Innholdsfortegnelse for No 156 May 2018 i NZV8

I’ve lost count of how many car events I’ve been to over the years—or, more accurately, I’ve never actually bothered to count. From the early, early days of various hot rod shows and circuit events with my dad, through to being deeply immersed in the import show and drag racing scenes, to the myriad events that the V8 scene has to offer, I’ve been to them all. While it’d be fair to say that I’ve probably attended more as a spectator than I have as an entrant, I’ve owned enough cars to have entered my fair share of things. Some of the memories from those events will last a lifetime; others, I’d happily forget about. Just prior to the previous issue going to print, my wife, my daughter, and I…

707HP TRACKHAWKS ARE HERE! From the time that Jeep announced it’d be combining the 707hp Hellcat engine with the successful Cherokee platform, we wanted to get behind the wheel of one. That dream is about to become reality, as the vehicles are now on sale in New Zealand. For an outlay starting at $169,990, you could be behind the wheel of the most-powerful SUV ever made. The cars are packed with everything you’d expect at that price—air suspension, drive aids galore, and elite levels of interior refinement, to name just a few. If you’re looking to make sure that the kids are at school on time and that you have plenty of room for the dog and enough towing capacity to move a house, we suggest you quick-foot it down…

NOSTALGIA ACTION This year’s Worlds End Bar and Restaurant Nostalgia Drags, run by Bay Rodders Inc hadn’t even run as we put this issue to print, but you can be sure that, as you read this, we’ll have a write-up and gallery online on themotorhood.com. You should probably have a look—just search ‘Nostalgia Drags 2018’ to find it. NZDRA NATIONALS We’ve tried to keep you posted on the 2017–’18 local drag racing season as it has happened, and, even though it’s beginning to wrap up, we’ve still got things covered. Find an online report on the NZDRA 50th New Zealand Nationals held at Masterton Motorplex by searching ‘50th New Zealand Nationals’ on themotorhood.com. AMERICAN ANNUAL Better late than never, right? We’ve got something from the 2018 vault for you—by that,…

Ryan Sheldon was oh so hopeful of getting his Batman-themed Chev Delivery to Repco Beach Hop 18 but narrowly missed out. The car has come a long way since it last graced these pages, with the work all being done at home by Ryan along with his friends and family. The Delivery’s slammed stance belies the fact that under the hood lives a monster blown big block that has more place being in a drag car or dedicated burnout car than a cruiser. Of course, with Ryan’s drag racing experience, that should really come as no surprise. True to form, Ryan has ensured that the vehicle is the full package, adding his own touch to every aspect, such as the full custom grille, unique interior, and tidied engine bay. Once…

MIKE WAS GETTING SICKER BY THE MINUTE AND WONDERING WHY HE’D PICKED SUCH A BUNCH OF PRICKS TO HAVE AS MATES There’s a bloke by the name of Bruce Kimmins, originally from Shannon in the lower North Island, who was one of the cleverest metal workers in the New Zealand car scene back in the 1980s. He’s gone on since to do astonishing things in the US—from hand-forming Cobra bodies for Carroll Shelby, to building Ferrari and Delahaye bodies that have won at Pebble Beach, to contracting to Vic Edelbrock. Bruce is a truly amazing guy, and his story will be well worth telling one day. Back in the late 1970s, I saw a 1939, or thereabouts, Ford coupe in bare steel that Bruce had formed from a sedan. It…

It’s not often that I have doubts about going racing; it’s not often that I think, should I really go racing this weekend? However, for the Perth Motorplex nitro hot rod event, that was the case, as my wife Monique and I were stoked to welcome our first child into the world on the Monday prior to the event. It was tough leaving them behind on Friday night—in fact, a lot tougher than I thought it would be. We had the four Aeroflow nitro hot rods in Perth, and we were running a three-round format, so we got to race every car once, which was pretty cool. Prior to that, we had competed in two events with ‘Spooky’. In the first event, we made the final in New Zealand and…

Renowned for being the poor cousin of the higher-specced and often more desired Bel Air or the top-of-the-line Impala, the Chevrolet Biscayne was aimed squarely at the fleet end of the vehicle market. Generally regarded as nothing more than a sales-rep special, due to its lack of creature comforts on the inside and lack of shiny stuff on the outside, the Biscayne badge is often less desirable than those of its more flashy relatives. More often than not, the base models are overlooked when it comes to choosing an American car, but that was just what attracted Steve Adams to the 1964 Chev Biscayne that now resides in his garage. It arrived on our shores in 2009, freshly imported by John Key at Trans America Shipping, who held onto it…

Years of hard work, preparation, and planning have worked out well for Martin and Tina. The hard graft in earlier years saw them able not only to design their own house but also to build it, and, hidden away inside that house, is one hell of a shed—the ideal place for Martin to live out his retirement years. The plan to integrate the shed into the house, by hiding it in plain sight, came about after a trip to Chris Hornblow’s very differently styled but similar combo—the big difference being that Martin’s shed hides under the house rather than behind it. A plumber/drain layer by trade, and a hands-on guy by nature, Martin didn’t want to sit back and have someone design and build the place for him; instead, Martin…

SUPERCARS ARE MYSTIC CREATURES THAT STALK EMPTY BACK ROADS WHERE THEY CAN’T BE BOTHERED BY LESSER MACHINES. THEY INHABIT OUR HEARTS, OUR MINDS — AND THE POSTERS OF THE WALLS BELONGING TO OUR YOUNGER SELVES It is very rarely that the words ‘homegrown supercar’ and ‘New Zealand’ will find themselves in the same sentence. However, unknown to most, there have been a few such cars designed and produced in this country. Some will disagree with us describing the following cars as supercars. It is, however, very hard to define what a supercar is, and, in this instance, we have gone with a definition put together by Jeff Glucker, an automotive correspondent: “Supercars are mystic creatures that stalk empty back roads where they can’t be bothered by lesser machines. They inhabit…

When Bruce Fuller’s 1965 Impala debuted at the Kumeu car show in 2008, it caused jaws to drop. The massive wheels and slammed stance made the car look like a Hot Wheels toy, and the 462ci big block under the hood only added to the appeal. Largely self-built by Bruce, helped along by a team of Taranaki’s finest, the car continued to collect fans at every event it went to, becoming perhaps one of the most iconic and popular cars we’ve ever featured. While many people had talked about buying the car off Bruce, it wasn’t until Beach Hop 2009 that an offer was made that stuck—much to the disbelief of those around at the time. Having enjoyed the build experience, Bruce swapped the car for a 1955 Chev pickup,…

Repco Beach Hop 18 rocked Whangamata just days before this issue went to print, and while we’ve got a brief overview of the event in this issue, to check out the full thing, you’ll need to get your hands on a copy of our Beach Hop Annual. As always, the annual is packed full of Beach Hop coverage, and as an added bonus comes complete with its own DVD so you can see the action come to life. Regardless of if you were at the event and want to re-live it, or simply want to feel like you were there, the Beach Hop Annual is a must have. To make sure you don’t miss out, pre-order your copy now at www.magstore.nz…

Hi Todd, I just got latest issue, open it up on the Rebel Round Up page to see my partner Sandra’s ’58 Pontiac Safari—so cool; then turn over several pages to see the Anglia. I’m building this car at the moment with a Tickford XR8 ute as the donor car. John Reid has already built the new front suspension, and it’ll run an A9X bonnet bulge, with imported Mk1 metal bubble arches, and will be wearing D windows all round. Everyone said [to] LS it but I wanted it all Ford! I built a BDA-powered one in the early ’80s, then the next owner wrote it off. I then had an Anglia classic race car powered by a Bob Homewood special non-crossflow engine. It was a very quick car, but…

Hi Neil, we’re really liking this truck of yours. What’s the story? It’s my daily driver. It was a single-cab 2007 Hilux—one of the ali-deck ones that RD1 uses, and it was an insurance write-off. I didn’t even take the motor out of the chassis, just lifted the body off and put the ’49 Ford on. That’s impressive! We’re guessing that’s why it sits really well—nice and low. Yeah, that’s it—I like things sitting right! And it isn’t actually running a V8? No, it’s still got the intercooled three-litre turb-odiesel motor and five-speed manual box from the Hilux. It’s a good, reliable setup. We know you’ll get asked this a lot, but we have to ask—why? I’d bought the 1949 Ford Bonus to do something with, and this happened to…

The Spray Factory in Palmerston North may not be the largest paint shop in the land, but it sure is one of the best. Just nearing the final stages of the business’s loving touch is a first-generation Firebird. The car came to the team with the panel work done, and just the final details needing to be added before the custom colour could be applied. With the owner wanting nothing but the best, plenty of hours of prep and blocking went into it, and that is now obvious in the arrow-straight finish. From here, the car is set to get an equally impressive interior set-up—although, for now, mum’s the word on the driveline side of things! WE KNOW THERE ARE SOME FANTASTIC CARS BEING BUILT OUT THERE, SO DON’T BE…

There’s a saying out there along the lines of, ‘It’s hard to soar like an eagle when you’re surrounded by turkeys’, and a few others that go vaguely along the lines of, ‘you are who you surround yourself with’. The moral of the story is that if you’re surrounded by idiots, chances are, you’ll be one, or, conversely, if you surround yourself with the best, then that’s more likely where you’ll position yourself. I can’t say for sure whether Christian Hillary, the owner of this stunning pro-touring Camaro, has aligned his life with such adages, but he’s certainly been hanging out with the right people to build some killer cars. The build of this Camaro, which is by no means his first trip down the rabbit hole, was initially brought…

ORAM’S UP Well-known and respected racer Gavin Oram has been absent from the driver’s seat for a few seasons, spending his time crewing for Reece Fish. However, he made a much-welcomed return to the track at the 2018 IHRA Nationals, with his Plymouth Arrow now packing a whole lot more punch. The car, which for many years ran a nitrous-snorting small block, but in more recent years had a single turbo strapped to the side, now features twin turbos on the 377ci small block. While the new combo was good enough to see the car back into the low eights, with a 8.29 at 171.79mph straight off the trailer, there was drama to come for Gav. During elimination rounds, now a bit more comfortable behind the wheel, Gav left the…

The guys and girls at Gear Jammers Rod and Muscle Car Club are a pretty easy-going bunch, but, once a year, things get serious for them—and that’s in the organization of their big annual event. This year’s show, held on March 18 at Kapiti Primary School, went by the name of ‘All Fired Up’ and graced every metre of the school field. Over the past few years, the laid-back gathering has cemented itself as a ‘must-attend’ if you’re anywhere near the lower North, and now, having been there ourselves, we totally understand why. The format is simple: either rock up when you please, or join in the cruise from Southward Car Museum, park up with your mates, roll out the picnic blanket if you’re that way inclined, talk shit, look…

When you think of Hemis and Valiants, the first thought is always of the screaming sixcylinder tower of power that gave the cars their fierce reputation in the 1970s. Despite being a few slices short of the V8s of the time, the cars could readily deal to the opposition on racetracks, including the famous Mount Panorama. This 1976 Charger isn’t packing that triple-carbed screamer but something a whole lot more modern that also wears the famous Hemi name. However, the name is where any similarities end between the engines that made Chargers popular and that which is rapidly making this specific car popular. Kevan Dudson, the owner of this Charger, is no stranger to these pages, or to building, restoring, and collecting cool old cars. Even for him, though, this…

The future of Central Muscle Cars (CMC) is looking strong, with another successful young racer set to join the field for the 2018–2019 season. James McLaughlin, who has had plenty of success behind the wheel of a V8 touring car, is now deep into the build of a Group 1 Holden HQ. The bones for the build have come from a recently imported late-model Toyota Camry Nascar and include a 358ci SB2 engine and associated components. Making the purchase even better is the fact that the car was completely restored to as-new condition before family friend Mark Fleming found it. Sheldon Currington, a fellow Wellingtonian with plenty of race fabrication experience, has been building the roll cage and taking care of the major fabrication work, with James and his father,…

Fat Falcon Clint Bower’s XB Falcon coupe also graced the pages. As Clint was the man responsible for much of the fabrication work on Bruce’s Impala, it should come as no surprise that the Falcon was very cleverly built. The car looks just as good today as it did when it debuted, despite having clocked up thousands of miles with the family in it. The car is ingrained in the Bower family, with Clint’s two kids having grown up with it; now that they’re old enough to drive it themselves, there’s no chance of it leaving the shed for good. The Work Equip wheels on the car were controversial at the time, being more commonly seen on Japanese cars, but, in our eyes, it was Clint’s willingness to be different…

THE OTHER ONE If you liked the look of ‘Fanga Dan’ Woolhouse’s radical 2017 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-D, featured in this issue, make sure you check out his baby car as featured in NZ Performance Car—a supercharged Coyote-powered 2017 Ford Mustang GT, stuffed full of mouthwatering go-fast goodies. Search ‘Fanga Mustang’ on themotorhood.com to read up on it. THE HOP DON’T STOP For an event as big as Repco Beach Hop 18, the only way we’d be able to really do justice to any coverage would be to dedicate an entire magazine to it. Luckily, that’s exactly what we’ll be doing. However, until the NZV8 Beach Hop Annual 2018 hits the shelves on May 14, those of you wanting more Beach Hop action than we could fit in this…

ANDRE GETS IT DONE Andre Heimgartner has claimed the 2018 BNT V8s Championship following a strong end to what was a consistently impressive season in the New Zealand touring car category. The final round at Hampton Downs over the weekend of March 9–11 saw the 22-year-old Kiwi lad put in a solid performance to take top honours, despite his Toyota Camry race car’s failure to make it easy for him. “To say I am happy with that result is an understatement. We went out there and did what we had to do, and brought home the championship,” Heimgartner enthused. By the time you read this, Heimgartner, who is now based in Melbourne and racing within the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, will have returned to Australia and raced for Nissan Motorsport…

Given Duncan Lord’s and Jason Knight’s upbringing, it’s hardly surprising that they’re as deeply involved in cars as they are. Best mates since primary school, when Jason’s dad had a rodded ’38 Ford Standard and Duncan’s had a more vintage-styled ride, the pair have played with cars ever since. Jason managed to buy his dad’s old ’38 back in 2009 from the guy to who he had sold it—for the same price it was sold for originally, despite 19 years having passed. Although the car was in bits at the time, the mechanic by trade got it running the very same day and has terrorized the streets in it ever since. That same 302 is still in it, backed by a C4—although the 1980s ride height is long gone, as…

APRIL 21 REV UP WHANGAREI It’s all on in Whangarei, thanks to the annual Rev Up Whangarei car show! This year’s event will be held on Saturday, April 21, and will see Cameron, James, and John Streets filled with hot rods, muscle cars, and all manner of rad rides and speciality displays, as well as live entertainment and special prizes. Show car entry is open from 6am, and entry is by gold-coin donation, with all proceeds going to Women’s Refuge, Whangarei. Visit rodandcustom.co.nz to register online, or check out the Whangarei Rod and Custom Club on Facebook to stay up to date. The club will also hold a swap meet and car display at Heritage Park in Maunu the following day, from 6am. Swap-meet entry is $6 for adults, free…

In the world of automotive magazines, misinformation is rife. Sometimes it takes the form of inflated power figures; other times it relates to a vehicle’s legal status on New Zealand roads; and, in a few cases, it concerns a person’s intentions with a vehicle. Whatever the matter, we can conclude that the average Kiwi car owner loves to spin a good yarn. Dave Polwart is not the average Kiwi car guy, though. He’s a no-bullshit type of dude, so, when he says he’s going to daily-drive the 1940 Ford pickup you’re seeing on these pages, you’d best believe it. “I was looking around for a new daily, and wanted something different. I was looking at Ford Rangers and that sort of stuff, but I decided to go away from that…

Take your pick of whatever motorsport discipline gets your blood pumping. Imagine being handed the keys to whatever constitutes the most extreme vehicle permissible in competition anywhere in the world. Now realize that, for people like us, the possibility of that happening is almost certain to remain nothing more than a far-off dream. For Whangarei man ‘Fanga’ Dan Woolhouse, though, things are a little different. A humble sales manager by trade, Fanga is very much a regular guy, with a day job and a family to look after—albeit one with a difference. Through nothing more than sheer hard graft, relentless passion for his chosen motorsport discipline of drifting, and being an all-round good bloke, he’s become a local figurehead for the sport, and a name recognized throughout New Zealand and…

On the competition calendar of New Zealand drag racing, the annual IHRA Nationals meeting at Meremere Dragway would have to rate as consistently being among one of the largest and most important. While there is no science of data analytics behind this, we’d argue that it’s the drag event at which the most PBs seem to be smashed. It’s the quarter-mile playground of the big dogs, but the competition side of things covers everything, from Junior Dragster right up to the allbusiness Top Alcohol and Top Doorslammer. With the hard-working Meremere track crew prepping the track just about as well as possible, it was made abundantly clear almost straight off the bat that this was going to be a weekend laden with records—helped by the benevolent skies that kept the…

Having spent years working on the demanding IndyCar circuit in America, Mike ‘Bic’ Anderson from Sonic Race and Machine knows a thing or two about setting up cars for maximum performance. Of course, he’s also seen inside some of the coolest workshops in the land, including Nascar legend Richard Petty’s old workshop, dyno sheds, and parts-dumping ground, of which he was lucky to have a guided tour. While clearly Bic couldn’t just help himself to everything he saw, it did get his mind spinning about the opportunities such a facility presented. When we asked Bic what his concept would be, thoughts of his adventures ran through his mind, and he pulled one out of left field. And we love it as we do all the cars Bic builds. The plan…

You’ll be hard-pressed to catch Alan and Paretauira Togia saying it, but the brains behind event-promotion organization Downtime Entertainment have got to be very pleased with the way their annual AutoFest event has grown into the monster it now is—an automotive festival that can be classed among the biggest in New Zealand. From the first AutoFest, in February 2016, through to the third iteration just gone, the growth and refinement of the show’s formula have been discernible, despite the fact that, at a surface level, things have remained largely as they always have been. The venue is still Waikato’s Mystery Creek Events Centre, and the main attractions of a massive show hall and epic burnout competition remain at the fore. It’s all just been polished and perfected, with existing strengths…

DIESEL UTE COOLING Your Ford Ranger has the potential to work rougher terrain and pull heavier loads with PWR’s Dakar-winning intercooler kits. Since temperature regulation is critical to the performance of your engine, PWR’s intercooler kit is tested and manufactured in the harsh heat of Australia, optimizing free-flowing cool air, equalling more horsepower for your Ranger. The heavy-duty, square-faced tube-and-fin design is fully TIG welded and available in polished aluminium or Stealth Black powder coating. You can install it yourself in under two hours or choose to combine the kit with a PCM recalibration, saving you money on fuel and delivering even more horsepower. Get in touch with Paul Manuell on 09 274 2941 for more information on pricing and ordering. EXTRA SECURE You don’t really want to skimp when…

Being hosted by the Wellington Chevrolet Club, you’d think that an event named ‘Super Chevy Sunday’ would be 100-per-cent dedicated to all things Bowtie related. However, that’s not quite the case with this event, which has been held annually over the past eight or so years, as it’s more of an all-comers picnic for new and old. The cars that rolled through the gate this year were a range of all makes and models—although a goodly number of Chevrolet Club members swung the balance slightly in the Chev direction, with almost every imaginable Tri-5 variant showing up. Held at the tree-lined Harcourt Park in Upper Hutt, this year’s Super Chevy Sunday took place on Sunday, March 4, and although it was somewhat smaller than previous years, its relaxed atmosphere was…