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McLaren 650S Kiwi debut

16 June, 2014

 


Auckland’s bespoke McLaren dealership played host last night to the unveiling of the latest offering from the Surrey based supercar manufacturer – the McLaren 650S.

Looking at the 650S, it’s clearly not a stripped out 12C (as featured in the June issue of New Zealand Classic Car) with a facelift. Boasting P1 styling up front, the 650C has 25-per-cent new parts, lighter forged alloy wheels, carbon-ceramic brakes as standard, and performance to match any of its contemporary rivals, the 650C is without doubt the new heavyweight contender on the block for those with the wherewithal to park one of these exotic pieces of kit in their garage .

We look forward to getting in behind the wheel of this stunning machine in the near future, so keep an eye out for our verdict.

A second dose of Dash

24 April, 2025

When the car arrived in Wellington in December 2018 it was duly taken along for entry certification. Vehicle Inspection NZ (VINZ) found some wrongly wired lamps and switches — not too bad — but, much more significantly, some poor welding repairs. As the structural problems were probed more thoroughly, we realized the previous owner’s restoration would not do and we needed an upgrade. Dash had made it into the country but it would take some time and money before he would be free to explore any of New Zealand’s scenic highways.
We took the car to our new home in Johnsonville in the northern suburbs of Wellington and I pored over the car in detail to figure out what was next. There were lots of new parts on the car and a very perky reconditioned drivetrain but the chassis needed serious work.

Lunch with… Jim Palmer

16 April, 2025

In the 1960s, Hamilton’s Jim Palmer won the prestigious ‘Gold Star’ four times and was the first resident New Zealander home in the New Zealand Grand Prix on five consecutive occasions. He shared the podium with Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, and Chris Amon. The extent of his domination of the open-wheeler scene in New Zealand will probably never be matched or exceeded. Yet he’s always been modest about his achievements.