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Barry Meguiar to film at the 2015 Repco Beach Hop

9 February, 2015

The head of the Meguiar’s car-care empire, Barry Meguiar, and his Car Crazy film crew are headed to the Repco Beach Hop to film two very special episodes of Car Crazy TV. With Beach Hop being known as New Zealand’s premier car event, the Meguiars Car Crazy crew will spend three days capturing the cars, people, and scenery to broadcast to a global audience.

Car Crazy TV is viewed by over 27 million households in over 60 countries including Mexico, Central America, South America, Spain, Portugal, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, China, Japan, India, and Australia; it’s a great way to showcase our local scene to such a huge audience.

With such a packed schedule, Barry generally only visits a country once, but after filming in New Zealand a few years back he loved it so much he vowed to return — and Beach Hop 15 was the perfect occasion.

Car Crazy TV showcases celebrity guests, rare automotive collections, car shows and events that have never before been televised to an international crowd. Host Barry Meguiar’s quest is to showcase the people behind the car hobby, by embedding himself into real ‘car guy’ experiences in each episode.

The car hobby is over 100 years old; it’s a passion of one generation, which is passed on to subsequent generations, and this hobby is truly one activity that the whole family can participate in. The Meguiar’s family had a passion for great-looking cars. His family roots go back to 1901 when Barry’s grandfather started a polish company when the car hobby was in its earliest stages. Barry’s whole life has been spent loving and caring for cars; his passion for expanding the car hobby has seen him travel the world unraveling the hidden gems of the automotive realm, exploring museums, and supporting car clubs and events. His passion has developed a central hub for car enthusiasts worldwide through Car Crazy TV, Car Crazy Radio, and the website carcrazycentral.com.

Make sure you’re at Beach Hop during March 25–29 to see Barry and the crew hard at work. We’ve also heard the local Meguiar’s crew may have a few competitions running at the event, as well as their usual event-only deals, so pop in to the Meguiar’s stand to find out more.

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.

Motorman: When the top trio took to the road

9 May, 2025

What sort of cars did Chris Amon, Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme drive when they weren’t on the race track? Motorman knows
Most top racing drivers do care about safety levels of road-going cars for everyday motorists and their all-round abilities behind the wheel. Jackie Stewart for one denied finding everyday driving boring. He took pride in giving his passengers the smoothest possible ride, and encouraged all drivers to actively engage in the task. They also make interesting choices for their transport away from competitive motoring.
Thirty years ago I spent a day with Chris Amon driving on lower North Island roads and I can remember those informative few hours as vividly as if they were yesterday. In 1983 Chris accepted a challenge from Toyota New Zealand to improve its locally assembled cars in a relationship that extended well beyond the end of New Zealand-built Toyota vehicles in 1997.