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This or that: semi-final showdown — wildcard edition

24 April, 2015

We’d love to know which one of these cars you like the best, so let us know in the comments below, and you’ll go in the draw to win a hardcover copy of our NZV8 Top 100 Cars — The Editor’s Pick book! The winner will be drawn on Wednesday morning New Zealand time, and contacted via Facebook.

2013–2014: ’57 Heaven (Issue No. 107). Back issue available here
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air (Cameron)

For a large number of people, the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air is ‘the’ dream car. The example you see here is the pinnacle of that dream — arguably the best presented ‘57 in New Zealand. Designed to look “just like a nice ‘57 with a set of wheels on it,” the Bel Air has more than achieved that — from the deep, black cherry paintwork, perfect chroming, and leather-clad interior, right down to the polished and detailed undercarriage. It’s powered by a 572ci big block crate motor, sitting on a full Art Morrison chassis — nothing but the best has been used on this car, and it sure shows.

2015: One step ahead (Issue No. 120). Back issue available here
1969 Plymouth Road Runner (Johnny Burkart)

It was good enough to grace the cover of our 10th birthday issue, and win the wildcard entry into the semi-finals of this very competition. Johnny Burkart’s 1969 Road Runner screams tough. From the Procharged 550ci Hemi under the hood to the Hoosier shod beadlock rims out back, and slammed stance. Is there a tougher street car in the country? If so, we’d love to see it!

Almost mythical pony

The Shelby came to our shores in 2003. It went from the original New Zealand owner to an owner in Auckland. Malcolm just happened to be in the right place with the right amount of money in 2018 and a deal was done. Since then, plenty of people have tried to buy it off him. The odometer reads 92,300 miles. From the condition of the car that seems to be correct and only the first time around.
Malcolm’s car is an automatic. It has the 1966 dashboard, the back seat, the rear quarter windows and the scoops funnelling air to the rear brakes.
He even has the original bill of sale from October 1965 in California.

Becoming fond of Fords part two – happy times with Escorts

In part one of this Ford-flavoured trip down memory lane I recalled a sad and instructive episode when I learned my shortcomings as a car tuner, something that tainted my appreciation of Mk2 Ford Escort vans in particular. Prior to that I had a couple of other Ford entanglements of slightly more redeeming merit. There were two Mk1 Escorts I had got my hands on: a 1972 1300 XL belonging to my father and a later, end-of-line, English-assembled 1974 1100, which my partner and I bought from Panmure Motors Ford in Auckland in 1980. Both those cars were the high water mark of my relationship with the Ford Motor Co. I liked the Mk1 Escorts. They were nice, nippy, small cars, particularly the 1300, which handled really well, and had a very precise gearbox for the time.
Images of Jim Richards in the Carney Racing Williment-built Twin Cam Escort and Paul Fahey in the Alan Mann–built Escort FVA often loomed in my imagination when I was driving these Mk1 Escorts — not that I was under any illusion of comparable driving skills, but they had to be having just as much fun as I was steering the basic versions of these projectiles.