It’s not often that we have a live-feed unveiling of one of our cover cars, but theFASTfiles have something special planned for you all. Being unveiled is a very special Targa-bound Cortina that we here at New Zealand Classic Car have a full feature on in our October issue (Issue No. 310). Running a 1600cc crossflow engine (before the Lotus engine is built), this four-door rally machine will be one to watch and listen to along New Zealand’s twisting rallies. Let us know in the comments below what you think of this beautifully presented machine.
Fraser Cars – low flying into the fourth decade
10 July, 2026
With almost three and a half decades under its belt, Fraser Cars is one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving car manufacturers. The company first opened its doors for business in 1988, during the boom time for kit manufacturers. During the ’80s, around 40 different companies were building kits and turnkey cars for this niche market. Of those, only Fraser and Almac Cars (established 1981) are still in business today.
Most of the new kit car companies were killed off in the cradle by the threat of new legislation that never eventuated and definitively by the sudden availability of high-performance Japanese cars when the floodgates to second-hand imports were opened. The now long-retired founder of the company, Neil Fraser, first came across Lotus Seven replicas while racing Lotus Cortinas in the early ’80s. He regularly found himself racing against a little Caterham, a Lotus Seven–styled car built in England. He was very impressed by its simplicity and handling. In 1986 Fraser built his own Lotus Seven–type car, using the knowledge he had gained from several close looks at the Caterham.
