SUBSCRIBE TO THE
MAGAZINE NOW
Facebook-f Instagram

Weekly Motor Fix: Galaxie watching made easy

1 March, 2016

 


As Americarna is one of the largest events for American vehicles in New Zealand, there’s never any shortage of jaw-dropping vehicles on display. We came across this exquisitely restored ’67 Galaxie while it was parked up at Onemana. 

The third-generation Galaxie is a handsome vehicle from the factory — those stacked headlights and expansive grille make for a seriously good-looking face. 


This one’s more than just sharp lines and good looks, though — a set of 15-inch Billet Specialties wheels look right at home under the big Galaxie body, and the fitment is about perfect. These don’t look like they were just grabbed off the shelf, and it’s always refreshing to see instances where people buy wheels ‘for’ their car, rather than just buy wheels. 

Chrome-finish Wilwood calipers also peer out from between the Billet Specialties spokes, hinting that there may be a few horses under the hood that need reining in. 

Flanking those rad front wheels is a hint as to what resides beneath the Galaxie’s long bonnet, which unfortunately remained closed during our five minutes with the car. The 390 badge is a bit of a no-brainer — implying it’s a 390ci FE V8 powering the beast. In a world where 572ci engines can be bought off the shelf, it’s sometimes easy to forget that 390 cubes is still a hell of a lot. Could the ‘Double Trouble’ decal be hinting at a dual-quad (twin four-barrel carbs) set-up? We don’t know, but speculating is always fun. 

A look under the rear shows that this car hasn’t been given a quick blow over with a paint gun either. The chances of it having been subject to a body-off rebuild are pretty high — you don’t just refinish your diff, fuel tank, and undercarriage for a laugh. 

Inside, it’s no less impressive. The upholstery looks spot-on, and while there are hints of a banging sound system, no plastic Japanese head unit is readily visible. We’d go so far as to hazard a guess that the factory-looking stereo is actually a modern reproduction, designed to look the part. And it’s nice to see the factory tiller, tying everything together perfectly. Was it kept for easy visibility of that oh-so-subtly hidden tacho? 

This Galaxie is no magazine cover car, but it’s a beautifully finished example that we’d be ecstatic about having the keys to. You don’t need 1000hp, or a 20-layer paint job, or a crazy customized interior — having a beautifully finished cruiser is more than enough, especially if you know it’s been done right, and will get you wherever you want to take it.   

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.