The December 2016 issue of New Zealand Classic Car is out now!

23 November, 2016

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since I, Ashley Webb, took over the helm of New Zealand Classic Car magazine. Where did that year go? And what a year it’s been. I have to admit that it’s certainly kept me on to toes, to say the least.

Looking at the cover of this month’s issue, you’ll notice a slight change in tack — and you may even have thought you’d picked up the wrong magazine. A short commute anywhere in New Zealand will confirm the numbers of late-model SUVs on the road, and the statistics are hard to ignore as the Ford Ranger continues to top the sales charts in this country.

With this in mind, we decided to look at how they’ve evolved over the decades, and morphed into the luxurious cruisers that we see on the roads today. It’s a little different to our usual, but still 100-per-cent New Zealand Classic Car.

Here’s a rundown of what we’ve put together for this issue:

We explore the heritage of the ute and the 4×4 in New Zealand, and ask whether ‘trucks’ can be considered classic cars. Get a sneak peek at a gallery of images that didn’t fit in the magazine here. 

The Aston Martin Vulcan; one of the most extreme not-quite-road-going supercars, and the British marque’s most  exhilarating creation to date. Check out some of the shots of Tony Quinn’s gorgeous Vulcan here.

An earlier date and a more compact event footprint found favour with competitors and Targa tourists alike for this year’s Targa New Zealand. Check out more shots from the event here. 

Subscribe and get

Subscribe or renew your subscription this month and receive a free Milwaukee 9mm snap-off knife, featuring an auto-lock slide for faster blade adjustments and longer-lasting micro-carbide blade, worth $15. This offer is only available until December 11, so get in quick! Subscribe now!

For all of this, and plenty more, grab your copy of the December 2016 issue of New Zealand Classic Car (Issue No. 312) from a store near you, or order your copy below:


NZCC312 Cover.jpg

Travelling companion

It’s easy to see why the Morris Minor Traveller was one of the best-loved variants of the Morris Minor. Introduced in 1953, it was equipped with the same independent torsion bar front suspension, drum brakes, and rack and pinion steering as its saloon sibling but, with their foldable rear seat increasing versatility, many Travellers were used as trade vehicles, says Derek Goddard. Derek and Gail Goddard, the owners of this superbly restored example, have run Morris Minors since before they were married in 1974.
“Our honeymoon vehicle was a blue Morris Minor van — it was a rust bucket,” says Derek.

Super Leicht Gullwing

It’s fair to say that nothing much in the classic Mercedes world gets past Mercedes-Benz Club stalwart Garry Boyce so it wasn’t surprising to learn that around 15 years ago he had sniffed out an extremely rare 300SL lightweight Gullwing as well as a 1958 300SL Roadster hiding away in the Waikato. The cars were not for sale but Garry eventually managed to persuade the owner to allow him and his restoration team to take a look at the Roadster. They discovered a very distressed but largely unmolested car. The car was so original that the body had never been off the chassis, meaning most of the parts and fittings were still present and correct, as they had been fitted by the factory.