New Zealand Classic Car takes on the BMW Alpine X-Drive Event

17 October, 2016

The day with BMW for its Alpine X-Drive Event began with a helicopter transfer over the magnificent Crown Range to the SHPG (Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds). It’s hard not to be excited when arriving to a line-up of well over a million dollars’ worth of gleaming Bavarian metal.

Under the guidance of BMW’s Driver Training team, led by Mike Eady, we were run through the dos and don’ts for the day.

Once into the swing of things, we were fed to the lion, Lars Mysliwietz — a famed German rally driver — who was our tutor for the drifting part of the syllabus.

We’ve put together a gallery for you to get an idea about just how beautiful the conditions were for our drive:

Check out our full story in the November issue of New Zealand Classic Car (Issue No. 311).

Grab a print copy of the mag now!

The motor car as an art form

12 March, 2026

We have certainly come a long way since the exhibition entitled 8 Automobiles, shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the autumn of 1951, the first exhibition concerned with the aesthetics of motor car design.
It was here that the often-used term ‘rolling sculpture’ was coined by curator Philip C Johnson, director of the department of architecture and design, when he said, “An automobile is a familiar 20th century artefact, and is no less worthy of being judged for its visual appeal than a building or a chair. Automobiles are hollow, rolling sculptures, and their design refinements are fascinating. We have selected cars whose details and basic design suggest that automobiles, besides being America’s most useful objects, could be a source of visual experience more enjoyable than they now are.”

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.

New Zealand Classic Car takes on the BMW Alpine X-Drive Event

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