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Hayden Paddon announces New Zealand–based Hyundai

24 March, 2016

Kiwi rally stars Hayden Paddon and John Kennard  announced on March 24 that they will contest two rounds of the New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) in a newly built Hyundai i20. 

The car that Hayden will be pedalling is an AP4-spec i20, run under the newly formed Hyundai Motorsport Team. The car was built at Force Motorsport (Andrew Hawkeswood), and is the second AP4-spec car to be built in New Zealand behind Hawkswood’s Mazda 2. The i20 wears World Rally Championship (WRC) body panels identical to the car that Hayden and John are currently contesting the WRC in. 

The two cars also share the same WRC 1.8 turbocharged Hyundai engine. The AP4 car, however, is backed by a Sadev six-speed sequential transmission that is rated to 920Nm of torque. The majority of the suspension components are built here in New Zealand, including billet uprights, and chromoly and billet suspension arms and cross members, with all suspension parts designed to be interchangeable across differing chassis. The cars all run Australian-built MCA coilovers, AP Racing brake packages, Racetech seats, and a Woodward steering column. 

“I’m very excited to be part of this programme with Hyundai New Zealand as we enter a new phase of our partnership to bring our rally exploits back to New Zealand, and to introduce Hyundai New Zealand to the NZRC,” says Paddon.

While WRC will still take priority, the team are able to contest firstly the Rally of Otago, followed by the International Rally of Whangarei. Paddon says, “Otago and Whangarei are my two favourite rallies in the world. The car is still early in development, but has a lot of potential and we look forward to working closely with Force to help develop it into a rally-winning car. Like any new formula, it will take a little longer for this car to catch on, but I believe that value for money is the key with this sort of car. While not at the same level, it has the same design principles and look of a WRC car.” 

Fraser Cars – low flying into the fourth decade

10 July, 2026

With almost three and a half decades under its belt, Fraser Cars is one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving car manufacturers. The company first opened its doors for business in 1988, during the boom time for kit manufacturers. During the ’80s, around 40 different companies were building kits and turnkey cars for this niche market. Of those, only Fraser and Almac Cars (established 1981) are still in business today.
Most of the new kit car companies were killed off in the cradle by the threat of new legislation that never eventuated and definitively by the sudden availability of high-performance Japanese cars when the floodgates to second-hand imports were opened. The now long-retired founder of the company, Neil Fraser, first came across Lotus Seven replicas while racing Lotus Cortinas in the early ’80s. He regularly found himself racing against a little Caterham, a Lotus Seven–styled car built in England. He was very impressed by its simplicity and handling. In 1986 Fraser built his own Lotus Seven–type car, using the knowledge he had gained from several close looks at the Caterham.

2027 Star Insure Calendar Competition Terms and Conditions

2 July, 2026

2027 Star Insure Calendar Competition
We’ve partnered up with Star Insure in search for 13 outstanding classic cars to feature across the 2027 Star Insure Calendar and the December issue of NZ Classic Car Magazine. One standout entry wins the ultimate honour: cover placement on both the calendar and the magazine, with the remaining 12 featured across the monthly pages.
Email your photo to [email protected] and include your full name, postal address, phone number and vehicle details (year, make and model). Entries close Friday, 31 July 2026. *T’s & C’s apply.
Read more to find out the full details >>