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Get your hands on the August 2016 issue of New Zealand Classic Car now!

10 August, 2016

The August 2016 issue of New Zealand Classic Car has hit a shelf near you! Take a sneak peek at what to expect from the glossy pages of this issue.

When David Burke-Kennedy went to visit the owner of this beautifully restored Triumph Herald, he was surprised in more ways than one.

Packard was once the standard by which other cars were measured. The quality of its cars was such that in the 1920s the company could justifiably claim that its cars were Rolls-Royces without the oil leaks. Take a look at what the Packard Automotive Plant looks like these days here. 

We take a look at the history behind VW’s war machine, the Type 82 Kubelwagen, and its progression into the car we know as the Beetle. 

Lachlan Jones experiences Rolls-Royce’s breathtaking new Dawn convertible for a day and gives us his verdict. 

This month we delve deep into the innards of the internal-combustion engine, and look at the intricacies of rebuilding and reconditioning it — we talk to the experts. You can find your local specialists here.

For all of this, plus much, much more, grab the August issue of New Zealand Classic Car now:




Grab a print copy of the mag now


Grab a digital copy of the mag now

Range Rover CSK — the original SUV

5 June, 2026

The Range Rover, thanks to Charles Spencer King, went into production in 1970 boasting an iconic shape that would last until 1996. The vehicle that would create the SUV moniker came about because Rover decided it was time to add a bigger four-wheel-drive vehicle, one with a 100-inch wheelbase, to the model range. Land Rover made a 109-inch wheelbase model but the standard vehicle had a 88-inch wheelbase.
The new model would be more suitable for road use than the existing Land Rover, which was considered to be predominantly for rural use. To make sure it could cope on any road it came standard with the Rover 3.5-litre V8 engine. The body design was originally sketched by King and went into production with only a few minor touch-ups by the Rover styling team.
According to King, “The idea was to combine the comfort and on-road ability of a Rover saloon with the off-road ability of a Land Rover. Nobody was doing it.”

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.