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Need a project?

1 June, 2017

As the story of Bruce McLaren hits cinemas, we’re all looking at the legacy that he created. His name is now synonymous with some of the best sports cars being built today. Near the top of the list is the McLaren 650S.

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Of course, with a list price of $399,000, 650S ownership will remain a dream for many of us. There must be a better way? If you’re willing to take a practical view and take a punt on being able to source parts and an able handed supercar mechanic, this might be right up your alley.

Set to go to auction later in the month — hosted by Manheim — there was there was plenty of coverage a few weeks ago of a McLaren being totalled on Auckland’s North Western motorway. Without throwing too much caution to the wind, we’d suggest there aren’t all that many of these being written off around the place so we connect this car with that crash.

Fortune favours the bold we’re told!

Source: NZ Herald

A second dose of Dash

24 April, 2025

When the car arrived in Wellington in December 2018 it was duly taken along for entry certification. Vehicle Inspection NZ (VINZ) found some wrongly wired lamps and switches — not too bad — but, much more significantly, some poor welding repairs. As the structural problems were probed more thoroughly, we realized the previous owner’s restoration would not do and we needed an upgrade. Dash had made it into the country but it would take some time and money before he would be free to explore any of New Zealand’s scenic highways.
We took the car to our new home in Johnsonville in the northern suburbs of Wellington and I pored over the car in detail to figure out what was next. There were lots of new parts on the car and a very perky reconditioned drivetrain but the chassis needed serious work.

Lunch with… Jim Palmer

16 April, 2025

In the 1960s, Hamilton’s Jim Palmer won the prestigious ‘Gold Star’ four times and was the first resident New Zealander home in the New Zealand Grand Prix on five consecutive occasions. He shared the podium with Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, and Chris Amon. The extent of his domination of the open-wheeler scene in New Zealand will probably never be matched or exceeded. Yet he’s always been modest about his achievements.