Add the latest issue of New Zealand Classic Car to your collection now

1 November, 2015

This month’s special Targa edition (New Zealand Classic Car Issue No. 299) is packed full of great cars, and includes the comprehensive Official Targa New Zealand Programme complete with maps, full driver profiles, and car directory.

Read all about a freshly prepared Porsche 911. When the owner of this Porsche decided upon a fresh new look for the 2015 Targa New Zealand event, he drew inspiration from the International Race of Champions (IROC) Porsche 911 raced by Denny Hulme in 1973.

We also take a look at three modern day GTs taking part in this year’s Targa Tour event — a BMW M3, Nissan GT-R, and a Mercedes-Benz C63 coupé.

If Targa competition isn’t your cup of tea, then flick through and read all about a very special, beautifully restored Citroën H van. This van is a popular sight on Auckland’s waterfront as it serves up the best organic coffee in town by the roadside.

As always, there’s lots of current news items, as well as our usual Trade Professionals, Motorsport Flashback, and Behind the Garage Door projects to read about, plus much more.   

You don’t even need to venture to your local supermarket or bookshop to pick up a copy — just grab a print copy or a digital copy of Issue No. 299 below.


The Great River Road

A few years ago my family, knowing my fondness for driving, gave me the book Unforgettable Road Trips: Thirty-Six Drives of a Lifetime by Martin Derrick. Most of the road trips listed take less than a day in places like Scotland, Monaco, and Australia, plus one in New Zealand. Most of these places were too far to go just for a short drive but four of them would take several days. My interest was piqued, and those four drives were added to the bucket list. To date, I have done three of them: ‘Route 66’ (USA 21 days), ‘State Highway 6’ (NZ 10 days) and ‘The Great River Road’ (USA 22 days). You can drive all of them in less time, but you could also fly over them. We wanted a decent immersion in their charms.
The great river referred to is the Mississippi. While the name conjures the deep south, the river actually starts at the bottom of the great lakes, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico about 3800km later. The great road is more of a concept than a specific strip of tarmac, as you can drive down either side of the river on various routes. Regardless of which side you drive, time should be kept aside for detours to places such as Nashville, which is famous for something or other.

A diamond in the rough

Two years ago, Lew finished a thorough restoration and the impressive ute has taken on a new life and colour. Lew plays down the amount of effort required but, despite his protestations, I suspect he put a lot of time into the project. A few unwanted tenants were evicted along the way.
“It didn’t take me long. There had been mice living in the firewall, which had caused a bit of damage. It apparently broke down and was pushed into a shed. It was 20 years to the day when I pulled it out and it sat in my other shed for 3 years before I started on it. That’s why it’s in such good order — it’s been kept in a shed for so long and still is.”