The DeLorean DMC-12 is a rare breed of car that’s become a classic for being futuristic. The Back to the Future movies helped it reach iconic status as well and with this sustained interest it was only a matter of time before someone brought the badge back from the dead.

Planning to build a new DMC-12 in electric form is a collaboration effort between the reborn DeLorean Motor Company and an electric car startup company named Epic EV. DMC is now operating out of Texas, U.S.A and expects to put the new electric vehicle into production by 2013. Epic EV is a firm started by Aptera co-founder Chris Anthony and currently has other electric-powered projects in the pipeline.

Little is known about the car itself at this stage but early reports say it will a power output of around 195kW and a top speed of 200km/h. It will cost around $100,000 USD. In terms of styling expect the gullwing doors from the original to remain, but the engine layout may shift from the rear and who knows where the batteries will go. Read full story…

It’s time once again to get down to your local magazine store and pick up the latest NZ Classic Car magazine because the November issue has just reached the shelves. The new issue is packed with feature articles, news and special features, all to keep you up-to-date on NZ’s classic car scene.

In this month’s issue we have included a special 2011 Targa programme that has driver listings for all the cars, maps and a schedule so you can find the stages and driver profiles so you know who the key competitors are. If you’re planning on being a 2011 Targa spectator then you’ll want this programme. In keeping with the Targa NZ theme we are featuring three of this year’s competitors with full articles. These include Allan Lewis’ V8-powered Datsun 240Z, Dion Arnold’s Toyota FX-GT and the BMW 635 CSi of Gerry Hodges. Elsewhere in the magazine we have an exclusive preview of an upcoming book – The Bruce McLaren Scrapbook. We also document the return of OSCA racing to New Zealand and we catch up with the crew at Hitech Motorsport in Auckland. Read full story…

To honour the Lotus Renault Formula One Grand Prix team, Lotus has just revealed a new special edition. Named the Lotus Evora S GP Edition, the company plans to produce just three examples.

Each of the exclusive vehicles will pack all the usual treats of the standard Evora S, plus the Premium Pack with SuedeTex which is a fancy faux-leather seating material. Lotus’ Tech Pack is also part of the deal, along with a set of forged diamond cut design 19-inch wheels.

It’s the paint scheme that really makes this special edition stand out. Each version is uniformed in a gold-and-black paint scheme that pays homage to the Lotus Renault Formula One Grand Prix race livery. This livery itself is a tribute to the John Player Special Lotus of old. So in an odd way it’s a homage of a homage or two homages deep if you prefer. If you’re keen you’ll need to get together £69,950 (or $137,700 at current conversion rates) and head over to the UK, even then, they’ll probably be all gone already. Read full story…

If you subscribe to NZ Classic Car magazine this month you’ll receive a free bottle of Wynn’s Formula Gold engine or petrol treatment worth $34.99 each.

It’s an awesome deal – you get the mag delivered to you every month and an engine treatment for your much-loved machine.

Wynn’s Formula Gold High Performance Engine Treatment helps extend engine life by reducing oxidation, friction and wear, while also dramatically improving compression and oil consumption.

Wynn’s Formula Gold High Performance Petrol  Treatment increases performance, reduces fuel consumption and reduces engine noise by cleaning thoroughly cleaning the injection system without the need to pull it to bits. Read full story…

This month’s feature model from SPR Limited is a 1:43 1974 Lotus Elite from its Spark range.

The 1974 Elite was the first production year of a new Lotus concept – a four-seater sports car. Produced from 1974 to 1982, this second generation Elite had all the legendary handling and performance expected from a Lotus, and carried four adults in high-speed comfort. While outclassed by modern performance cars, in its day the front-engined, rear-wheel drive Elite boasted a higher top speed than a Porsche 911 – no doubt aided by a kerb weight of approximately 1016kg (2240lb).

Like previous production Lotuses, the Elite used fibreglass for its hatchback body, which was fitted to a steel backbone chassis evolved from the Elan and Europa. The Elite was the first of a new generation of Lotuses, including the Eclat, Excel and Esprit, to use the all-alloy, twin-cam 907 engine (which actually first appeared in the Jensen-Healey). Read full story…

We’ve gone a bit overboard this month to highlight Greenlight’s Country Roads series. These 1:64 die-cast models cover a wide range of, mostly, US cars. The models featured here include a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, 1966 Dodge D-100 and a 1975 Dodge Monaco.

If you’d like to enter the draw to win all three of these models, simply click on the link below and answer the following question: Read full story…

R3 – Race Rally Road is proudly 100 per cent Australian owned and all its apparel is designed, printed, labelled and packaged in Queensland, Australia and is of the highest quality available. Fabrics selected will always be 100 per cent cotton as R3 feels that natural materials provide the best comfort, durability and appearance.

All shirts have been pre shrunk and are constructed using double stitch seams for durability. All shirts come with a sewn-in woven R3 neck label listing care instructions. The sizes are generous and range from small to XXX large.

Featured here are just a few T-shirts from the range – Aston Martin DBR1, Porsche 956/962 and Senna Legend.

Thanks to R3 – Race Rally Road, we have one example of each of these T-shirts to give away – to enter click on the link below and answer the following question: Read full story…

Targa ‘King’ Tony Quinn crosses the Tasman later this month to try and claim his third consecutive Targa New Zealand tarmac motor rally crown. But there are at least two local drivers in the 130-strong field this year with their own claims to the winner’s trophy.

In recent years the Queensland-based Scot and co-driver Naomi Tillett have been the pair to beat in Targa events on both sides of the Tasman, winning Targa Tasmania in 2009 and again this year, and Targa New Zealand in 2009 and 2010.

In 2009, however, former Stock Car and NZV8 ace Clark Proctor and his co-driver Tony Callaghan took the battle to Quinn’s then brand new Nissan GT-R in Proctor’s quick but considerably less sophisticated Nissan-engined Ford Escort hybrid.

Proctor and Callaghan matched and on several occasions bettered Quinn’s times, ending up a little over five minutes behind – after losing at least two minutes mid-rally with an electrical problem – to claim a popular second place by event’s end.

Armed with a GT-R of his own last year, Proctor also proved a thorn in Quinn’s side early on in the 2010 event before being sidelined with mechanical problems, handing the baton to rally ace Glenn Inkster in his debut event behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Evo 6. Read full story…