Bangers and Ash: farewell to a legend

15 August, 2016

At about 5.30pm on Wednesday, August 3, we received the news that Chris Amon had passed away earlier that day. As the news was being relayed to me, it took me several seconds to register what I’d just heard. Just to make sure, I had to read the notice a couple of times, hoping that, somehow, the news had been misinterpreted.

Sadly, it was true — one of our greatest motor-racing legends had gone, and as a few of us stood around the editorial office in utter shock, I still found it hard to believe.

The following morning — the day before the September 2016 issue of New Zealand Classic Car went to print — we decided to rehash the entire magazine, and put together a fitting tribute to celebrate the life of Chris Amon.

It seemed like only yesterday that I was sitting in his lounge, interviewing him about his career, and at the same time he was reunited with the BMW 3.0CSL — dubbed the ‘Batmobile’ — after 38 years. This was the very car that he shared with Hans-Joachim Stuck during the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) series back in 1973.

After a close examination of the car in which he and Stuck had won the 1973 Nürburgring Six Hour, I sat down with Chris, and was transported back to a time when drivers such as Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Jochen Mass, and James Hunt all vied for touring-car honours.

It was the very first time I’d met Chris, and he treated me like I was a long-lost friend. Warm, kind, and generous with his time, he sat with me for a few hours reminiscing about his wonderful career, while remaining humble at the same time. Alas, the few hours I spent with Chris went by in a flash, leaving me with many questions that I wanted to ask. I could have easily sat listening to him for hours as he reminisced about his career, but as the old cliché goes — all good things must come to an end.

As part of our tribute to Chris, we’ve rerun the full interview, along with special tributes from Donn Anderson and Michael Clark, who have kindly shared their own personal experiences with Chris over the years.

Chris Amon was a man much respected and admired in New Zealand and around the world — a Kiwi legend, and one of the world’s greatest ever race drivers. Rest peacefully.

To read the latest from Ashley Webb and the New Zealand Classic Car team, pick up a print copy of the September 2016 issue here:

Grab a print copy of the mag now!

Project Adder – an MGB with bite

21 November, 2025

Bill and Rae Denize have been active MG Car Club members in Wellington for nearly 32 years. They have held a variety of positions on the club committee, and now that they are both retired, they can be even more involved in the club’s activities. Bill is currently the president of the MG Car Club, Wellington Centre.
The list of cars they’ve owned over the years is testament to their passion for the brand. It includes a 1972 Midget — the round rear-wheel arch model with 1275cc motor; a three-door 2004 MG ZR; a 2005 MG ZR (five-door); and Rae’s 2005 MG TF, which they still own. Bill also raced a 1967 Morris Mini Cooper S at Manfeild for many years. That car featured in an article in the January 2013 issue of this magazine.
In April 2013, Bill sold the Cooper S and decided to buy a low mileage, freshly imported MG RV8 from Japan. He liked the idea as there were only 1983 built in the early 1990s, which, hopefully, would translate into these cars holding their value. More importantly, their bodies were galvanised, which meant fewer rust problems, although Bill and Rae didn’t escape encounters with oxidation unscathed.

7 November, 2025

Well, at first glimpse, as soon as the lady opened the garage doors, I knew I was going to buy it. Dark metallic blue with two-tone blue vinyl trim, with a cream American-style steering wheel — I just could not believe my eyes! The Falcon was in as new condition as you could expect from a 30-year-old car. The owner was Mrs Iama Dzenis, aged in her late 60s, at a guess. Mrs Dzenis had bought the car new in September of 1965 from the Ford agents of North Canterbury, Palmer and Doak. Their headquarters were in Rangiora, with branches in Kaiapoi and Amberley.