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NZV8 Concept Corner: ’33 Coupe

15 February, 2015

 

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“Every month we ask the cover car owner for the concept they’d most like to build, or see built”

You’ve seen what Warren Black can do with a Holden Monaro in the current issue of NZV8 (Issue No. 118), but what if Warren turned his attention to a hot rod?

“I’ve always liked ’33 coupes, so I wouldn’t mind building one. I’m toying with the idea of putting a different motor into the Monaro, so I’d drop the existing motor from it into one of those. I would stretch the front end by around eight inches just to give a bit more room, and to give it a bit of a custom look. I’d also widen the guards, more so at the back, to run the same size wheels as I’ve got on the Monaro.

“With those wheels the diff would be pretty narrow but it would give the car a killer look. Of course, it’d need to be on airbags, and sitting as low as possible too, which might get interesting with the guards, but it’s worth a shot.

“While I usually like black cars, I’m thinking maybe a midnight blue — real dark, so it’s almost black but not quite. I’d keep the chrome grille, and so on, but shave the handles and smooth it out a bit.

“It’d just be a streeter, but you’ve got to race everything at least once,” Warren laughs.

“Interior wise, the car would run bucket seats up front, and I’d go with the same style of door trims as on the Monaro.”

We’ve seen that Warren isn’t one to do things by halves, so if he ever turns this concept into reality, we’re sure it’ll be even better than it sounds — now that’ll take some doing!

“Gotcha!’’ The continuing tale of a Nissan/Datsun tragic – part two

8 May, 2026

In 1996, I was on a mission to buy a suitable pavement scorcher and visited the now-defunct Manukau City Car Fair. Unbelievably, among the sea of four-door utilitarian Japanese compacts was the absolute jewel in the crown, my automobile wet dream — a 1985 two-door R30 RS Nissan Skyline FJ20 Turbo five-speed manual in nice condition. The owner wanted $10,000 — a great deal.
But what did I do? I bailed out, paralysed by indecision. The money would have been a stretch, but it was the worst automotive choice I ever made. Instead, I went for a rusty Toyota Sprinter 8 Valve Twin Cam Coupé, which was pretty terminal from the get-go. I know. We’ve all done it, but there was really no excuse for passing up the Skyline, and I was haunted by that for years.

Last Tango in the Fast Lane

30 April, 2026

In the mid ’80s, I locked into a serious Nissan/Datsun performance obsession. It could have kicked off with my ’82 Datsun Sunny, though this would have been a bit of a stretch of the imagination, given its normally aspirated 1.2-litre motor — not the sort of thing to unleash radical road warrior dreams. But it did plant a seed, and it was a sweet little machine and surprisingly quick, in contrast to all the diabolical English offerings I had endured.
I was living in South Auckland at the time and was an unrepentant petrolhead. Motor racing was my drug of choice, and I followed the scene slavishly. Saloon car racing, with the arrival of the international Group A formula, was having a serious renaissance here and in Australia and Europe. There was suddenly an exotic air in local racing that had been absent for 15 years.
I was transfixed by this new frontier of motor racing that had hit our tracks in 1985–87 and the new array of machinery on display. In 1986, the Nissan Skyline RS DR30 made a blinding impression on me. The Australian Fred Gibson-run, Peter Jackson-sponsored team of George Fury and Glenn Seton were the fastest crew of the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship. But Kiwi legend Robbie Francevic snuck through to win the Aussie Championship in his Volvo 240T after a strong start and consistent finishes.