S/I Champs Spotlight: Pure-porno C33 Laurel

22 December, 2016

The drifting sessions were a popular part of the track day and what would drifting be without the presence of a Nissan Laurel (C33). This purple-licked example was a standout for us, and it has, erm, a few ways to catch your interest.

The first of which, is when the owner, Connor, popped the bonnet and the blaring sun reflected heavily of the full polished covers and engine accessories. Although it may appear to be an RB26 at first glance, due to the fact that it wears the covers of one, it is really a RB20DET underneath. This normally wouldn’t excite us too much, however, having seen and heard the little two-litre causing an absolute ruckus on track earlier, it was something we didn’t mind one bit.

Connor summed it up pretty well, too: “Not many people give the RB20s the credit they deserve and all want the RB26 because it’s ‘that’ engine. I chucked the covers on, mainly because they look better, but to unwork what people think of them and prove they are up to the job. Most people don’t believe it’s actually a RB20 at all.”

Up for the job it was, after peeling out many-a-lap out on track and entering the burnout competition for one of the best skids of the day. Backing the heart is a five-speed RB25DET ‘big box’ and Connor has opted to run twin-calipers down the back for the hydraulic handbrake.

Suspension is taken care of by a set of Oz Racing coilovers and includes Hardrace front and rear sway bars, and the full arms catalogue for good measure. WorkshopX side skirts and front guards help to a set of 18×10.5-inch 18p XXRs for a low and tough, yet functional, stance.

Now, with all that out of the way, the second attention grabber, and one that easily drew the biggest crowd when the doors were opened, is the ‘adult content’ plastered interior. Unsure of why he exactly decided to dropped $40 on the 18+ magazines, only to tear them up and stick them on all four door cards and the dash, Connor was rather pleased with his modification. His friends were also more than happy to point out their favourites and had even gone as far to name them. We can’t show you the pictures in their full glory, but you get the idea from the blurred versions…

This is the quintessential home-built drift car in New Zealand; low, loud (in both sound and aesthetics), and more than functional.

Lunch with … Rodger Anderson

22 November, 2024

At first, I wondered if I’d driven up the wrong driveway. The car in the garage was an early Mustang resplendent in royal blue with two broad gold stripes, which was not what I was expecting. I knew that Rodger Anderson, who made his name in Minis and a BMW 2002, was a Porsche man these days — the other end of the spectrum from American muscle. I had no idea of his affection for Detroit iron. It didn’t take long to discover just how passionate this former Saloon Car Champion is about cars, as long as they’re interesting.

Back from the brink – 1968 MGB GT

15 November, 2024

Auckland classic car enthusiast Kerry Bowman soon realised he had a massive job on his hands in restoring his classic 1968 MGB GT. When Kerry and his MGB first appeared in New Zealand Classic Car in March 2021, in “Behind The Garage Door”, the stripped-out shell had revealed some nasty surprises. Once the true extent of the hidden damage was discovered, the work would normally have been handed over to a professional fabricator. However, with the assistance of experts such as MG specialist restorer, Paul Walbran, Kerry has completed an impressive restoration and saved this car from the scrapheap.