Get familiar with the law this summer

2 December, 2014

This summer, over the holiday season, there are two things Kiwi drivers should look out for on the road. The speed limit tolerance has changed and the drink-driving limit has also been lowered.

From now on drivers caught with between 251 and 400 micrograms per litre of breath alcohol will be hit with a $200 fine and 50 demerit points. Get caught a second time, and you risk losing your licence for three months. For drivers below the age of 20 the limit is still zero so if you’re the sober driver, you’ll need to be sober. Women are being urged to be particularly careful as they have less body water than men to absorb alcohol.

The lower speeding tolerance has also come into force and will be effective until the end of January with police warning everyone that they will be pulling over any driver caught exceeding the posted speed limit. After a controversial move to try and do away with any form of tolerance — a zero tolerance, effectively — the 4kph tolerance has been reinstated. That said, “Anything over the limit is speeding and anyone speeding can expect to be pulled over,” says Dave Cliff, police assistant commissioner of road policing.

We’re all keen on a few brews under the sun and to get out of the city quickly, but it’s worth bearing these changes in mind — avoiding unnecessary fines and demerits is always good, but it’s cool being able to reach the holiday destination unscathed too.

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

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

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.