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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?

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.

NZ Classic Car magazine, May/June 2026 issue 405, on sale now

26 April, 2026

Reincarnation of the snake
We are captivated by a top-quality sports car
The Shelby NZ build team at Matamata Panelworks has endured a long and challenging journey, culminating with the highly anticipated public unveiling of the 427SC and firing up of its sonorous V8 at the 2026 Ayrburn Classic Festival of Motoring in Queenstown on February 20. This is a New Zealand-built car with loads of character and potential.
The car is now back in Matamata, and I finally have an opportunity to get up close and personal with it. But before then, the question that must be asked is, “Why would ya?”
The first answer is easy, as mentioned in the last issue of New Zealand Classic Car (#404). It was a great way to use up all the surplus Mustang parts acquired while converting brand-new Mustangs into Shelbys. The unused new Mustang parts would be great in any kit car, but the 427SC in front of me cannot be classified as one.
This is not a kit car. The reality is that it is a high-quality, factory-made production car.
Possibly the second answer is because the CEO of Matamata Panelworks, Malcolm Sankey, wanted to build a replica of the car that is a distant relation to the Shelby Mustangs scattered around his showroom floor, a car created long before the first Mustang was even thought of, and the brainchild of Carroll Shelby back in the early ‘60s.