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Want to win yourself one of five double passes to one of Australasia’s premier motoring celebrations?

28 September, 2015

Melbourne’s annual Motorclassica event is almost upon us once again, with the Royal Exhibition Building set to be packed from wall to wall with more than 500 stunning exotic, classic, and collectable vehicles. Held over Labour Weekend (October 23–25), it is, without a doubt, one of Australasia’s premier motoring gatherings — and you can win one of five double passes!

If you’re already planning your trip to Melbourne for Labour Weekend, why not get yourself in the draw to tack on an extra activity to your overseas excursion? Want to win? Entering your name in the draw is as simple as can be. All you need to do is comment on the embedded Facebook post below with what your favourite classic car is. Easy! The more mates you can get to enter, the better your chances — and if you’ve got friends in Melbourne, be sure to get them on board too!

Want to win one of five double passes to Australasia's premier gathering of classic cars? Just comment below and tell us…

Posted by NZ Classic Car on Sunday, 20 September 2015

This year’s Motorclassica event will be celebrating a variety of different milestones accomplished in 2015. These include the first 50 years of the supercar, 50 years of Dino, 50 years of the Shelby Mustang, 70 years of MV Agusta, and 50 years of the Bugatti Club Australia — each milestone sure to be celebrated in emphatic style.

But the best way to appreciate the show will be to be there, witnessing the machinery first-hand. Entries close on October 5, so if you or some friends will be in Melbourne on October 23–25, get amongst it and get commenting!

Check out the terms and conditions here

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.