Fords and more – November 2020 issue on sale now

19 October, 2020

 

 

From their exotic curved sideglass to their curved everything else the late-50s Alfa Romeo Guilia and Giulietta Sprint Speciales proved automotive exotica weren’t just for the super-rich. Owner of this gorgeous 1962 example, Michael Wyatt, says the lower-powered 1300cc Giulietta is even more special as it really makes the most of this super aerodynamic shape. This month we also feature  one of Ford’s best, the the Mk 11 Capri 2.8i, and we celebrate one of the greatest auto engines of all time, the 6¾-litre V8 in the limited edition 2020 Bentley Mulsanne 6.75, a swansong for 60 years of pace and grace. We also look at a sort of K.I.T.T. car, the Pontiac TransAm, and a car that looks better with each passing year, the Isuzu Piazza.         

Get yours in store now or delivered to your door from magstore.nz – New Zealand Classic Car – Issue 359.

You’re the one that I want – 1973 Datsun 240K GT

In the early 1970s, Clark Caldow was a young sales rep travelling the North Island and doing big miles annually. He loved driving. In 1975 the firm he worked for asked Clark what he wanted for his new car, and Clark chose a brand-new Datsun 240K GT. The two-door car arrived, and Clark was smitten, or in his own words, he was “pole vaulting.”
Clark drove it all over the country, racking up thousands of miles. “It had quite a bit of pep with its SOHC 128 hp (96kW) of power mated to a four-speed manual gearbox,” he says. Weighing in at 1240kg meant the power to weight ratio was good for the time and its length at almost 4.5 metres meant it had good street presence.
Clark has been a car enthusiast all his life, and decided around nine years ago to look for one of these coupes. By sheer luck he very quickly found a mint example refurbished by an aircraft engineer, but it was in Perth.

The originals – the Ledgerwood Collection

Thanks to Central Otago’s dry climate, it’s no surprise to find that Wanaka couple Jim and Daphne Ledgerwood are steadily developing an incredible collection of amazing coupes. ‘The Originals’ they have are as per factory new condition, and their aim is to keep them for everyone to see how it was done back in the day—pure nostalgia.
An occasional email from Jim usually reveals another gleaming addition. The collectors also have an impressive display of American pickups. It’s our gain and US enthusiasts’ loss, as car agent’s adverts proclaim, “Sorry you missed out. Gone to New Zealand!” Some of Jim and Daphne’s cars are almost part of the family, hence their nicknames.