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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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Grab a print copy of the mag now!

More to the point

6 March, 2026

This Daimler SP252 is so rare, few people know it exists. It’s one of a kind. It’s the only surviving, in fact the only SP252 ever completed; the would-be successor to the SP250 Daimler Dart. It is also the last sports car to have been designed by Jaguar’s legendary founder, Sir William Lyons.
Perhaps one of the original Dart’s biggest problems was it’s somewhat-divisive looks. It certainly went well enough to win fans, although Sir William wasn’t among them. It crushed the opposition in the Bathurst six-hour race, finishing five laps ahead of anyone else, and it was snapped up by police forces in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, as it was the fastest thing on the road.
So you’d think a stunning new body with the magic Lyons touch would have been a surefire success. Why this car never made it into production is still something of a mystery, as the official explanations barely stack up.

Polishing to perfection

26 February, 2026

The secret to a show-stopping finish is colour sanding, no matter which paint system you use. Even a good painter, no matter how experienced or talented — like my mate Bruce Haye, CEO at Ace Panel and Paint in Whitianga — can’t shoot to a perfect mirror finish. To get that level of perfection, you need to colour sand.
It used to be called ‘rubbing out’ or ‘cutting’, and it was done with pastes that came in cans. They worked — sort of — but the compounds really just rounded off imperfections instead of eliminating them, and they removed a lot of paint in the process. But now your new finish can be made flawless, thanks to microfine sandpapers that come in 1000, 1500, 2000, and even 2500 grit ranges, and Farecla G3 polish — available from automotive paint suppliers.