Enthusiast Essentials: get your hands on our must-have products

5 July, 2016

With the diverse range of vehicles covered by our motoring titles, New Zealand Classic Car, NZV8, and NZ Performance Car, it’s clear that the car enthusiast demographic is incredibly varied. So how do you curate a shopping basket to cater for a car person, whether they’re into imports, V8s, or classics? Our editors have discovered a heap of products this month, and there’s sure to be something that every car enthusiast will want to add to their collection.

Flexible options

Building your own exhaust or plumbing in your wastegate? The AdrenalinR range of flexi joints is manufactured with stainless-steel pressed ends, which provides a major advantage when running high-octane fuel, as the joint won’t rust like aluminized steel versions. Featuring a short-length design to allow fitment in the tightest places, the flexi joints can be purchased in range of sizes starting at $39 for a 51mm (two-inch), up to $119 for a 102mm (four-inch).

Contact the team at AdrenalinR on 06 870 3526, or head to adrenalinr.com for the finer details.

Four to six

Used in professional motor sport the world over, the Cusco Japan four- and six-point racing harnesses give you the peace of mind that you won’t be going anywhere — unless you hit the cam-lock rotary buckle for a quick exit. Manufactured to meet strict FIA regulations, the four-point option is perfect for grassroots events, priced at $415 — while the six-point is suitable for all MotorSport NZ categories at $505.

To purchase, contact [email protected] or head to facebook.com/NSToyotaParts

Simplicity at its best

The Philips CEM2220BT is a single-DIN head unit incorporating some of the latest technology for the ultimate in sound, connectivity, and user-friendliness. The high-contrast black-and-white LCD incorporates Bluetooth capability that allows you to pump whatever music you want through the audio system without being restricted to FM radio. In short, it has everything you need and nothing you don’t, and at $229 you can’t go wrong.

If you are after the finer details, jump onto philipscaraudio.co.nz.

Fresh tech

Straight from the shores of Europe, the Focal ES 165 K two-way component kit offers two 6.5-inch woofers and two 20mm TKM tweeters, and features a compact overall design, with K2 Power Kevlar cones delivering dynamic sound performance and perfect definition. Originally developed for Sopra high-fidelity loudspeakers, the new TMD suspension design removes unwanted resonances, and also reduces the effects of distortion.

For the finer details, jump onto focalnz.co.nz, or contact the team on [email protected].

Work Seeker FX

Finish: MSP
Size: 16×6–16×9-inch; 17×7–17×9.5-inch; 18×7.5–18×11.5-inch
PCD: Various
Offset: Various
work-wheels.co.nz

Nexen N’FERA SUR4

Size: 235/35R19
Tread wear: 200
Speed rating: Y (300kph)
dtm.co.nz/nexen

Keeping current

We’re heading into the time of year that’s particularly hard on cars, so ensure you stay charged with a Century Ultra Hi Performance battery. With specialized internal components, unique design features, and industry-leading technology, these batteries have been designed to combat battery failure and keep you going for longer. Maintenance-free, with superior starting power and reserve capacity, and corrosion-resistant calcium/calcium technology — they are just the ticket.

For more information, phone 0800 93 93 93, or visit centurybatteries.co.nz.

Fan fantastic

Prevention is better than cure, as the old adage says, and that certainly applies beneath your classic car’s bonnet. If your engine is running a viscous clutch-type fan, EAL Viscous Fan Clutch Oil is one of those products you probably think you’ll never need — until it’s too late. Just remove your fan, open the hub, clean it up, and replace the oil — that’s all that’s needed to keep you off the motorway shoulder with a buggered cooling system.

EAL Viscous Fan Clutch Oil is available in a 50ml bottle from Engineering Adhesives and Lubricants. Contact Mike on 09 627 1153 to find out more.

Real-deal steering wheel

Drive it like you mean it — upgrade your classic’s driving dynamics and interior aesthetics with a proper, Mountney steering wheel. As Mountney specializes in aftermarket items for UK-produced cars of the ’70s and ’80s, it’s likely to have just the ticket for your pride and joy. These are high-quality steering wheels made in the UK, available with a leather-bound or genuine riveted-wood rim, and boss kits are available to adapt the aftermarket steering wheel to most factory steering columns.

Get in touch with the team at Classic Car Mirrors and Accessories, on 021 598 774, to find out more.

Kill the noise

If you drive an older car, you’ll be amazed at the difference proper sound insulation can provide to the driving experience. The Dynamat Xtreme Bulk Pak contains nine sheets of 18×32-inch Dynamat Xtreme, for coverage of 3.3 square metres (36 square feet), and will help to dampen vibrations, reduce road noise, and enhance stereo sound quality. No plans for the car this winter? Now you do — turn her into something you can drive anywhere, any time. Dynamat Xtreme Bulk Pak is available  from myautomotive.co.nz.

Boom sticks

The Kelford Cams range of camshafts for the Ford four-litre Barra engine has been developed, tested, and proven to return eye-watering results. The intake 218-A and 218-B camshafts, along with matching PAC Racing beehive valve springs, suit mild street performance through to full drag racing applications. Designed with a slight difference in lobe duration and phasing to further promote swirl and tumble for proven cylinder filling, the 218-A cams can turn the mainstay Aussie BA-FG engine into a 500hp tiger at 15psi of boost.

Contact the team to find out what’s right for you by heading to kelfordcams.com.

Polishing to perfection

The secret to a show-stopping finish is colour sanding, no matter which paint system you use. Even a good painter, no matter how experienced or talented — like my mate Bruce Haye, CEO at Ace Panel and Paint in Whitianga — can’t shoot to a perfect mirror finish. To get that level of perfection, you need to colour sand.
It used to be called ‘rubbing out’ or ‘cutting’, and it was done with pastes that came in cans. They worked — sort of — but the compounds really just rounded off imperfections instead of eliminating them, and they removed a lot of paint in the process. But now your new finish can be made flawless, thanks to microfine sandpapers that come in 1000, 1500, 2000, and even 2500 grit ranges, and Farecla G3 polish — available from automotive paint suppliers.

NZ Classic Car magazine, March/April 2026 issue 404, on sale now

BMW’s flagship techno showcase
The supermodel 1995 BMW 840Ci is simply elegant and perfectly engineered.
BMW’s 840 Ci flagship Coupe provides superb comfort and equipment packaged in a stylish body, with grand-touring performance and surprisingly competent handling for its size.
It’s the kind of machine that stands apart from the start. When BMW first unveiled its flagship Grand Tourer at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show, the automotive world blinked twice. Sleek, low, and impossibly modern for its era, it combined drama with a sort of purposeful understatement. This silhouette still looks striking today, long after its peers have faded into obscurity.
Initially offered with a range of engines, the model you’re reading about is the V8 iteration, featuring a 4.0-litre eight-cylinder heart under its long bonnet and a smooth five-speed automatic at the back. It wasn’t about blistering sprint times so much as effortless velocity. There was power on tap, sure, but the way it delivered thrust felt unhurried and measured – the automotive equivalent of a deep exhale on a long drive.
Poster 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, C2