Star status for classic Porsche
A long search ends: finding the right car
Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, the Porsche 911 heralded an iconic lineage of sports cars, known for their exceptional performance, remarkable racing reliability, and adaptability, second to none.
New Zealand Classic Car, in conjunction with Star Insure, recently conducted a photo competition to find 13 suitably impressive classics to grace the pages of the magazine’s 2027 calendar. A flood of entries showed that Kiwis recognise eye-catching designs and restorations. Many are handy with a camera, too, and have entered some outstanding results.
The choice was not straightforward, with multiple stunning entries, and Geoff Long’s immaculate 1990 Porsche 911 (964 Factory designation) took top honours. Fortunately, Geoff had Ethan Hanlon handy to take the accompanying photos while working in his office.
“I’ve got a young employee who is doing work experience in my office at the moment, and he’s a very avid photographer. So, I said, I’ll buy you breakfast and then why don’t we go and take some photos. He found the right spot, and he spent over an hour photographing.”
Originally sold new in Japan, hence the right-hand drive, the Porsche was resident there for four years before being exported to New Zealand, as Geoff recalls.
“I bought it two-and-a-half years ago, but I looked for it for over two years, because it’s just the colour scheme, interior and exterior I was after. The service file that came with it is extensive; I mean, it’s been beautifully looked after, which is what I wanted to continue, as it does get driven. It doesn’t sit in the garage.”
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Every issue comes with our FREE huge wall poster; this issue, it’s a 1996 LVVTA Mirage Countach (Lamborghini LP400 Replica)
Vale Garry Pedersen, Aug 1942 – Aug 2026
Garry Pedersen was a good bloke, a bit wild and hairy perhaps, when he emerged from that West Auckland hot rod culture in the early ‘60s.
Born in Palmerston North in 1942, Garry later moved with his family to Wainuiomata (Wellington), then finally to Glen Eden in West Auckland, where, while at Kelston High School, he began immersing himself in pre-war American Coupe V8 hot rod culture. The school was a hotbed of juvenile delinquent activities at the time, but Garry had his mind on other things.
An interview with Andy Buchanan – Part 3
Fast track from the back blocks to ‘60s motor racing fame
Gerard concludes his interview with Andy Buchanan, recalling sports-car successes, first with a beautiful Ferrari 250LM, and a racing career capped off by the brute-force Elfin 400, recently restored by Lindsay Willis and now offered for sale.
Andy and his crew were full of anticipation as they readied his new car for its voyage. Despite careful preparation, the voyage to Auckland brought unexpected challenges.
On arrival in Auckland, the carefully packed Elfin crate was found to have been unceremoniously topped with heavy bags of phosphate, crushing it. The car sustained significant damage, including a smashed windscreen, a cracked chassis, and more.
Time was tight, and rectifying the damage, plus the delay in delivering the Hewland box, put things further behind the eight ball.
Ultimate rare – driven to be enjoyed!
It’s difficult to appreciate the hype around the ‘Ultimate driving machines’ from Bavaria until you sit in a rare BMW CSL coupe version of the marque’s lauded E46 range.
Ironically, plenty of rare cars exist. Some cars sold poorly or sold well but weren’t deemed worth saving, and now they are rare but of little value. There are cars that were purposely made in small numbers, some for homologation, also meaning they are rare and valuable. Where does rare stop and valuable become a reality? What determines value, and why does anyone pay more for one rare car and less for another?
In this instance, the car is a BMW CSL with not only rarity, but also that extra pedigree, provenance and the company’s ‘M-sport’ designation, giving it an extra collectable quality and value.
The German term ‘Coupé Sport Leichtbau’ translates to ‘Coupe Sport Lightweight’ in English and is famously abbreviated as CSL. Manufacturers such as BMW have used this German abbreviation for their high-performance, lightweight sports coupes. The company formed BMW Motorsport GmbH in 1973.
From 1971 to 1975, BMW introduced its first CSL model, the 3.0-litre. It was a lightweight, race-homologated version of the 1968 E9 coupe, featuring an inline-six engine that was progressively upgraded to a 3.2-litre with 206bhp.
Motorman: A high-speed Fahey adventure
A busy trip to the United States six decades ago led Paul Fahey to return with a very special car. Just a few months later, Motorman editor Donn Anderson had the opportunity to drive that vehicle at Pukekohe.
There was no turning back when large-engined North American muscle cars launched onto the New Zealand motor racing scene 60 years ago.
Christchurch-born Paul Fahey had won the saloon championship in 1964 with a 1.6-litre Lotus Cortina and had done well in a heavily modified twin-cam-engined Anglia, yet he could see the writing on the wall.
1966 would be a significant year for Kiwi tin-top racing, and the car that really set the big metal rolling was the Ford Mustang, launched with a bang in the USA just two years earlier.
Motorsport Identities: Man on a mission – Part 2
Tony Roberts’ passion and enthusiasm for motor racing have grown over the years, and he has gathered a team of like-minded enthusiasts, firstly for Hampton Downs and, more recently, for Thunder Ridge.
In Part 1 we looked at Tony’s 50-plus years in Motor racing; until around 2003, his time was spent formulating Hampton Downs. He still managed to race his cars, but a new car appeared in 2003: the Talon F5000 to race in the new F5000 series, which started locally in 2001.
“2004 was a good season for me until the last race at Pukekohe when the engine blew up! It was a shame, as I had been leading the series at that point. It had rained nearly every round, and I always enjoy the rain!”
Something new arrived in 2006, creating a lot of interest.
“Around 2006 we purchased the McLaren M22 from Harry Mathews in Denver, one of only three built and the only one racing in the World. We had a few issues with this car that we gradually got sorted and raced at Albert Park, Melbourne, in the support races for the F1 Grand Prix.”
The Aussies were particularly interested in this rare bit of McLaren wizardry.
Harlows Classics: Bertone’s master stroke
When Alfa gets it right, it gets it very right!
Alfa Romeo was not the very first manufacturer to use a race-car engine in a road car, but it was one of the early pioneers of this practice, producing a gem, the Montreal!
For over 100 years, the philosophy of ‘race first, road second’ has been a hallmark of Alfa Romeo’s history. Starting in the 1920s, there was the road-going version of the Alfa Romeo 6C.
The 1930s brought us the 8C. Moving to the ‘60s, we got the 33 Stradale, derived from the Tipo 33. This car is often cited as one of the prettiest cars of all time, at least until the ‘70s, when Alfa Romeo produced what I believe is one of the world’s prettiest cars, the Alfa Romeo Montreal.
When Nick Fisher, the owner of our feature car, saw his first Montreal, it was in the 1980s, while he was living in Canberra. It was in a car yard, and the asking price was only $16K. Now, Nick has always liked Alfa Romeos and thinks that most of them are motorised artworks. Over the years, he has owned several of them, and at the time, he was driving an Alfa Romeo Spider.
Seeing the Montreal in the car yard, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. After taking it for a test drive, he was in love with it. At US$16K, this rare right-hand-drive Montreal would never be cheaper, but sadly, the dealer only offered him US$5K for his Spider, and Nick’s pockets were not deep enough to cover the difference. He never forgot that drive, but he would have to wait another 40 years before he could buy one.
Kits and Pieces: Restoring a classic Kiwi icon
1984 Heron MJ1 Survivor
The Heron holds a special place in the New Zealand kit car scene, and at its 1983 Motor Expo launch, it generated considerable interest with its dramatic wedge shape and construction.
When Craig Tickle and his friend, Raymond Malone, went along to the Auckland Moto Expo in July 1983, they were not expecting to see a vehicle that would pique an interest that would last for over 45 years.
The two had met while students at Tauakau College. Raymond then went to Australia for a couple of years before coming home to work for New Zealand Steel, where he met Craig again, and a friendship that has lasted a lifetime developed.
Market Report
Maserati 3200-4200GT – An underrated Italian!
The allure of the Maserati Trident has for decades been a powerful attraction amongst a niche sector of the petrolhead faithful, tracing its ancestry back to 1926, the year Maserati entered motor racing.
In 1998, the Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed Maserati 3200GT Coupe was launched at the Paris Motor Show. After more than a decade of sharp-angle designs like the Biturbo and Shamal, the Giugiaro-penned lines of the 3200GT and its successor, the 4200GT, recalled the curves and flowing lines of Maserati sporting tourers from the fifties and sixties, refreshed for a Maserati for the 21st Century.
“The Shamal and Biturbo in their own right are very smart-looking cars, but the 3200 was a departure from that kind of design to something more modern and sleeker,” says 4200GT owner Mike.
“With its iconic ‘hockey stick’ taillights, people just love the styling, and it’s the first car to have LED taillights,” he says. “It’s such a capable car; you can zoom around or just have a nice, relaxing drive.”
Ben’s next-generation classics
Subaru BRZ tS Kiiro
Subaru seems to love limited edition specials, and with the leap in JDM collectability, Ben’s selection this month from the Japanese innovator is sure to be on any collector’s radar.
Look at the number of Impreza special editions over the years; models such as the WRX STI 555, the Crouching Tiger, the Blizzard, the McRae, the Nemesis, Tatsu, Todoroki and of course, that unicorn that is the WRX STI 22B.
Lately, Subaru’s sports car, the BRZ, has begun to receive the same treatment as its sister car, the Toyota GR86. The BRZ has seen growth and refinement with more power, sharper dynamics and ultimately, some collectable special editions like the Tsubasa and what you see here, the limited edition ‘Kiiro’ (pronounced ‘kee-roh’)
The Kiiro nameplate is drawn from Japanese Kanji script, and the literal translation is ‘Ki’ meaning yellow and iro meaning colour. It also references the rising sun and the combination of symbolic energy and optimism.
This sporty burst of vehicular sunshine is one of only 10 to come to New Zealand. Currently, at the time of writing, a quick glance at the classifieds reveals only three new examples for sale in the country. So, if you like what you see, you may need to act quickly. So, what does your $62,990 get you, aside from being bright yellow?
Get your kicks on Route 66
As American as Apple Pie, the legend that is Route 66!
Route 66 was a symbol of the ‘Good Times’ and ‘American Graffiti’, symbolising America’s connection with the motor car. The Route celebrates its 100th anniversary at the end of this year, honouring its connection to American cars, Rock ‘N’ Roll, Marilyn Monroe, hamburgers, hot rods, and the freedom of the open road.
It’s often on the bucket lists of those who want to experience this legendary highway, so people are celebrating the milestone of this significant highway, which has seen so much in its century of operation, in all sorts of ways.
Many are, of course, visiting the hallowed highway in some shape or form, from its California start line to its western deserts and north to its terminus at Chicago, but how did this road get its start? Where did its catchy name come from, and why did it cease to operate as a major roadway?
Price On
The trials and tribulations of owning the same classic car for nearly 54 years!
At last, Greg confides with us in Part 1 of his account of what it has been like to be the ‘custodian’ of his Zephyrs. It’s a fitting intro to a big story next issue, when we take a look at a collection of Ford’s big sixes from Dagenham.
Yes, you read that correctly. One of our Ford Mk1 Zephyrs has been in our ownership for almost 54 years. Why a Mk1 Zephyr, I hear you ask? Well, it has a lot to do with first impressions.
Back in 1956, at a boarding school in Auckland, the father of one of the other boarders drove through the school’s front gate one Saturday morning in a near-new Mk1 convertible, resplendent in Mandarin Red, with the top down, of course. For me, and most of the other boys, it was love at first sight. I’m getting one of those when I grow up! I thought silently. Yeah, right!
Back then, new cars could only be bought with overseas funds, and even then, choice was limited, except for the Zephyr convertibles, as New Zealand got an allocation that was shared across the country – averaging two or three per dealership.
One of the World’s truly ageless designs!
1996 LVVTA Mirage Countach (Lamborghini LP400-Replica)
One of the World’s most recognisable shapes, the Lamborghini Countach’s dramatic futuristic wedge shape stole the motor show at Geneva in 1971, and it still draws gasps and instant attention.
A Countach wasn’t cheap back in 1974, and today they hold strong values at auction. Consequently, kit car and replica makers thrived for a while, with only a handful mastering the production difficulties and costs involved.
I asked Timaru enthusiast Kerry McDonald why he was interested in a Countach Replica, although, given the car’s popularity, they had been making Countach replicas locally, as Kerry explains.
“I always wanted one, and I was going to do one back in the ‘90s. Dave Short here in New Zealand was right into doing it. I had a young family, and back then it was probably not the right thing,” so he and his wife Debs did what a lot of others did, ”So, we bought a boat and took the kids camping and skiing and stuff like that. I’ve always wanted one, and that was the only thing I’ve ever regretted not doing. The opportunity came up, so I thought, hey, do it now!”
All Roads Lead to Rome!
The Anantara Concorso Roma
Remember the catchy trip-hop tune from the turn of the Century by the band Morcheeba, “Don’t you know that Rome wasn’t built in a day”, and the origin of that phrase comes from the English writer of plays, poems, and proverbs, John Heywood, some 500 years previously, who continued, “But they were laying bricks every hour”.
And so, it must have seemed to the organisers of the first Anantara Concorso Roma held in April 2026, after the proposed inaugural event scheduled in 2025 had to be postponed due to the funeral of Pope Francis.
Working in harmony, they continued laying bricks for the foundation of a new event, which quickly established itself among the top international concours events.
Reborn Classics
1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu 2-door hardtop
John and Dale Gamble brought their very special Chevrolet Chevelle to the Ayrburn Classic 2026, surprising many with its eye-catching aquamarine blue, raising eyebrows with its amazing interior, and invoking appreciative comments from its many admirers.
It received a similar reaction at the Rodder’s Beach Festival 2025, where it won the VIP Premium People’s Choice Award. The impressive debut was followed in 2026 at the Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival, where the Chevelle scored the ‘Best Chevrolet’ trophy and the Mother’s Shine Award, followed by the Beach Hop at Whangamata, where it was a Top 5 finalist and won the Pro-wear Chrome Showcase Stand-Out Award.
John is particularly proud of the result Kayton and his team at Real Rides Muscle Car Restorers in Silverdale have achieved with this impressive package. He tells how they came by the Chevelle and decided to create something special. For Kayton and the crew, it’s been a very special project to reimagine the American muscle car, focusing not just on great looks but also on high drivability while keeping the spirit of a great Chevelle.
The driving force behind Daffodil Day
A lady with a passion for helping others
Cars and people are not just a part-time hobby for Kaaren Smylie; they are central to her life, as she knows first-hand what it means to face life’s challenges.
She has become the driving force behind one of the most successful automotive charity campaigns in New Zealand, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the New Zealand Cancer Society.
Petrolhead fever has consumed Kaaren from a young age.
“My father worked in the trucking industry, so for me there was always the passion for cars and machinery,” she says.
It’s a passion that led her to purchase a rather special Triumph Spitfire in her late teens, a car she still owns.
“Growing up, I always wanted a sports car, and when I was not quite 19, I was able to buy a red 1963 Triumph Spitfire. I still have it in my collection now, and it has always been there for me. It has been fully reconditioned, and I enjoy driving and pampering it. It’s just such a great little car.”
1926 Bugatti T37A
Celebrating a French centenarian – Part 1
The last thing Nigel Young expected to see while holidaying in Tekapo was a rare and exotic ‘20s French sports car, a T37A Bugatti, from an era when exquisite design and craftsmanship went hand in hand.
It’s April 2024, and my wife and I are enjoying the scenery in Tekapo, doing the tourist thing of looking at shops, having a quiet wee holiday, and with the chance for me to catch up on my reading; probably a Jack Reacher book.
As I turned around, there it was, in a subtle blue, a Bugatti T37A from 1926, with that distinctive red name badge at the top of the grille, or the horseshoe radiator as Bugatti preferred to call it.
I could have pretended it wasn’t there and gone back into a shop, doing the tourist thing, minding my own business and enjoying the scenery. I had just covered the car show in Twizel for this magazine, and there were some amazing cars.
This wasn’t just another stunning car. This was a Bugatti T37A with an added Roots supercharger, permanently engaged on its 1500cc, 4-cylinder engine. How would it be possible to look away and just walk back into some touristy shop, turning my back on it? That wasn’t going to happen!
Northern Classic Racing
The first woman to win a F5000 Championship
New Zealand driver Anna Collins will forever be remembered as the first woman to win a Formula 5000 Championship Title
Anna Collins made history after claiming the 2024–25 SAS Autoparts MSC NZ Tasman Cup Revival Series Class B Championship. For Collins, the achievement is the latest chapter in a lifelong journey through motorsport, beginning in Christchurch alongside her siblings under the guidance of her father, Mark Collins, a passionate racer who competed in rallying and classic-car events before raising a family.
Classic Southern Racing – CAMS Win By A Whisker!
A bigger-than-expected crowd and a large field of competitors flagged off the new racing season with the Brooklands Members’ Meeting at Levels Raceway, Timaru on September 12.
Hosted by the Classic Motor Racing Club (CMRC), it was the first classic racing event of the 2026-27 season. Fine weather and free spectator entry meant a big crowd, and there was plenty of great close racing on track all day.
The Pre 78 Classic Saloons, CMRC Allcomers, Formula Libre, VCC, Historic, and Regularity Trial were all present, along with the CAMS Motorcycles. This is the only meeting in the South Island where both cars and bikes feature, making Brooklands a unique event.
As the first event of the season, all classes had good grid sizes, and several new cars debuted.
1963 Volkswagen Beetle – A mind of its own: Herbie
Movies, especially those of the Disney brand, often include human-like star personas. Herbie became a worldwide favourite, and a Canterbury man became such a loyal follower that he now has one in his driveway.
There have been several famous ‘Herbies’ over the years. You have legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock, creator of such epic jazz scores as ‘Cantaloupe Island’ and ‘Chameleon’, not to mention his hit of the eighties ‘Rockit’. Then you have Herbie the rabbit, a UK-based bunny who currently holds the record for the world’s oldest currently living carrot muncher at 15-and-a-bit years old.
For car enthusiasts and movie buffs and many others, mention Herbie, and we will always think of a white sentient, self-driving 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, complete with red, white and blue racing stripes, a large ‘53’ racing number embossed on either door, boot and bonnet, and a mind and heart of its own.
Disney’s 1968 smash-hit family film ‘The Love Bug’ introduced us to Herbie, the Volkswagen Beetle, a car that wanted nothing more than to make its owner happy and help with any problems they faced. The film centres around Jim Douglas (Dean Jones), a down-on-his-luck racing driver who takes ownership of Herbie after he stood up for it and was accused of stealing it by the pompous, villainous luxury car dealer Peter Thorndyke (Mary Poppins’ David Tomlinson).
A Daffodil Day tradition – a special legacy to leave behind
There wouldn’t be too many of us who haven’t been affected by cancer in some way. Every year, New Zealanders across the country get involved in Daffodil Day to support the Cancer Society’s work and raise awareness.
This year, Hadstock Farm supplied more than 700 bunches of daffodils for the South Canterbury appeal, with members of the Vintage Car Club getting behind the cause, helping deliver them throughout the region.
For around 15 years, classic cars have been hitting the roads of South Canterbury loaded with bunches of daffodils, a tradition that all started with one man wanting to give something back.
In 2011, South Canterbury Vintage Car Club member Kevin Heywood rallied the club together after his own journey with cancer. Kevin had been diagnosed with cancer in 2008, and throughout his treatment he and his family received support from the Cancer Society. After everything they had done for him, Kevin wanted to give something back.
Classic Car news
Chrome show report, Browns Lane NZ – a new home for Jaguar, Muscle Mania Car and Bike show, Tracks and Wheels show preview, PPG Rambler Rebel repaint, Hamilton Classic Car meet, Automobile art, artist Geoff Williams, Porsche 50th anniversary, Classic Trials, Otago Auto Spectacular and… much more
