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GT Radial Thunder in the Park roaring towards Pukekohe

4 November, 2014

If you’re anything like us, 11 racing classes being showcased over one weekend sounds right up our alley, and this year’s GT Radial Thunder in the Park, at Pukekohe Park Raceway on December 5–7, promises to do just that, bringing a racing type for everyone. The class line-up covers GT1, GT2, and NZGT classes, Pro 7, Porsche, NZ Six, SS2000, Formula First, Pre ’65, Central Muscle Cars, Super Mini and Star Cars, Production, and Northern Muscle Cars. 

GT Radial Thunder in the Park to be even bigger and better this year

And we’re not the only ones excited for the event with Deborah Day, GT Radial Thunder in the Park spokeswoman, looking forward to the variety in racing types as well. “All of them always put on a good show and, with such a jam-packed timetable, spectators definitely won’t get bored.”

Thunder in the Park has been held at Pukekohe for over ten years, so event organizers decided to make the anniversary something to remember. So this year the event features increased action both on and off the track. On top of the 11 racing classes, there will also be lunchtime entertainment, a bouncy castle, and a kids zone to add to the family-friendly atmosphere.   

Tickets start at just $23 for an adult, with children under 16 free with any paying adult. Tickets can be bought online at Ticketek, and you can keep up to date with any developments on the Thunder in the Park Facebook page.

NZ Classic Car magazine, March/April 2026 issue 404, on sale now

22 February, 2026

BMW’s flagship techno showcase
The supermodel 1995 BMW 840Ci is simply elegant and perfectly engineered.
BMW’s 840 Ci flagship Coupe provides superb comfort and equipment packaged in a stylish body, with grand-touring performance and surprisingly competent handling for its size.
It’s the kind of machine that stands apart from the start. When BMW first unveiled its flagship Grand Tourer at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show, the automotive world blinked twice. Sleek, low, and impossibly modern for its era, it combined drama with a sort of purposeful understatement. This silhouette still looks striking today, long after its peers have faded into obscurity.
Initially offered with a range of engines, the model you’re reading about is the V8 iteration, featuring a 4.0-litre eight-cylinder heart under its long bonnet and a smooth five-speed automatic at the back. It wasn’t about blistering sprint times so much as effortless velocity. There was power on tap, sure, but the way it delivered thrust felt unhurried and measured – the automotive equivalent of a deep exhale on a long drive.
Poster 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, C2

Family pet

20 February, 2026

Diana and Fred Vermeulen from Manurewa, Auckland, have been involved with cars and car clubs for most of their married life. In the early days, it was all about Vauxhalls. At one stage they were president and secretary of the Vauxhall Owners Club. They have lost track of how many Vauxhalls have passed through their hands. Now, their garage contains a classic ’62 Oldsmobile and an ’80s Ford panel van, behind which is a kit car that few in this country will have heard of. It’s a Bulldog — the squat, flat-nosed dog with short legs beloved of the political cartoonists of last century as a symbol of the British spirit. For its automotive equivalent, most will think of the Austin Allegro.