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2027 Star Insure Calendar Competition Terms and Conditions

2 July, 2026

Competition Terms and Conditions
2027 Star Insure Calendar Competition

Entry into the 2027 Star Insure Calendar Competition (“the Competition”) is deemed acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.

1. Promoter: The promoter of this competition is Rusty Media Ltd, in partnership with Star Insurance Ltd (trading as Star Insure).

2. Competition Period: a. The Competition opens at 12:00 am (NZST) on Friday, 3 July 2026 and closes at 5:00 pm (NZST) on Friday, 31 July 2026 (“Competition Period”). b. No entries will be accepted outside of the Competition Period.

3. How to Enter: To enter, participants must: a. Submit photographs that meet the following requirements: landscape orientation; JPEG file format; minimum image size of 4000 x 2500 pixels at 300 DPI; the classic car must be the hero of the image; no people, motorcycles, animals, or other vehicles are permitted in the photograph. b. Email their entry to [email protected] during the competition period. c. Include all requested information as specified in the competition details, including full name, postal address, phone number, and vehicle year, make, and model.

4. Eligibility: a. Entry is open to New Zealand residents. b. By entering, participants confirm they own the copyright to the submitted images and have permission from any relevant parties to enter the photographs.

5. Judging: a. Entries will be judged by a panel appointed by Rusty Media Ltd, including the Editor of NZ Classic Car magazine. b. Judging will be based on image quality, composition, originality, and suitability for the 2027 Star Insure Calendar. c. Judging will take place on 3 August 2026. d. The judges’ decision is final. No correspondence or discussion will be entered into regarding the judging process or the outcome of the competition.

6. Winners: a. Thirteen (13) winning photographs will be selected for publication. b. One (1) standout entry will receive cover placement on both the 2027 Star Insure Calendar and the December issue of NZ Classic Car magazine. c. The remaining twelve (12) selected photographs will each feature across the calendar’s monthly pages. d. The 2027 Star Insure Calendar will be issued free with every copy of the December issue of NZ Classic Car magazine. e. Winners will be contacted directly on 4–5 August 2026 using the contact details supplied with their entry.

7. Image Rights: By entering this competition, participants grant Rusty Media Ltd and Star Insure Ltd a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to use, reproduce, publish, edit, distribute, and display submitted images in any print, digital, social media, promotional, editorial, marketing, or advertising material, including but not limited to the 2027 Star Insure Calendar and the December issue of NZ Classic Car magazine, without further payment or permission.

8. Entrant Warranty: Entrants warrant that: a. They are the creator and copyright owner of the submitted image(s). b. The image(s) do not infringe the intellectual property or other rights of any third party. c. Any necessary permissions have been obtained from owners of vehicles, properties, or locations featured where required.

9. Liability: Rusty Media Ltd and Star Insure Ltd accept no responsibility for lost, late, incomplete, corrupted, or misdirected entries, or for any technical issues affecting entry submission.

10. Privacy: Personal information collected will be used solely for the administration of this competition, for contacting winners and for contacting all participants about the outcome of the competition, unless entrants have agreed to receive further communications.

11. General Conditions: a. The Promoter reserves the right to verify the validity of entries and to disqualify any entrant who tampers with the entry process or who submits an entry that is not in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. b. The Promoter is not liable for any loss, damage, or injury suffered (including but not limited to indirect or consequential loss) as a result of entering the Competition, except for any liability that cannot be excluded by law. c. If for any reason this Competition is not capable of running as planned, the Promoter reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Competition.

12. Acceptance of Terms: Submission of an entry constitutes acceptance of these Terms & Conditions.

NZ Classic Car magazine, July/August 2026 issue 406, on sale now

21 June, 2026

Rebirth of a brilliant Grand Tourer –1973 Datsun 240Z
How often do we long for that ultimate dream sports car, and that dream comes true? This is about one of the most influential Japanese cars of all time, a car that changed the sports car market.
This is about much more than the restoration of an iconic classic sports car, the 240Z. It’s about the culmination of a dream over many years and the friendships made. It’s about the people who helped and the professionals whose approach ensured that the dream became a reality, an attitude typical of the industry we call ‘classic restoration experts’.
It is no surprise that the outcome after a lengthy search by Conrad Van der Geest for the right Datsun 240Z culminated in a trophy for the best Japanese car at this year’s Caroline Bay Beach, Rock N’ Hop at Timaru.
Originally a roadworthy car in running order, it was left-hand-drive and had been driven for several years by its Timaru owner, as Conrad explains.
“A neighbour, Dave Barron, knew I was looking for one and introduced me to the owner. I had seen the car being driven around Timaru. It was unusual for one of these coming originally from California, so it was a really clean car instead of rusty, as they are prone to rust. The story goes that the grandfather passed it onto his grandson, who decided to sell it, and that’s when it came over here.”
Every issue comes with our FREE huge wall poster; this issue, it’s our cover car for this edition, a 1973 Datsun 240Z

The butterfly effect

18 June, 2026

The man on the mountain bike pedalled over, taking it all in. Gazing in wonderment at this small Japanese coupe with butterfly doors, he said, “Wow, I have never seen one of these before. What is it?” When I told him it was a Toyota, he nearly fell off his bike.
The Toyota Sera is unique amongst ’90s Japanese coupes. The Sera, which is Italian for ‘evening’, can trace its roots back to Toyota’s AXV-II concept car. Launched as part of a trio of Toyota concept cars at the 1987 Tokyo Motor Show, it shared its underpinnings with the P70 Toyota Starlet. The similarities ended there, thanks to the AXV-II’s low-slung and rounded coupe styling with butterfly doors. These doors were held upright by gas struts when fully open. Glass covered the upper section of the doors and the rear hatchback.
These features, much to everyone’s surprise, were carried over to the production Sera in 1990. Toyota marketed the Sera, which means ‘will be’ in Spanish and ‘princess’ in Hebrew, as a funky alternative to the much-loved MR2.