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Top-shelf metal on display at Big Boys Toys 2015

29 October, 2015

Big Boys Toys is, without a doubt, New Zealand’s biggest mainstream ‘bloke-fest’ — a massive expo dedicated to all the things that make Kiwi blokes feel warm and gooey inside; chiefly, fast cars and power tools. There will be some amazing gear on display, but if the exotic supercars, showroom Euros, CrossFitters, and boats don’t tickle your fancy, we’ve got you covered.

On display we’ll have a range of cars — cars built and restored by regular Kiwi car enthusiasts — covering our three motoring titles, New Zealand Classic Car, NZ Performance Car, and NZV8, as well as a stream of our new TV show NAC Car Culture. 

The NZ Performance Car boys have managed to sort out a pretty wild machine to show off this year — Daynom Templeman’s outrageous, and only just completed, BMW M3. This thing is a real deal, pro-spec drift car, powered by a nitrous-equipped 2JZ-GTE pumping out over 1000hp, and with a dozen Santa sacks full of top-shelf gear — think Wisefab steering and suspension gear, Kevlar body parts; the works. Make no mistake, you’ll want to see this weapon right up close. 

Eight cylinder power is taken care of with Mike Bari’s brutal 1971 Chev Chevelle, as featured on the cover of NZV8 Issue No. 123. No stranger to tough street cars, having built a street-legal nine-second Ford Capri back in the ’90s, Mike’s latest creation is about as tough as they come. Not only has the Chevelle’s ample bodywork been massaged to perfection, it’s also been built 100-per-cent correct to run easy single-digit quarter-mile passes. They should come in due course, courtesy of a mammoth 598ci big block Chev, aided by a progressive port and plate nitrous system. The whole car is a masterpiece in engineering and finish, and one that you should see to believe. 

Last, but not least — except in size — is the diminutive Fiat Abarth 500 on display for New Zealand Classic Car magazine. Roger Bourne purchased this example, a 1963 Fiat Abarth 500 with a full convertible roof, from Trade Me, before getting it completely restored. The boot lid covers a larger Fiat 126 engine, which has been rebuilt and modified by the team at Marsh Motorsport — while it won’t run four-second quarter-miles, it sure is a neat, and very cool, little cruiser. 

In addition to the cars we have on display, you’ll also be able to watch episodes of our new TV show NAC Car Culture, usually broadcast from 2pm every Sunday on TV3, and you can pick up some pretty sweet subscription offers to our motoring titles while you’re at it.

Motorman: Blame it on Rio!

22 May, 2025

Following the third polite advisory, I figured there had to be a fair degree of substance to the warning. “If this is your first visit to Rio de Janeiro, please be careful,” came the personal hushed dialogue from the pleasant hostesses on a far from crowded Varig flight from Los Angeles to the famous Brazilian seaside city.
The previous evening I had flown into LA from Auckland en route to the 1985 international launch of the Fiat Uno Turbo. I was prepared for another long haul of just under 12 hours across Mexico, central America, Colombia, and central Brazil to that nation’s third largest city. Surprisingly the 10,500km run from Los Angeles to Rio is actually longer than the 8800km LA-London air route.
With the journey including a brief stopover in Honolulu I expected to travel just under 44,000km for the return journey to sample what was to be a low-volume version of a popular Italian car that would sell in even lower numbers in New Zealand. I like to think this shows nothing more than my deep commitment to my craft. In fact, even though I became lost on the homeward journey my total air miles would be little different.

Pinnacle Porsche

15 May, 2025

We were stopped at the side of the road, setting up the next photograph, when a faded Toyota slowed alongside and stopped. The window was already down to give the driver a good look.
“That’s my dream car,” he said, speaking for more than a few of us.
He drank in the gleaming red paint, shining in the sun, and the car’s purposeful swoops and curves. He exhaled half a lungful of cigarette smoke, gave a hang 10–style thumbs up and drove off.
On the side of the road, against a clear blue background, the Porsche stood out in all its stark red glory. It’s the classic 911 shape on steroids. It has the fat, even pouty, front lip of the G series 911s, added to comply with 5mph bumper restrictions in the US. It also has the oversized haunches to accommodate the wider rear wheels and tyres – a first for Porsche, which also confirmed its supercar credentials – and, most noticeably of all, that enormous whale-tail spoiler. They made it look as if Porsche had abandoned its restraint.