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Porsche New Zealand Celebrates Certification of New Porsche Classic Technicians

2 August, 2024

Three talented technicians have successfully completed the prestigious Porsche Classic Technician training program and are now officially Certified Porsche Classic Technicians

New Zealand technicians, Ricky Urry, Savannah Mountney-Needham, and Kai Newstead receive their Porsche Classic Certification

Porsche New Zealand proudly announces that three of their talented technicians have successfully completed the prestigious Porsche Classic Technician training program and are now officially Certified Porsche Classic Technicians.
Ricky Urry and Kai Newstead of Giltrap Porsche, along with Savannah Mountney-Needham from Continental Cars Porsche, have demonstrated exceptional skill and dedication throughout the rigorous training process. This accomplishment is a testament to their unwavering commitment to preserving and servicing classic Porsche vehicles to the highest standards.
“We are incredibly proud of Ricky, Kai, and Savannah for their hard work and dedication,” said Ehrin Wardlow, Service & Network Development Manager, Porsche New Zealand. “This achievement highlights our ongoing dedication to maintaining the highest standards in Porsche service and repair. Our certified technicians are now well-equipped to handle the complexities of classic Porsche models, fulfilling their dreams of mastering these iconic vehicles.”
The new certifications reinforce both Giltrap Porsche and Continental Cars Porsche’s commitment to delivering superior service for classic Porsche enthusiasts and collectors.

Savannah Mountney-Needham - Continental Cars Porsche technician
Kai Newstead - Giltrap Porsche technician

About the Porsche Classic Technician Program
The Porsche Classic Technician training program spans seven intensive courses over three years, conducted at the After Sales Qualification Centre in Stuttgart, Zuffenhausen. The comprehensive program covers both theoretical and practical aspects of classic Porsche maintenance and restoration, including air-cooled engines, transmissions, diagnostics, fuel and ignition systems, and chassis systems / alignments. After completing the training, technicians must pass a challenging theoretical exam and demonstrate their abilities through practical exams on each topic.

Ricky Urry - Giltrap Porsche technician
Kai Newstead - Giltrap Porsche technician

Motorman: When New Zealand built the Model T Ford

21 March, 2025

History has a way of surrounding us, hidden in plain sight. I was one of a group who had been working for years in an editorial office in Augustus Terrace in the Auckland city fringe suburb of Parnell who had no idea that motoring history had been made right around the corner. Our premises actually backed onto a century-old brick building in adjacent Fox Street that had seen the wonder of the age, brand-new Model T Fords, rolling out the front door seven decades earlier.
Today, the building is an award-winning two-level office building, comprehensively refurbished in 2012. Happily, 6 Fox Street honours its one time claim to motoring fame. Next door are eight upmarket loft apartments, also on the site where the Fords were completed. Elsewhere, at 89 Courtenay Place, Wellington, and Sophia Street, Timaru, semi-knocked-down Model Ts were also being put together, completing a motor vehicle that would later become known as the Car of the Century.

Lancia Stratos – building a winner

12 March, 2025

On his own, and later with his wife Suzie, Craig Tickle has built and raced many rally cars. Starting in 1988, Craig went half shares in a Mk1 Escort and took it rallying. Apart from a few years in the US studying how to be a nuclear engineer, he has always had a rally car in the garage. When he is not playing with cars, he works as an engineer for his design consulting company.
Naturally, anybody interested in rallying has heard of the Lancia Stratos, the poster child and winner of the World Rally circuit in 1974, ’75, and ’76. Just as the Lamborghini Countach rebranded the world of supercars, so, too, did the Lancia Stratos when it came to getting down and dirty in the rally world.