Honda’s game-breaker
Having dominated the world motorcycle championships of the 1960s, Honda had a crucial decision to make in 1969. Would Soichiro Honda heed his engineer’s pivotal advice?
“Very few examples of the early Civic, a car that set Honda onto the path to becoming a giant of the car world, remain road registered in New Zealand.
Retired Tauranga owner of this example, Graham Inglis is thrilled with his classic little Honda Civic, the first of eleven generations built so far by the company. The Civic became a household name.
“It’s quite amazing the number of people who not only wave, but come up to me in the street and tell me how much they like the little Honda and its colour, and then they want to start talking about it. A guy in our vintage car club wants to buy it and he has been pushing me a bit. It’s not for sale,” he laughs.
Graham bought his 1977 Honda Civic from Wellington enthusiast Julian Foster, who was the instigator of its restoration.”
Don’t forget that this edition also comes with our FREE huge wall poster. This issue features a 1972 Plymouth Cuda TX9 340/4
Also, as this is our Christmas issue, it includes our FREE 2025 classic car calendar
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Upcoming events
Ayrburn Classic – a festival of motoring – 21–23 March 2025
New Zealand’s newest motoring event, the Ayrburn Classic, continues the story of RM Paterson and his penchant for motoring and love of a good time shared with good friends.
This festival of motoring is set to become a destination event for motoring enthusiasts across New Zealand and beyond, showcasing stunning classic and modern luxury vehicles amid breathtaking scenery and a lively atmosphere.
The Ayrburn Classic is an annual event offering an experience unique on New Zealand’s event calendar, with restaurants, bars, food trucks, wine tastings, live entertainment, activations, exhibits, and more to complement the motoring spectacle. Celebrating the heritage, innovation, and prestige of the global automotive industry, it draws inspiration from iconic international gatherings across the USA, UK, and Europe.
“Our vision for the Ayrburn Classic is to grow it into the most prestigious destination motoring event in the Southern Hemisphere, delivering an unmissable, unforgettable, and undeniably Kiwi experience for our guests” – Chris Meehan
Supercheap Auto Americarna 2025 – a celebration of American car culture
Buckle up for Supercheap Auto Ameriarna 2025, a unique celebration of American vehicles, taking place across Taranaki from Wednesday 19 February to Saturday 22 February.
This beloved annual event draws participants and spectators to revel in American car culture, scenic convoys, vibrant street events, and family-friendly fun, for the 17th year. Whether you’re showcasing your prized car or cheering from the sidelines, Americarna 2025 is an unmissable experience.
1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville – the car he will never sell!
Trevor Beard at Cars Inc Museum in Upper Hutt tells a unique car restoration story, including some smart detection on his part.
“The de Ville is the car he says he’ll never sell. It’s very special to Trevor, a qualified mechanic by trade. He found the unique engine restoration method he devised to be good therapy for his recovery from illness.
Happily, Trevor showed no signs of any past major illness when he met with photographer Ross de Rouffignac and me for the photos for this article.
He says he’d always wanted an iconic ’59 Caddy coupe, as they had the largest fins in automotive history.
Seeing one for sale on the internet but unable to fly to Auckland to see it for himself, he asked the guy he’d bought a Dodge Viper from to inspect it for him. He reported back that it was a lovely straight car, and that it needed some chrome work doing, it was tidy underneath but it should be repainted.”
Special Industry Feature – The zen of classic restoration
SKC Restorations co-owner Doug Sturgin says what started as a tech-sector CEO’s classic car indulgence has evolved into a burgeoning international classic car restoration business
“Hidden among non-descript industrial units off Rosebank Road in West Auckland are two companies satisfying the needs of exacting international customers. Group3 Technology specialises in high-end electrical engineering, while South Kensington Classics (SKC) restores mostly British classic cars.
I stumbled upon SKC thanks to a 2-litre Triumph Vitesse advertised on the internet. I also noticed a freshly painted Hillman Imp shell in the background of the Vitesse pics. Imps are a love of mine, having charged about in one on the then comparatively empty streets of ’80s London.”
1977 Ford Falcon XC Panel Van – Schools out!
The ’70s was about the conclusion of the Vietnam War, the new decade ushered in by the watershed 1969 Woodstock Festival. A war-weary young generation relaxed to music and everything was ‘cool man!’
“Dave Dougherty was just 17 when he left the South Island and moved to Melbourne, Australia, in 1974, where he became immersed in the surfie lifestyle, living out of a panel van.
Volkswagen’s Kombi was usually the surfie vehicle of choice, along with elderly American vans. It didn’t take all three major Australian car manufacturers long to realise their everyday workhorse panel vans were just the thing for the Australian surfing scene, and they launched the Ford Sundowner/Surferoo, Holden Sandman, and Chrysler Drifter models. They came well-equipped too, like their sedan GT versions, with bright body colours and trim to match the lifestyle.”
Europe Report – Chantilly elegance
Château de Chantilly provided an amazing centuries-old backdrop for its annual September festival celebrating French arts and elegance.
“Call it climate change, call it global warming, call it a shift in long-term natural weather patterns, what I do know is that in the space of just a few days and a distance of 350km, I went from enduring torrential autumnal rain at the Goodwood Revival to something approaching an idyllic summer at Chantilly just outside Paris.
The weather was not the only sublime thing about this September weekend for the 28,000 plus visitors who descended upon the historic Château de Chantilly, one of the finest jewels in the crown of French cultural heritage.”
The Games fleet – Holden Kingswoods
The biggest challenge for any international event is funding. The 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games, led by Sir Ron Scott (1928-2016) is still the only Commonwealth Games to ever finish with a profit.
“One of the biggest challenges Sir Ronald Scott faced when organising the 1974 and 10th British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch was around fund-raising. Selling hoardings for advertising was against the rules – but sponsorship wasn’t.
To this end, Toyota New Zealand came to the party 25 mini-buses and 3 rental vans, while General Motors loaned 181 cars, of which 169 were Holden HQ Kingswoods plus 12 Holden Statesmans for VIP use. Twenty-seven Yamaha motorcycles ranging from 50-80cc were also hired, while 22 buses, mainly school buses, from outside the district were under contract.
Standout vehicles were the Holden HQ Kingswoods provided through local Holden dealer Blackwell Motors Ltd, delivered all in white and with the Games’ famous red and blue livery. They were fitted with mag wheels, a 253ci V8 engine, and the GM 3-speed Trimatic gearbox.”
Postcard from Australia – Queensland trifecta of car museums
Vaughan Wilson takes a detour from his usual travels in the USA, for a brief sojourn into the Sunshine State and a visit to three car museums in Queensland.
“Queensland, the land of sun, sand, and holidays is a growing and developing area of Australia and home of the 2032 Olympics. It’s also home to a deep-rooted car culture. Queensland’s car culture splits its time among classics from Australia, the US, Europe, Japan, and, of course, Great Britain. Some of these were obtained over generations when values were modest, while others were purchased in recent years from the riches the Queensland State remunerates to those who take risks.”
Motor Sport Flashback – The beginning of the end
The Tasman Series had a twelve-year life from 1964 meaning that, sadly, the first two months of 1975 brought down the curtain on what was once the second most important open-wheeler road racing championship in the world – behind only the world championship.
“Those twelve years were split evenly between the unique ‘Tasman formula’ for racing engines of up to 2500cc and the final six years for the mighty F5000s. The ‘Tasman formula’ years typically coincided with late starts for the world championship meaning that the world’s best were free to head down to this part of the planet to enjoy the delights of the Antipodean summer that easily trumped a northern-hemisphere winter.”
Kits & Pieces – Little blue Austin
This little Austin makes it into this column not because it is a kit but because it is a ‘resto-mod’ assembled from a lot of non-original and more modern ‘pieces’.
“This blue example is owned by Joe Moon, a gentleman who has lived in Upper Hutt since the mid-‘80s. Back in 1981 had purchased a beaten-up Austin A30 for about $180. It was in bad shape but still mechanically driveable so Joe decided to use it as a motorised wheelbarrow. All the seats were taken out apart from the driver’s seat, leaving space for such things as the temporary storage of garden shrubs purchased from the local garden centre. It was also used for picking up bags of concrete and did several tip runs. Surprisingly he sold it for more than he paid for it, but he is pretty sure that due to the amount of rust that was in it, the car had very little time left before it made its last journey to the tip.”
An owner’s view – my life in Volkswagens
Jim Wilson is a died-in-the-wool Volkswagen fan, a passion he shares with his wife, Kelly. In his own words, Jim recalls some choice experiences from a large store of them, having owned around 30 of the characterful little Germans.
“My first car was a Vauxhall ‘J’ and it never went at all. The second was a 1938 Ford V8 sedan, which was a beautiful car. I sold it and then I bought it back. I put it off Dyers Pass Road [Cashmere Hills] because I was kissing my girlfriend at the same time as driving. It was worth it! But I remember running down the bank to the car – I had jumped out – and past my girlfriend to get to the vehicle. That’s young love for you! She was some kind of lover lady, let me tell you but it is best not to spoon and drive. No doubt the government will one day issue a fine, or worse, for spooning and driving.
Two years after this, I bought my first Volkswagen: a 1960 Beetle in a beautiful turquoise colour. It had arrived in a CKD (completely knocked down) condition and was assembled somewhere up near Auckland.”
Motorman – classics on show in Noosa
Combining classic and special cars with holiday time is not a bad proposition as Donn Anderson found during a recent foray into sunny Queensland. Donn also analyses the recent Webbs auction in Auckland revealing a few surprises.
“Classic cars are alive and well and in daily use on the Sunshine Coast roads in Queensland. The love and respect for older vehicles across the Tasman has never been higher with gathering interest and enthusiasm for classic car events. The Noosa Concours d’Elegance on July 19, 2025, will be the third annual running of a prestigious car event that shuts down the classy Hasting Street adjacent to arguably one of the best beaches in Australia. This one day free to spectators and admirers show is based on the famous Pebble Beach Concours and is an ideal setting for some superb machinery.”
Looking back: Racing Down Under – Part 2 – a kiwi backwater 1950s story
Aotearoa/New Zealand in the 1950s was a basic sort of place. In Part 2, Gerard continues looking back at some outstanding characters with the so-called Kiwi No8 wire mentality who gave some exotic machinery a second wind at the forefront of our own motor racing scene.
“Local heroes in the latter half of the ‘50s came no bigger than tall laconic Cantabrian Pat Hoare, a Ferrari man through and through – except, it must be said, for a brief dalliance with a Maserati 4CLT-48 in 1955-56, which brought little success.
There are all sorts of stories suggesting Hoare had a preferential arrangement with Enzo Ferrari from assisting him in wartime days when it is reputed he protected Il Commendatore and his factory. Whatever the truth, it is indisputable that Pat Hoare acquired two Ferrari Formula Libre racing cars at a time when it seemed impossible for anyone else to acquire one and very reasonably priced too.”
Book review – Half-century, full throttle
by Alfa Romeo Owners Club of New Zealand
published 2024 – isbn: 978-0-473-71143-6
$100 (plus shipping)
“What has 520 pages, hundreds of photos, and production quality to match the best books from anywhere? The Alfa Romeo Owners Club’s 50th-anniversary publication, cleverly entitled Half Century, Full Throttle.
With text and photos contributed by many club members and brought together by a management team headed by past president, Tom Bruynel, and benefiting from various professional services, this is a book of which AROC can be very proud.
AROC NZ has more than 600 members spread throughout the country (most of whom seem to own more than one Alfa). They are supported by regional representatives, who arrange events and generally keep the Alfa spirit and enthusiasm alive.”
Shelf Classics – diecasts meet scratch builts
When Patrick Harlow, New Zealand Classic Car’s Kits and Pieces man, suggested this article, I had a surprise in store, discovering the modeller had helped me with rebuilding my own model collection.
“I knew Graham White only as Graham before we did this article on his model collection. Graham owned the hobby shop in Lower Hutt where I bought several diecasts in the late 1990s, when I started collecting models again.
Graham stopped collecting and building models a few years ago, after spending about 30 years bringing the items together for displays in cabinets in two rooms of his home.”
The Apprentices part 2 – if you don’t ask…
A couple of young lads from Te Anau grabbed their apprenticeships at the well-known restoration company Geraldine Auto Restorations with both hands. They are now learning and working with machinery they enjoy.
“It started with a letter from Peter and Leanne Johnstone, of Te Anau, in July 2024. Peter was obviously proud of the way his son, Jacob, and a mate, Riley Taylor, had turned a work experience opportunity at Geraldine Auto Restorations into apprenticeships for both.
I was intrigued by Peter’s letter and made contact with Jacob, a Southland lad who is enjoying a job that is exactly what he wants to do, as he explains.
“I’m now 18 and I started my panelbeating apprenticeship back in 2023, so I’m about 18 months into it and hoping to finish it next year. They reckon on three years to do it, but it all depends on how quickly you have your paperwork done.”
Testament to being on target – and to his and Riley’s skills – is a J1 Bedford pickup, now gleaming and back with its owner.”
Behind the Garage Door – Kiwi know-how, North Carolina wizardry
As they say, ‘it never rains, but it pours’, and right when we were putting Jonathan Paape’s, Magnificent Three-Way Split Corvette story together for New Zealand Classic Car issue 396, David O’Connell sent in a letter with some photos of his quite stunning Chevrolet Corvette C2 Stingray.
“I have owned my C2 for around 20 odd years, but at the beginning of the Covid years a chance meeting with a young local mechanic with immense talent, as it turned out, sparked a dream I had always harboured. It started us on a four-year restoration pilgrimage, with a twist. It was a learning experience like no other for both of us.”
Special Travel Feature – Places To Go Part 2
Once around the block – a very small South Island invasion
Patrick and a couple of mates decided a tour of the scenic South Island was well overdue so they set off on a 9-day raid of some of the Island’s best scenic spots, cosseted in three very different American Grand Tourers. Part 2 concludes their South Island invasion.
“Fuel stops became a competition to see which car took the least petrol with the more modern 2004 Chrysler 3.2-litre 160 Kw V6 engine getting the best economy. Surprisingly the Mustang’s 4.6-litre 227 Kw V8 and the Corvette’s 5.7-litre 270 Kw engine delivered very similar figures. Admittedly these tests were not very scientific and carried out using the back of a paper napkin for reference, but the resultant humour set a tone for the rest of the trip. Meals were a treat as we sampled the local Southland cuisine such as Cheese Rolls and Blue Cod.”
Price on – The Iconic J40
Not your average J40 pedal car
Many youngsters in the 1950s, myself included, longed for one of these but they were few and far between, primarily because they were expensive.
“It would often be much later in life that the youngsters who fervently dreamt of owning one of these pedal cars could realise their dreams, even though few could now fit in them. Today, these iconic pedal cars for boys and girls are celebrated with a highly competitive race at the annual Goodwood Revival with their own trophy, the Settrington Cup, run along the pit straight. You can see the world’s cutest car race on YouTube, this year celebrating 75 years of the J40.”
Taking Care of Pigment – Dunedin Autospectacular 2024
Tattooist sponsor Taking Care of Pigment made for eye-catching naming rights at this year’s annual Dunedin Autospectacular. Again, the show didn’t disappoint, celebrating milestones including the Ford Mustang’s 60th, 110 years of Dodge, and 100 years of MG.
Classic car news
MG Classic at Manfeild, Fats gather in Kaikoura, 2024 Southern Muster, 45th Mustang Connection, Mopars in Gore 2024, and more…
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