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Sundays just got better with NAC Car Culture!

27 August, 2015

Looking to extend your motoring fix beyond the glossy pages of New Zealand’s leading motoring magazines, and the on-the-run convenience of The Motorhood? Well from this October, you can, with the debut of our new motoring-magazine television show NAC Car Culture on TV3! Set to premiere on Sunday, October 18 at 2pm, the show pools the minds, the knowledge, and the passion of the people who make up Parkside Media’s three big motoring magazine titles: New Zealand Classic Car, NZV8, and NZ Performance Car.

Despite being such a small, isolated nation, New Zealand has always had an incredible affinity with the automobile. We produce some of the best replicas and restorations, some of the wildest and most inventive car builds, and a large chunk of the best race drivers on the planet. NAC Car Culture promises to travel up and down this fair country of ours to investigate why, and expose the machines, the men, and women who make it all happen. We’ll tour private garages and expose the marvels that they conceal, we’ll take a look at grass-roots motorsport and motoring events, and we’ll shine a light on some of the nation’s greatest builds — big and small. Can you tell that we’re a little excited?

Extending our excitement is the knowledge that the equally passionate Cal Thorley will be directing the show. You might recognize the name from his previous work while at the helm of NZV8’s 2014–’15 Beach Hop coverage, as well as his fellow car publications; The Red Shift and Hot Rod Revue. For the low-down on Cal, check out our in-depth interview with the man behind the camera.

We were also delighted to recruit NAC Insurance as our partners in this journey. They’ve been a loyal supporter of the New Zealand motoring community for more than 18 years, and were thrilled to come on board to help bring the project to life. The series is a good fit for NAC’s involvement in supporting initiatives that grow and develop the scene — as well as providing something great to watch on a Sunday afternoon!

Keep an eye on The Motorhood, where we’ll be posting more details closer to the broadcast date. You will not want to miss it!

“Gotcha!’’ The continuing tale of a Nissan/Datsun tragic – part two

8 May, 2026

In 1996, I was on a mission to buy a suitable pavement scorcher and visited the now-defunct Manukau City Car Fair. Unbelievably, among the sea of four-door utilitarian Japanese compacts was the absolute jewel in the crown, my automobile wet dream — a 1985 two-door R30 RS Nissan Skyline FJ20 Turbo five-speed manual in nice condition. The owner wanted $10,000 — a great deal.
But what did I do? I bailed out, paralysed by indecision. The money would have been a stretch, but it was the worst automotive choice I ever made. Instead, I went for a rusty Toyota Sprinter 8 Valve Twin Cam Coupé, which was pretty terminal from the get-go. I know. We’ve all done it, but there was really no excuse for passing up the Skyline, and I was haunted by that for years.

Last Tango in the Fast Lane

30 April, 2026

In the mid ’80s, I locked into a serious Nissan/Datsun performance obsession. It could have kicked off with my ’82 Datsun Sunny, though this would have been a bit of a stretch of the imagination, given its normally aspirated 1.2-litre motor — not the sort of thing to unleash radical road warrior dreams. But it did plant a seed, and it was a sweet little machine and surprisingly quick, in contrast to all the diabolical English offerings I had endured.
I was living in South Auckland at the time and was an unrepentant petrolhead. Motor racing was my drug of choice, and I followed the scene slavishly. Saloon car racing, with the arrival of the international Group A formula, was having a serious renaissance here and in Australia and Europe. There was suddenly an exotic air in local racing that had been absent for 15 years.
I was transfixed by this new frontier of motor racing that had hit our tracks in 1985–87 and the new array of machinery on display. In 1986, the Nissan Skyline RS DR30 made a blinding impression on me. The Australian Fred Gibson-run, Peter Jackson-sponsored team of George Fury and Glenn Seton were the fastest crew of the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship. But Kiwi legend Robbie Francevic snuck through to win the Aussie Championship in his Volvo 240T after a strong start and consistent finishes.