Latest news and features

Ten reasons to drop everything and catch the 2015 CRC Speedshow
The 2015 CRC Speedshow looks set to continue the event’s reputation of one-upping itself on an annual basis. Staged over the weekend of July 18–19,

Get your calendar at the ready — we’ve got the dates for the 2015–’16 Historic Muscle Car series
The calendar for the 2015–’16 Historic Muscle Car (HMC) series has been unveiled, and while it may look geared towards those around Auckland, there are

Repair Cert 101: what vehicle importers need to know
“You’ll always hear horror stories about people importing an ‘immaculate’ car from overseas, only to find out that it’s a rust bucket held together

2014 McLaren P1: we test out the machine with the ‘speedy Kiwi’ decals
“Alas, we only got to drive it around our photo studio, but we just couldn’t pass up the chance to train our cameras on

The Equalizer: road-testing the 2015 Jaguar F-Type V8 R
In March 2014, thanks to Beacham Jaguar, I got the chance to road-test Jaguar’s new F-Type in supercharged ‘S’ form — the car that, finally, can

Targa Bambina’s coming to a TV screen near you
By now you should all have read the report on this year’s Targa Bambina in the current edition of New Zealand Classic Car magazine —

The MP and the MG: check out David Shearer’s 1957 MGA
I know I’ve said it many times before, and, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll say it again. The passionate people

Built to drive hard: Kiwi Zakspeed Escort heads to World Time Attack 2015
View fullsize Paul McCarthy’s brilliant Ford Escort Zakspeed replica is the latest Kiwi creation to sign up to this year’s World Time Attack Challenge

Weekly Motor Fix: we found a 1983 Mitsubishi Cordia GSR Japanese time capsule
View fullsize We have heard the term, ‘owned all its life by one lady owner’ and thought, ‘yeah, right’ plenty of times before … View

New Zealand Classic Car experiences the Lyndar paint system
In typical Kiwi fashion, the DIY industry in New Zealand has grown into a multinational, mega-dollar business. History suggests that our No. 8 fencing wire

Giorgetto Giugiaro retires from automotive design
Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro has retired from automotive design at the age of 76. Known as one of history’s most influential car designers, Giugiaro penned

Superior Sunbeam: 1961 Sunbeam Harrington Le Mans
“We’re tripping back to the Swinging Sixties with this svelte, sexy fastback coupé — the only one of its kind in New Zealand ”

Warbirds over Wanaka to stage trucking tribute in 2016
Next Easter (March 25–28, 2016), the Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow will be sporting a newly added four-wheeled flavour, with organizers inviting truck owners nationwide

Historic Alfa Romeo museum reopens for 105th birthday
Alfa Romeo have completed grand renovations to their ‘La macchina del tempo — Museo storico Alfa Romeo’ museum in Arese (near Milan), which reopened to the public

Extremely rare Bugatti finds home in New Zealand
Generally speaking, Bugattis are a rare and elusive breed on New Zealand shores. But among the few that reside here, there is one that stands out

Lotus unveil ‘giant-slaying’ 3-Eleven at Goodwood
The Goodwood Festival of Speed’s reputation as an ideal launch pad for manufacturers wanting to unveil new models to the public has continued in 2015, with

Buckle yourself in for a weekend filled with Goodwood Festival, streaming live here
The running of the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed, on until June 28, looks to be one of the most diverse yet. Every cornerstone of

Alfa Romeo unveil 2016 Giulia Quadrifoglio M3-Fighter
Alfa Romeo have revealed their latest entry to the four-door super-saloon battle — the Giulia Quadrifoglio. Expected to face off against the likes of the BMW M3 and

Iconic Land Rover Defender reaches 2,000,000 milestone
Poised alongside other historic motors like the Mini Cooper and the Ford Mustang, Land Rover’s immortal Defender will be hitting a unique milestone in 2015 —


Quarter-million–pound Jaguar headlines 2015 Bonhams auction
Some of the finest and most sought-after cars ever produced by the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and Jaguar will be going up for auction

Don’t miss out on grabbing a copy of New Zealand Classic Car Issue No. 295
You better grab the July issue of New Zealand Classic Car (Issue No. 295) while it’s still available in stores. View fullsize In this issue

Remember Captain Nemo’s six-wheeler?
Even the presence of Sean Connery couldn’t lift the 2003 flick The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen out of the doldrums. Critically pasted at the time

Five muscle cars you could be driving right now
Once again we have scoured the plethora of vehicles out there for sale and we found these beauties. If you’re on the hunt for a classic

Property of a lady: 1963 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Roadster
View fullsize The E-Type’s continuing popularity is perhaps not at all that surprising given this one vehicle seems to top the majority of opinion

Ford GT40s dominate Le Mans Legend
The spectacle that is the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been stealing all the headlines this week, but just as exciting — if not

Kiwi F5000s heading to Laguna Seca
A contingent of 12 Kiwi F5000 racers will be heading abroad to represent New Zealand at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion meeting at the infamous

Weekly Motor Fix: Mercedes-Benz C350 AMG — how the Germans do it
It’s not often I get to shoot something German and late-model, but the chance came up over the weekend of June 13–14 to shoot this

Automotive industry helps raise $200,000 for Camp Quality
The sixth annual Camp Quality Dinner and Auction held on Wednesday, June 10, was hosted by John Andrew Ford and Mazda, and saw the more

Porsche nail 17th Le Mans victory
Following the spectacle that was the 24 Hours of Le Mans over June 13–14, the Porsche team has come out on top once again — the

Saving the planet one beer at a time
Us Kiwis love a cold one, and we could soon be saving the planet every time we pop the top off a beer. DB Export

Exploring the production timeline of the Lancia Aurelia GT
“Between 1951 and 1958, Lancia produced six recognizable series of the Aurelia B20 GT” 1951 Aurelia B20 GT S1. The first Lancia to carry

Talking to the people of Classic Trial events
“Trialling continues to be a very popular way for many enthusiasts to enjoy classic motorsport — so we gathered together a half-dozen classic triallists

The original Gran Turismo: 1955 Lancia Aurelia GT
From its debut in 1951, Lancia’s Aurelia Gran Turismo was hailed as one of the world’s finest cars Older readers may remember New Zealand Classic Car’s

New Zealand Classic Car has got Le Mans covered
As the world’s longest-running endurance racing event, the 24 Hours of Le Mans bears a prestige that can’t be matched. This year’s running of the event,

Five bargain-priced everyday classics you could buy today
If you’re like us you tend to find yourself trawling through websites, newspapers, and sometimes even grocery store noticeboards, trying to hunt out that perfect classic

Aston Martin repeats history at Hotel de France
For a period spanning a decade — between 1953 and 1963 — the Aston Martin race team for the 24 Hours of Le Mans would

The pie-man cometh: 1978 Porsche 911 SC
View fullsize Over the past few years I’ve been fortunate enough to follow Targa New Zealand events around most of the North Island. My

Tony Quinn picks up Hampton Downs
It’s the start of a new chapter for Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, as it has recently been purchased by Highlands Motorsport Park owner and Australian pet