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New Zealand Classic Car 379, July 2022 is out now!

28 June, 2022

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 their precious cars at ten tenths, but who still relish competition and keen driving on closed tarmac roads. This year, managing editor Ian Parkes went along as navigator in John Corbett’s magnificent Series 1 E-type to see why the event brought so many previous entrants back and nearly doubled the entry overall. He is enchanted by Emma, the Jag, and his experience of the event is also an education.

Read the full story in New Zealand Classic Car 379

 


 

Also in this issue: a mint Datsun 240K, New Zealand’s own version of Bruce McLaren’s road car project, and a look at the magnificence on offer at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. 

What to expect in the July 2022 issue of NZCC


American muscle, Japan style


Better than ever — Jaguar’s GT

Plus lots more in New Zealand Classic Car 379!



GET YOUR COPY HERE

Range Rover CSK — the original SUV

5 June, 2026

The Range Rover, thanks to Charles Spencer King, went into production in 1970 boasting an iconic shape that would last until 1996. The vehicle that would create the SUV moniker came about because Rover decided it was time to add a bigger four-wheel-drive vehicle, one with a 100-inch wheelbase, to the model range. Land Rover made a 109-inch wheelbase model but the standard vehicle had a 88-inch wheelbase.
The new model would be more suitable for road use than the existing Land Rover, which was considered to be predominantly for rural use. To make sure it could cope on any road it came standard with the Rover 3.5-litre V8 engine. The body design was originally sketched by King and went into production with only a few minor touch-ups by the Rover styling team.
According to King, “The idea was to combine the comfort and on-road ability of a Rover saloon with the off-road ability of a Land Rover. Nobody was doing it.”

Ford’s Mustang – the endlessly hip American dream machine

28 May, 2026

Fifty or so years ago, the only place in New Zealand to see a Ford Mustang was on the racetrack. In a local market severely constrained by a lack of new motor vehicles, the new North American Ford was a dreamy icon boosted by considerable motorsport success.
Import licences for cars were limited, and if Kiwis travelled abroad, the amount of currency they could take with them was restricted. What’s more, those funds could not be used to buy a car for importation back home. Yet it was OK to spend the money on heavy drinking at a London pub, Gucci shoes, sable fur coats, and excessive stays at the Hôtel Martinez at Cannes in France.
However, any rare Mustang that landed on our shores would not be destined to pose around Auckland’s then trendy Queen Street on a Friday night but would more likely be found in the care of well-known racing drivers on the starting grid at local motor racing tracks.