Table of contents for No 215 May - June 2023 in NZV8

NORTH ISLAND 8 April 2023 01 NZ Holden Nationals Show Day Fly Palmy Arena, 61 Pascal Street, Palmerston North Hosted by Holden Club Central, there will be over 100 Holdens from 1950 to the present on show. You’ll see stock, modified, and special interest Holdens. Entry is $5 adult, $10 family pass, under 12s free. For more info: www.holdenclubcentral.co.nz. 22 April 2023 02 Repco Rev Up Whangarei 2023 Cameron Street Mall, Whangarei A car and motorcycle show in Whangarei CBD, hosted by Whangarei Rod & Custom Club. Live rock ‘n’ roll music, pin-up girl comp, spot prizes, cash draws, and much more. Limited number of entries for cars and bikes. This is a fundraiser for Whangarei Community Patrol. On Sunday it’s the combined clubs’ swap meet and car show at…

Rangiora is a small town that lies about 30km north of Christchurch. The thriving town serves the horticultural and agricultural community, just like the many small rural towns scattered throughout New Zealand. Thirty-three years ago, one man had an idea to run a show in the car park of a local supermarket. Jumping ahead to 2023, we are sure that the organiser of that original show had no idea he would still be running that event all these years later. The show may have grown in size over the years, and he may have developed a lot more grey hair, but Craig Stare has created an event that has almost taken on a life of its own and has become the mainstay of the Canterbury car scene. Now, don’t get…

IT’S BEEN USED TO TAKE THE GRANDKIDS TO END-OF-YEAR SCHOOL FUNCTIONS AND SCHOOL BALLS Maureen has owned her gorgeous 1932 five-window coupe for three years. Yes, that’s correct, this rod is owned by a lady, a grandmother to boot, whose three grandchildren absolutely love riding in the car. Having owned two previous hot rods, the first being a 1930 Hupmobile, and the second a ’47 four-door sedan, Maureen had spent some time without a hot rod, so when a club member turned up at her home with an offer for her to purchase the ’32, she simply couldn’t turn it down. Speaking to her, and partner Nick, they both can’t speak highly enough of the original builder of the rod and the quality of the build. “Everything is finished off…

Purchasing a car when you’re not looking to buy one isn’t that uncommon. Sometimes things or cars pop up that you can’t say no to. There are lots of reasons not to say no. Personal connection with a vehicle, a long-term dream car, a classic car that brings romantic notions of years gone by, or just plain old peer pressure. Any of these reasons is valid. Importing a car from overseas is pretty common nowadays too. Purchasing a car you weren’t in the market for and sight unseen from overseas — Perth; it’s far enough away it may as well be the US — is still a gutsy move. As it happens, in this case, the reward was well worth the risk. THIS PARTICULAR ’82 COROLLA HAS A TOUGH STANCE…

The news of a crash at the track is never something we want to hear, even if the driver is lucky enough to walk away. Sadly, that was what happened to Barry Plumpton and his Bullet Camaro at Masterton Motorplex in mid-February. A statement posted on the team’s Facebook page states: “… not the best outcome for the first and only run today. Car ran well but shortly after the finish line the carmade a move and air got under it causing the car to roll. Driver is a bit sore but the car did its job in keeping Baz safe.” Barry and the team have been great ambassadors for the sport for many years now, competing at tracks all around NZ and even taking the 959ci nitrous assisted Camaro…

Sixteen cars lined up on the grid at Hampton Downs for round three of the championship. Drivers would be competing on the 3.8km international circuit instead of the regular 2.7km national. Questions were being asked due to the severe weather that had hit the area the previous weekend, which had led to widespread flooding in the Auckland and Waikato regions. Thankfully, the Hampton Downs drainage system worked wonders allowing the event to go ahead. The Central Muscle Cars lost two events over December and January, which meant that what should have been round five of seven had become three of five. This meant that for the third year in a row the category faced a shortened season and a pressure cooker points haul for drivers. Adding to the prestige of…

TORCH Red exterior offset by metallic black racing stripes, as well as 20-inch and 21-inch Spider design forged black wheels; black interior with red seat belts … oh yes, and just 15 miles (24 kilometres) on the odometer. Noice, noice, noice. And it sold at auction in Kissimmee, Florida, recently for an eye-widening US$275,000 (just under NZ$435k). What made the 2023 Corvette Z06 worth more than three times its list price in the United States was that … well, it was a 2023 Corvette Z06 that was available. The demand for the first of the fully ‘performance’ models in the C8 range in its home country is astounding. Some folk well down the waiting list but also well-heeled enough to see that as being nothing more than a hindrance seem…

This month, we introduce you all to New Zealand’s oldest hot rod club, Rod Benders Inc from Christchurch. Some may disagree with that title but sitting down with the guy who started it all, Taff Mathie, he explains: “There were one or two clubs about back in the day but they shut down for different periods before being reformed some time later, whereas Rod Benders has had continuous membership since it was formed.” The first appearance of a hot rod was in the late 1930s in Southern California where people would race modified cars — and by ‘modified’ we mean stripped down to go faster. This trend caught on worldwide over the coming years, with New Zealand not immune, enticing many young men and women into the hobby we know…

This beautiful-looking ’28 Ford roadster didn’t always look this way. Originally built by David’s father, Andrew, back in the ’80s, it wore full fenders and sported a different back end. It was also running a six-cylinder Holden engine back then. As is the case with many cars, it changed hands and resided at another home until Andrew was able to purchase it back some time later. Eventually, David showed an interest in the rod so bought it off his father in 2006. “I was slowly getting into the Japanese stuff,” David tells us, “but luckily Dad was able to pull me in the right direction.” Deciding to build it as a father–son project, David had an idea in his head as to how he wanted the final product to look.…

WHEN HE HAD ENOUGH MONEY IN THE BANK HE WENT BACK, PICKED UP THE HUFFER AND THE BONNET WITH THE HOLE ALREADY CUT IN IT Back in 1991 Dean Rennie joined the NZ Army. He initially joined the infantry, going into the 1st Battalion RNZIR and life was good. Aside from ‘doing the mahi’, he says he didn’t do a lot else, other than “go out with the boys”. He had few interests but said he was “kinda interested in cars, and I liked Fords mostly; Aussie Fords to be exact”. The XA wasn’t Dean’s first Falcon though; his first one was a 1979 XD Fairmont Ghia with a 302ci Cleveland under the bonnet. He had this for a few years and says, “It was a great car to drive…

LOW FAST FAMOUS Lincoln Continental @THATRAWLINCOLN The team at Exile Fabrications have gone to the next level with this Lincoln build that is nearing paint stage. A full custom chassis incorporating cantilever suspension along with Hydroshox from Mittler Bros gets the stance and handling sorted. Twin-turbo LS power sorts out the go and the stopping is taken care of by Wilwood brakes. Some custom wheels from Schott fitted with 19-inch-wide Mickey Thompson tyres at the rear round off the build to date. 1950 CHEVROLET 3100 @MAD_MAX_RN These ’50s Chevrolet trucks sure keep hitting the spot, especially if you are a fan of some patina. This one, built by Dwights Speed Shop, uses a boxed stock frame along with air suspension managed by Air Lift Performance to get the right stance…

If the list we have of new builds that Kiwis have in their garages around the country is any indication, we’re in for a great year with some truly exceptional cars to showcase. In case you didn’t find the V10 in the ’68 Charger outrageous enough, here’s another one for you: a 2019 Dodge Charger Hellcat engine producing 700 horsepower, installed in a 1937 Studebaker Dictator — is that the most ridiculous sentence we have ever written? In modern terms, a restomod is what Nelson resident Tim Miller was searching for, but in Tim’s eyes, he was simply creating a hot rod by fusing the old and the new, much like they did in the early days of the hot rod movement. While the hunt first started for a body,…

England-based AC Cars has kept its promise of unveiling a modern take on the emblematic Cobra. While it looks unmistakably like the original model, the new roadster features a handful of visual updates, an aluminium chassis and a V8 engine rated at 654 horsepower. We know what you’re thinking: “Isn’t that a Shelby?” The answer is both yes and no. Shelby popularised the Cobra and later made it an icon on and off the track but it didn’t create it. The roadster started life in England as the straight-six-powered AC Ace, which explains why the British firm can resurrect the basic design and proportions without summoning a dark cloud of disapproval from Shelby’s legal team. Back to the road: called Cobra GT Roadster, the modern-day two-seater is entirely new in…

ISN’T HOT RODDING ABOUT BUILDING SOMETHING WITH WHAT YOU HAVE? Up until around five years ago, Bevan had been living in Australia for 30 years, where he worked at an aluminium smelter. Looking at his fast-approaching retirement, Bevan decided to return to New Zealand, and settled in Geraldine. Not long after, he made the move to Christchurch, where he came across his 1939 Chrysler sedan for sale. Purchased sight unseen, the Canterbury car was similar to one he used to own years ago, so he had no problem swapping cash to put his name on the ownership papers. It was not long after purchasing the Chrysler that Bevan joined Rod Benders. When he first got the car, it was running its original side-valve engine, but it decided to “pack a…

AFTER MUCH BEGGING ON HIS PART I FINALLY GAVE IN AND SHELLED OUT THE 60 POUNDS ASKING PRICE Gary would probably be the first to admit that his 1932 Ford four-door sedan isn’t the prettiest, or most expensively built rod, but it’s certainly one of the oldest, untouched rods out there, having been on the road like this for 50 years. From humble beginnings, the Ford has served Gary and his family well over the years. As was the case 50 years ago, and in fact from the day that the rodding movement began, you built what you could with what you had, and Gary was no different, starting with two old derelict cars that no one wanted. The second body that he used was actually found at a student…

Steve ‘Cowboy’ Carlsen has got himself a new bucking bronco, a full tube chassis version of his previously campaigned ’64 Falcon Sprint. Loving the shape of the old car, but realising the 521ci BAE Hemi and 16/71 blower combo were overkill for the chassis, he had a mould taken of the body and set about building a more suitable chassis to go in it. Rather than sit out last season with no car though, he purchased the ex-Mark Bardsley Camaro with a promise to on-sell it to fellow Wairarapa racer Dwayne Garrett when the new Sprint was completed. The new car hit the track for the first time at 1st Auto Parts Wild Bunch Challenge on 10 February at Napa Auto Parts Dragway. The car looks killer, and was a…

Motorsport enthusiast Jordan Russ writes to us this month with an interesting concept, and it’s one that NZV8 is very keen to see become reality. Jordan currently owns a 1988 EA Ford Falcon that he uses in the Super Six circuit-racing class at Manfeild, and he has intentions to move from class to class as he dials in his driving skills. We’d say those skills should come rather quickly with his proven ability driving street stocks, TQ midgets, and midgets over the years and flying through the ranks. The idea behind this concept is a purpose-built car for the GTRNZ class using the current EA Falcon as its base. The body kit would be a mash-up of early ’80s Aussie touring cars of that era and historic sports sedans, combined…

Back in late January saw us heading back to the USA briefly to display Project 29 at the Grand National Roadster Show, which was the first week of February. As usual, I look up what other events or attractions are taking place in our travel window. The last week of January advertised the Mooneyes New Years Drags & Show which was perhaps one of the largest one-day-only events I have attended in the USA. There were 150 race cars from dragsters to gassers, over 1000 show cars with much diversity and a whopping 9000 spectators through the gate of Irwindale Raceway! We went to this not knowing what to expect and it was a mind blower. We left just after midday and people were still pouring in to enjoy the…

A REAL DEAL BARN FIND, THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED UP IN 1977I In the world of tradies, there are two distinct categories: those whose own projects are never completed, and those who are a bit more like Chris Blackmore. As the owner of well-known and highly-regarded Christchurch restoration business, Muscle and Classic Restorations, Chris sets the benchmark with his own builds. Being a true car guy, he’s owned a number of great cars over the years, almost all of which have been Mopars. He had an idea though to build a vehicle that could be used as a showpiece for the business to demonstrate what they were capable of, and build it from the ground up with no expense spared, and no set deadline for completion. That meant that…

HOLDEN COMMODORE VB–VL DOOR CHECK STRAPS Are your door check straps in your Holden Commodore VB–VL beginning to show signs of wear and tear? Rare Spares now supplies reproduced kits for the front and rear, so you’ll have your doors opening and closing like they came straight out of the factory. H1469 (front left/right): $139.90, H1470 (rear left/right): $139.90. Now available in our showroom at 43 Shands Road, Hornby, Christchurch; online at rarespares.net.au/rsnz; or call the team on 03 366 5982. UNIVERSAL HEAT EXCHANGERS Aeroflow Performance universal heat exchangers are a dual-pass / single-row design that allows the coolant to flow across the core twice before exiting the radiator for the lowest outlet temperature possible. In a liquid-to-air intercooler system, or a supercharger set-up, the air is cooled by liquid,…