For the first time ever, Formula 1 hits New Zealand shores

16 June, 2016

Formula 1 has been turning heads and winning hearts since 1950, but never before has the spectacle come to New Zealand. That’s all set to change in early 2017, when, for the first time ever, a grid full of Formula 1 one cars will line up on Taupo’s Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park.

Around 15 rare and expensive classic Formula 1 machines are confirmed to be competing at the event, with the hope being to relive the action that the sport provided during the 1960s and 1970s.

While a similar historic event takes place in Monaco each year, and draws crowds from around the globe, the event is likely to become the first time most New Zealanders have had such easy access to the vehicles.

Understandably, Taupo resident, and racing legend, Chris Amon — who drove Formula 1 vehicles during the period — is excited about seeing the cars so close to home. Adding to the Kiwi Formula 1 connection is the name of the venue, with the late Bruce McLaren being one of Amon’s teammates.

Both drivers were part of the historic Ford GT40 Le Mans win, which took place 50 years ago this coming weekend — see the current issue of NZV8 for a full article.

The event that the vehicles are set to compete in will take place over January 28–29, 2017, and will pit the Formula 1 vehicles against equally as historically significant Formula 5000s, which are the pinnacle of open-wheeler racing locally.

Despite the values of the vehicles, we are sure that drivers won’t be holding back, all keen to take home the title and bragging rights that would go with becoming a country’s first-ever Formula 1 champion.

Included in the vehicles coming from abroad to compete at the event is a McLaren M26 now owned by Frank Lyons, president of the Historic Sports Car Club, which is responsible for plenty of historic racing events in the UK. The car was driven by 1976 world champion James Hunt, making it extremely valuable and historically significant. It’s not alone though — each of the vehicles scheduled to compete have varying degrees of historic pedigree.

We’ll bring you more on the event over the next few months.

Last Tango in the Fast Lane

30 April, 2026

In the mid ’80s, I locked into a serious Nissan/Datsun performance obsession. It could have kicked off with my ’82 Datsun Sunny, though this would have been a bit of a stretch of the imagination, given its normally aspirated 1.2-litre motor — not the sort of thing to unleash radical road warrior dreams. But it did plant a seed, and it was a sweet little machine and surprisingly quick, in contrast to all the diabolical English offerings I had endured.
I was living in South Auckland at the time and was an unrepentant petrolhead. Motor racing was my drug of choice, and I followed the scene slavishly. Saloon car racing, with the arrival of the international Group A formula, was having a serious renaissance here and in Australia and Europe. There was suddenly an exotic air in local racing that had been absent for 15 years.
I was transfixed by this new frontier of motor racing that had hit our tracks in 1985–87 and the new array of machinery on display. In 1986, the Nissan Skyline RS DR30 made a blinding impression on me. The Australian Fred Gibson-run, Peter Jackson-sponsored team of George Fury and Glenn Seton were the fastest crew of the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship. But Kiwi legend Robbie Francevic snuck through to win the Aussie Championship in his Volvo 240T after a strong start and consistent finishes.

NZ Classic Car magazine, May/June 2026 issue 405, on sale now

26 April, 2026

Reincarnation of the snake
We are captivated by a top-quality sports car
The Shelby NZ build team at Matamata Panelworks has endured a long and challenging journey, culminating with the highly anticipated public unveiling of the 427SC and firing up of its sonorous V8 at the 2026 Ayrburn Classic Festival of Motoring in Queenstown on February 20. This is a New Zealand-built car with loads of character and potential.
The car is now back in Matamata, and I finally have an opportunity to get up close and personal with it. But before then, the question that must be asked is, “Why would ya?”
The first answer is easy, as mentioned in the last issue of New Zealand Classic Car (#404). It was a great way to use up all the surplus Mustang parts acquired while converting brand-new Mustangs into Shelbys. The unused new Mustang parts would be great in any kit car, but the 427SC in front of me cannot be classified as one.
This is not a kit car. The reality is that it is a high-quality, factory-made production car.
Possibly the second answer is because the CEO of Matamata Panelworks, Malcolm Sankey, wanted to build a replica of the car that is a distant relation to the Shelby Mustangs scattered around his showroom floor, a car created long before the first Mustang was even thought of, and the brainchild of Carroll Shelby back in the early ‘60s.

For the first time ever, Formula 1 hits New Zealand shores

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