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The greatest love of all: New Zealand Classic Car Show 2016

11 February, 2016

‘A Classic Love Story’ is the theme for this year’s New Zealand Classic Car Show, which is being held on Sunday, February 14 (Valentine’s Day) at the picturesque Ellerslie Racecourse. New Zealand Classic Car magazine is again the major sponsor, and we are proud to be associated with a show that is recognized as the country’s premier classic car event — now in its 43rd year.

The New Zealand Classic Car Show not only provides the opportunity for over 75 classic car clubs to show off their best classics to the public, but it also awards excellence in the highly coveted Masters’ Class and Team Event along with the Survivors’ Class.

The highly prized Team Event Shield is awarded to the club presenting the finest pair of same-marque restorations — you’ll find them on display in the Parade Ring, next to the Members’ Stand.

The original event, over four decades ago, was a Concours d’Elegance competition between the marques of various participating clubs. Today, clubs still compete for the same prestigious club shield.

The two-car teams are judged for presentation and originality by a team of skilled and experienced judges — the winning team then hosts the following year’s event. This year’s host club is the Porsche Club of New Zealand.

Seven teams are vying for this year’s Team Event, one of which has been entered by the Auckland Mustang Owners Club. The two award-winning 1969 Mach 1 Mustangs seen above have been lovingly restored to original condition and have been meticulously prepared especially for this event — be sure to stop by and check them out.  

If elegance and style takes your fancy then you’ll need to head over to the Newmarket Room, where New Zealand Classic Car will have the amazing 1938 Mercedes Benz 540K Roadster on display. This massive, handcrafted, art deco sculpture was the absolute pinnacle of automotive desirability from the moment it was launched in Paris back in 1936  — and it is a must-see.

Head along to the New Zealand Classic Car Show 2016 at Ellerslie Racecourse between 10am and 4pm on Sunday, February 14 to share in the greatest love of all — incredible, immaculate classic cars!

NZ Classic Car magazine, September/October 2026 issue 407, on sale now

16 August, 2026

We love bugs!
A bit of TLC that became a major restoration
The 1302S, or ‘Super Beetle’ as it became known, was built for two years before it, too, was replaced by a further-enhanced Beetle, the 1303, continuing an amazing 65-year lineage for one of the World’s best-known shapes.
The world’s best-selling single-model vehicle, the VW Beetle, possibly established another record for the amount of controversy it has created since the inception of the Type 1.
In a meeting with Hitler in June 1934, Ferdinand Porsche was contracted to build a ‘People’s Car’ that could accommodate two adults and three children, was air-cooled and simple to maintain, and could cruise economically at moderate speed along Germany’s proposed new Autobahns.
Our feature car, a 1972 1302S ‘Super Beetle’, was found by Dave and Michelle Dickie in Mosgiel a few years back. It was a runner, but like most VWs of this age, it needed a little TLC. They were looking for a daily driver for Michelle when they first came upon the VW being sold locally on behalf of its owner.
“The owner offered it to his grandchildren, and they didn’t want it, so he got the guy out at Mosgiel in the Mobil petrol station to sell it for him, and he put it on Trade Me for them. We never met the owner, and we were always dealing with the guy at the petrol station. We put a bid on it, and we were the only people that bid on it.”
Their bid was eventually successful, eight years ago. Not knowing much of the history, in situations like that, it’s always a risk buying a car, but they were in for a bit of a surprise.

The other Q car

12 August, 2026

Say the word ‘bond’ to anyone in the street and around 80 per cent straight away think of pop culture’s least-secret secret agent. The other 20 per cent may think of the wad of cash required to secure a flat or hire equipment that one gets back providing the fixtures and fittings stay much as they were.
However, mention ‘bond’ in specialist classic car circles and people will spin a very different yarn. If you dig deep enough, you will find an eccentric British carmaker that, throughout its 23 years in business, spawned some quirky and charming little cars.
The company was founded by Paul Sharp in 1922 under the name of Sharp’s Commercials Limited. However, the company did not start producing cars until 1948. The first car to carry the Bond name was the Bond Minicar. A three-wheeled, soft-top, two-cylinder eco car, the Minicar was a big hit at the time as the desire for an economical urban runabout that didn’t attract four-wheel car tax was strong in post-war Britain. All in all, 34,285 Minicars were produced over 26 years in a variety of variants.