Bambina with a sting, plus more in the latest New Zealand Classic Car

10 December, 2015

The December issue of New Zealand Classic Car is now for sale. From the cutest Italian to classic ’50s American styling, plus British luxury at its best, there’s plenty of good reading for everyone. 

Our very cute Fiat Bambina has been given somewhat of a sting in its tail with an engine upgrade in line with Abarth’s go-faster specials. Check out the full restoration.  

Nothing screams ’50s American classic more than than mid-’50s Chevrolet, and nothing could be hotter than our featured 1956 Chevrolet 210 Sport coupe owned by retired drag racer Jim Crain Snr. 

The Jaguar MkVII was a total game changer for Jaguar, and played a major part in the marque’s post-war resurgence. Read all about this large, luxurious Jaguar, which, despite its size, proved to be a worthy race and rally car. 

Check out the Targa New Zealand 2015 full summary and results, as well as a preview of the upcoming Porsche Festival at Hampton Downs in January 2016. 

There’s also our usual Nationwide News section, Behind the Garage Door, as well as Motorman, Motorsport Flashback, plus much more. Pick up a copy at your local supermarket or bookshop, or buy a print copy below:


To finish first, first, you must build a winner

Can-Am royalty
Only three M20s were built, including the car that was destroyed at Road Atlanta. This car was later rebuilt. All three cars were sold at the end of the 1972 season. One of the cars would score another Can-Am victory in 1974, driven by a privateer, but the M20’s day was done. Can-Am racing faded away at the end of that season and was replaced by Formula 5000.
These days the cars are valued in the millions. It was unlikely that I would ever have seen one in the flesh if it hadn’t been that one day my editor asked me if I would mind popping over to Taranaki and having a look at a pretty McLaren M20 that somebody had built in their shed.
That is how I came to be standing by the car owned and built by truck driver Leon Macdonald.

Lunch with … Roly Levis

Lunching was not allowed during Covid 19 Lockdowns so our correspondent recalled a lunch he had with legendary New Zealand racing driver Rollo Athol Levis shortly before he died on 1 October 2013 at the age of 88. Michael Clark caught up with Roly and members of his family over vegetable soup