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Focus on Howden Ganley for NZFMR 2015

16 December, 2014

There is nowhere else in the world where you will be able to see such a fine collection of Formula 5000 cars running and on display

The New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing (NZFMR) is set to play host to an unprecedented turnout of Formula 5000 cars during the weekends of January 16–18, 2015 and January 23–25, 2015 — fitting given the 2015 Festival’s focus is on Howden Ganley.

With a F5000 and Formula One racing exhibition planned at the location of Hampton Downs, event organizers expect over 50 of the V8-, V10-, and V12-powered machines, covering all years of the F5000’s life.

At least one full grid of the F5000 racers will race during the festival, as well as demonstration laps and static displays throughout both weekends. Headlining the racing action is celebrated racer Kenny Smith in his immaculately presented Interscope Racing Lola T332. Greg Thornton will also be present in his iconic Chevron B24, but the entire field will be crammed full of notable cars and drivers.

NZFMR 2015 is a celebration of F5000 racing and legendary driver Howden Ganley. It also marks the first Formula 5000 World Series, the champion of which will be crowned after the event’s final race. Along with the F5000 content, as many as six Formula One cars will hit the track, as well as a huge Historic Muscle Car entry with eight Australian TransAm racers present. A packed programme for the two weekends will also include a drivers parade of many of the New Zealand, Australian, and UK F5000 stars from the past, and a spectacular NZ Warbirds display on Sunday, January 25, 2015 featuring WW2 fighter aircraft.

A single-day general admission pass will cost $30, a single-day weekend general admission pass will be $40, and both weekends will come to a total of $80. 

NZ Classic Car magazine, November/December 2026 issue 408, on sale now

18 October, 2026

Star status for classic Porsche
A long search ends: finding the right car
Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, the Porsche 911 heralded an iconic lineage of sports cars, known for their exceptional performance, remarkable racing reliability, and adaptability, second to none.
New Zealand Classic Car, in conjunction with Star Insure, recently conducted a photo competition to find 13 suitably impressive classics to grace the pages of the magazine’s 2027 calendar. A flood of entries showed that Kiwis recognise eye-catching designs and restorations. Many are handy with a camera, too, and have entered some outstanding results.
The choice was not straightforward, with multiple stunning entries, and Geoff Long’s immaculate 1990 Porsche 911 (964 Factory designation) took top honours. Fortunately, Geoff had Ethan Hanlon handy to take the accompanying photos while working in his office.
“I’ve got a young employee who is doing work experience in my office at the moment, and he’s a very avid photographer. So, I said, I’ll buy you breakfast and then why don’t we go and take some photos. He found the right spot, and he spent over an hour photographing.”
Originally sold new in Japan, hence the right-hand drive, the Porsche was resident there for four years before being exported to New Zealand, as Geoff recalls.
“I bought it two-and-a-half years ago, but I looked for it for over two years, because it’s just the colour scheme, interior and exterior I was after. The service file that came with it is extensive; I mean, it’s been beautifully looked after, which is what I wanted to continue, as it does get driven. It doesn’t sit in the garage.”

Classics on the green

16 October, 2026

Many pretenders vie for the title, but the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance gets my vote as the biggest thing since sliced bread.
The 71st edition of the world’s pre-eminent and best-known concours event featured 28 classes, judged by a 180-strong jury, which also chose the recipients of 26 special awards.
The size of the event, the number of visitors, and, most mind-numbingly, the sheer number of amazing cars, is almost overwhelming. There are so many quality cars to gaze upon, and so many people gazing at those cars, that it is almost impossible to cover everything.
Notable among the many attractions were the centenary celebrations of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an elegant Talbot-Lago Grand Sport, Hermann Graber’s Swiss-bodied cabriolets and coupés, the jewels of Otto Vu Italian V8s, early Alfa Romeos, Lincoln and its centenary, and cars with unorthodox propulsion systems.