New Zealand Classic Car 396, November/December 2024

Sakurai’s inspirational Nissan Skyline: the Hakosuka
It took 19 years for Steve Radich to achieve his dream of owning a Skyline Hakosuka, but what he ended up with is perfection in an extremely low-kilometre example which is our cover feature in this issue.
Back in 2005, Steve hatched a plan to one day own his dream Skyline: the legendary Hakosuka. Over the next 15 years, the list of Skylines Steve bought and sold went as follows. First was a 1998 Nissan Skyline GT, with two doors too many. It was replaced with a red GTT of the same year, but with the correct number of doors! Finally, in 2020, Steve found himself looking at a white 1999 GTR sitting in his shed.
Don’t forget that this edition also comes with our FREE huge wall poster. This issue features a fully restored 1968 Ford Cortina GT Mark II.
Morris fast mover
Owning an important historic racing car such as the Begg FM4 requires a period-correct transporter, and the Rush family has acquired an impressive beast that fits the bill, a 1965 Morris FG60.
Bob’s Bambina
Bob McMurray has spent a lifetime inside Formula 1 and now he has a Fiat 500 F. The story of how he became its owner almost by accident and of its restoration is one of those that has ended well, and it was a bit of a laugh getting there. Bob’s Fiat actually has a distant McLaren connection.
Girls N Gasoline
If Christchurch automotive technician, Melissa Hannan, tells you your car is now running sweet, you can bet she has used her mechanical skills to make it that way!
2024 McLaren 675 LT Supercar Classic
Kiwi petrolheads have and always will possess a strong affinity with McLaren. We are all familiar with the humble origins of Bruce McLaren, his legacy of global motorsport success, and the brilliance of road-going supercars bearing his name.
1971 HG Holden Kingswood
The Brokenwood Mysteries TV show team has been battling crime in a sleepy, rural New Zealand setting for 10 series and features a Holdem which is a kiwi favourite.
Motor Sport Flashback
Despite recording the fastest lap of the race and robbing Lando Norris of a valuable championship point, Daniel Ricciardo’s disappointing result for RB at the Singapore Grand Prix has benefited Liam Lawson, with Pukekohe’s finest taking the Australian’s seat for the balance of the 2024 season.
Apprentices – Part 1
Encouraging young people to learn the necessary skills is a big issue facing restoration companies.
Chevrolet’s blistering Corvette ZR1 for 2025
Chevrolet’s Corvette has established itself as a great niche model that just won’t die and with the launch of the ZR1 model in 2025, its heritage just got even better.
Kits And Pieces
New Zealand’s home-grown Saker supercar has developed an enviable performance reputation on the world’s racetracks; now, a local enthusiast has developed one as a formidable open-road cruiser.
Special Travel Feature – Part 1
Patrick Harlow and a couple of mates decided a tour of the scenic South Island was well overdue so they set off on a nine-day raid of some of the island’s best scenic spots, cosseted in three very different American Grand Tourers.
Motorman
The Austin A90 Westminster saloon has a rather special motoring heritage, after setting an amazing long-distance record in 1955. It also went on to perform well in New Zealand car trials, as Donn Anderson recalls.
Looking back: racing down under – Part 1
In this Part 1, Gerard Richards looks back on a time when individual ingenuity, colloquially called ‘Kiwi No. 8 wire mentality’, brought up individuals of outstanding excellence in local motor racing, having a big influence on a youngster growing up in ‘Kiwi culture’.
Postcard from the USA
If you are travelling to the ‘States this summer, Jim recommends recharging your ‘batteries’ by giving yourselves a decent stopover in Los Angeles and visiting the Zimmerman Driving Museum.
Shelf Classics
Fun Ho! toys have a special place in New Zealand history; they are a real Kiwi icon: tough, durable, and virtually indestructible.
Behind the Garage Door
Christchurch custom and classic car restorer, Phil Adamson, has realised his dream of more than a decade ago: to build a rare Italian thoroughbred, armed only with measurements from a scale-model Maserati 450S!
Marketplace Report
When the Mazda MX-5 kick-started the revival of the back-to-basics sports car in 1989, many manufacturers thought it would be a mighty fine idea to cash in on the new roadster boom, hello BMW Z3.
Coaching from the bench
Cars with fibreglass bodies don’t dent; they crack. The panels on America’s Corvette sports cars, for example, will take a lot of abuse and bounce back, but, if struck hard enough in a collision, they will fracture and tear.
Price On – Road User Charges for all by 2027?
As has become the norm, no thought has been given to our classics by the bureaucratic noddies!
To see a fully-illustrated content rundown of this issue, go to our website