New Zealand Classic Car – Issue 351 on sale now

26 February, 2020

 

 

The latest issue of New Zealand Classic Car has just hit the shelves. 

With over 100 hundred pages on offer, this issue has something for everyone, providing you have a certain passion for gorgeous French classics. The phrase, ‘a picture tells a thousand words’, is perfectly suited to this month’s cover. Two stunning Renault Alpines with so much in common, despite the 47 year age gap, but in a way couldn’t be more further apart. We take to the streets in these two stunners and reveal what’s under the skin of both these beauties.

Carrying on with our French theme, we belatedly celebrate 100 years of Citroën with an old favourite, the Citroën DS 23 Pallas. The curvaceous shape and lines of this distinctive and beautiful French icon was the perfect recipe for it to be voted the most beautiful car ever by a well known international magazine back in 2009. 

If French styling isn’t your cup of tea then don’t despair, there is plenty of great content including 100 years of Mazda and Donn Anderson takes us back three decades to when he was taken for a ride in piece of automotive history, a genuine Ford GT40. Michael Clark catches up with our very own drag racing legend, Garth Hogan, for part two of his great accomplishments over the decades and we take a look at the eight cars that were displayed at the first exhibition concerned with the aesthetics of motor car design plus much, much more.

Get yours in store now or delivered to your door from magstore.nz – New Zealand Classic Car – Issue 351.

Two engines instead of one?

Popping two motors into a car is not only complicated, it doesn’t always end well. Donn Anderson recalls early attempts, including John Cooper’s ill-fated original Twini Mini built 58 years ago

For a boost in performance, better traction, and perhaps improved handling to some, two motors seems an obvious solution. It would also eliminate the need to develop a larger engine replacement from scratch, but would that outweigh the not inconsiderable technical difficulties?
The idea of using a pair of engines dates back at least 86 years to the Alfa Romeo Bimotor single seater racing car that was officially timed at 335km/h, or 208mph. Taking a lengthened Alfa P3 chassis, the Italians fitted two supercharged straight eight 2.9-litre and 3.2-litre engines, one in front of the cockpit, and the other behind the cockpit.

NZ Classic Car magazine, January/February 2025 issue 397, on sale now

Having dominated the world motorcycle championships of the 1960s, Honda had a crucial decision to make in 1969. Would Soichiro Honda heed his engineer’s pivotal advice?
“Very few examples of the early Civic, a car that set Honda onto the path to becoming a giant of the car world, remain road registered in New Zealand.
Retired Tauranga owner of this example, Graham Inglis is thrilled with his classic little Honda Civic, the first of eleven generations built so far by the company. The Civic became a household name.
“It’s quite amazing the number of people who not only wave, but come up to me in the street and tell me how much they like the little Honda and its colour, and then they want to start talking about it. A guy in our vintage car club wants to buy it and he has been pushing me a bit. It’s not for sale,” he laughs.
Graham bought his 1977 Honda Civic from Wellington enthusiast Julian Foster, who was the instigator of its restoration.”