SUBSCRIBE TO THE
MAGAZINE NOW
Facebook-f Instagram

Classic BMW K1 auctioned for Nepal earthquake relief

19 May, 2015

In 1992, BMW released for production the K1 motorcycle — their first production motorcycle featuring four valves per cylinder, and cutting-edge design. That design stood the test of time in that it still boasts the lowest coefficient of drag of any production motorcycle to date.

A beautifully restored example has been donated by BMW specialists Mint Classics, of Münster, to RM Sotheby’s auction house — 100 per cent of the auction’s proceeds are to benefit Caritas International, which is a confederation that volunteers and provides aid for when a crisis hits. These proceeds will go towards the support of relief work for the recent Nepalese earthquakes.

“We are proud to lend our auction services to support the area’s earthquake-relief efforts, with 100 per cent of proceeds from the bike’s sale, including buyer’s premiums, supporting this deserving cause,” said Max Girardo, Managing Director of RM Sotheby’s Europe,

The auction is to take place during the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on Lake Como, Italy, on May 23. We hope the bidders will dig deep for a truly worthy cause.

NZ Classic Car magazine, March/April 2025 issue 398, on sale now

23 February, 2025

An HQ to die for
Mention the acronym HQ and most people in the northern hemisphere will assume this is an abbreviation for Head Quarters. However, for those born before the mid-’80s in Australia and New Zealand, the same two letters only mean one thing – HQ Holden!
Christchurch enthusiast Ed Beattie has a beautiful collection of Holden and Chevrolet cars. He loves the bowtie and its Aussie cousin and has a stable of beautiful, powerful cars. His collection includes everything from a modern GTSR W507 HSV through the decades to a 1960s Camaro muscle car and much in between.
In the last two Holden Nationals (run biennially in 2021 and 2023), Ed won trophies for the Best Monaro and Best Decade with his amazing 1972 Holden Monaro GTS 350 with manual transmission.
Ed is a perfectionist and loves his cars to reflect precisely how they were on ‘Day 1,’ meaning when the dealer released them to the first customer, including any extras the dealer may have added or changed.

You’re the one that I want – 1973 Datsun 240K GT

21 February, 2025

In the early 1970s, Clark Caldow was a young sales rep travelling the North Island and doing big miles annually. He loved driving. In 1975 the firm he worked for asked Clark what he wanted for his new car, and Clark chose a brand-new Datsun 240K GT. The two-door car arrived, and Clark was smitten, or in his own words, he was “pole vaulting.”
Clark drove it all over the country, racking up thousands of miles. “It had quite a bit of pep with its SOHC 128 hp (96kW) of power mated to a four-speed manual gearbox,” he says. Weighing in at 1240kg meant the power to weight ratio was good for the time and its length at almost 4.5 metres meant it had good street presence.
Clark has been a car enthusiast all his life, and decided around nine years ago to look for one of these coupes. By sheer luck he very quickly found a mint example refurbished by an aircraft engineer, but it was in Perth.