Enthusiast Essentials: get your hands on our must-have products

5 July, 2016

With the diverse range of vehicles covered by our motoring titles, New Zealand Classic Car, NZV8, and NZ Performance Car, it’s clear that the car enthusiast demographic is incredibly varied. So how do you curate a shopping basket to cater for a car person, whether they’re into imports, V8s, or classics? Our editors have discovered a heap of products this month, and there’s sure to be something that every car enthusiast will want to add to their collection.

Flexible options

Building your own exhaust or plumbing in your wastegate? The AdrenalinR range of flexi joints is manufactured with stainless-steel pressed ends, which provides a major advantage when running high-octane fuel, as the joint won’t rust like aluminized steel versions. Featuring a short-length design to allow fitment in the tightest places, the flexi joints can be purchased in range of sizes starting at $39 for a 51mm (two-inch), up to $119 for a 102mm (four-inch).

Contact the team at AdrenalinR on 06 870 3526, or head to adrenalinr.com for the finer details.

Four to six

Used in professional motor sport the world over, the Cusco Japan four- and six-point racing harnesses give you the peace of mind that you won’t be going anywhere — unless you hit the cam-lock rotary buckle for a quick exit. Manufactured to meet strict FIA regulations, the four-point option is perfect for grassroots events, priced at $415 — while the six-point is suitable for all MotorSport NZ categories at $505.

To purchase, contact [email protected] or head to facebook.com/NSToyotaParts

Simplicity at its best

The Philips CEM2220BT is a single-DIN head unit incorporating some of the latest technology for the ultimate in sound, connectivity, and user-friendliness. The high-contrast black-and-white LCD incorporates Bluetooth capability that allows you to pump whatever music you want through the audio system without being restricted to FM radio. In short, it has everything you need and nothing you don’t, and at $229 you can’t go wrong.

If you are after the finer details, jump onto philipscaraudio.co.nz.

Fresh tech

Straight from the shores of Europe, the Focal ES 165 K two-way component kit offers two 6.5-inch woofers and two 20mm TKM tweeters, and features a compact overall design, with K2 Power Kevlar cones delivering dynamic sound performance and perfect definition. Originally developed for Sopra high-fidelity loudspeakers, the new TMD suspension design removes unwanted resonances, and also reduces the effects of distortion.

For the finer details, jump onto focalnz.co.nz, or contact the team on [email protected].

Work Seeker FX

Finish: MSP
Size: 16×6–16×9-inch; 17×7–17×9.5-inch; 18×7.5–18×11.5-inch
PCD: Various
Offset: Various
work-wheels.co.nz

Nexen N’FERA SUR4

Size: 235/35R19
Tread wear: 200
Speed rating: Y (300kph)
dtm.co.nz/nexen

Keeping current

We’re heading into the time of year that’s particularly hard on cars, so ensure you stay charged with a Century Ultra Hi Performance battery. With specialized internal components, unique design features, and industry-leading technology, these batteries have been designed to combat battery failure and keep you going for longer. Maintenance-free, with superior starting power and reserve capacity, and corrosion-resistant calcium/calcium technology — they are just the ticket.

For more information, phone 0800 93 93 93, or visit centurybatteries.co.nz.

Fan fantastic

Prevention is better than cure, as the old adage says, and that certainly applies beneath your classic car’s bonnet. If your engine is running a viscous clutch-type fan, EAL Viscous Fan Clutch Oil is one of those products you probably think you’ll never need — until it’s too late. Just remove your fan, open the hub, clean it up, and replace the oil — that’s all that’s needed to keep you off the motorway shoulder with a buggered cooling system.

EAL Viscous Fan Clutch Oil is available in a 50ml bottle from Engineering Adhesives and Lubricants. Contact Mike on 09 627 1153 to find out more.

Real-deal steering wheel

Drive it like you mean it — upgrade your classic’s driving dynamics and interior aesthetics with a proper, Mountney steering wheel. As Mountney specializes in aftermarket items for UK-produced cars of the ’70s and ’80s, it’s likely to have just the ticket for your pride and joy. These are high-quality steering wheels made in the UK, available with a leather-bound or genuine riveted-wood rim, and boss kits are available to adapt the aftermarket steering wheel to most factory steering columns.

Get in touch with the team at Classic Car Mirrors and Accessories, on 021 598 774, to find out more.

Kill the noise

If you drive an older car, you’ll be amazed at the difference proper sound insulation can provide to the driving experience. The Dynamat Xtreme Bulk Pak contains nine sheets of 18×32-inch Dynamat Xtreme, for coverage of 3.3 square metres (36 square feet), and will help to dampen vibrations, reduce road noise, and enhance stereo sound quality. No plans for the car this winter? Now you do — turn her into something you can drive anywhere, any time. Dynamat Xtreme Bulk Pak is available  from myautomotive.co.nz.

Boom sticks

The Kelford Cams range of camshafts for the Ford four-litre Barra engine has been developed, tested, and proven to return eye-watering results. The intake 218-A and 218-B camshafts, along with matching PAC Racing beehive valve springs, suit mild street performance through to full drag racing applications. Designed with a slight difference in lobe duration and phasing to further promote swirl and tumble for proven cylinder filling, the 218-A cams can turn the mainstay Aussie BA-FG engine into a 500hp tiger at 15psi of boost.

Contact the team to find out what’s right for you by heading to kelfordcams.com.

Escort services – 1968 Escort 1100 Restomod

The Escort started off as a 1968 1100 cc two-door sold-new in Britain. At some point it was retired from daily duty and set aside as a pet project for someone. When that project began is unclear, but much of the work was completed in 2014 including a complete rotisserie restoration.
By the end of 2014, it was finished but not completed. Its Wellingtonian owner bought it sight unseen from the UK and it landed here in early 2020. It was soon dispatched to Macbilt in Grenada North, Wellington for them to work their magic.
Macbilt had two instructions: to get the car through compliance for use on the road; and to improve the vehicle and finish the project so it drove as well as it looked. Looking at the car now, it has an amazing presence and stance. It can’t help but attract attention and a bevy of admirers.

Lunch with … Cary Taylor

Many years ago — in June 1995 to be more precise — I was being wowed with yet another terrific tale from Geoff Manning who had worked spanners on all types of racing cars. We were chatting at Bruce McLaren Intermediate school on the 25th anniversary of the death of the extraordinary Kiwi for whom the school was named. Geoff, who had been part of Ford’s Le Mans programme in the ’60s, and also Graham Hill’s chief mechanic — clearly realising that he had me in the palm of his hand — offered a piece of advice that I’ve never forgotten: “If you want the really good stories, talk to the mechanics.”
Without doubt the top mechanics, those involved in the highest echelons of motor racing, have stories galore — after all, they had relationships with their drivers so intimate that, to quote Geoff all those years ago, “Mechanics know what really happened.”