Five reasons to sink your teeth into New Zealand Classic Car Issue No. 297

18 September, 2015

September’s New Zealand Classic Car (Issue No. 297) is now on sale! And there’s plenty of excellent content bound within its pages to keep you entertained.

The first thing that we think of when we hear ‘flat-six’ and ‘rear-engined’ in the same sentence is the Porsche 911. But in this issue we take a look at one of the most unique American vehicles ever created that shares the same layout — the rear-engined Chevrolet Corvair. Unfairly singled out in Ralph Nader’s infamous book, Unsafe at Any Speed, we reckon that the high-performance turbocharged 1965 Corvair Corsa that adorns the cover is definitely the business.

Fit for royalty, this 1952 R-Type Bentley has lead an interesting life amongst the glitz and glamour of Hollywood’s rich and famous. Now residing in Christchurch, this gorgeous Bentley now leads a more quiet life, and is only brought out for special occasions — including our full feature.

If you like Italian, then read on. We feature one of the finest 1988 1.7 QV Cloverleaf Alfa Sprint’s you are ever likely to see, discovering in the process what links this car has with the lucky shamrock that’s more usually associated with Ireland, the famous Targa Florio road race, and even Enzo Ferrari.

Take a look at what we discovered hiding away in a barn on a Waikato chicken farm — you’ll be amazed at 200 classic cars, the property of a collector who once owned 75, yes 75, PA Vauxhalls.

Check out our great nationwide news section, and, if you’re in the market for a classic car or trade professional, then our cars for sale and trade directory section will also be of major interest. And don’t miss out on this month’s great subscription offers.         

Pick up Issue No. 297 of New Zealand Classic Car below, and you don’t even need to leave The Motorhood!

Merry Christmas from NZ Classic Car magazine

The Classic Car magazine team is taking a few weeks’ holiday from the work computer and heading to the beach for some kickback time.
Merry Christmas, and have a wonderful summer holiday to all our readers, followers, and fans. Enjoy this special extra time with the family. We will be posting archive articles again in mid to late January.
Have fun, be good and be careful out there.

Two engines instead of one?

Popping two motors into a car is not only complicated, it doesn’t always end well. Donn Anderson recalls early attempts, including John Cooper’s ill-fated original Twini Mini built 58 years ago

For a boost in performance, better traction, and perhaps improved handling to some, two motors seems an obvious solution. It would also eliminate the need to develop a larger engine replacement from scratch, but would that outweigh the not inconsiderable technical difficulties?
The idea of using a pair of engines dates back at least 86 years to the Alfa Romeo Bimotor single seater racing car that was officially timed at 335km/h, or 208mph. Taking a lengthened Alfa P3 chassis, the Italians fitted two supercharged straight eight 2.9-litre and 3.2-litre engines, one in front of the cockpit, and the other behind the cockpit.