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Got room for a 1936 Ford Sedan in your garage?

8 December, 2014

If you’ve ever wanted to own a hot rod, but never had the cash, then this may be your chance. The New Zealand Hot Rod Association (NZHRA) in conjunction with The Mount Shop are running a raffle with the prize being a 1936 Ford Sedan.

After running previous lotteries, with the prizes being two-seater vehicles, NZHRA have listened to the overwhelming call for a family car this time around and have responded with the purchase of the Ford.

The car has a lot of history being previously owned by Nelson’s Wayne Gardiner for around 35 years. When Wayne was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2011, his fellow members at Golden Bay Rodders hot rod club pulled together to get it back on the road. Wayne had the pleasure of driving the car for about eight months before he passed away and the car was left to his daughters.

Since being purchased by NZHRA, the car has been bought back to top condition, as well as having new wheels fitted, which were provided by Auckland-based wheel wholesalers BG Marketing.

A few more custom touches are set to be added and NZHRA are aiming to showcase the completed vehicle at the Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival on January 17, 2015. It’s at this event that tickets will go on sale for the first time.

The vehicle will also be on display at Hibiscus Rodders’ Beach Festival in Orewa on January 23–25, at Leadfoot Festival in Hahei on February 6–8, and Repco Beach Hop in Whangamata in the last week of March. Hot rod clubs nationwide will have tickets for sale during this time, as will the NZHRA office via their website, hotrod.org.nz.

 

Blueprinting basics

3 October, 2025

You occasionally hear petrol heads tossing around the term ‘blueprinting’ when referring to an engine they have assembled, and have sometimes altered significantly. What they are probably trying to say is that their engine was carefully machined to optimum tolerances and balanced — probably for racing. But that isn’t what the term meant originally. You see, in the 1950s, when US stock car race cars really had to be stock, the racing teams would go to the factories and rummage through the parts bins until they found components that were closest in tolerance to the original blueprint developed by the engine’s designers.

Brothers in arms

26 September, 2025

When you think Porsche, you will often think of the 911 or 356 — both rear-engine, both air-cooled (or at least until more recent times for the 911), and both icons of the sports car world. The 356 is very desirable, in hardtop coupe or in one of the three topless derivatives — speedster, roadster or cabriolet. Similar to larger car firms, Porsche experimented with a cheaper entry-level car for the keen but more modest income prospective purchasers so they could obtain their first foray into the brand.
Reaching back to their roots, Porsche collaborated with Volkswagen and released the mid-engine 914 in 1969. It sold in significant numbers in the USA, and was a modest success.