Innholdsfortegnelse for No 285 September 2020 i NZ Performance Car

For someone who earns their crust predominantly as a print magazine editor, it might sound funny to some that I love the internet. While, yes, it has changed the media landscape forever, and by no means not all for the good, there is no denying that YouTube and suchlike are giving us freedom we never thought possible. As a kid, I remember having only two TV channels, then later a third, and then a fourth. You were at the mercy of the programme director, and I tell you I can attest to watching some junk in my time. Fast forward 20-odd years and we are in a unique time in which the internet–namely, YouTube—has become the channel of choice in many households, including my own. We haven’t had an aerial…

Last year, Toyota Japan announced that it was kick-starting a GR Heritage Parts programme to reproduce parts, starting with the Supra nameplate—specifically the A70 (Mk3) and A80 (Mk4)—and, as of July, not only confirmed some of the parts that will be available but that the iconic 2000GT will also be included. The company says that parts will be available both in Japan and “overseas”, which, reading between the lines, means that the local arm that is increasingly tapped into the global offerings may well be a direct source. Parts available initially include door handles and a fuel sender for the A70, with weather-stripping, ‘Supra’ bonnet badge, and driveshaft available by the end of the year. For the A80, door handles are currently available, with a brake booster to come at…

Got Instagram? Want print fame on top of all those likes that fly your way each time you post a photo? Want to show us your whip without actually talking to us? Want to see what other readers are up to in their sheds? The answer to all these questions and why these two pages exist lies in the use of the hashtag #nzpc. Search it, use it, and thrash it! We keep a very close eye on it and will be choosing a bunch of hashtagged posts each month to print right here. And that’s not all—the best shot will earn its photographer a little prize for their trouble. So remember, next time you’re gram’n’, use #nzpc.…

The wild thing about the wider automotive community is the massive range of tastes and styles that exist, and with a solid vision in mind you can pretty much build anything that you have dreamed up. While these can divide us into smaller cliques, there is one common factor that we know that damn well 100 per cent of us can agree on: everyone loves a full-noise burnout! Throwing stupid amounts of power through the rollers of anything from your mum’s grocery-getter to a 700-plus-kilowatt street weapon, and blowing the tyres off is the purest kind of addiction. Getting the arse end hanging out curb-to-curb (on private roads, of course) has been a favourite pastime of Kiwis for decades, and with young blood taking over the mantle, it’s developed into…

Let’s face it, while old trucks are inherently rad—especially when rocking the factory paint, plenty of dents, a touch of rust, and a bench seat that’ll put you through the roof any chance they get—they were never known as machines that handled well. They were built and engineered for payloads, to haul cargo and hop from job site to job site. But what if the truck has been well retired from such work and you want it for cruising? Thankfully, getting them to handle as well as any modern car is not as hard as you might think. The process you’re about to see is all done with off-the-shelf kits ordered online. While you could make all this from raw materials, we are aware that many of you simply don’t…

Tommi Mäkinen, Colin McRae, Possum Bourne—a few names that come to mind when we think of those who made a name for themselves through their talents in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo or the Subaru Impreza. Even Paul Walker drove one at more than 100kph in reverse on 2 Fast 2 Furious. When it comes to manufacturer ‘battles’, one that would be at the forefront of people’s minds would be Mitsubishi v. Subaru or, as Choice Events decided to put it: Street Fighters. After a long break from events because of Covid-19, round four of Street Fighters at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park in Taupo was the first event on the amended Choice Events calendar. it was smack bang in the dead of winter, the timing of the event almost meant those…

RAZIQ ALI’S 4000GT SUPRA REVIVAL You might remember a certain Toyota Supra (A80) from way back in Issue No. 163 of this very magazine. Back then, it was a car built by Christchurch’s Andrew Cooper and Phil Taylor of NZEFI, starting out life as a bottom-spec example before being converted to naturally aspirated V8 power that went on to have an HKS T45S turbo slapped onto it. Phil would go on to buy the car from Andrew and crank a whopping 358kW out of the unopened 1UZ-FE package. It was an impressive car even by today’s standards, let alone in period, and it became well known by its ‘4000GT’ number plate. Fast forward to six years ago and Hamilton’s Raziq Ali would hand Phil an undisclosed wad of cash and…

Future car-value speculation is one of those great crystal-ball pastimes; you can spout as much perceived knowledge and foresight as you want, but it all boils down to a guessing game. No one really knows what is suddenly going to spike in demand and therefore value; otherwise we would all have had huge garages lined with the likes of Nissan R32s and Mazda RX-2/3s waiting for the big cash payouts we’d receive for them today. It seems that almost every second day there are record-breaking sales figures blowing up my social channels. Cars that we were selling for a couple of grand not that long ago are now demanding five and six figures! Albeit most of these are those garage-preserved examples from new that have next-to-no kilometres on the clock…

In the first round of the National Drifting Championship since the nationwide lockdown—representing round four on the official season calendar—former Pro-Sport series champion Liam Burke has claimed his maiden Pro-Class podium top spot at ASB Showgrounds. The win comes after back-to-back wins for the Whangarei-based driver. The series maintained its recent reputation for giant-killing battles after seeing many fan favourites knocked out early at the never before seen venue—inside the ASB Showgrounds halls in Auckland. The smooth polished concrete surfaces and tightswitching corners proved an equalizer among the field and resulted in a fair share of surprises. Darren Kelly, ‘Fanga Dan’ Woolhouse, Carl Thompson, and Cole Armstrong were all knocked out throughout the tree to leave a top four consisting of Liam Burke, Ben Jenkins, Dave Steedman, and Taylor James.…

We’re saddened to bring you the news that, following a short illness, one of the country’s longest running and most versatile drivers has passed away. Clark Proctor was just 62 years old. Clark was a regular face at racetracks across the country, competitive in a number of disciplines that ranged from touring cars, to speedway, rallying, GT circuit racing, and open-wheelers. Arguably best known for his time in Targa New Zealand, seeing solid results behind the wheel of his R35 GT-R, it was the wild ride that was a turbocharged Ford Escort that his name was most closely associated with. In the North Island and South Island endurance championships, Clark piloted a GT3-spec GT-R, proving himself a front runner and making appearances in the CAMS Australian GT Endurance Championship. Away…

Kiwi racer and current Toyota Racing Series (TRS) champion Liam Lawson has taken out the opening round of the FIA F3 series after storming through the field across the two races at the Red Bull Ring circuit in Austria. The 18-year-old wheelman began race one in 12th place and finished up in sixth before starting race two in fifth and dominating the pack to nab his maiden F3 victory. Ever humble in victory, Lawson said: “Race one was a good race… got a lot of cars at the start and got through to sixth. A similar sort of pattern as [race two] really; we had good pace at the start and then couldn’t really hang on to the tyres. Obviously, that’s partly me as well; I need to definitely work…

Try as you might, shaking those experiences you had as a wide-eyed youth are damn near impossible. If you grew up watching your dad spin spanners in the shed, it’s likely you’ll be picking up a spanner too. Grow up in a town filled with one type of car or motorsport? Then chances are you’ll also be headed that way. Try as hard as you can to shake it, we are all products of our environments. Growing up in France, Fabrice Baconnais’s fate was sealed. His dad was a paint and panel guy, so weekends were spent at the shop, and there was always something in the home workshop. Also, with it being Europe, VW Golfs were on every corner, so it’s no wonder Fabrice ended up the way he…

NAME: MICHELLE DENT // AGE: 28 LOCATION: AUCKLAND // OCCUPATION: LENDING MANAGER NZ Performance Car: Hey, Michelle! When we last saw you, you had a JZX110; why the C33 now? Michelle: Hi, NZPC! I’ve always loved the C33 Laurels, and of course my partner’s one (SWAGER) was always an inspiration to me, so, as they say, if you can’t beat them, join them, right? I did own a diesel C33 many years ago, so thought I’d better level up on that one, too [laughs]. Why this one in particular—was it the SR? This one stood out because it was different and it ticked a lot of boxes for me. The SR actually wasn’t my first choice of engine, but, hey, it hasn’t let me down and definitely surprises people when…

Cheap. Fast. Reliable. Now pick two. That’s how choosing a track car chassis tends to go. It’s about treading the fine line to find that perfect balance. For many, that balance has been found in specific offerings; however, for Scott Wedlake and a growing list of others, there’s an often-forgotten model range being rediscovered that can get you pretty close. It’s the Nissan Pulsar VZ-R—a zippy front-wheel-drive 1.6-litre that can be had in two-door or four-door hatch, and sedan form. Scott’s is the sedan and has been upgraded via a SR20VE block swap from the Primera range, retaining the factory head as it’s the same for both. With VVL you get a similar dual-cam profile effect as VTEC—albeit with double crossover. The addition of P12 Primera cams heightens the effect,…

No doubt many of you are partial to an hour or 10 behind the controller, and we’d bet a pretty sum that the game you’re playing has something to do with racing. Are we right? Yeah, we thought so. In which case, you’ll probably be excited to hear that not only is there a fresh incarnation of perhaps the greatest racing game series in the world, Gran Turismo—simply named Gran Turismo 7 (GT7)—to coincide with the launch of the PlayStation 5, but in the previews released by Sony, you can clearly see a solid line-up of fresh offerings. These include the latest Subaru WRX STi, tail lights from an R35 GT-R, a 350Z, a current-generation NSX, a Porsche 917, and even the Mazda RX-Vision in GT3 spec! Better yet, the…

With this year all over the place, it’s good to see a sense of normality offered to the rally community by way of the New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC). Dates for the 2021 season have been confirmed and replicate what we were meant to see take place this year, with the season kicking off in Otago before moving to Whangarei, South Canterbury, and Hawke’s Bay. The fourth and fifth rounds have yet to be finalized, with the dates slated to be announced once the international calendar—including whether the FIA World Rally Championship will return to New Zealand shores—is locked in place. However, as far as local rallying is concerned, it’s a good starting point for the offseason preparations and helps towards seeing the motorsport calendar return to pre-Covid-19 normality. NZRC…

31 JULY-1 AUGUST D1NZ NATIONAL DRIFTING CHAMPIONSHIP GRAND FINALE PUKEKOHE PARK, PUKEKOHE While other series across the globe may have pulled the pin on the 2020 season and crowned half-time champions, the National Drifting Championship doesn’t roll like that. Instead, it came back with a banger revival round that is set to be followed by a mammoth season grand finale at the spiritual home ground of drifting in this country: Pukekohe Park! Boasting the fastest drift section in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the best audiovisual experiences known to the sport, it’s one round you don’t want to miss, especially after a giant-killing first four rounds that will see the top-10 points holders duking it out to see a returning or new champion crowned. For all the finer details…

New Zealand’s premier drift series, Valvoline D1NZ, has had a serious mix-up post Covid-19. The once-gleaming, show-worthy halls of ASB Showgrounds in Auckland have been painted black with rubber, thanks to a serious rethink about the future of showcasing New Zealand’s top-tier skid sport. We’ve got the talent in New Zealand, so why not showcase that better to the world? Brendon White, managing director of D1NZ, has done just that, taking inspiration from binge-worthy TV shows such as Hyperdrive and Ken Block’s Gymkhana. Is this the shake-up New Zealand’s high-level drifting needed? A 5.5M WIDE TUNNEL BETWEEN THE TWO MAIN HALLS LEFT ONLY INCHES TO SPARE FOR CARS TO SLIDE THROUGH Covid-19 has changed the world in more ways than we can even imagine. Constraint can be a catalyst for…

We’ve come a loooong way, baby. This collective of barking exhausts, big ol’ whistly turbos, and brash rolling stock we fondly refer to as ‘the scene’ wasn’t always quite this layered and complex. We’re in a multifaceted age; everyone and every build has a box to be packed snugly into, a clique to roll deep with, and a unique hashtag to be identified by. Sometimes, it can feel like a hell of a lot to digest. It’s little wonder, then, that the odd punter who’s been around the import side of things for a while is gazing back longingly at simpler times through a nostalgic rose tint: an effort to break through the noise of being a car nut in 2020, and reconnect with a period epitomized by optimism, enthusiasm,…

‘Classic’ and ‘Japanese’ used to be mutually exclusive terms in the classic car world. However, after years of rejection, some self-appointed connoisseurs in the ‘old guard’ reluctantly admitted that the likes of select Mazda and Datsun models made the cut. Even then, these Japanese classics were considered a subspecies, not really on a par with their British or European classics. Well, we’re here to say screw that—and, thankfully, many are starting to agree with us. The definition brackets are constantly shifting, with most examples aged 30 years or older up for consideration in the category, as long as they have made some form of impact in their lifetime. We are now well into the years when Japanese design and manufacture clearly left the products of most traditional carmakers in their…

NAME: PIYUSH DHANJI // AGE: 36 LOCATION: AUCKLAND // THANKS: ALL THE CJC BOYS AND MY WIFE NZ Performance Car: Hi, Piyush. Sweet Type R. Have you always been into Hondas? Piyush: Hanging out with my older brother and his mates when we were younger is when I really got into cars; they all started with Hondas, so I’ve always been into them since then. What made you choose the EP3? The main thing was wanting something I could take to the track and still drive to work without standing out too much. The bonus was also not having to do much work to the engine to make it fun, as it’s a good package out of the box. They’re not very common cars to begin with, especially in black,…

THE ULTIMATE IN FRESH You’ve grown up with the all-too familiar fragrance of Lynx sprayed on in generous quantities; for many it was and still is the absolute pinnacle of deodorants in a can. Now, you can carry that fragrance into your car with the range of Lynx Car Fresheners. Offered in Gold, Black, Ice Chill, Dark Temptation, and the iconic Africa, these can be had as 3D hanging, vent, mini vent, and gel can options to suit your mounting preference. Available from all leading automotive, hardware, and big box stores throughout New Zealand. Contact your local stockist for pricing. For further information, visit: griffithsequipment.co.nz. ’80S THROWBACK Tired of all the hyper-modern designs on the market and wish you could get your hands on something that looks like it came…