Christmas is just around the corner and we didn’t want to hold out on any goodies — that’s why the latest issue of NZV8 is packed full with some seriously drool-worthy content.
Photo: Lewis Gardner
Let’s start from the beginning; can you think of any three words that scream ‘tough’ louder than ‘blown Hemi Charger’? Didn’t think so. You can get your overdose of tough by reading about Blair Watson’s amazing 528ci Ray Barton Hemi-powered street weapon. From a kid who loved The Dukes of Hazzard, to purchasing a rooted mess of a ’68 Charger, to building it into the insane vehicle it is now, he sure has done it well.
Photo: Chim Patel
Backing it up is Gary Cawthra’s beautiful Ford Falcon XA drag car. Now, beautiful probably isn’t a word you’d often hear used to describe the staunch Falcon coupes, but Gary’s truly is. Built almost entirely — and we mean almost entirely — in his suburban garage, with his own two hands, this rolling masterpiece is a testament to one man’s passion, skill, and dedication. Trust us, you’ll want to read all about this — just the motivation you need to get back to working on that project over summer!
Finishing off the triple shot of tough, we’ve got a full feature on Bob Owens’ rowdy ’34 Ford coupe. Bob’s owned the coupe for more than three decades, and it’s seen nearly all kinds of action imaginable — from a dirt track racer, to a blown and injected dragster, to a wild cruiser. It’s an awesome piece of work, built the old-school way by an old-school man — it doesn’t get tougher than that.
Of course, it isn’t all tubs and blowers. If you’re after the more comfortable side of things, you may want to take a look at Craig Hussey’s beaut of a ’54 Chev Delivery. Celebrating the spirit of the Kiwi DIYer, Craig has done a great job in crafting a family-friendly cruiser.
But if understated is more your cup of tea, we can do that too — well, as understated as a pair of bright-yellow Corvettes can go. With the latest Corvette C7s recently beginning to come into the New Zealand market, we decided to pit old against new. However, to even the tables, the ‘old’ Corvette C6 is packing some tricks up its sleeve — twin turbos and a whole host of supporting mods to bump power well into four-digit territory. Which would you choose if you had the coin to drop on a bright-yellow slice of late-model Americana?
Want tech? We’ve got that too! Thanks to Adrad National Radiators, we got a great look at exactly how radiator cores are built. From rolls of copper, sheets of brass, and stacks of tubing, it’s a pretty enlightening process, seeing it all go from raw materials into something clearly recognizable by any petrolhead as one of the most important parts of any cooling system.
On the events radar, you can check out the NZV8 Pickup Roundup that flooded Rotorua and Taupo with American pickups of all ages, shapes, and sizes over Labour Weekend.
Photo: Mike Peffers
And take in all the on-track action from the Enzed Central Muscle Cars rounds two and three. Round two took place at Pukekohe Park Raceway during the celebrated V8 Supercars ITM 500 Auckland, with round three providing all the usual V8 screaming, paint-trading, flat-out racing that makes the series so exciting.
We also get a closer look at the amazing collection of Dennis Phillips. What do you do when you fill your existing garage with cool stuff? You build another one and repeat the process, of course! On top of that, we’ve got more cool stuff, as well as the usual columns and features.
Keep an eye out for it in store, or grab a copy below, and get yourself something worth reading over the Christmas holidays!
