Didn’t get what you wanted from Santa this Christmas? Don’t worry, a crisp $10 note is all you’ll need to get something better. And, hey, if your holiday festivities all went to plan, why not top it off with a decent read?
NZV8 Issue No. 129 has hit the shelves, and is packed with enough content to last all the lazy time you’ll be enjoying this summer. Before getting into that juicy cover car, we’ve got a road test of the hot, new 2015 HSV Clubsport LSA R8 — HSV’s latest offering, packing an almighty 400kW (536hp) supercharged LSA engine.
And the aforementioned HSV shares a little in common with our cover car; namely they’re both supercharged Commodores. But this one is a menacing tribute to the ultimate Commodore; the ‘Blue Meanie’. As you might be able to tell by the big Simmons wheels and bonnet jewellery, this one’s packin’ a little more than factory firepower, thanks to its blown and manually shifted motive power.
Backing that up is a wicked ’69 Camaro, built by old-school hot rodder Miles Edmundson. Miles recently fulfilled a 17-year dream to get the car complete, and it’s been built in his beloved pro-street style. She’s a lot more than just tubs and motor, though — Miles has even employed the old-school art of channelling in this build, and it’s definitely worth reading about (and in case you’re wondering, it’s not a genuine Yenko, but a tribute).
With the drag racing season in full swing, we figured we’d get a feature out on one of the coolest drag cars out there — Trev Dick’s retro-styled ’67 Plymouth Barracuda. Packing a blown and Hilborn-injected 451ci big block Mopar and a deliciously retro stance, this Barracuda has all the style to match its heavy artillery. Witnessing cars like this hit the quarter mile are well worth heading to your local drag strip this season!
Of course, it isn’t all fire-breathing horsepower monsters — to satisfy those of you who prefer the slower side of life, we’ve got Shane Poulton’s ground-scraping (literally) ’70 GMC pickup. This thing is a beautifully finished cruiser, and one that Shane built for enjoying around this time of the year — you gotta admit, it’d be a grouse summer cruiser!
And you can’t help but love this beautiful ’65 Ford Ranchero — proof that the simplest builds are quite often the best. It doesn’t have big wheels, 1000hp, or a candy paint job, but it does have enough power, a clean finish, and a nice story behind it. It’s no adrenaline-filled monster, but it doesn’t need to be when it’s been built this flawlessly, and finished this beautifully.
Tech-wise, Tony and Anthony Marsh at Marsh Motorsport were kind enough to give us a rundown on what makes their 8000hp Nitromethane-drinking Top Fuel engine tick. We’ve got a bit of a look inside the guts of one of these insane engines, and if you were lucky enough to watch the Fish and Marsh family Top Fuellers face off at the Rock FM Nitro Shootout on Saturday, January 9, you’ll understand just how incredible these engines are!
And, as far as sheds go, Terry Dalton was kind enough to give us a guided tour of his amazing collection. With a jaw-dropping collection of cars, museum-like quantities of memorabilia, and myriad other cool things in his possession, this is man-cave envy at its finest.
There is also a healthy dose of event coverage kicking off the local summer event calendar, including the Stragglers Cambridge Charity Car Show at the beautiful Lake Karapiro in Cambridge — a great opportunity to see a wide variety of vehicles in an extremely picturesque setting. You can check out our little online report here.
Further down the line was the New Brighton Rockabilly Show and Shine, held at New Brighton in Christchurch. The Southern events are always a good time, and this one’s no exception — check it out for a great showing of local cars and talent.
What we really love about summer, along with the myriad cruises and events, though, is the drag racing calendar. This kicked off in force with the Petrolhead Father’s Day Drags which, after a number of rain dates, finally made it near the end of November. Despite the looming weather, a great day of racing was had, and we’ve got an event report and gallery in here. Of course, you can also check our online coverage here.
And, the Burgerfuel Port Road Drags are another favourite, deserving of special mention in having reached 49 years without a single rain date! We’ve got a full event report and gallery in the current issue, and you can also check out some coverage here.
In other track-related news, of the non-straight-line variety, we’ve got all the action from round four of Enzed CMC held at Thunder in the Park. These guys were full steam ahead through rain and shine, and some glorious racing was to be had.
We’ve got all this, and a whole lot more, in our summer issue, so make sure you head out and grab a copy. Or, if you want to enjoy your summer by being extra lazy, you can cop an issue online at the link below. Happy reading!
You can purchase a print copy or a digital copy of NZV8 Issue No. 129 below:
