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This is not a drill! SIVANZ goes to bat for all car enthusiasts

26 February, 2019

 

 

Simply because it’s too important not to be talking about, here’s a reminder from Andrew at Special Interest Vehicle Association of New Zealand (SIVANZ) about the impending fate of all combustion-engined vehicles — let the message spread throughout the internet and get behind the cause of ensuring what we all love stays around for years to come

In some way, shape or form, Special Interest Vehicle owners are going to be affected by a growing emphasis on climate change and the reduction of emissions. The New Zealand Productivity Commission has recently completed a hefty 503 page draft report to government on the Low Emissions economy that, while a positive step towards a cleaner and more sustainable future, could very much affect the way we enjoy cars in the very near future.

The Transport section (Chapter 11 — Transport) is a scary proposition that looks like a standard economic catch-all theory which doesn’t take into account special interest vehicles (the fossil-fuelled kind). The concern is how our SIV fleet may be compared against the rest of the ageing fossil-fuelled fleet and then compared against the emissions of the EV technology — could we be phased out in the name of environmental friendliness or simply legislated off the road as collateral damage in achieving a political end (2030 Paris Accord goal). Andrew Ferrier-Kerr from the Special Interest Vehicle Association of New Zealand (SIVANZ) tells us that, of the 268 submissions made to the Productivity Commission’s draft report, only two represented the special interest vehicle fraternity.

The SIVANZ submission raises critical questions around the consideration of our existing fossil-fuelled vehicles that have yet to be answered. See sivanz.co.nz for the submission and other information. The Productivity Commission report is final and with politicians for analysis and for them to determine what solutions will provide best fit for the future. The issue for owners is that the SIV fleet is not mentioned specifically which should raise concerns in the minds of every SIV owner.

SIV owners need to have a voice and whatever action is required to be heard, it has to be taken now to ensure special interest vehicles are considered now rather than when it’s written into law and too late.

For more detail on the subject, visit the SIVANZ website here.

Motorman: Blame it on Rio!

22 May, 2025

Following the third polite advisory, I figured there had to be a fair degree of substance to the warning. “If this is your first visit to Rio de Janeiro, please be careful,” came the personal hushed dialogue from the pleasant hostesses on a far from crowded Varig flight from Los Angeles to the famous Brazilian seaside city.
The previous evening I had flown into LA from Auckland en route to the 1985 international launch of the Fiat Uno Turbo. I was prepared for another long haul of just under 12 hours across Mexico, central America, Colombia, and central Brazil to that nation’s third largest city. Surprisingly the 10,500km run from Los Angeles to Rio is actually longer than the 8800km LA-London air route.
With the journey including a brief stopover in Honolulu I expected to travel just under 44,000km for the return journey to sample what was to be a low-volume version of a popular Italian car that would sell in even lower numbers in New Zealand. I like to think this shows nothing more than my deep commitment to my craft. In fact, even though I became lost on the homeward journey my total air miles would be little different.

Pinnacle Porsche

15 May, 2025

We were stopped at the side of the road, setting up the next photograph, when a faded Toyota slowed alongside and stopped. The window was already down to give the driver a good look.
“That’s my dream car,” he said, speaking for more than a few of us.
He drank in the gleaming red paint, shining in the sun, and the car’s purposeful swoops and curves. He exhaled half a lungful of cigarette smoke, gave a hang 10–style thumbs up and drove off.
On the side of the road, against a clear blue background, the Porsche stood out in all its stark red glory. It’s the classic 911 shape on steroids. It has the fat, even pouty, front lip of the G series 911s, added to comply with 5mph bumper restrictions in the US. It also has the oversized haunches to accommodate the wider rear wheels and tyres – a first for Porsche, which also confirmed its supercar credentials – and, most noticeably of all, that enormous whale-tail spoiler. They made it look as if Porsche had abandoned its restraint.