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A monster track car and an incredibly rare road car

16 September, 2016

This Aston Martin V8 Vantage Zagato was the second car to be born from the wedding of the two brands, the first being the simply stunning DB4 GT Zagato — with just 19 race versions built, they now reach well in excess of $15 million apiece — and more recently there’s been the DB7 Vantage Zagato, the 2011 V12 Vantage Zagato, and the freshly released Vanquish Zagato. In the early 1980s, Aston Martin engaged Zagato to take a look at the Vantage shell with a view of making it a sleeker, faster beast by improving aerodynamics and shortening the chassis. The result was a modern if somewhat demure take on what a road-going race car should be.

It was pretty well acknowledged by enthusiasts and Aston Martin that this particular car was the best road car it had ever built. No electronics, and a ZF five-speed mated with a fire-breathing V8. “As a road car, the formula was perfect,” the owner said.

Check out our full story in the October issue of New Zealand Classic Car — grab your copy now:




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Grand Routier — in the french tradition

10 July, 2025

Sitting in Paddy and Patsy Williams’ Dunedin garage is a stunning example of one of these rare French grand routier sedans. It is a 1949 four-door Lago-Record Factory Berline sedan, to give its full name. Daughter Cath let us know how proud she was of her dad, who had been tinkering away in his garage on this car for so many years.
Without exaggeration, it has been a mammoth task. I first saw this Talbot-Lago in mid 2019. The long-nosed, sweeping, curved four-door saloon, clothed in its misty green metallic paint, was quite breathtaking. There’s more than a little English influence in it, too, harking back to company owner Tony Lago’s involvement in the Clement-Talbot-Darracq era. The long front wings and bonnet, usually multi-louvred, highlighted with artful touches of chrome bling, are typical of the era, but these were indeed luxury length. Interiors provided leather-clad, armchair-style seating and ample legroom, with touches of wood and surprising details such as dainty childproof interior locks — a far cry from today’s lozenge boxes.
Paddy, a retired civil and structural engineer, knows his way around a lathe. He has a well-equipped garage-workshop to assist in any machining tasks along with his other passion for restoring classic motorcycles.

The Great River Road

4 July, 2025

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.