Junkyard Dog car T-shirts – bringing back old school cool

Remember when the back seat of your car was used for more than transporting the kids to sports practice? If you remember what bench seats were really for and want to hang on to those precious memories, get yourself into a new Junkyard Dog tshirt. The clever people at Junkyard Dog have selected some of our most iconic vehicles and screen printed these onto top quality American Apparel tees.

If you answer yes to any one of the following then you’ve got to get yourself into a Junkyard Dog tee without delay:

1. Did you ever get past first base in your old man’s car

2. Have you ever had hair that was quite a bit longer at the back than everywhere else

3. Can you remember Radial Tuned Suspension

4. Did you cruise the main street during late night shopping

5. Do you ever say “you wanna go mate” just like Fred Dagg

6. Can you remember when smoking made you look cool

7. Can you remember when cars really used to break down and make you late for work

8. Can you remember when cars were cooler raised than lowered

Of course you can……..!

A Junkyard Dog tshirt will make you look slimmer, younger, cooler and substantially increase your market appeal. Chicks dig guys with cool cars and cool tees. Put the two together now in a Junkyard Dog tshirt. Whether it’s a Mini Cooper, a Kingswood or a GT Falcon go and check out the Junkyard Dog website out for some of the coolest cars of yesteryear. Read the rest of this entry »

The Custaxie – Colour Me Gone – 231

Gerard unravels the creation and racing history of the original Custaxie, undoubtedly one of New Zealand’s most famous race cars.

Hard charging young Auckland saloon racer Robbie Francevic’s career was at the crossroads by early 1966. A consummately talented natural driver and a supremely confident, strong-willed individual, he was only handicapped by the lack of access to a machine that had the potential to win, and the cash to create it.

He established himself in the early 1960s in a Humber 80 – courtesy the Francevic family car – which he built into a formidable track racer. Robbie quickly marked himself as a young man to watch, with an aggressively combative driving style and self promotion to match. However, his resources were limited and he was still learning how to set up a race car.

Faced with the king of the Humber racing crowd, Dennis Marwood, Robbie was forced to mainly play second fiddle. He moved into an Anglia, the legacy of a kind benefactor in 1964, but he was still largely playing catch-up. This was the era of the Lotus twin-cam-powered Cortinas of Paul Fahey and Kerry Grant, along with the Zephyr-Corvette of Rod Coppins – they were the class acts of the saloon field. Robbie’s pushrod Anglia, while fast, was not in the league to deal with these elite racers.

By 1966, he was beginning to run out of options. He needed a Lotus twin-cam motor to install in the Anglia if he was to develop that car into a potential frontrunner. These engines weren’t cheap, and there was no likely donor on the horizon. Read the rest of this entry »

Motor Vision Trust holding charity raffle for mint ’67 Mustang

New Zealand charity Motor Vision Trust is holding a special raffle for a prize that everyone wants – a stunning 1967 Mustang (pictured above).

Tickets are just $20 for a chance to win and all proceeds for the ticket sales are divided between helping the senior citizen community and supporting Scouts NZ.

The premium prize is a ’67 Mustang with a fuel injected, stroked 302 engine with a Vortech supercharger. It’s a looker too, finished in green with a black hood.

Second prize is $3000 worth of car audio gear and the third prize winner will receive $2000 worth of petrol vouchers.

Motor Vision Trust plan to construct other “Hot Rod” style cars and motorbikes to raise money for charity and it’s a cracking idea.

The raffle closes on 18th of April, 2011 and the best way to buy tickets is to click on the link below, print out the .pdf file, fill in your details and post it in. Simple.

Click here to download the Motor Vision Trust Mustang Raffle form

AC Cobra 427SC vs Almac Cobra Replica – Fierce Creatures – 160

For whatever reason – muscular styling, sheer brute force or, perhaps, the image of ‘those Yanks’ taking on the urbane Europeans and kicking ass – the AC Cobra is one of the most desirable cars on the planet. It is also one of the most replicated shapes in automotive history, rivalled only by Chapman’s Lotus 7. Their immense value has precluded our featuring any of the three original ’60s Cobras currently in New Zealand, but we collected together three cars which either have strong Kiwi connections and/or extremely good lineage to the original Cobra

In a more normal world the hand-beaten alloy body of Rogan Hampson’s Cobra FIA 289 replica would have a more traditionally finished appearance. However, run your eyes over the car’s polished alloy body and every seam and every weld is immediately evident. Look closer and you can see a genuine expression of the craftsman’s art – observe how each separate panel has been formed, and how each separate part of the body has been assembled. In a lesser car, these seams and joins would have been carefully filled, sanded smooth and covered in paint.

However, quite appropriately, Rogan has decided to leave his Cobra’s bodywork in its raw state – appropriate because it gifts the car with a singular immediacy that perfectly fits most enthusiasts’ perception of a Cobra. This is one bad-ass of a car! Read the rest of this entry »

Win a Spark Ford Transit Service Van model

THIS COMPETITION HAS EXPIRED

Many model collectors like to create mini-dioramas with their favourite race cars displayed alongside the corresponding team transporter or service vehicle. However, until now few mainstream manufacturers have produced these commercial vehicles, with the small number of available models – usually in the form of resin or white-metal kits – coming from little specialist companies.
Luckily Spark has now released a series of these vehicles including the 1967 Team Lotus, 1970 Gold Leaf Lotus, and 1972 John Player Special transporters. Spark has also modelled the Team Lotus Dodge Travco motorhome from 1973. Other Formula One and Sports Car Team vehicles include the 1969 Cooper F1 transporter; 1969 Matra International and 1970 Equipe Matra transporters; John Wyer’s 1973 Gulf Mirage/ Gulf Porsche transporter; and the 1977 Ligier F1 truck. But the most iconic race car hauler produced by Spark must surely be the stylish Team Ecurie Ecosse transporter from 1959.

Spark has also modelled a range of 1:43 Ford Transit motor sport service vans. These are available in a number of different versions and team liveries including the 1968 Castrol Ford Transit, 1970 Penthouse Racing, 1972 Firestone, 1974 Elf Team Tyrrell, 1979 Ford Motorsport, and 2000 Martini World Rally Team van. Spark has also produced all three of the awesome V8-powered Ford Transit Supervans. Read the rest of this entry »

Ford GT ready for comeback – as a hybrid!

The rumours and speculation is rife about the upcoming Ford GT successor with the supercars powertrain taking a seemingly unlikely turn.

Apparently, the next GT40 inspired supercar from Ford will use hybrid technology to help it achieve break-neck speeds. Like the Porsche 918 Spyder the layout will consist of a standard combustion motor turning the rear wheels with an electric motor powering the front wheels for better low-sped efficiency and to boost high-speed power.

It seems radical but electric-assisted drivetrains are here to stay and are beginning to find applications in all vehicles – even retro-styled supercars.

Before you Ford fans start tearing your hair out, the good news is that the primary engine is set to be a beast. Ford is expected to use a supercharged V8 motor and the total output including the fancy new hybrid system will be in the region of 600 horsepower. That output figure would exceed the last Ford GT’s 5.4-litre dry-sump, aluminum-block supercharged V8, which was rated at 550 horsepower.

If Ford does take the hybrid route for the next GT, the price will be very high, as it will vastly complicate the engineering and production of the car. Given its limited volume production numbers and massive enthusiast appeal that may not prove an issue.

In terms of design Ford’s next GT car is expected to rely less on the retro-themes of the GT40, instead opting for a more contemporary look. This could mean sharper angles, LED lights and a much more futuristic interior style.

With a ultra-modern powertrain, fresh styling and lightweight performance the next Ford GT could prove a real threat to established European supercars. We’ll have to wait and see.

Motor Vision Trust running charity raffle for ’67 Mustang

Kiwi charity Motor Vision Trust has got in touch with NZ Classic Car to tell us about its raffle for this stunning 1967 Mustang pictured above.

Tickets are just $20 for a chance to win and all proceeds for the ticket sales are divided between helping the senior citizen community and supporting Scouts NZ.

The prize is a ’67 Mustang with a fuel injected, stroked 302 engine with a Vortech supercharger. It’s a looker too, finished in green with a black hood.

Motor Vision Trust plan to construct other “Hot Rod” style cars and motorbikes to raise money for charity and it’s a cracking idea.

The raffle closes on 18th of April, 2011 and you can buy tickets through email and internet bank transfer. All you have to do is send an email to motorvision@gmail.com and ask for the bank details, make a funds transfer and you’ll be in the draw.

1972 Ford Mustang Mach 1 HO – Mustang Memorial – 242

This magnificent and extremely rare 1972 Mustang 5.8-litre 351 HO has been in the Telford family since 1983 and has been a faithful and reliable companion ever since.

This Mustang has virtually done everything, from towing horse floats and travelling to remote hunting trips to being a daily driver. It’s even been used around the family farm — and has never missed a beat.

Following the untimely death of Len Telford in 2008, his wife Jan and daughter Nicky decided the Mustang should definitely stay on as a family member, due to many years worth of fond memories.
In May 2009, Jan and Nicky commissioned Mustang gurus and restoration specialists Malcolm Sankey and Ian Kenyon, at Matamata Panelworks, to carry out a full nut-and-bolt restoration on the car. The restoration was complete almost a year later, in April 2010, and the result is absolutely stunning, as these pictures testify.

Jan and Nicky have their own special memories, not only of the car, but for Jan, fond memories of her late husband and the enjoyment the bright red Mustang brought to them. Nicky, of course, also retains memories of her late father and her special experiences with the car.

But before we read their special individual stories in their own words, let’s have a look back in time and see where this unique car sits in Mustang’s illustrious history.

The HO Mustangs

With only 398 cars built, the 1972 5.8-litre 351 HO (R-code) Mustang is one of the rarest, least understood classic Mustangs, yet for some reason the 1971-’73 Mustang has always been regarded as a poor cousin to the earlier 1969-’70 era cars that represent the epitome of the muscle car for many Ford fans. In fact, 1969 was a benchmark year for the Ford Mustang through production of performance names and engines. That year saw no less than six factory performance Mustang models — including the Boss 302, Boss 429, Shelby GT350, GT500 and the Mach 1. Additionally, nine variations of V8s were available in the 1969-’70 cars.

Read the rest of this entry »