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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.

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

Travelling companion

It’s easy to see why the Morris Minor Traveller was one of the best-loved variants of the Morris Minor. Introduced in 1953, it was equipped with the same independent torsion bar front suspension, drum brakes, and rack and pinion steering as its saloon sibling but, with their foldable rear seat increasing versatility, many Travellers were used as trade vehicles, says Derek Goddard. Derek and Gail Goddard, the owners of this superbly restored example, have run Morris Minors since before they were married in 1974.
“Our honeymoon vehicle was a blue Morris Minor van — it was a rust bucket,” says Derek.

Super Leicht Gullwing

It’s fair to say that nothing much in the classic Mercedes world gets past Mercedes-Benz Club stalwart Garry Boyce so it wasn’t surprising to learn that around 15 years ago he had sniffed out an extremely rare 300SL lightweight Gullwing as well as a 1958 300SL Roadster hiding away in the Waikato. The cars were not for sale but Garry eventually managed to persuade the owner to allow him and his restoration team to take a look at the Roadster. They discovered a very distressed but largely unmolested car. The car was so original that the body had never been off the chassis, meaning most of the parts and fittings were still present and correct, as they had been fitted by the factory.