New Zealand Classic Car – Issue 354 on sale now

24 May, 2020

 


NZCC 354

 

In our second ‘lockdown’ issue we bring you another great issue featuring an eclectic mix of fine classics. From where the horses roar in Maranello, we feature a superb example of what, designer, Pininfarina, said was the car of which he was most proud, a car of class and beauty, the Ferrari Dino.

Henry Ford’s business struggled through the 1940s, but in 1948, a new era began at the company with the release of a new range of trucks. Our featured 1948 Ford Bonus truck has been transformed from a tired old and beaten workhorse to a show stopping weekend cruiser. But with a tight deadline and one mission in mind it was all hands on the pump.   

Born in an era when Japanese coupés took styling cues from the American muscle car scene, Subaru followed the trend with its GLF coupé. In this issue we take an in-depth look at the passion and desire it takes to restore one of these classic coupe’s from a rusty, badly repaired driver to a concours quality gem.

While flower power took over the rest of the world and music changed forever in the ’60s, the hot ticket for many Kiwi kids was: slot car racing. In the first of a two-part report Gerard Richards recalls his first love.

There’s so much more in this issue, we could go on, but you’ll just have to find out for yourself.          

Get yours in store now or delivered to your door from magstore.nz – New Zealand Classic Car – Issue 354.

Polishing to perfection

The secret to a show-stopping finish is colour sanding, no matter which paint system you use. Even a good painter, no matter how experienced or talented — like my mate Bruce Haye, CEO at Ace Panel and Paint in Whitianga — can’t shoot to a perfect mirror finish. To get that level of perfection, you need to colour sand.
It used to be called ‘rubbing out’ or ‘cutting’, and it was done with pastes that came in cans. They worked — sort of — but the compounds really just rounded off imperfections instead of eliminating them, and they removed a lot of paint in the process. But now your new finish can be made flawless, thanks to microfine sandpapers that come in 1000, 1500, 2000, and even 2500 grit ranges, and Farecla G3 polish — available from automotive paint suppliers.

NZ Classic Car magazine, March/April 2026 issue 404, on sale now

BMW’s flagship techno showcase
The supermodel 1995 BMW 840Ci is simply elegant and perfectly engineered.
BMW’s 840 Ci flagship Coupe provides superb comfort and equipment packaged in a stylish body, with grand-touring performance and surprisingly competent handling for its size.
It’s the kind of machine that stands apart from the start. When BMW first unveiled its flagship Grand Tourer at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show, the automotive world blinked twice. Sleek, low, and impossibly modern for its era, it combined drama with a sort of purposeful understatement. This silhouette still looks striking today, long after its peers have faded into obscurity.
Initially offered with a range of engines, the model you’re reading about is the V8 iteration, featuring a 4.0-litre eight-cylinder heart under its long bonnet and a smooth five-speed automatic at the back. It wasn’t about blistering sprint times so much as effortless velocity. There was power on tap, sure, but the way it delivered thrust felt unhurried and measured – the automotive equivalent of a deep exhale on a long drive.
Poster 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, C2