Over the years we’ve featured some amazing cars in NZV8 magazine, and with our next issue being our 10th Birthday Special, we decided to try and pick some favourites from the archives. Of course with so many cars to choose from it wasn’t easy to get a consensus, but below is what we here in the office voted as our favorite car from the fifth and sixth year of the magazine.
We’d love to know which one of these you like the best though, so let us know in the comments below, and you’ll go in the draw to win a hardcover copy of our NZV8 Top 100 Cars — The Editor’s Pick book! The winner will be drawn on Wednesday morning New Zealand time, and contacted via Facebook.
2009–2010: strictly business
Issue No. 53 — back issue available here
1950 Chevrolet Business Coupe (Ian Rainbow)
If your car resembles a giant Snifter lolly, it’s probably nothing tough — unless you’re Ian Rainbow, that is. Ian’s peppermint green 1950 Chevrolet Business Coupe looks smooth as silk, from its glossy paintwork to the comfortably upholstered interior. Outside, the huge 15×15-inch Centreline Convo Pro rears are all that hint at the 572ci of World Products big block Chev beneath the bonnet, that (with the help of a NOS 400hp nitrous system) has hustled the vehicle down the quarter-mile in nine seconds. The Chev isn’t just fast, it’s also comfortable and reliable, and Ian and his wife Trish drive it all over the country, including road trips around the South Island!
2010–2011: tough as nails
Issue No. 62 — back issue available here
1969 Chevrolet Camaro (Pat Croul)
Big tubs, steamroller-sized rear wheels, and a suitably wild engine are the defining features of the Pro Street movement — Pat Croul’s take on this is so simple and so much the better for it. Crisp PPG Ice White paint extends to the bumpers, in stark contrast to the blacked-out Centreline Convo Pro rims, and a custom sheetmetal dash filled with Auto Meter’s finest ensures it looks the part inside. The ‘go’ to match the show is provided by 454ci of nitrous-huffing big block Chev, but just look at it — have you seen anything with a warrant and rego that looks even half as tough?