Get the inside word on NZV8 Issue No. 125

Alongside everything that’s required to bolt a magazine together, a fair bit of photography goes into each issue of NZV8. Adam Croy, our main photographer, will take around 150–200 photos of each feature car, of which only around 10 will end up in the magazine. This principle applies to each photographer, and each feature — feature car, tech, or event — which leaves a huge catalogue of shots that remain unseen and unappreciated. Here’s a selection of additional photos taken by the man himself to go with the latest issue of NZV8, which you will be picking up a copy of — right?

The headlining act is Steve and Leanne Milne’s beautiful ’56 Chev, which you may have seen on show at the recent CRC Speedshow. If not, you can check it out here, in all its glorious detail. As a competitor in Top Doorslammer drag racing, Steve has lived his life in the fast lane — so when the couple decided to take a break from the sport and build a cruiser they could both enjoy, the result was only ever going to be something as incredible as this car. These images should show you some of the detail that’s gone into the build, and you’ll find the full story in the magazine.

Following in the tough and tidy vein, we also have Warren Brown’s beautiful ’68 Dodge Dart GT. Originally purchased with the intention of just giving it a quick repaint, the inevitable happened, and the Dart soon found itself completely stripped. Of course, being an old-school hot rodder, there was no way the car was ever going to look anything other than ‘right’, and Warren’s absolutely nailed the tough ’60s stance. In fact, the only bad thing is the fact that, no matter how eloquent our words, no feature article will be able to quite match the raw sound of its 440 angry cubes rumbling through its twin three-inch exhaust.

It doesn’t end there, either — for fans of the blue oval, we’ve got this tough Ford Fairmont XY. The XY’s owner, Anita, wanted something that looked good and drove well — essentially, the perfect weekend cruiser. Thanks to a blown 351, immaculate finish, and a killer stance, she’s now got everything she could ever want from a car in one sweet package.

Russ McIntyre’s another who now has exactly what he wants out of his car, although in this case it was a three-decade affair. He purchased the ’32 Ford body as a young man, and only recently found the time to build it into the tough, old-school hot rod you see here. With a fascinating story behind it, and incredible workmanship throughout, this is definitely a car you’ll want to know more about.

And last, but definitely not least, we have this staunch Holden Commodore VK belonging to Darren Paterson. Having owned a number of tough old Holdens, he picked this one up for $200, and so began the steady transformation into a tough, street-legal circuit racer. With just about the entire COME Racing catalogue stuffed into the Holden V8 — which now displaces 355ci — a Tremec six-speed manual gearbox, and what must class as one of the best-quality matt black paint jobs we’ve seen, thanks to Matamata Paintworks, Darren’s Commodore definitely has the bite to match its bark.

There’s more to it than just the feature cars, though — we’ve also packed a bunch of special features in too, including coverage of the 2015 Meguiar’s MotorEx. The Sydney-based show featured some of Australia’s best cars from all walks of life, all built to an award-winning standard. As an indicator of where the top tier in New Zealand’s modified scene is headed, it’s definitely a worthwhile insight into how automotive styles, trends, and techniques are changing. You may write them off as trailer queens, but you can’t deny the sheer skill that has gone into crafting each of these masterpieces.

Closer to home is our coverage of the 2015 Palmerston North Hot Rod Club Swap Meet, a haven for any self-respecting petrolhead in the lower North Island.

Our Kiwis Abroad coverage is also continuing, with part two featured in this issue. We find out more about Steve ‘Kiwi Steve’ Davies, Ian Stewart from ASD (better known as the man behind the build of Ken Block’s Hoonicorn), Kevin ‘Kiwi Kev’ Perry, Tony Garmey, and Peter ‘Pedey’ Kelly.

Recently, the Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association (LVVTA) underwent an internal review to identify how the system is performing. We took the opportunity to head down to the LVVTA headquarters for a first-hand look at how the certification process works, from a perspective that most of us never get to see. It’s very different to what you may expect, and we’ve captured a small part of life behind the cert plate to show you just how involved it is.

We’ve also been pretty keen to put part two of Kevin Shaw’s experiences on Route 66 to print, and it sure makes for an epic tale. From checking out the sights and sounds at the amazing Ringbrothers’ workshop — including their ‘Ringabago’ — through to watching the White Sox play ball, viewing collections of incredible vehicles, and taking in the amazing scenery, Route 66 is a modern-day expedition and Kevin’s words bring such an experience to life.

On top of this, we’ve also got the usual tech, feature shed, columns, and extra content needed to fill up 136 pages of 90gsm gloss paper stock. Head down to your local for a copy, or pick one up a print or digital copy below: