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Automotive industry helps raise $200,000 for Camp Quality

15 June, 2015

The sixth annual Camp Quality Dinner and Auction held on Wednesday, June 10, was hosted by John Andrew Ford and Mazda, and saw the more than 260 guests in attendance raising a total of $200,000 for Camp Quality New Zealand.

In attendance on the night — and vigorously bidding on the range of 25 major auction, and 45 silent auction, items — were a cross section of the motoring industry, including motoring personalities, vehicle distributors and suppliers, publishers, and enthusiasts. Alongside Parkside Media’s donation of New Zealand Classic Car and NZV8 books, and ten one-year subscriptions to a magazine of the winner’s choice, the range of major auction items included a Hampton Downs track experience, Highlands Motorsport Park track experience, which also included flights and accommodation, dinner at Botswana Butchery with Greg Murphy, a KTM motorcycle, a trip for two to Tahiti, including flights and accommodation, Bledisloe Cup tickets, and guitars signed by BB King and Eric Clapton.

Executive Director of AHG Motor Group Bronte Howson summed up the success of the night. “It is amazing what we can achieve when we aim to do some good each day, look what happens when we do it together.”

Camp Quality is a non-profit, volunteer organization providing a support programme for children living with cancer that is all about hope for the future.

Image: Camp Quality volunteer Neerali Parbhu

Motorman: Blame it on Rio!

22 May, 2025

Following the third polite advisory, I figured there had to be a fair degree of substance to the warning. “If this is your first visit to Rio de Janeiro, please be careful,” came the personal hushed dialogue from the pleasant hostesses on a far from crowded Varig flight from Los Angeles to the famous Brazilian seaside city.
The previous evening I had flown into LA from Auckland en route to the 1985 international launch of the Fiat Uno Turbo. I was prepared for another long haul of just under 12 hours across Mexico, central America, Colombia, and central Brazil to that nation’s third largest city. Surprisingly the 10,500km run from Los Angeles to Rio is actually longer than the 8800km LA-London air route.
With the journey including a brief stopover in Honolulu I expected to travel just under 44,000km for the return journey to sample what was to be a low-volume version of a popular Italian car that would sell in even lower numbers in New Zealand. I like to think this shows nothing more than my deep commitment to my craft. In fact, even though I became lost on the homeward journey my total air miles would be little different.

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.