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.

Travelling companion

It’s easy to see why the Morris Minor Traveller was one of the best-loved variants of the Morris Minor. Introduced in 1953, it was equipped with the same independent torsion bar front suspension, drum brakes, and rack and pinion steering as its saloon sibling but, with their foldable rear seat increasing versatility, many Travellers were used as trade vehicles, says Derek Goddard. Derek and Gail Goddard, the owners of this superbly restored example, have run Morris Minors since before they were married in 1974.
“Our honeymoon vehicle was a blue Morris Minor van — it was a rust bucket,” says Derek.

Super Leicht Gullwing

It’s fair to say that nothing much in the classic Mercedes world gets past Mercedes-Benz Club stalwart Garry Boyce so it wasn’t surprising to learn that around 15 years ago he had sniffed out an extremely rare 300SL lightweight Gullwing as well as a 1958 300SL Roadster hiding away in the Waikato. The cars were not for sale but Garry eventually managed to persuade the owner to allow him and his restoration team to take a look at the Roadster. They discovered a very distressed but largely unmolested car. The car was so original that the body had never been off the chassis, meaning most of the parts and fittings were still present and correct, as they had been fitted by the factory.