Don’t miss New Zealand Classic Car Issue No. 319!

22 June, 2017

The Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser is now one of the most sought after vehicles the world over. From workhorse to collectors’ favourite, the FJ40 has had a grand life. We look at the tale of the Muir brothers’ love, loss, and being reunited with their trusty 1977 FJ40. We check out the hard slog that went into restoring this truck to make it one of the best examples in the world. 

Other features include a very special Kiwi-built, aluminium-bodied genuine AC Cobra, Donn Anderson’s tribute to the Triumph Stag and Michael Clark’s Motorsport Flashback focuses on the role Formula Ford has played in the progression of motor sport greats. 

We also celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mazda’s relationship with the rotary engine, and what the future might look like for the Wankel rotary. We also check out the best way to bring a car to New Zealand from anywhere around the globe.


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Merry Christmas from NZ Classic Car magazine

The Classic Car magazine team is taking a few weeks’ holiday from the work computer and heading to the beach for some kickback time.
Merry Christmas, and have a wonderful summer holiday to all our readers, followers, and fans. Enjoy this special extra time with the family. We will be posting archive articles again in mid to late January.
Have fun, be good and be careful out there.

Two engines instead of one?

Popping two motors into a car is not only complicated, it doesn’t always end well. Donn Anderson recalls early attempts, including John Cooper’s ill-fated original Twini Mini built 58 years ago

For a boost in performance, better traction, and perhaps improved handling to some, two motors seems an obvious solution. It would also eliminate the need to develop a larger engine replacement from scratch, but would that outweigh the not inconsiderable technical difficulties?
The idea of using a pair of engines dates back at least 86 years to the Alfa Romeo Bimotor single seater racing car that was officially timed at 335km/h, or 208mph. Taking a lengthened Alfa P3 chassis, the Italians fitted two supercharged straight eight 2.9-litre and 3.2-litre engines, one in front of the cockpit, and the other behind the cockpit.