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Dub day afternoon
A Volkswagen show happened on Sunday December 11, exactly a fortnight before Christmas. Wellington’s fifth annual biggest little VW show again took over the car park for the day at the Parrotdog bar, Lyall Bay, in 2022. Classics from the greater Wellington region and beyond graced the concourse.
NZ Classic Car May/June 2023 issue 387, is on sale now
Our cover story this issue is on the remarkable Imp. The car first came out as a Hillman in the 1950s and, as with many cars of that era, it also morphed into other versions over the years. The Imp featured in this edition of NZ Classic Car is a Sunbeam and is a real stunner. Enjoy this article where you will learn the history of Imp and The Rootes Group and enjoy this pristine example we discovered in the Deep South.
“Our featured Sunbeam Imp is a survivor now in Gore in the care of Russell and Marlene Newland. A member of the Gore Vintage Car Club, Russell bought their car from fellow member Bill Sheddan in 2021. A keen collector of all things Sunbeam, Bill purchased the little gem from retired Christchurch aircraft engineer Robert Tudehope in 2009. Restored by Robert, the Sunbeam is a 1970 Mark II model now being brought back to top condition”
Hey, good looking – 2007 Alfa Romeo Spider
I am glad to say that Alfa has conquered its demons and improved immeasurably in both reliability and rustproofing — and the brand’s reputation has almost caught up to this fact.
This was further confirmed on a recent trip to Napier, when Ian MacPherson invited me to see his 2007 Alfa Romeo Spider. In coupé form it is known as the Brera, itself a great-looking car, but the muscular lines of the Spider could well be proof of the old adage that less is more.
The greatest American hero
There won’t be many people of a certain age who haven’t seen an episode of The Dukes of Hazzard — in the US its popularity was second only to Dallas — and fans of car stunts will surely have seen quite a few of them.
It’s fair to say that ahead of James Bond’s Aston, Bullitt’s Mustang, and even the talking Pontiac Firebird also featured in these pages, the General Lee is the most famous film and TV car of them all, not least because of repeated exposure over 147 episodes in seven series, two films, and, of course, every episode’s signature stunt — the General Lee hitting a ramp and flying free as a bird, accompanied by triumphant driver Bo Duke’s “Yee-haah!”
Unpublished photos from issue 385 – Edsel Bermuda
Often we we feature a car in the magazine, there are just too many photos to squeeze in on the allocated pages, but these photos are often just too good to not be enjoyed. Here are our unpublished photos from issue 385, the January/February edition of NZ Classic car.
The March/April 2023 issue 386 is on sale now
Dream Machine The Dream Machine, a car that has written itself into US folklore, a car that Ford created a substantial market for almost 70
Pinnacle Porsche
Is this the ultimate Porsche 911? Porsche has made a virtue of keeping the 911 true to its origins, with a policy of evolution, not
One Hundred and Fifteen Years Young
Cadillac became one of the great luxury marques but it was a focus on quality and practicality in its humble beginnings that set its makers
Cat Scratch Fever
Jaguar’s iconic 3.8-litre Mark II saloon provides stunning performance and comfort for four, and its tuneable engine made it a favourite in saloon car races around
Ford of Europe’s Aussie Six
Ford of Australia made the ultimate cruising Cortina but it tempted few of Ford’s Australian customers away from the big basic Falcon. By Ben Selby,
You’re The One That I Want
Japanese coupés have seen an explosion in value with many formerly common models climbing into the six-figure range, making the rare ones even more precious
To Finish First, First You Must Build A Winner
One man’s drive to pay tribute to one of Bruce McLaren’s victorious Can-Am cars saw him emulate the driver and constructor’s ambition, innovation, and attention
The British Aussie Battler
The P76 is another of Leyland’s near misses. When it was introduced in 1973, the Leyland P76 was a genuine threat to the established order
A Corollary on Corollas
Last month, Gerard explained why the car he liked best was not one of several red-blooded sports saloons he had lusted after, but a kindly
New Zealand Classic Car 379, July 2022 is out now!
The new(ish) time trial category in the Targa New Zealand rally has been a boon to classic car owners who no longer want to hammer
The Bronze Blowtorch — Chrysler’s ill-fated turbine car programme
In the decades after World War II, Chrysler attempted to bring the auto industry into the jet age, launching the most ambitious consumer test programme
Almost Mythical Pony
A genuine Shelby GT350 is one of the unicorns of the car world but Vaughan Wilson can verify they do exist and can even be
Escort services
Ford’s simple Escort proved amenable to the ministrations of tuners, racer and factory rally teams, spawning a huge aftermarket tuning industry. This heavily reworked 1968
Becoming an Alfa Male
The lines of the 1750 GTV are seductive enough, but it’s driving the thing that makes our man fall for Giugiaro and Alfa Romeo’s 1969
New Zealand Classic Car 378, June 2022 is out now!
When it comes to big Aussie sixes, we naturally think of Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores. However, back in the ’70s Ford offered another option,
The other Japanese rotary
Suzuki’s magnificent failure, the rare rotary-engined RE5, makes an eye- and ear-catching alternative to the now traditional inline fours that revolutionlised motorcycling By Ian Parkes
Fire up the Afterburners
When Chrysler launched its ‘Flight Sweep’ models for 1957, Detroit responded by throwing off the shackles and unleashing its designers. Buick, for decades one of
The Boss 9.5
When Colin Macbeth set out to recreate an icon, he also wanted it to pay tribute to its Nascar racing heritage By Ashley Webb, photography
Living Legend
When you see the cars he has given us, Leonardo Fioravanti deserves to be better known. After inquiring about some of his inspired designs, described
One careful lady owner, and friends
It’s quite possibly unique among the thousands of ’56 T-birds produced, and its provenance is equally spectacular By Patrick Harlow John Rae is the third
Leonardo’s Lighting Legacy
Ferrari owner and enthusiast Roger Adshead got to wondering where the simply beautiful twin tail lamps that are a signature of many Ferraris came from,
Westside Story
The Holden Sandman, already as iconic of the ’70s as a Farrah Fawcett-Majors poster, got an extra shot of stardust after appearing in the local
Living the American Dream
The search for an Airstream caravan led Nigel Teape to a trio of American classics which ended up surpassing his Airstream dream By Ian Parkes
The world turns
Finding an unmolested Mazda rotary isn’t an easy task as many examples have been seriously modified. Finding two near perfect examples is very rare indeed
NZCC, NZPC, and NZV8 T-shirts are available now — here’s how to get yours
New Zealand Classic Car, NZ Performance car, and NZV8 T-shirts are available now — these are quality, classic-fit T-shirts produced here in New Zealand by
Ramp up security with a better door opener
Your classic car is precious, and not just to you, so it will pay to keep it secure. Dominator garage door openers provide sophisticated electronic
The Getaway Van
This 1972 Ford Transit provides an instant hit of nostalgia, reminding us all of how a pervasive and seemingly permanent fixture of the motoring scene
Beach Buggy boom
There’s something about the rattle of an air-cooled VW engine that evokes freedom in all three of the radically different vehicles it powered By Ian
Hey, good looking
Alfa Romeos pull at the heartstrings in a way few other cars do, and for Ian MacPherson it was love at first sight By Patrick
New Zealand Classic Car 373, January 2022 is out now!
Beach Buggies might be 60s years old but their perky charm is even more fun today. Get the vibe, the history and the how-to in
Suddenly it’s 1960!
Jet age fantasy was in full flight following World War II and the space race of the 1950s only lit the imagination afterburners among leading
Volkswagen’s Grand California — the grown up Kombi
When it comes to campervans there are none that have a stronger heritage than Volkswagen The company invented the campervan concept, along with being in
Four-by-four for town and country
Long before pickup trucks became fashion items they, like the Levi jeans their owners wore, were built for hard work. After 30 years in a
Raising the bar
The rising standard of car preparation is only adding impetus to the classic racing revival By Quinton Taylor, photography: Ewan McPherson, Wayne Perkins, Donn White,