We’re heading into the depths of winter, but NZV8’s got just the remedy to keep you warm in your armchair — covering the usual catalogue of sweet rides, braving the weather to report on the events, and giving you the all the tech and special features to distract you from the rain tapping your window.
Those feature cars are headlined by the smokin’ ‘BOSDOG’ Commodore. With a turbocharged 408ci LS under the bonnet, immaculate detailing, a full catalogue worth of go-fast goodies, and a four-digit power figure target, this could be New Zealand’s toughest street-legal Commodore.
All you fans of American muscle needn’t despair — BOSDOG’s star performance is backed up by Tony Ewans’ super tough Dodge Challenger. With 572 cubes of alloy Keith Black big block under the bonnet, and all the sublime green paint you could ask for, this thing is loud in all terms of the word.
The boys at Hamilton’s Rocket Speed Equipment have delivered a standout in the beautiful 1947 Chevy pickup they built for a customer, seamlessly blending understated luxury with the utilitarian nature of the post-war workhorse.
We’ve also got the awesome Camaro race car built by Ken Hopper, based almost entirely on a full Nascar imported from the USA — he even went as far as to decorate it in a fitting rendering of the donor vehicle’s US Army livery, and it looks pretty damn neat! On top of this, we also look into a Ford Mainline that has been thoroughly modernized with the best bits of a late-model Falcon XR8, and a seven-second Model T Altered that was built almost entirely in one bloke’s shed on a shoestring budget — very cool!
Braving the wild weather, we also managed to get out and about to a number of events. The Capital Rodders Swap Meet, held at Wellington’s Trentham Racecourse, delivered the full swap meet experience — boundless traders and their wares, and of course a large number of awesome cars, this is the kind of event we’d go to regardless of how crap the weather is. In a similar vein was one of the Hawke’s Bay’s crowning jewels in the automotive calendar — the Marineland Hot Rod & Classic Car Fair, which was equally great.
Further up north, we’ve got full coverage of the NZ Holden Nationals by the GM Enthusiasts Club. With a great display of vehicles, and an awesome atmosphere, this one was a show that’d appeal to any car fan, not only those loyal to Holden (though that never hurts).
The final round of the Enzed Central Muscle Cars series, held at Taupo Motorsport Park, was also well worth watching. We’ve got the write-up and action-packed shots that make this series so entertaining. If only we were able to put sound in print, because this has got to be one of the best sounding race series ever!
We also get our hands dirty by getting to the root of a small block Chev–powered Chevy pickup’s overheating issues — who knew that installing an electric water pump could be so easy?
Likewise, we also checked out the new Lyndar paint colour-matching system available at Supercheap Auto — how well can a generic parts retailer do what was, until now, a specialized product?
On top of all this, we managed to take a look into the massive collection within a previous feature car owner’s shed. West Aucklander Mike Dean — the man behind the awesome ‘HMROID’ Dodge Challenger from NZV8 Issue No. 21 — takes us behind the doors of this ‘bachelor pad’ — cool cars, cool motorbikes, cool memorabilia, he’s got it in spades!
For all this, and more, grab yourself a copy of NZV8 Issue No. 122 off the shelf, or over at giveamag.co.nz — we guarantee it’ll keep you warm and cosy this winter!
