Check out the June instalment of Enzed Central Muscle Car news

16 June, 2016

 

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Keep up to speed with New Zealand’s most exciting race series — Enzed Central Muscle Cars

Camaro coming together

With Brendan Neiman’s ’68 Camaro now away for wiring, the team at MRX has shifted its focus to the ‘69 Camaro of previous Group 1 champion Steve Ross. Like Neiman’s car, Ross’ car is also being built for Group 1, using only the best bits available.

Currently, the fabrication and plumbing side of the car is the focus, with the goal of having it all assembled before being stripped down for powder-coating. 

Mechanically, the car will run a 358ci SB2 Nascar-style Chev engine along with G Force four-speed dog box and MRX-designed and -built three-link rear end. With Steve’s talents behind the wheel, the Camaro will certainly be one to watch on its completion. 

Bathurst race format confirmed

While it may seem like it’s all happening quickly, the behind-the-scenes action to get the upcoming Bathurst trip organized has been ongoing for many years now. That said, all the finer details are now falling into place, with 13, 40-foot containers now confirmed to make the trip across the Tasman containing 26 cars and spares. 

The race format has also been confirmed. There will be three six-lap races, each with a formation/warm-up lap. While Australian Touring Car Masters (TCM), which CMC is competing against, is used to the rolling-start format, it’ll be interesting to see how the locals take it. The hard part of course will be ensuring that the formation is held across the start line. We can only imagine the thunderous sound of 50 muscle cars as they hit the gas simultaneously!

With tight time restrictions to ensure live TV coverage of the main game, the goal is to make sure there are no yellow-flag incidents, as these will severely impact track time. 

The race order is likely to be a scratch race first; a second race with the a percentage of the top cars of the field reversed and sent down the back; and the third, to be known as the Trans Tasman Cup, with the grid forming up in the usual two lines astern, with a TCM car and CMC car placed alternately in both lines.

Commodore power-up

After competing in almost every conceivable speedway class, as well as in various Targa events, Wellington’s Tony Barrow tried his hand at Central Muscle Cars (CMC) this season, with great success. His vehicle of choice, a VK Commodore, was purchased as ex Trans Am Light, and had been sitting in a shed for a few years before he got his hands on it. To get a handle on the car and the class, Tony ran the car essentially as purchased, complete with underpowered 308 engine producing a fraction of the power of some of the big-hitters.

With the potential of being involved in the upcoming CMC trip to Bathurst, though, that engine combo, and the car in general, is currently receiving an off-season overhaul. 

The engine side is being taken care of by Rossco’s Engine Services and will see a capacity increase to 355ci along with a set of VN-style heads being fitted. At the same time, the Richmond five-speed gearbox will be freshened up, as will the diff. The engine bay is also set to receive a tidy up by Red at Waikanae Panelbeaters before the new engine is dropped back in. 

Some may recognize the car’s current graphics scheme as that used by Tony’s father, Dave, in partnership with John Billington, back in the late ’90s. Tony mentioned that if a sponsor were to come on board, he’d be happy to change that. For now, though, it’ll remain. 

With the newly added horsepower, we have no doubt that Tony will become one to watch in Group 2 in the coming season. 

The Great River Road

A few years ago my family, knowing my fondness for driving, gave me the book Unforgettable Road Trips: Thirty-Six Drives of a Lifetime by Martin Derrick. Most of the road trips listed take less than a day in places like Scotland, Monaco, and Australia, plus one in New Zealand. Most of these places were too far to go just for a short drive but four of them would take several days. My interest was piqued, and those four drives were added to the bucket list. To date, I have done three of them: ‘Route 66’ (USA 21 days), ‘State Highway 6’ (NZ 10 days) and ‘The Great River Road’ (USA 22 days). You can drive all of them in less time, but you could also fly over them. We wanted a decent immersion in their charms.
The great river referred to is the Mississippi. While the name conjures the deep south, the river actually starts at the bottom of the great lakes, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico about 3800km later. The great road is more of a concept than a specific strip of tarmac, as you can drive down either side of the river on various routes. Regardless of which side you drive, time should be kept aside for detours to places such as Nashville, which is famous for something or other.

A diamond in the rough

Two years ago, Lew finished a thorough restoration and the impressive ute has taken on a new life and colour. Lew plays down the amount of effort required but, despite his protestations, I suspect he put a lot of time into the project. A few unwanted tenants were evicted along the way.
“It didn’t take me long. There had been mice living in the firewall, which had caused a bit of damage. It apparently broke down and was pushed into a shed. It was 20 years to the day when I pulled it out and it sat in my other shed for 3 years before I started on it. That’s why it’s in such good order — it’s been kept in a shed for so long and still is.”