Adam Browne’s 1984 Holden Commodore VH
There are few, if any, cars more iconic in the Auckland scene than Adam Browne’s VH Commodore. Although the car’s history dates back to when his brother owned it prior to him, it’s through Adam’s ownership that the Holden has come to be what it is.
When we featured the car on the cover of our March 2010 issue, it was a prime example of pro-street styling — the wide rubber, chromed out engine, caged interior, and low stance. It retains most of those things today, yet has evolved to look far more modern at the same time. The 15-inch wheels have been replaced with a set of 18×7 and 20×11-inch rollers coated in gloss-black paint. Adam’s hit the rest of the chrome work with paint too — the bumpers, trims, and anything else that was once silver is now gone, and the car is all the better for it.
A new anodised black 6/71 supercharger has replaced the 4/71 item the car used to wear and a custom-made fibreglass scoop sits atop, hiding the Demon carburettor.
The car’s been present at every Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Festival over the last decade, and even after so many years, it continues to be a highlight for the crowd and judges alike. The recently blacked out-engine bay only adds to the car’s appeal.
While Adam says he’s pretty much done with making changes to it, he did mention that the roll cage and boot still feature the burgandy colour of old, which he wouldn’t mind changing. So we’re guessing, even a decade on, this tough VH’s evolution isn’t quite finished yet!
Nick Andrews’ 1980 Ford Falcon XD
Nick Andrews’ Falcon has followed the theme of evolving since we featured it. The engine bay has since been smoothed over by Real Rides before a new Grant Rivers-built engine was dropped in palace. The new combo displaces 440 cubic inches and is topped with a billet TBS 8/71 large-rotor supercharger and twin 1320cfm Dominator carbs. Chuck Mann built a TH400 trans to slot in behind it, while Auto Trans took care of a stall converter to suit. Understandably, the fuel system and driveshaft were upgraded to cope with the new power levels and the engine and trans were both solid-mounted when re-installed. Visually, a set of 20-inch wheels is the biggest change, although the car also sits a bit lower than it did, too. Future plans include custom-made carbon fibre bumpers and mirrors, however, Nick’s also keeping busy with some non-V8 projects too!
And the rest
Harley Douglas’s Camaro was a tough bit of kit when we featured it, and it’s now even better, knocking oh-so-close on the door of running a nine-second pass. Craig Stacey’s AMC Javelin is still looking just as good as the day we featured it, although it’s not been out on track quite as often these days while Craig plays with a variety of other vehicles. Interestingly though, his son Scott, who was still at school when we featured the car, is now working full time in Australia on V8 Supercars!