Cruise Mode: Amy Frazer’s chick-built S15

26 December, 2016

Owner: Amy Frazer
Location: Christchurch
Occupation: Nurse

NZPC: Hey Amy, great to see yet another extremely clean girl-built S15. How long have you owned it for?
Amy: Hey guys, I’ve owned the Silvia now coming up three years.

When did you first get into cars, and what was your first performance vehicle?
I’ve been into cars since I can remember. My parents were active members of a Zephyr and Zodiac club when I was growing up, so I’ve had a love for cars for a long time. This S15 has been my very first performance vehicle, but, hopefully, there will be more to come in the future.

Did you know what direction you would take with it from the beginning?
To be honest, I just carried on in the direction that had already been started by its first owner, Andre. The vision for the car was complete; it was exactly what I wanted, but it just needed some finishing touches.

What has been the biggest hurdle with the build?
Last year, I managed to blow up my turbo. That was a headache, but, thanks to my partner Owen and a friend, Josh, we got the turbo out, replaced the seals, and put a refreshed one back in. It only took a few days but a huge chunk out of my bank account.

What’s your favourite part of being involved in the automotive community?
I love the variety and the uniqueness in the cars that are out there at the moment. I also love seeing other girls with performance cars. It’s empowering, and I think more girls should get into it and show the boys how it’s done!

Thanks for hanging out with us, Amy.

Make/model: Nissan Silvia S15
Engine: SR20DET 2000cc four-cylinder, HKS front-mount intercooler, HKS mushroom air filter, GReddy Type RZ blow-off valve, HKS turbo, Walbro fuel pump, three-inch GReddy stainless-steel exhaust, STM ported heads, CP pistons, aftermarket racing big end and main bearings, A’PEXi Power FC
Drivetrain: Factory six-speed, Exedy heavy-duty clutch, lightened flywheel
Interior: GReddy Profec B-spec II electronic boost controller, D1 Spec gear knob, Soundstream speakers,
JVC head unit
Exterior: Custom carbon-fibre bonnet, custom bodykit, custom midnight shadow-chrome paint
Suspension: HKS coilovers, HKS camber and toe arms
Wheels/Tyres: 17×9-inch DOTCOM; (F) 225/40R17 Goodyear Eagle F1, (R) 235/40R17 Achilles ATR

ROTARY CHIC

6 September, 2024

Kerry Bowman readily describes himself as a dyed-in-the-wool Citroën fan and a keen Citroën Car Club member. His Auckland home holds some of the chic French cars and many parts. He has also owned a number of examples of the marque as daily drivers, but he now drives a Birotor GS. They are rare, even in France, and this is a car which was not supposed to see the light of day outside France’s borders, yet somehow this one escaped the buyback to be one of the few survivors out in the world.
It’s a special car Kerry first saw while overseas in the ’70s, indulging an interest sparked early on by his father’s keenness for Citroëns back home in Tauranga. He was keen to see one ‘in the flesh’.
“I got interested in this Birotor when I bought a GS in Paris in 1972. I got in contact with Citroën Cars in Slough, and they got me an invitation to the Earls Court Motor Show where they had the first Birotor prototype on display. I said to a guy on the stand, ‘I’d like one of these,’ and he said I wouldn’t be allowed to get one. Citroën were building them for their own market to test them, and they were only left-hand drive.”

Tradie’s Choice

30 August, 2024

Clint Wheeler purchased this 1962 Holden FJ Panelvan as an unfinished project, or as he says “a complete basket case”. Collected as nothing more than a bare shell, the rotisserie-mounted and primed shell travelled the length of the country from the Rangiora garage where it had sat dormant for six years to Clint’s Ruakaka workshop. “Mike, the previous owner, was awesome. He stacked the van and parts nicely. I was pretty excited to get the van up north. We cut the locks and got her out to enjoy the northland sun,” says Clint. “The panelvan also came with boxes of assorted parts, some good, some not so good, but they all helped.”

Cruise Mode: Amy Frazer’s chick-built S15

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