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McLaren P1 touches down for Big Boys Toys event

30 October, 2014

McLaren P1 supercar arrives at Auckland International Airport

It’s here! The star attraction at this year’s Big Boys Toys event at the ASB Showgrounds on November 7–9, seen here rolling out of the cargo hold of an Emirates A380 Airbus at Auckland International Airport, arrived in fine style.

The world’s most eagerly awaited supercar, the McLaren P1, follows closely in the footsteps laid down by the iconic McLaren F1 and is set to push the boundaries further than any of its rivals.

This stunning machine is set to wow the crowds at Big Boys Toys 2014 with its sleek, function-led, purposeful design created specifically to deliver on a range of challenging targets — and which it manages to achieve each and every one of.

If looks alone won’t impress, then the unbelievable list of specifications — such as a scintillating 0–100kph time of just 2.8 seconds, and 0–200kph in a mere 6.8 seconds, thanks to its 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 that’s dripping with cutting edge Formula 1 technology — will make the average daily commute feel somewhat pedestrian.

Big Boys Toys 2014 is definitely one event not to be missed — and The Makita Motorhood in Hall 6 is where you can come to see a showcase of our hand-selected vehicles, many of which have been previous cover cars of New Zealand Classic Car, NZV8, and NZ Performance Car. For more details on the event see bigboystoys.co.nz.

Racing Mazdas

12 June, 2026

Both Rod Millen and Ron Kendall were rotary racing kings, emanating from the North Shore of Auckland, where I grew up. And the ultimate rotary techno guru was Bill Shiells, who developed the engine into a rocket ship while working out of Gulf Mazda in Takapuna from 1969, and later in his own business, Rotorsport. He began to extract some phenomenal horsepower from the enigmatic rotary engine. Bill was one of the first to race the Mazda RX-2 Coupe in 1971 and achieved immediate success, causing others to sit up and take notice, particularly the North Shore’s racing elite. They included Robbie Francevic, Rod Millen, Ron Kendall, John Woolf, John Le Feuvre, and Rex Findlay.

Range Rover CSK — the original SUV

5 June, 2026

The Range Rover, thanks to Charles Spencer King, went into production in 1970 boasting an iconic shape that would last until 1996. The vehicle that would create the SUV moniker came about because Rover decided it was time to add a bigger four-wheel-drive vehicle, one with a 100-inch wheelbase, to the model range. Land Rover made a 109-inch wheelbase model but the standard vehicle had a 88-inch wheelbase.
The new model would be more suitable for road use than the existing Land Rover, which was considered to be predominantly for rural use. To make sure it could cope on any road it came standard with the Rover 3.5-litre V8 engine. The body design was originally sketched by King and went into production with only a few minor touch-ups by the Rover styling team.
According to King, “The idea was to combine the comfort and on-road ability of a Rover saloon with the off-road ability of a Land Rover. Nobody was doing it.”