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Turners’ classic success

18 October, 2016

Turners Cars has been successfully holding classic-car auctions at its Christchurch branch for many years. They’ve been good for classic-car enthusiasts on the east coast of the mainland, but haven’t been an easy option for those wanting to sell or buy around the rest of the country.

Recently its first nationwide classic-car auction was held, which created an opportunity for the whole country. It used the power of an online auction format, with its whole network of 11 branches spread across New Zealand in which car owners could display their treasures, and it proved a big hit with sellers and buyers alike. Even those for whom moving their car was problematic could be involved, as photos were taken where the car was based, and posted online.

The auction was a success, with buyers spread right across New Zealand. The standout car was the legendary low-mileage 1958 Studebaker which was sold in Palmerston North for $56,000. It proved quite a talking piece, and had many visitors to the Turners Palmerston North branch while it was on display.

There were some other great examples sold, including a ’57 Ford Custom,  a 1960 MkII Zephyr, a great 1959 Morris 1000 and more, through to ‘modern’ classics such as a 1980 Ford Cortina and a 1984 Holden Commodore. The oldest car sold was a 1948 Vauxhall 12, which reached $4520.


1959Morris1000.jpg

Due to the success of the online auction Turners Cars will run another exclusively on turners.co.nz. Turners Cars is calling for entries now — visit turners.co.nz/classic. The auction will run from November 25 to December 5, with cars available to view throughout November.

Judging by the interest generated from the online auction in July, over 100 cars are expected to be put up for sale — which should make for plenty of opportunity to find the vehicle you’ve been looking for, or perhaps a great project to start?

Ford’s Mustang – the endlessly hip American dream machine

28 May, 2026

Fifty or so years ago, the only place in New Zealand to see a Ford Mustang was on the racetrack. In a local market severely constrained by a lack of new motor vehicles, the new North American Ford was a dreamy icon boosted by considerable motorsport success.
Import licences for cars were limited, and if Kiwis travelled abroad, the amount of currency they could take with them was restricted. What’s more, those funds could not be used to buy a car for importation back home. Yet it was OK to spend the money on heavy drinking at a London pub, Gucci shoes, sable fur coats, and excessive stays at the Hôtel Martinez at Cannes in France.
However, any rare Mustang that landed on our shores would not be destined to pose around Auckland’s then trendy Queen Street on a Friday night but would more likely be found in the care of well-known racing drivers on the starting grid at local motor racing tracks.

Chrysler’s classy cruiser

22 May, 2026

I first saw our feature car, a 1970 V8-powered Regal 770 hardtop, towing a trailer carrying the tidy Ford Anglia classic racing saloon in Broadspeed racing colours that has featured in these pages. The coupe is comparatively rare here, which means anyone contemplating purchasing one of these big two-doors is sure to see prices continue to climb. The latter Charger has claimed much of the Aussie Chrysler limelight, but the simpler and classier lines of this car, which appeared dated soon after its introduction, now have a more timeless appeal.
Former owner, Balclutha motor engineer, Mike Verdoner, remembers the car well. He believes it came from Dunedin originally.
“I’m not sure about the car’s history, but I bought it off its owner at Kaitangata. Unusually, it was advertised in the local newspaper, the Clutha Leader, which was a surprise as these usually go for a lot more money on the internet. I had it for quite a few years. It needed a little bit of work to tidy it up, so I had to decide whether to spend the money on it to do it up, which could have been twenty grand. Its value at the time was not like it is now, so I sold it to Ewan. It’s probably now worth three or four times what I sold it for.”