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First shipment of new Mustangs lands in New Zealand

1 December, 2015

The most anticipated new cars of 2015 have finally landed in New Zealand — the all-new, 2015 Ford Mustang. The first ship from the USA docked in Auckland earlier in the week of November 23–29; great news for a number of the 550-plus Kiwis who pre-ordered a new Mustang. 

“It’s New Zealand automotive history in the making,” said Corey Holter, Ford New Zealand’s managing director. “These are the very first, factory-built in the USA, right-hand drive Ford Mustangs in the country.”

From the Auckland wharf, the Mustangs will be transported to the Ford Vehicle Compound, where they will undergo a series of final checks before being delivered to dealerships throughout the country where the keys will be handed over to their owners. 

It appears that the majority of new Mustang customers have opted for the Mustang GT Fastback, with the six-speed auto and five-litre V8, and this is certainly true for New Zealand, where it makes up around 58 per cent of orders. This is New Zealand, though, and it’s reassuring to know that manual-transmission–equipped Mustangs still make up a decent 15 per cent of total orders. 

And, while there will always be some who would rather a left-hand drive Mustang for the ‘real’ American sports car feel, the appeal of the factory-built right-hand drive Mustangs is clear. It’s still early days, but we’re certainly looking forward to getting a proper, up-close look at these game-changing machines. 

ROTARY CHIC

6 September, 2024

Kerry Bowman readily describes himself as a dyed-in-the-wool Citroën fan and a keen Citroën Car Club member. His Auckland home holds some of the chic French cars and many parts. He has also owned a number of examples of the marque as daily drivers, but he now drives a Birotor GS. They are rare, even in France, and this is a car which was not supposed to see the light of day outside France’s borders, yet somehow this one escaped the buyback to be one of the few survivors out in the world.
It’s a special car Kerry first saw while overseas in the ’70s, indulging an interest sparked early on by his father’s keenness for Citroëns back home in Tauranga. He was keen to see one ‘in the flesh’.
“I got interested in this Birotor when I bought a GS in Paris in 1972. I got in contact with Citroën Cars in Slough, and they got me an invitation to the Earls Court Motor Show where they had the first Birotor prototype on display. I said to a guy on the stand, ‘I’d like one of these,’ and he said I wouldn’t be allowed to get one. Citroën were building them for their own market to test them, and they were only left-hand drive.”

Tradie’s Choice

30 August, 2024

Clint Wheeler purchased this 1962 Holden FJ Panelvan as an unfinished project, or as he says “a complete basket case”. Collected as nothing more than a bare shell, the rotisserie-mounted and primed shell travelled the length of the country from the Rangiora garage where it had sat dormant for six years to Clint’s Ruakaka workshop. “Mike, the previous owner, was awesome. He stacked the van and parts nicely. I was pretty excited to get the van up north. We cut the locks and got her out to enjoy the northland sun,” says Clint. “The panelvan also came with boxes of assorted parts, some good, some not so good, but they all helped.”