SUBSCRIBE TO THE
MAGAZINE NOW
Facebook-f Instagram

Full classic diversity in New Zealand Classic Car Issue No. 305

1 May, 2016

In our May issue, we feature one of the finest American muscle cars  we’ve ever seen, plus an iconic Japanese classic. Also in this issue, we road-test the latest Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe, Donn Anderson shares his romantic attachment with the Alfa Romeo Guili. Also, in Kits and Pieces, Patrick checks out an unusual Tri-Magnum, plus you’ll receive a free Targa Rotorua programme.        

Sandalwood fever

We explore the rich history of the SS396 Chevelle, and find out why this car has become an icon of what is arguably Chevy’s most defining era. We follow Glenn Ripley’s journey to owning one of these stunning beasts and find out how the car made it to our fair shores via a true American history.

Next generation

The newest Porsche 911 — the 991 Generation II — is here and we were lucky enough to get out for a drive. With a brand-new twin-turbocharger set-up, we look into whether Porsche have messed with a winning formula or enhanced the 911 enough to make it feel and drive like a 911 should.

Classic GTO

Trevor Stanley-Joblin’s prophecy of Japanese cars becoming classic has been proven true, and he’s found one for the books (or the magazine, as it were). John Glass tells the story of how he came to own his dream GTO, how he restored it to a class-winning car, and his future-proofed plan to keep it in the family.

The jewel that is New Zealand

We hitch a ride with Jonathon Lyons, the Chairman of Jewel Events, as he takes a group of wonderful cars, and their fabulous drivers, for a driving experience like no other from the bottom to the top of the country, experiencing the best that New Zealand has to offer along the way.

Like what you see? Grab New Zealand Classic Car Issue No. 305 in stores now, or buy it online below, and have it delivered straight to your door.

 




Buy a print copy of the magazine for NZ$10

Motorsport Flashback –The right racing recipes, and cake

17 September, 2025

If a top-fuel dragster sits atop the horsepower list of open-wheel racing cars, then cars designed for the massively successful Formula Ford category are close to the opposite end. Invented in the mid-1960s as a cheap alternative to F3 for racing schools, the concept was staggeringly simple: introduce the Ford Kent pushrod to a spaceframe chassis; keep engine modifications to a minimum; same tyres for all; ban aerodynamic appendages; and you get the most phenomenally successful single-seater class of racing car the world has ever seen.
The first-ever race for these 1600cc mini-GP cars took place in England in July 1967, but it quickly took off. The US and Australia were among the earliest adopters. It took us a little longer because we had the much-loved National Formula, comprising predominantly Brabhams, Ken Smith’s Lotus, and Graham McRae’s gorgeous self-built cars, all powered by the Lotus-Ford twin-cam. After a memorable championship in 1968/69 the class was nearly on its knees a year later. The quality was still there with Smith winning his national title, just, from McRae, but the numbers had fallen. Formula Ford was the obvious replacement and was introduced for the 1970/71 season as ‘Formula C’.

Angela’s ashes

28 August, 2025

In November 2018, Howard Anderson had a dream of finding a 1964 Vauxhall PB Cresta to recreate the car he, his wife, Ruth, and three friends travelled in from London to Invercargill in 1969. The next night’s dream was a nightmare. He dreamed he would find the original Angela but it was a rusted wreck somewhere in Southland.
Howard’s inspiration came from reading about a driver in the 1968 London–Sydney Marathon who was reunited with his Vauxhall Ventora 50 years later. He, Ruth, and her parents had watched the start of the rally from Crystal Palace in South London. The fashion at the time among the rally and race set was to paint bonnets flat black to avoid the sun’s reflections flashing into the driver’s eyes, thus saving them from certain disaster. Howard admired the flat black bonnet on the Ventora so much he had Angela’s bonnet painted dull black.