Governments in many countries have introduced Cash-For-Clunkers-style programs recently which are proving controversial. While the clear motivation of these schemes is to increase new car sales and remove older, dirtier and less fuel efficient vehicles from the road, some powerful organisations have begun voicing concerns that untold numbers of classic machines may be lost forever for no good reason.
Now, new car buyers in the UK are reportedly heading to Hyundai dealers with a range of older vehicles ready for the scrapheap. According to Tony Whitehorn, Hyundai UK’s managing director, “For many [the scrappage scheme] is an opportunity to buy their first ever new car, and is enormously exciting. Some people look a little embarrassed when they turn up at a showroom with an old car which is literally falling to pieces but we’re happy to take anything as long as it meets the government’s criteria. Other buyers have taken the decision to wave goodbye to cars which have been in the family for a generation, but their sadness soon disappears when they get into their new Hyundai.”
So, what kind of metal is being sacrificed for a new Hyundai? The Korean automaker reports that both a Jaguar XJ-S and XJ6 have both been scrapped, as have 34 BMWs, 22 Audis and 32 vehicles from Mercedes-Benz. Six Mazda MX-5′s, seven MGFs, a 1966 Austin 1100 and a 1968 Morris Minor were also condemned along with at least one Citroen that lost a wheel on the way to the dealership.
Targa may not come to the Manawatu anymore, but Motorsport Manawatu Manager Julian Hardy has brought the next best thing. The King of the Mountains Hill-climbs.
Run on two fantastic county roads, the King of the Mountains hill-climb is a return to some of the best grass roots motorsport seen in the region since 2003. Hill-climbs were the beginning of Motorsport in New Zealand and until the advent of permanent race tracks, were where most New Zealand motorsport was competed. It is a great test of Man Vs Terrain Vs Machine as the hills are often steep, covered in licon and narrow, meaning that the fastest driver is usually the bravest. Rain adds further dimensions to all of the above.
The traditional Saddle Road hillclimb, from the Ashhurst bridge to the summit has not been run since the floods that ravaged the Manawatu region in February 2004.
“The club put suspended the Saddle road hill-climb for a number of reasons; destruction of the bridge, development of the windfarm and its flourishing tourist market, and a move by competitors into different areas of our sport. In the last 12 months there has been a steady increase in competitor numbers around the country, so we addressed that with the KOTM” states Julian Hardy, Motorsport Manager. “The two roads we have chosen are some of the best hill-climbing roads I have seen”
Testimony to this is the fact that Anton Tallot of Auckland is travelling 450 kilometers to compete in his 13B-PP powered Mazda RX7. “I saw the video the club put on You-tube about the hillclimb and thought I have to be there” Tallot stated. Asked about his Mazda, he states “It is all NOISE!”
Saturday sees the first road, Otara Road just north of Ohingaiti. This is a fairly straight forward climb, starting from the bridge and finishing some 2km on top of the valley, but favors the brave with huge drop-offs to the right of the road.
Sunday uses Lower Pakihikura Road, at the bottom of SH54. This road is undoubtedly one of the best hill-climb roads in New Zealand, with 3 challenging 180 degree hairpins straight off the start and then opening into flowing county road.
Spectators are welcome to attend but must listen to the marshals, and obey their safety instructions. Parking is at a premium for both venues so spectators must use the pit parking area and walk into each venue. Allow for 1km of walking.
Competition will start from 10am both days.
For more information, click here to visit the Motorsport Manawatu Website.
Check out the video below for footage from previous Hillclimbs
The June 09 issue of NZ Classic Car magazine is on the shelves now, so grab your copy today.
In this month’s issue our cover car is a Wellington-based stunning 1974 Holden Monaro GTS, we also feature a Chevrolet Corvair-powered Karmann-Ghia. We have a visitors guide to checking out classic vehicles in Wellington, and we talk to a kiwi rallying ace about his Fiat collection. In our ‘Future Classics’ section we focus on the 6th, 7th and 8th generation Mazda RX-7s and we have a buyers guide for collectable European hot-hatches. Inside you’ll find the second instalment of our three-part series on NZ racing legend Dennis Marwood and our motorsport flashback goes way back to June 1939.
All this a Lotus Elise SC and more articles, news, reviews and technical support to keep you informed on the world of classic motoring.
If you’ve got an obsession with the prancing horse culture, but don’t have the budget to spring for a period-specific Ferrari, never fear, RetroForza makes it possible to be a nostalgic poseur.
Sporting lines reminiscent of Ferrari’s 275, RetroForza is claiming that its Italia bodywork kit for the Mazda MX-5 takes inspiration from vintage Lotus, Alfa, Jaguar and Cobra models. While It’s not an abomination, the proportions don’t work that well. There’s too much front overhang pushing the nose down, but it avoids looking as stubby as it might on the newer MX-5′s shorter wheelbase. The Mazda mechanicals mean that it’ll be reliable and fun to drive, and with a coupe version supposedly available it’s likely there are worse ways to rebody your MX-5.
For more info on the kit click here to visit the RetroForza website.
Japanese tuning company Mitsuoka has made a name for itself by transforming existing cars into wannabe classic British-style rides and has just released details of its latest offering. It’s latest effort is an instant classic, it’s called the Himiko and it clearly wants to be a Morgan. The source for this unique vehicle is the Mazda MX-5, itself a throw back to British roadsters of old. The conversion is amazing and the Himiko gives little clue to its MX-5 base, except for the doors. The car even comes with a retractable hardtop. Who knows what Mitsuoka’s next trick might be.
Christchurch’s Andrew Grundy and Mark Smith continue to lead the 2008 NZ Silver Fern International Marathon Rally after five of the eight days in their Mazda RX7 bat-car. Grundy today commented “we are just running at our own pace, which seems to be fast enough to keep us ahead, the car is going just great and we’re loving it.”
Had it not been for an uncharacteristic 4-1/2 minute off road excursion in the last stage of the day (Moir Farm near Balclutha) Christchurch’s Brian Stokes and Grant Marra in their Ford Escort MKI would have been within 10 seconds of the lead. He now sits second overall at 4 minutes 37 seconds behind Grundy.
Stokes had earlier in the day damaged a wheel hub touring to the first special stage of the day. “I just made more work for the guys in the team effecting repairs — sorry guys” said a philosophical Stokes.
He temporarily withdrew from the event, but the team were able to make the repairs and he made it to the stage just in time to run and as a result has been at the back of the field for the rest of the day. He then proceeded to put in times for every stage except the last of around one minute faster than everyone else.
Holding on to his third position was Auckland’s Craig Marshall in the little Peugeot 205 GTi 180, 5 minutes behind the leader. Englishman Grant Shand’s Escort is fourth a further 2-1/2 minutes back followed by Hamilton’s Charlie Evans in his Mazda RX7.
The last stage of the day where Stokes went off, also caught a number of other competitors, including the BMW of Nelson Garry Adcock, and the Ford Escort of Englishman Andrew Barns.
The competing cars and their teams left a damp Invercargill at 7.15am and headed for the Gore area before a lunchtime service break in the Tapanui township. The afternoon saw crews stages in the Balclutha area before crews ended the day at the Scenic Circle Southern Cross Hotel in Dunedin.
Tomorrow’s (Tuesday Oct 21) sixth day of the eight day event, will see competitors travel north thru the inland Otago area before finishing the day with a motorsport show and dinner at Timaru’s Caroline Bay at around 5.00pm.
The days competition stages will take place on roads near Macraes (8.40am), Hampden (10.15am) Herbert (10.55am) and Oamaru (12.05), before a service / lunch break in the Kurow township at around 12.30am. In the afternoon the teams will tackle Meyers Pass (1.45pm), the Waimate Forest (3.05pm) and Backline Road (4.10pm) before continuing to end the day in Timaru.
The event then travels north to Christchurch before ending up at the new Marlborough Convention Centre in Blenheim on Thursday October 23rd at 3.30pm.
Carroll Shelby coined the recipe when he decided to mate a big American Ford V8 engine to a demure British AC sports chassis to create the Cobra. Dave McQueen is a Shelby disciple. He spent 25 years in South Africa and built himself a replica Cobra, but back home in Christchurch he decided to start again, this time using a Mazda MX-5 for the shoehorn power transplant
The little black hardtop Mazda disguises the fact that there are twice the number of horses itching to spin the rear wheels as the MX-5 makers intended. The 5.0-litre Mustang V8 is bog standard, but it still pumps out 172kW or 230bhp, compared with the car’s original 1600cc four-cylinder powerplant which gave 87kW (116bhp) at 6500rpm.
The story started when Dave put his hand up at the Turner’s auction house in Christchurch on March 2, 2001, and bought himself a 1992 Eunos Roadster with 105,000 clicks on the clock. That was the easy bit. A Mazda MX-V8 is not a new concept, but it was for Dave. He had read engine-swap articles in various motoring magazines, so he was aware of what was required. First item on his shopping list was a 5.0-litre HO Ford Mustang V8, to which he would mate a Toyota Supra W55 gearbox feeding through a Ford 302 flywheel and pressure plate, with a Supra clutch plate, a slave cylinder from an XY Ford Falcon with a bell-housing made up by Conversion Components in Waihi, and a 2.73:1 Ford Thunderbird IRS diff from Charlton Imports at Gore. Read the rest of this entry »
I received some bad news yesterday — well known rotary engine guru, Bill Shiells, died a few weeks ago. I first met Bill in the early ’80s when he operated Rotary Power in Takapuna, and was amazed by his tuning knowledge of Mazda’s rotary engine. Motorsport fans will remember Bill from the day’s when he rallied rotary-powered Mazdas. Since departing from Rotary Power, Bill had retired to Cambridge where he spent his days tinkering with aero-engined cars. In my last conversation with Bill a few months ago, he reminded me that, back in the mid ’60s, he was actually NZ’s official Gordon-Keeble agent although, alas, the agency was not successful. With Bill’s strong connection to Mazda’s rotary engine, perhaps it is appropriate that he signed off in the same year that Mazda are celebrating the rotor-motor’s 40th anniversary.
