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New Mustangs secured in 30 seconds

16 June, 2014

 

The nerves of Ford executives about releasing there “baby” were eased when the first 500 Euro-spec 2015 Mustangs were reserved within the first 30 seconds of the UEFA Champions League Final in Europe.

There were 9300 people who tried to secure one of the 500 spots when registrations opened during the match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. The 500 secured ended up being spread across 20 countries

The vehicle goes on sale officially next year and it is the first one ever to be made available across Europe.

“We knew there was huge excitement building for the new Ford Mustang coming to Europe, but the response during the UCL Final was overwhelming,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, marketing, sales and service, Ford of Europe.

“It was a truly special way to kick off the Ford Mustang era in Europe.”

The models made available for the UEFA final release were the fastback models in Race Red and the convertible models in Magnetic Silver. Securers were able to choose from Ford’s all-new 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine with more than 309 PS and 407 Nm of torque; or the 5.0-litre V8 engine which delivers more than 426 PS and 529 Nm of torque.  They’ll also get Ford’s SYNC 2 connectivity ad navigation system,, heated and ventilated seats, Park Assist, black leather trim, chrome detailing, and 19-inch alloy wheels.

You can see the thoughts behind the redesign of the iconic vehicle here:

NZ Classic Car magazine, July/August 2026 issue 406, on sale now

21 June, 2026

Rebirth of a brilliant Grand Tourer –1973 Datsun 240Z
How often do we long for that ultimate dream sports car, and that dream comes true? This is about one of the most influential Japanese cars of all time, a car that changed the sports car market.
This is about much more than the restoration of an iconic classic sports car, the 240Z. It’s about the culmination of a dream over many years and the friendships made. It’s about the people who helped and the professionals whose approach ensured that the dream became a reality, an attitude typical of the industry we call ‘classic restoration experts’.
It is no surprise that the outcome after a lengthy search by Conrad Van der Geest for the right Datsun 240Z culminated in a trophy for the best Japanese car at this year’s Caroline Bay Beach, Rock N’ Hop at Timaru.
Originally a roadworthy car in running order, it was left-hand-drive and had been driven for several years by its Timaru owner, as Conrad explains.
“A neighbour, Dave Barron, knew I was looking for one and introduced me to the owner. I had seen the car being driven around Timaru. It was unusual for one of these coming originally from California, so it was a really clean car instead of rusty, as they are prone to rust. The story goes that the grandfather passed it onto his grandson, who decided to sell it, and that’s when it came over here.”
Every issue comes with our FREE huge wall poster; this issue, it’s our cover car for this edition, a 1973 Datsun 240Z

The butterfly effect

18 June, 2026

The man on the mountain bike pedalled over, taking it all in. Gazing in wonderment at this small Japanese coupe with butterfly doors, he said, “Wow, I have never seen one of these before. What is it?” When I told him it was a Toyota, he nearly fell off his bike.
The Toyota Sera is unique amongst ’90s Japanese coupes. The Sera, which is Italian for ‘evening’, can trace its roots back to Toyota’s AXV-II concept car. Launched as part of a trio of Toyota concept cars at the 1987 Tokyo Motor Show, it shared its underpinnings with the P70 Toyota Starlet. The similarities ended there, thanks to the AXV-II’s low-slung and rounded coupe styling with butterfly doors. These doors were held upright by gas struts when fully open. Glass covered the upper section of the doors and the rear hatchback.
These features, much to everyone’s surprise, were carried over to the production Sera in 1990. Toyota marketed the Sera, which means ‘will be’ in Spanish and ‘princess’ in Hebrew, as a funky alternative to the much-loved MR2.