned one, have a mate who has owned one too many, and we’ve all had one let go on us — but we still love them dearly. The Legacy platform is the affordable gateway into all-wheel drive turbocharged ownership, with turbo manual examples as cheap as $4000 these days. The spec up — or down, depending on how you see things — is the 3.0R, powered by a naturally-aspirated 3000cc flat-six engine. Renowned for its smooth power and torque delivery, capable towing capacity, and lack of bonnet scoop, it’s the Legacy your uncle would’ve owned, or used by that neighbour who towed his dinghy down to the boat ramp every Sunday morning — more so than the GT range, it…

There’s not too many cars that exemplify the ‘second wave’ of Japanese tuning culture in New Zealand quite like the Mazda 323 / Familia Turbo. Kiwis got their first taste of hopped-up Japanese mumbo in the early ’70s with Datsuns, Toyotas, and even Hondas getting amongst the fray on the circuit, gravel, and streets. But it wasn’t until the economic deregulation of the late 1980s, including the scrapping of vehicle import tariffs, that the floodgates opened to a tidal wave of attainable JDM treats that’d go on to make quite an imprint on Kiwi car culture. The humble — or not so humble, depending on how you thought the average Friday night should look — Mazda effectively served as a gateway drug for the turbo all-wheel-drive revolution that would soon…

AGE: 31 // LOCATION: AUCKLAND OCCUPATION: DIRECTOR AT AUTOSTANCE NZPC: There’s nothing more insane in station wagon land than an Audi RS6. This, however, looks like it has gone a few steps further. First, tell us: what is it, and what’s so epic about this thing from the factory? Heino: In 2014, we had a good customer of ours, Yubi (RIP to an absolute legend), come to us when he picked up his brand-new RS6, and I was instantly hooked. I love big-body cars slammed and this being so staunch, big body, and fast as f*ck ticked all the boxes for me, so I had to have one. It’s the Holy Grail wagon in my opinion. So, what possesses someone to take a station wagon that retails for a quarter…

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If you don’t know of Chris from Tofu Auto Works, you’re bloody sleeping! The absolute madman from Kaiwaka hit us up with his infamous creation, the ‘Cyberpunk’ MX-5. It’s a fusion of childhood inspirations drawn from iconic movies like Ghost in the Shell, Blade Runner, and Akira, that pays tribute to a cyberpunk universe that has long captured his imagination. Chris, the mastermind, has been following artists like Khyzyl Saleem and Ash Thorp for years, soaking up their imaginative artwork through Artstation. Their creativity has inspired Chris to reimagine his MX-5 as a vehicle that could cruise through a futuristic dystopia with style. The Cyberpunk MX-5 project was born out of a twist of fate. Chris was stuck twiddling his thumbs, waiting for an engine rebuild for his S13 Silvia.…

If you’re a rotary fanatic, tune into this! High Performance Rotaries (HPR) is currently building a 1978 Mazda 323 whale-tail four-door wagon fitted with an in-house-built 13B dowelled bridgeport from an FD RX-7. The tale kicks off when HPR stumbled on a hidden gem chilling in a storage shed in New Plymouth. The owner was an old fella who was overseas at the time and needed to free up some space. A deal was made, and the keys were handed over to HPR to work its magic. Fortunately, the car had recently undergone a heap of panel work to make it ready for paint, courtesy of the old timer. Back at the HPR workshop, the 323 underwent a complete metamorphosis. Stripped down to its bare bones, the car went through…

Sara Hansen celebrated her victory as the Queen of Mitsubishi Owners Day in style. She had told us about her plans, but we weren’t quite sure what to expect until these images arrived in our inbox. Sara used the prize money she won for showcasing her 400kW plus Evo X on the skid pad and race track to create this amazing set of commemorative nails! The infusion of femininity is an evolution we truly appreciate at events, and the competition keeps growing fiercer. Great job, Sara! We love seeing our featured cars being put to such creative use. “I was SO STOKED to win Queen this year and also a prize for the gymkhana — it was such a fun day! Would be so good to see more girls out…

We’re always keen to give the latest WRX a drive. Ever since we’ve been writing about performance cars here in New Zealand, we’ve been featuring, driving, and showcasing the turbocharged all-wheel drive platform. This time, Subaru threw us the keys to their latest ‘AKA’ edition WRX. AKA translates to ‘red’ in Japanese, and the latest WRX specifically built for the New Zealand market is only being released in red, with five manual and five automatic variants. The 2400cc FA24 turbocharged flat-four is packed with torque throughout the rev range and makes just over 200kW. From what we’ve seen with the FA platform, it’s good for modification too, with examples overseas getting good results from basic upgrades. Turn your first corner in the AKA WRX and you’re instantly aware you’re in…

We got word of a recently finished RX-3 build by car nut, collector, and racer Phil Brown, who had “always wanted to build one” to his dream spec, so we headed out to the far, far west of Auckland to check it out and found something so immaculate that it truly lives up to the billing of ‘so clean you can eat off it’. If there is one thing this writer has learned over a few decades around car enthusiasts, it’s that there’s a very high chance that most have at one point or another entertained the thought of building a rotor. Which shape, platform, or engine may vary, but there is just something about these captivating, obnoxious, smelly machines that grabs the imagination and pulls at our heart strings.…

Revving engines, screeching tyres, and the scent of burning rubber hung thick in the air, transforming Taupo International Motorsport Park into a battleground as the event known as Street Fighters came to town. It’s a joint celebration of the mainly 4WD turbo icons that to this day still hold a special place in many hearts, with a few simple mods making mild to wild fairly accessible. Mother Nature may have thrown her tantrums, but she was no match for the unwavering enthusiasm of participants, spectators, and crew. Despite the weather’s erratic behaviour, Street Fighters 2023 became a testament to the dedication and spirit within the automotive community as laps were done and stories swapped amongst the hearty and passionate crew on hand. Cruising sessions are the heart and soul of…

“I got hooked on these fourth-gen Legacys when a mate got one years ago. I decided I needed to get one,” Duane told us. Initially, the plan was to buy a GT-B model, do the usual bolt-ons and a tune like the rest of New Zealanders do, but Duane’s fate was sealed the moment he drove an H6-powered example. The H6-powered Legacys run an EZ30 engine and in naturally-aspirated form they’re no slouch, but potential is lacking with bolt-ons with these things. “I drove an H6-powered one and thought, ‘I wonder what one of these would go like with a turbo,’” mused Duane. After a hefty period of research, the conclusion was that unfortunately it wasn’t as common as he initially thought, but as soon as Mighty Car Mods icons…

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. So remember, next time you’re ’gram’n’, use #nzpc.…

The greatest thing about model cars is it doesn’t matter whether you want to drop a few bucks or a few hundred bucks, there is always something for everyone. Until now, NZPC has been showcasing the ‘plastic fantastic’ side of the hobby, but this time around, I wanted to give you a peek behind the ‘die-cast’ model curtain. Die-cast? Yup, and if you aren’t familiar with this term, weirdly enough it is highly likely that you already have a die-cast model car or two in your home right now! Not even kidding! I have long known about them, but wanted to see and know more. Luckily, I didn’t need to look far, as our very own NZPC contributor Richard Opie happens to have ‘one or two’ of these things in…

Meet Sam, a 23-year-old sheet metal engineer who’s not just into cars but also lives and breathes them. Right now, he’s elbow-deep in his unique K24 turbocharged swapped Altezza build, but before we get into that, let’s rewind a bit. Back in the day, Sam went through a bunch of cars, from Skylines to Hondas to 2ZZ-powered Corollas and even a Gen 4 3S-GTE SW20 MR2 that he built from the ground up. But he doesn’t regret selling any of them as much as his 2004 Honda Accord Euro R, which he slapped a turbo on to make around 265kW with only 8psi of boost! This kicked off his love for the K-series motor, fuelling his passion to build another down the line. Sam’s always had a soft spot for…

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