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Magic happens once again between Porsche and Audi

16 May, 2016

Now, if you’re into German automobiles like I am, you’ll know that it’s nothing new for two automakers to collaborate to create greatness. If you think back to the early ’90s you’ll remember when Audi and Porsche combined their intensely well-engineered forces and produced Audi’s first-ever high-performance estate vehicle, the Audi RS2 Avant. The Audi RS2 was a game changer for Audi, and truly put them on the high-end luxury performance wagon map, which, to this day, is a vehicle range that continues to gain momentum with the likes of the drool-worthy $250,000-new Audi RS6 Avant. 

Porsche released a twin-turbo V8 engine at the 37th International Vienna Motor Symposium, held April 28–29, 2016 in Austria. It is said that it will make its way into the Volkswagen motor group, and power the likes of Audi. The twin-turbo V8 is to be no slouch either, producing a yet again groundbreaking 409kW (549hp) and 744Nm (567lb·ft) of torque. Porsche has said that they will be the one to first make use of the engine in the Porsche Panamera, but after that it will not just make its way into Audi vehicles, but also Lamborghinis and some Bentley models. To make use of the broad powerband that the engine is likely to have, it’ll be backed by an eight-speed automatic transmission or a dual-clutch eight-speed. 

As more information comes to light about which specific Audi models will be blessed with this mighty engine, we’ll let you know. 

Ford’s Mustang – the endlessly hip American dream machine

28 May, 2026

Fifty or so years ago, the only place in New Zealand to see a Ford Mustang was on the racetrack. In a local market severely constrained by a lack of new motor vehicles, the new North American Ford was a dreamy icon boosted by considerable motorsport success.
Import licences for cars were limited, and if Kiwis travelled abroad, the amount of currency they could take with them was restricted. What’s more, those funds could not be used to buy a car for importation back home. Yet it was OK to spend the money on heavy drinking at a London pub, Gucci shoes, sable fur coats, and excessive stays at the Hôtel Martinez at Cannes in France.
However, any rare Mustang that landed on our shores would not be destined to pose around Auckland’s then trendy Queen Street on a Friday night but would more likely be found in the care of well-known racing drivers on the starting grid at local motor racing tracks.

Chrysler’s classy cruiser

22 May, 2026

I first saw our feature car, a 1970 V8-powered Regal 770 hardtop, towing a trailer carrying the tidy Ford Anglia classic racing saloon in Broadspeed racing colours that has featured in these pages. The coupe is comparatively rare here, which means anyone contemplating purchasing one of these big two-doors is sure to see prices continue to climb. The latter Charger has claimed much of the Aussie Chrysler limelight, but the simpler and classier lines of this car, which appeared dated soon after its introduction, now have a more timeless appeal.
Former owner, Balclutha motor engineer, Mike Verdoner, remembers the car well. He believes it came from Dunedin originally.
“I’m not sure about the car’s history, but I bought it off its owner at Kaitangata. Unusually, it was advertised in the local newspaper, the Clutha Leader, which was a surprise as these usually go for a lot more money on the internet. I had it for quite a few years. It needed a little bit of work to tidy it up, so I had to decide whether to spend the money on it to do it up, which could have been twenty grand. Its value at the time was not like it is now, so I sold it to Ewan. It’s probably now worth three or four times what I sold it for.”