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Targa New Zealand: defending champions lead the way

27 October, 2015

Glenn Inkster and Spencer Winn have made an early charge in their Mitsubishi Evo 8 to the top of the leader board after the first day of the 21st annual Targa New Zealand rally event on Monday, October 26.  

Information on both the main (six-day) 2015 Targa New Zealand and the two-day Targa Regional Rally events can be found in the latest copy (November 2015) of New Zealand Classic Car magazine.

Day one results:

Andrew Simms Allcomers 4WD

  1. Glenn Inkster / Spencer Winn (2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) 00:18:04
  2. Tony Quinn / Naomi Tillett (2008 Nissan GT-R) 00:18:38
  3. Jason Gill / Mark  Robinson (2005 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9) 00:18:47
  4. Nic de Waal / Guy Hodgson (2002 Subaru Impreza) 00:19:07
  5. David Rogers / Aidan Kelly (2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X RS) 00:20:17
  6. Brian Green / Fleur Pedersen (2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X RS) 00:20:20

Metalman Classic 2WD

  1. Bevan Claridge / Campbell Tannock (1992 Holden Commodore) 00:19:33
  2. Jason Easton / Campbell Ward (1966 Ford Mustang) 00:19:35
  3. Mark and Chris Kirk-Burnnand (1987 BMW M3) 00:19:37
  4. Bruce Farley / Glen Warner (1986 BMW 325) 00:20:17
  5. Ashton Wood / Chris Lancaster (1976 Ford Escort RS1800) 00:20:35
  6. Barry Kirk Burnannd / Dave O’Carroll (1989 BMW M3) 00:20:48

Instra.com Modern 2WD

  1. Clark Proctor / Sue O’Neill (1973 Escort MK1) 00:19:18
  2. Martin Dippie / Jona Grant (2007 Porsche GT3 RS) 00:19:37
  3. Marcus Van Klink / Dave Neill (2004 Citroen C2 Super 1600) 00:19:40
  4. Robert Darrington / David Abetz (2002 BMW M3) 00:19:53
  5. Grant Aitken / Caroline Cullimore (2013 Toyota 86 RC) 00:19:54
  6. Andre Cowan / Brett Cowan (1992 BMW 325i) 00:19:58

Defending Targa New Zealand title-holders Glenn Inkster and Spencer Winn (Mitsubishi Evo 8) have taken an early lead in the 2015 Targa NZ event from Auckland to Palmerston North

Leading the Instra.com Modern 2WD class is Clark Proctor and Sue O’Neill (Ford Escort / Nissan V6)

Third in Metalman Classic 2WD are Mark and Chris Kirk-Burnnand in their BMW M3

Photo credit: Fast Company / ProShotz

 

 

 

 

Ford’s Mustang – the endlessly hip American dream machine

28 May, 2026

Fifty or so years ago, the only place in New Zealand to see a Ford Mustang was on the racetrack. In a local market severely constrained by a lack of new motor vehicles, the new North American Ford was a dreamy icon boosted by considerable motorsport success.
Import licences for cars were limited, and if Kiwis travelled abroad, the amount of currency they could take with them was restricted. What’s more, those funds could not be used to buy a car for importation back home. Yet it was OK to spend the money on heavy drinking at a London pub, Gucci shoes, sable fur coats, and excessive stays at the Hôtel Martinez at Cannes in France.
However, any rare Mustang that landed on our shores would not be destined to pose around Auckland’s then trendy Queen Street on a Friday night but would more likely be found in the care of well-known racing drivers on the starting grid at local motor racing tracks.

Chrysler’s classy cruiser

22 May, 2026

I first saw our feature car, a 1970 V8-powered Regal 770 hardtop, towing a trailer carrying the tidy Ford Anglia classic racing saloon in Broadspeed racing colours that has featured in these pages. The coupe is comparatively rare here, which means anyone contemplating purchasing one of these big two-doors is sure to see prices continue to climb. The latter Charger has claimed much of the Aussie Chrysler limelight, but the simpler and classier lines of this car, which appeared dated soon after its introduction, now have a more timeless appeal.
Former owner, Balclutha motor engineer, Mike Verdoner, remembers the car well. He believes it came from Dunedin originally.
“I’m not sure about the car’s history, but I bought it off its owner at Kaitangata. Unusually, it was advertised in the local newspaper, the Clutha Leader, which was a surprise as these usually go for a lot more money on the internet. I had it for quite a few years. It needed a little bit of work to tidy it up, so I had to decide whether to spend the money on it to do it up, which could have been twenty grand. Its value at the time was not like it is now, so I sold it to Ewan. It’s probably now worth three or four times what I sold it for.”