The event hosted 68,891 people across the three days that was mostly dominated by Red Bull Racing Australia’s Jamie Whincup. He won one of the two races today to couple with two victories on Saturday in his VF Holden Commodore.

Lockwood Racing’s Fabian Coulthard scored the other race win of the weekend. VIP Petfood’s Shane van Gisbergen was the other podium getter today.

With a combination of new initiatives for next year to spice up the racing Whincup has no doubt the event has a very long future in Austin, a sister City of Adelaide. Almost the entire Championship and the visiting Australian fans plan to see more of America in the next week or two.

Whincup heads to the Grand Canyon and Alcatraz as part of his US adventure while others are going to wide reaching parts of the US, and many to next weekend’s Indianapolis 500.

He was ecstatic with his on-track victories and just as happy with the event itself.

“I certainly enjoyed it. Whenever we go overseas the locals really look after us and put on a good show. This was a great event and I always seem to like to step up when the quality was high,” Whincup said.

“The number is a very good indication that it went well. We will change it up a bit, maybe throw some soft tyres on and take the mufflers off. We can do plenty of things for next year to spice it up. It was a good learning experience; I couldn’t be happier.

“Everyone enjoyed it. All the autograph queues were 50-50 locals to Aussies which was great. It was highly enjoyable.”

Circuit of the Americas President and CEO Steve Sexton said the outcome of the weekend was extremely pleasing.

“We would like to thank our fans, employees and vendors; the V8 Supercars series managers, teams and drivers; the Pirelli World Championship family; and our incredibly accommodating host city of Austin for helping us stage another spectacular event,” Sexton said.

“V8 Supercars lived up to its billing for dynamic racing and a fan-friendly environment-and we had some die-hard fans here given the very warm temperatures. Our Australian visitors were good sports and loads of fun, and we’re glad that people from around the world had a chance to visit Central Texas and our new state-of-the art facility.”

Coulthard’s race victory remained in doubt until after the day had finished when he was investigated for illegally breaking away from the pack under the Pedders STP Chrysler 300C Safety Car. He all but admitted the error although believes it was a radio problem.

“I admit that I did pull away. I heard ‘green flag’ over the radio and then ‘no, no, no’. I did the best I could but I tried to make it that I bunched up again to make it fair,” Coulthard said.

“It was a radio communication problem within our team. We have had to change frequencies a few times over the weekend as I have been hearing two people on the radio.”

Will Davison went into the weekend Whincup’s nearest championship challenger, but he left the Circuit of the Americas having lost second place.

Davison failed to finish the fourth race won by Whincup after an early tangle with Holden driver Scott McLaughlin wrecked the right side of his car. He finished fourth, ninth and 12th in the weekend’s other races.

That allowed Whincup to skip away to a 142-point championship lead, and teammate Lowndes to leapfrog Davison into second place on a successful weekend for Red Bull Racing.

After the transporter left the Gold Coast for Perth, Josh Hunter my team mate and I had 3 days to get our apartment kitchen sorted, so we could cook. Slowly starting to feel like home away from home.

Flew to Perth with the team on Wednesday and spent Thursday unloading the transporter after its very long journey through the heart of Australia. It used about $2500 worth of fuel! Barbagallo is a flowing 2.4 Km long rather narrow track. It has 7 technical corners and is plagued by fine silica sand blown onto it from the surrounding dry countryside. Any tyres used here become near useless thereafter as the silica melds into the outer layer of a hot tyre and creates a new surface structure.

FRIDAY PRACTICE

Our Queensland Raceway set up went out the window and we really struggled through session 1. Paul Morris generously lent his expertise to help sort our set ups and session 2 was starting to look better. Both Paul and Steve Owen are running their own cars in DVS now so they have their hands full.

SATURDAY QUALIFYING

Didn’t have good rubber to use in practice as we had used up tyres testing at QR. Kept our 2 new allocated tyres for quali and racing. Supercars develop 640HP and if anything I would say they are under tyred so tyre management is

a big issue. Had problems getting power down on corner exits with new front rubber providing more turn in. I qualified exactly mid field at P15. Josh misjudged a brake marker on a flying lap and made contact with a wall at turn 7 ending his chances of a decent position on the start grid.

RACE 1

Steve Owen got P1. I got an Ok start making up 1 place. With 30 Supercars on this tight short track it becomes a high speed version of Auckland’s Southern Motorway. At turn 4 Steve got spun causing a huge nose to tail reaction. My bonnet pushed up into an unhealthy looking V shape and my back bumper got mashed. Handling remained intact on my car but Steve had to retire with wrecked steering. By lap 3 I was in 13th under a yellow flag. Habber overtook 2

cars under yellow and slotted in front of me. While this later resulted in a penalty it lead to my undoing. Racing again he wouldn’t let me pass and I resorted to drive around him in turn 1. This would have worked Ok if McBride hadn’t tried to follow me through locking up and shunting me into the gravel trap. So……I finished in P27!!

RACE 2

A great start got me from P27 to 24th. We had the car handling superbly by now. Had a clean race steadily making up places and ran out of time, 18 lap race, finished 17th.

RACE 3

Start position was an average of first 2 races. Started on P24. Another good start and began picking off cars until I got

to Kim Jane. We had a fantastic dual over several laps, lots of TV time. During this period we had to deal with traffic and we both made contact several times resulting in my steering alignment going to the dogs. I eventually got him trapped behind a slower car on the inside going into turn 1 and tried to drive around both of them. My car just wouldn’t turn in properly and I was sucked into the gravel trap. In hindsight I probably shouldn’t have tried that with steering out of wack.

SUMMARY

Josh and I didn’t have the best of luck. We both figured in a lot of action and became very competitive. By the next round we hope to have a dedicated chassis engineer to help us get handling sorted earlier and hopefully qualify better, absolutely essential with a relatively sort race format.

All considered, as a brand new team in round 2 of our first season with good ideas yet to be explored, the future looks promising.

Next round in Oz is at Townsville, a very different circuit.

Next up is V8Supertourers at Puke on May 25/26.

Imagine going into the garage to pull the cover off your much loved Monaro, only to find an EH Holden sitting there instead. You’d be suspicious, and shocked, especially since you’d walked past the covered car many times and never noticed anything wrong.

This was the situation Neil Rutherford found himself in five years ago now.

The Monaro was part way through a rebuild at the time, the second build under Neil’s ownership, and in his eyes it was just about ready for paint.

Neil’s son Steve was the instigator of the plan to take the car while Neil and his wife Tilly were away for a few weeks, then give it a quick spray job and hopefully have it sitting back in the shed before the couple returned. When they got it back to Steve’s place though, the team involved in the heist, which included Steve’s wife Emma, his sister (Neil’s daughter) Ange and her partner Steve Miller, all decided the car wasn’t even close to being ready for paint after all. So while the timeframe was blown out, the surprise at that stage was still in place.

After Neil discovered the car missing, and the rebuild plan was exposed, all involved decided that since there was now no rush to get it finished, the rebuild should be done properly. And by properly, we mean back to bare metal, having every nut and bolt replaced, and not one aspect of the vehicle left as it was.

After being taught by Neil over the years, Steve R could do pretty much everything in-house, and for the tasks he couldn’t do, such as upholstery and the top coat of paint, he knew exactly who to turn to. Combine this with Steve M’s engine knowledge and input from both Ange and Emma, and the team had what it took to get the job done.

With the rush off, the bodywork could be taken care of properly. Since Neil had been a panel beater himself many years ago, it was relatively straight, but as Steve is a perfectionist, it wasn’t deemed good enough until it was perfect. This extended to the engine bay, where Steve smoothed over all holes and removed the battery tray to create a super-smooth look. Having built various cars for himself over the years, Steve had his own thoughts about how some things would look. “At the end of the day, it’s still his [Neil’s] car, so he’d have final say, but there were some things that we were doing regardless,” he says, laughing.

One of those things Neil was left in charge of was choosing the final colour for the car. After much searching he found just what he was after, a platinum tint from the Toyota range. Once the car was prepped for paint, it was mutual friend Cameron McKay who sprayed the DuPont Refinish Platinum Metallic paint to a flawless finish.

While at the time son Steve wasn’t convinced the colour would look any good, he now admits it suits the shape of the car perfectly, highlighting the sharp curves and accentuating just how straight they managed to get the body.

Of course, with the car back from paint looking so good, the rest of the build had to step up to match. Steve was willing to do the hard yards though, and wasn’t going to return the car to Neil until it was up to his high standards.

This included the 308 engine which Neil had installed in the car many years prior. Though he’d been told it was a fresh rebuild at the time, it never delivered the power it should have. When Steve M pulled it apart, he soon worked out why, and was surprised the car ever ran at all! With new valve gear in place, thanks to help from Courtney Evans, the previous issues were sorted, and the engine was pieced back together with an Edelbrock manifold and a Quick Fuel carb.

Wanting the engine bay as clean as possible, Steve cleverly ran the wiring through the chassis rails, making it invisible, and keeping the engine bay smooth and tidy.

The 308 had been backed with an auto trans before the heist, but Steve being the loving son he is, decided to replace that with a Celica five-speed, regardless of whether Neil wanted the car a manual or not. The box itself and bellhousing came from Steve’s own collection, while a new heavy-duty clutch and lightened flywheel were sourced to match. Out the back sits a rebuilt V8 banjo diff with LSD head.

A set of wheels that Steve had sitting waiting to go onto his unfinished EH project also found their way onto the Monaro, and it’s not hard to see why. At 15×6- and 15×8-inches, the Weld Pro Lite rims look perfect on the car, especially when combined with the super-low ride height — which again was one of Steve’s ideas.

With the car starting to come together, the decision was made to paint out all chrome and stainless items in a matte silver. It’s something that has become Steve’s signature over the years, and though it’s a cheaper option than chroming, it also gives the car a more custom look.

Neil’s original plan was for a black interior, however the instructions given to Cut Loose Upholstery were to use a Moroccan Red vinyl. A reproduction steering wheel and centre console, along with a full new rubber kit that Neil collected while in Australia, finish off the interior trimming.

Five years into the rebuild, the 2013 Kumeu Car Show was fast approaching and it was just the deadline needed to get the car completed. Plenty of late nights were had, and plenty of surprise gifts from those in the build showed up, including a set of red seatbelts; there’s a long story behind those, including an astronomical bill that Neil rightly refused to pay. The kids were keen to make it happen though, and it was Steve’s wife who finally sorted the issue, just in time for the car’s first public appearance at the show.

Sure, the build may have taken a bit longer than the original two weeks that were planned, but the end result is also far more advanced than the initial plan ever was. The perfectly finished vehicle is now a great way for Steve and Ange as well as the in-laws Steve M and Emma to say thanks to Neil for everything he’s done for them over the years, and now that it’s on the road, we’re pretty sure Neil won’t be forgetting any time soon. Sometimes payback isn’t a bitch, but a finely finished Monaro.

This article is from NZV8 issue 96. Get your copy here.

1968 HK Holden Monaro – Specs

Engine: Holden 308 V8 +60 thou, Franklin Cams custom cam, Edelbrock Performer manifold, Pro comp Quick Fuel Slayer Series carb, high-volume fuel pump, twin-point Mallory ignition, Formula 10.5mm leads, Hurricane Headers, 2.5-inch exhaust, Flowmaster mufflers, three-core radiator, Gilmer belt drive
Driveline: Toyota Celica five-speed manual gearbox, lightened flywheel, heavy-duty clutch, V8 Banjo diff, LSD head
Suspension: Lowered on heavy-duty springs, reset rear leaves, Monroe shocks, heavy-duty sway bars
Brakes: HQ discs, HQ calipers, HK drum rear
Wheels/tyres: 15×6- and 15×8-inch Weld Pro Lite rims, Pirelli 195/60R15 and BF Goodrich 245/50R15 tyres
Exterior: DuPont Refinish Platinum Metallic paint, matte silver painted chrome
Interior: Full custom re-trim, replica woodgrain steering wheel, reproduction centre console, SAAS gauges, Sony head unit, Fusion speakers
Performance: Untested

Neil Rutherford  - Driver Profile

Age: 65
Occupation: Retired
Previously owned cars: 1965 XP Falcon, MK II Zephyr, EJ Holden, and many others
Dream car: This one
Why the Monaro? When working as a panel beater, a brand-new badly damaged Monaro was brought into the panel shop, and I thought One day I’ll have one of these. It took 22 years but I finally got one in October 1991
Build time: Two years the first time, five years this time
Length of ownership: Twenty-two years
Neil thanks: My son Steve Rutherford, his long-suffering wife Emma and the kids, my daughter’s partner Steve Miller for the motor work, Courtney Evans, Mack Motors for tuning the carb, Jason Loose at Cut Loose Upholstery, and Cameron McKay for a really spectacular paint job

Words: Todd Wylie  Photos: Adam Croy

Based on the new Holden Commodore VF platform, the lineup is all new, rather than just a facelift of outgoing models. Highlights of the Gen-F range include a significant exterior styling makeover including new front and rear fascia’s, tail-lamps, wheels and spoilers.

Senator Signature interior

The new premium interior encompasses new seats, fabrics, instrument panels, gauges, centre console, trims and finishes. Four different engine power options are available, with the most significant one being the 430kW, 740NM option in the range-topping HSV GTS – the most powerful engine to ever be offered in an Australian production car.

A new “SV” option on the three “R8” derivatives – ClubSport, R8, ClubSport R8 Tourer and Maloo R8 offers a power upgrade to 340kW / 570Nm, unique 20-inch SV Performance forged alloy wheels (finished in Satin Graphite), a lo-line spoiler, and distinctive “pitch black” accents on the fender vents and exterior mirrors.

Clubsport R8 Tourer

A new range of technological advancements have been added to the vehicles, including Bi-Modal Air Intake, 3rd Generation Magnetic Ride Control, Torque Vectoring and a Driver Preference Dial which controls a range of electronic vehicle performance systems. 

The vehicles also wear new forged brake calipers and larger rotors that offer significant improvements in pedal feel, stopping power and a reduction in unsprung weight.

All models of the out-going HSV E3 range line-up including the recently introduced ClubSport and Maloo models will be available in Gen-F.

The GTS, which is the highlight of the range makes its 430kW thanks to a 6.3-Litre supercharged LSA engine. Other highlights include improved braking performance, an upgraded 9.9-inch diff and stronger axles, as well as brake-torque vectoring, a first for the HSV lineup.

Located conveniently behind the gear shifter, the Driver Preference Dial adjusts the vehicle’s ESC, Traction Control, Launch Control (manual transmission), Torque Vectoring, Electric Power Steering (another new addition to the GEN-F range), MRC and Bi-Modal Exhaust, according to four distinct pre-set modes – Touring, Sport, Performance and Track. In doing so, the vehicle’s handling characteristics instantly change.

the 430kW LSA engine as found in the GTS

The new 430kW Gen-F GTS

HSV’s Managing Director, Phil Harding says “It’s a really proud moment for the team at Clayton”. “The GEN-F range is the culmination of over 4 years of design, development and testing and we’re really confident that we’ve developed the best HSVs ever”.

While pricing for is yet to be announced, Harding confirmed that HSV remains committed to offering the best value high performance vehicles available in Australia. “Value for money has always been, and will continue to be, a key pillar of our success. While we’re not in a position to announce pricing just yet, I can assure our fans that they won’t be disappointed”, said Harding.

Production of the new HSV range will start in two weeks’ time with vehicles due to arrive in local HSV showrooms in early July, with the GTS arrive in late September.

Look out for more info over the next few days, and we’ll bring you news on the pricing as it becomes available.

Gracing the cover is one of the coolest Mopars in the land – the freshly built mega power Dodge Super Bee of Andrew Storey.

Other feature cars include an in-depth look at the Shapes Roadies Top Doorslammer, a wild VL Walkinshaw replica, and a tough 1947 Chev.

On the event front, there’s the ITM400 from Pukekohe, the annual Nostalgia Drags, the final round of Central Muscle Cars and all the action from the Leadfoot Festival.

Our favourite article is the in-depth look at Mickey Thompson – the man behind the name. Of course, there’s plenty more than the above in there, so grab a copy today and check it out. If you’re too lazy to head to the shops, hit the ‘Shop’ button at the top of this page, and get a copy delivered to your door.

Call us crazy, but we think that the Jaguar Mark 1 has a similar shape to the Hudsons and Mercurys, and at around $10,000 for a decent, running vehicle, they’re not a badly priced option for a sled project, if of course you’re willing to step outside the box.

The theory of this build would be that everyone would hate it, but be forced to love it at the same time. Chopping up a Jag would upset the Euro fans, a Euro slotting into the American-dominated sled scene would annoy the die-hard USA-proud sledders, and just for fun you could drop a Jap motor into it, to make sure the Jap car fans get annoyed as well because you’ve used one of their motors. It’d be perfect!

The problem with opting for a Jap motor (or at least a late-model one, is they tend to be quad-cam, so are very wide, and the cars only have a narrow engine bay, so fitting one would require some serious work. We have seen an LS1 fitted to one locally, and that worked well, but for ease of installation and to keep the cost down, the smarter idea would be to run with something carburetted rather than EFI, such as a small-block Chev.

With bench seats and cruising in mind, any old auto gearbox would suit, and ideally you’d just run the larger rear diff that was offered with the 3.4-litre versions from the factory.

The cars run a leaf-spring rear with trailing arms and a Panhard rod, making it nice and easy to airbag. So we’d keep the coil spring set-up at the front and just replace the springs and shocks with custom coilovers to set it down nice and low. Plenty of these cars have been used for racing before, so you may even be able pick a set up second-hand set for it. Having never looked under one, we can’t tell you if you’d need to notch the chassis or not, but chances are you would to get the rear end as low as would be needed to complete the look.

The rear airbag set-up would be a simple one-tank, one-compressor system with small quarter-inch lines so we’d have easy control over the height. The idea being to drop the tail down just low enough for our custom-made plaque to hit the ground now and then as you cruise the bays.

Even though the base-spec cars come with a leather interior, we’d get some Mexican blankets to re-trim them with. No stitching required, just a few of safety pins would do the job nicely. We’d leave the roof lining out to expose the weld lines from where the roof would have been chopped too.

For the exterior, we’d run with a satin green using a matting agent in the clearcoat to ensure no shine, but would get the bumpers polished back to their original lustre. Of course, some serious body work is required before we can even begin to think about paint. We’d chop four inches from the A-pillars and six from the rear. The front windscreen would need to be cut down to suit, while the rear screen would be laid forward. We’d clean up the front end by removing two of the four headlights and any unnecessary trim, but would keep the stock tail lights.

Besides the big roof chop, the other major piece of body work would be to convert from four doors to two, removing the handles at the same time. Although we’d be cruising with the windows down, we’d ditch the front quarter-windows in favour of one-piece glass for a smoother look. Lucky for us, the first of these cars came with rear wheel spats from the factory.

A set of 15-inch steelies would be all we need for rims, but we’ll run some wide whites and a set of spider caps to finish off the look.

This article is from NZV8 issue 94. Get your copy here.

Words: NZV8  Illustration: Mark Curran

McIntyre is a long-standing Ford driver and has three New Zealand touring car titles to his name and also won last year’s inaugural NZ V8 SuperTourers Sprint Series.

He is excited to continue his relationship with the factory team after last year partnering Alex’s brother, Will at Sandown and Bathurst.

”I am really looking forward to driving with Alex as he is always one of the drivers in the mix at the end of these long-distance races,” McIntyre said.

“He and the team have been making obvious progress all season since they joined the series and I think we should be strong at all three tracks.

“I’ve worked with Campbell Little before and obviously was with FPR last year so it will be a familiar environment which always helps. The new-spec V8 Supercars have distinct similarities to the SuperTourer I race so that should aid my transition to the new cars.

“I’d also like to thank Charlie for the opportunity as his seat was definitely the best one available and I look forward to what Alex and I can achieve together.”

Team owner Charlie Schwerkolt believes the experience of his two drivers will be a valuable asset come the Endurance Cup.

“I am thrilled to bits to have John join Team JELD-WEN and I am sure he will do a great job for us,” Schwerkolt said.

“Alex has always been consistent and quick at the endurance races and it is all about being there in the closing stages so no matter which driver we paired with him, car 18 was going to be a contender.

“But with John in the car we have two very experienced drivers that know the team and the tracks so it gives us a great chance of gaining high overall results.”

Team JELD-WEN is busily preparing the #18 JELD-WEN FPR Ford for the trip to Austin, Texas for next weekend’s first ever V8 Supercars event in America.

CRAIG LOWNDES TAKES VICTORY AGAIN AND CRACKS THE ALL – TIME WIN RECORD AT BARBAGALLO.

After 90 career wins, Craig Lowndes set his sights on a race win here at Barbagallo, and didn’t disappoint. Following teammate Jamie Whincup during the first half of the 60/60 super sprint, Lowndes made what we now know as a race winning move 2 laps into the second half, awarding him his 91^st V8 supercar series win, beating Mark Skaife’s previous record.

Mark Winterbottom’s FPR Falcon looked after its tyres remarkably well and with it roaring towards Whincup, Jamie was forced to hold on and take 2^nd place just behind race winner Craig Lowndes.

Jason Bright was able to secure fourth position ahead of Alex Davidson, Premat, Reynolds, Courtney, Van Gisbergen and Moffat. Coulthard came in 27^th after a disappointing end with a tyre malfunction causing him to veer off the road whilst in 5^th position in the final leg.

Coulthard wasn’t the only one with tyre troubles with Will Davidson also suffering in the first leg. Despite this he was able to redeem himself, finishing 14^th at the conclusion of race 10, just ahead of the exceptional newcomer Chaz Mostert.

After a disastrous crash in Pukekohe, Scott Pye in the Ekol Holden came back and again found himself in trouble after sliding down the grass becoming momentarily airborne following a three – wide squeeze with Kelly and Tander. Pye did manage to get back out for the second half of the race however was black flagged for loose body work.

Maro Engel lost his 9^th position qualifying place to come in 24^th and Tim Slade achieved Erebus’ best result of the race coming in at 13^th, just 3 spots behind top Nissan driver James Moffat.

Garth Tander hit trouble early, managing to get stuck in the Turn 7 sand trap after an incident involving Jonathon Webb and Tim Blanchard which will be investigated following the race completion.

Race 11 & 12 set for Sunday will conclude Round 4 of the Championship and round out a great weekend at Perth.

Race 11

AS THE TYRE STRUGGLE PERSISTED, JAMIE WHINCUP FORGED AHEAD AND CAME OUT ON TOP FOR RACE 11.

With Craig Lowndes’ impressive win yesterday, Red Bull Racing has come up with the goods again amidst Jamie Whincup’s further race win at Barbagallo.  It was an interesting race 11 with all drivers pitting for new tyres during the 100km battle, however Dean Fiore, Scott Pye and Alexandre Premat were the exceptions who daringly tried to escape stopping during the race.

Dean Fiore had this approach working for him with his Dodo Insurance Racing Commodore leading the race, however he was nabbed with seven laps to go by number 1 Jamie Whincup. Whincup fought off Mark Winterbottom and his FPR Falcon as the pair battled for the front of the pack for the majority of the race, which was greatly aided by the duo being amongst the first to pit. This was overshadowed by Jason Bright who eventually took second from Mark Winterbottom with 2 laps left.

Bright in the BOC Holden was only 0.75s behind Whincup at the completion of race 11 after a rather unfavourable start, dropping from pole to fourth. His tyres did have the advantage in the end after pitting 6 laps behind Whincup and Mark Winterbottom, who finished 3^rd.

Craig Lowndes’ attempt at gaining a back to back win following his triumph on Saturday were put to rest as he was forced to veer off the track to avoid Jason Bright in the early stages. Dean Fiore, Scott Pye and Alexandre Premat’s attempt at running the race without stopping proved detrimental after they ended the race coming in at 13^th for Fiore, 19^th for Premat and 27^th for Pye.

The safety car was the sight to see for 4 of the first 5 laps after an incident between Holdsworth and David Wall which resulted in the Irwin racing Mercedes catching the sand trap on turn 6.

The final race for round 4 of the championship is set for this afternoon and by the looks of things, will be a thriller.
Race 12

Jamie Whincup triumphs again in an electrifying race 12 at Barbagallo raceway.

The final instalment of racing at Barbagallo has rounded out a colossal, action packed weekend with Jamie Whincup defeating some tough competition including his team mate, Craig Lowndes and taking out race 12.

Coolant dropped by the SP Tools Mercedes reeked havoc for Whincup with the Red Bull Racing Holden losing the lead, taking a tour through the turn 7 sand trap on lap 15. Alongside Whincup, Mark Winterbottom also was caught by the destructive turn 7 sand trap. Despite initially dropping to 21^st, he was able to recover and take a solid 12^th position. Following the sand trap, Jamie pitted to repair damage and fell to second just behind Craig Lowndes. The 888 star looked like he had race 12 in the bag, however a minute mistake by Lowndes of running wide on the second safety car race restart, allowed the Number 1 Red Bull Racing Holden to slide past with just 11 laps remaining.

The sand traps got another work out with Russel Ingall and David Wall ending their race and causing the second safety car of the contest after becoming severely bogged at turn 7. Race 12’s first full course yellow flag was initiated due to Michael Caruso’s Nissan losing a tyre.

Jason Bright battled the pack and achieved third followed by Will Davidson, David Reynolds, Shane Van Gisbergen, Fabian Coulthard, James Moffat, Garth Tander and newcomer Chaz Mostert which wrapped up the top 10 for the final clash of round 4.

The vehicle would be narrowed in all three directions: length, height and width, so before even touching the car you’d need to create a jig that can work in both horizontal planes to ensure that the car stayed square throughout all the panel work, of which there’d be plenty.

Narrowing a vehicle like this creates all sorts of other dramas, such as the bumpers and grille also needing to be narrowed, and that’s just the start. It’d take plenty of thought and double-checking to ensure things were going to line up before they were cut.

There’s not a panel on the car that could avoid the need to be altered. While the bonnet would stay the stock length, it’d end up narrower, the boot lid would be both shorter and narrower, and all the rest would be shorter. While you could in theory build the car with a roof, it’d add a ton of more work and complexity. So with this in mind we’d get a custom windscreen made, which is not only narrower to suit the car’s new width, but also five inches shorter than stock, and designed to be frameless over the top. The car’s stock A-pillars are already curved enough that they would only need to be shortened, rather than laid back.

Of course, the stock Cadillac chassis would be of no use at all, so once certain of the dimensions, we’d fire them all through to Art Morrison who build impressive chassis to custom dimensions for vehicles such as this. We’d spec one of their performance-orientated Max G chassis with late-model C6 Corvette suspension and steering to give the car the road holding that it’d need to match its high-performance looks. Out the back would be a triangulated four-bar set-up that would hold a fabricated nine-inch diff. Whilst ticking the boxes on the Art Morison order form, we’d opt for the Wilwood big brake package as well.

For power, we’d opt for an LSA engine from a late-model Cadillac CTS-V.

The supercharged 6.2-litre LSA is similar to the LS9 and puts out an impressive 556hp and 551ft/lb, making it the most powerful engine ever offered in Cadillac’s history.

As always, wheels and tyres could make or break the look of the whole build. We’d want something modern, but with a link to the past so as to not lose sight of which decade the vehicle was first constructed in. With this in mind, we’d opt for 17-inch Foose Coronets. At eight-inches wide up front and 10-inches wide on the rear, they’d give the small car a big footprint.

We’d two-tone the body of the car in a gloss gunmetal, with matte silver paintouts through the bonnet and boot lid, and rather than re-chroming the bumpers, we’d cover them with the matte silver too.

For the interior, the stock bench seats would be long gone, and in their place would be a set of low-back retro-style buckets with drilled leather and harness belts. While we’d love to see a narrowed stock dash, our laws here would deem the car to be registered as a scratch built, so it would need to be right-hand drive. So, with this in mind, perhaps a C1 Corvette dash (which is easily converted, and for which digital gauges are readily available) would be an option. Also, the reservoirs for the Wilwood pedal box would need to be mounted under the dash area to keep the engine bay as clean as possible.

While obviously it wouldn’t be a cheap project, the finished result would certainly be unlike anything else on the road, either here or abroad, and as such would no doubt create international attention. Food for thought huh?

This article is from NZV8 issue 95. Get your copy here.

1961 Cadillac Speedster

Wheels: 17×8- and 17×10-inch Foose Coronet rims, 235/40R17 and 295/35R17 tyres
SUspension: Art Morrison C6 Corvette front, triangulated four-bar rear, coilovers
Brakes: Wilwood four-pot calipers front and rear
Paint: Gunmetal grey, matte silver paint-outs, matte silver bumpers
Engine: LSA, 6.3-litre supercharged
Driveline: Tremec six-speed manual, nine-inch diff
Exterior: Narrowed, shortened, sectioned, wheelbase reduced to 110-inches
Interior: Low-back bucket seats, harnesses, C1 Corvette dashboard, Dakota digital gauges

Words: NZV8   Illustration: Mark Curran

With vehicles ranging from rare vintage European cars through to classic Japanese vehicles to muscle cars and hot rods, the event offers something for everyone. Better still, with it running from 10am-1pm, the carpark is ever changing.

Event sponsors Protecta Insurance are right behind the event, with their staff attending in their own hot rods and muscle cars, which is great to see.

The event takes place on the last Sunday of each month, and is held at Columbus Coffee Smales Farm on Auckland’s North Shore. It’s on rain or shine, so make sure to head along and check it out.

Breaking with recent tradition of naming their vehicles using a series nomenclature (E Series 1, E Series 2, E Series 3), HSV needed to look further afield to overcome legal and marketing clashes.

“It was obvious, from the beginning, that we were going to have to adjust our approach, because F Series or F1 wasn’t going to work” said HSV Director of Sales & Marketing Tim Jackson.

“We had three basic objectives. Firstly, we needed to ensure we referenced our vehicle’s relationship with Holden’s VF. Secondly, we have a new generation vehicle so we wanted to use language that people would find easily relatable. And finally, we wanted it to be simple.”

“GEN-F almost picked itself”, added Jackson.

Jackson also indicated some of the rumours surrounding GEN-F were on the mark, but was holding confirmation back until the official release date. “There has been plenty of speculation so you can expect that some of it is accurate. I am just not going to reveal what’s accurate today. We will reveal all on May 15, which will be approximately a month before customers will be able to see the vehicles in the showroom”.

We can’t wait to see them, and will bring you more news as it breaks!

It was the shed on the property that enticed Laurie and Linda Brunt to shift houses some 12 years ago. As Laurie puts it, “We had shit stored all over the place, it all got out of hand, so we needed somewhere where we could get it all under one roof.” It’s a logic that’s hard to argue with, and which resulted in the purchase of a property just north of Paeroa that had once housed the well known Stembridge Transport garage.

To this day, the couple still have passers-by popping in telling stories of how they used to use the garage to have their vehicles worked on. So even before Laurie and Linda shifted their ever-growing collection of oddities in, the building had plenty of its own stories to tell. Of course, like every shed, it’s never big enough, as no matter how big it is, you’ll always find a bit more stuff than you’ve got room for, especially if you’re of the same mindset as the Brunts. “We had a mate who left his walking stick here one day, and now we’ve got a collection of them!” laughs Laurie, as an indication of their propensity to hoard.

They’re trying to reverse their collectible habit now though, by attending as many swap meets as possible, although this usually sees them return with more items than they left with, but at least they can laugh about it.

With such a varied range of items, it made sense for the collection to be opened to the public, hence the name ‘The Yesteryear Barn’ being coined around seven years ago. While the collection is certainly well worth the $5 admission fee, it’s not really a money-making business either. If the couple are home, the door to the collection is open, if not, then you’ll have to try again another time.

While the majority of the pieces are automotive related, there’s a large area dedicated to the way things were, with an assortment of vintage items ranging from cellphones through to washing machines, sewing machines and tools. While some of these might be familiar, it’s the items such as the vintage honey extractor and an antique corn de-cobber that we’d never seen before that amused us most on our visit. Laurie’s a storyteller from way back, with a great way with words, and the guided tour we were lucky enough to receive was a laugh a minute.

“It’s a disease, but a good one!” laughs Laurie, about how the collection has grown. Besides the fact that the couple are preserving rare slices of history, it’s the number of local products that they’ve managed to acquire that makes it different to any other. Items such as a bike that was built in Paeroa and sold new in 1910 now take pride of place. Equally as impressive is the amount of new old stock, items still in boxes
from the ’40s, ’50s or even older. Of course, Laurie jokes about how the box is worth far more than the contents, and he’s probably right.

A speedway enthusiast for as long as he can remember, Laurie’s raced all sorts of vehicles over the years, and still has many of the cars on-site, such as the Honda Civic saloon he describes as being ugly but too cute to get rid of. During the ’60s, he and Linda travelled the country competing in the No. 14 classic stock car. While the racing these days is done by grandson Michael, the cars from Laurie’s days are still present, including a very rare Formula 500 built for a class that never really got off the ground.

All up, there are 12 classic stock cars, of various makes and models in the collection, some of which still get out on track on the odd occasion at events like the Jalopy Dust-up, or at the Meremere dirt track.

Linda refers to the back end of the property as looking a bit like Horopito Motors, with all sorts of cars rusting away. It’s not just cars though, as the odd bit of farm machinery including an old loader from the Huntly mine have all found their way into the collection. The ’56 Bedford is often used for carting things around, while the ‘Mr Tripy’ was added due to its standout colour scheme. Of all the vehicles, the one that people most often try to buy is the original Fordson grader used at Western Springs.

A tinkerer by nature, Laurie’s always playing around with something in the shed, and accordingly has amassed a huge collection of parts, mainly Holden, Valiant and Chrysler. “He’s got all that and he’s still, ‘It’s never the right bloody thing!’” laughs Linda, at the excuses Laurie uses to buy yet more stuff.

If you’re anything like us, and have driven past the Yesteryear Barn countless times without stopping in, then make sure you do next time you’re heading through Paeroa. While the collection is great, the laughs you’ll have with the couple are worth the entry price alone.

This article is from NZV8 issue 95. Get your copy here.

Words: Todd Wylie  Photos: Adam Croy

SUPERCAR DVS LAUNCH AND TEST DAY
17/18 April 2013 Surfers Paradise.

I flew in early to help the team clean, polish, and prepare for the big day. Maurie Pickering spared nothing to make it a very special event. The formal lunch at the Marriot Hotel was attended by 80 to 100 guests and I again made some valuable contacts.

Maurie is a good strategic planner and had invited many people which will be key to moving the team forward. He has his eyes fixed on the main game.
Josh Hunter and I now have permanent lodgings on the Gold Coast, so had to go and buy household stuff and set up.

Dad travelled by train to Brisbane on Friday and sat beside a very talkative 87-year-old lady who drove an ambulance in London during WW2. When she heard that he had a son that drove race cars she told him all about the launch she had watched on channel 9 news. That’s what you call penetration!

TEST DAY
On the 18th we were off the Queensland Raceway for a full day of intensive testing.
Josh and I worked separately with our engineers and shared results in the afternoon.
Steve Owen and Paul Morris evaluated results. They also set bench marks.

We made huge progress, first with the shocks which had been rebuilt and finally by re-jigging spring rates and other more subtle adjustments. By days end we had both made serious gains having knocked nearly a full second off our previous best times.
The car feels far better balanced than it did at Adelaide. I can push much harder with confidence.

CONCLUSION
A very satisfying two days. A very big thank you to Maurie and the team for their hard work and also for the faith they have put in Josh and I.

On the plane on the way home I was thinking how lucky I was to get the Finance EZI opportunity in Australia. Like so many things in life it was a train of fortunate events. Starting with being so fortunate to find a generous sponsor base in NZ, to Supertourers which lead to the TKR Carrera Cup drive, which lead to my valuable Paul Morris friendship, the Shannons Supercar Shootout and the Porsche scholarship. Paul introduced me to Maurie Pickering and an offer to drive for his development team. Also finished year 12 at school and changed girl friends during 2012. It was a big year!

All the best,
Andre
 Keep an eye out for more of Andre’s exploits in the coming months.

AJ Lauder has become by far the youngest NZV8s champion, clinching the Gold Star title for the original-specification cars with a solid drive at Pukekohe during the ITM400.

Lauder, from the Coromandel township of Turua, had a big points lead coming into the meeting and drove a sensible race in his Ford Falcon, bearing the championship situation in mind. He finished sixth in his class.

“We had to finish,” he said. “I thought it would be more hectic than it was. “We were told to stay clean.”

Behind Lauder, things were more hectic as several of the less experienced drivers in the 30-car Fujitsu Heat Pumps-backed NZV8s field skated off onto the grass at different points, some bringing dirt back onto the surface as they regained the track.

Lauder’s brother Brad, just 16, retained his second place in the championship even though he finished well down the field. Shaun Varney, who had been a close third, lost ground when he went off the track in his Falcon.
Look out for an interview with the Lauder brothers in an upcoming issue of NZV8 Magazine

MSNZ Race Championship calendar:

Round 1: January 12-13, Teretonga (Invercargill)

Round 2: January 19-20, Timaru

TRS: January 26-27, Taupo

TRS: February 2-3, Hampton Downs

Round 3: February 9-10, Manfeild

Round 4: March 9-10, Taupo

Round 5: April 12-14, Pukekohe (V8 Supercars meeting)

It is unusual to see V8 Supercars on the streets of Surfers Paradise outside October, however that is what greeted holiday makers on their Wednesday morning stroll on the glitter strip today as Finance EZI’s fleet of racecars made its way from central Surfers to a gala lunch at the Marriott Resort and Spa.

Finance EZI has established arguably the most comprehensive junior development program in Australian motorsport and its contingent of black and yellow V8 Supercars left Marriott guests wondering who was checking into the world-renowned hotel as the 635-horsepower V8 Supercars roared to a standstill at the hotel’s valet parking area.

“We want to develop the Finance EZI brand on a national scale and motorsport gives us the ideal platform to do this with,” said team owner and driver, Maurie Pickering. “Helping out youngsters is at the core of our business and how we can give back to the sport in Australia…plus, I can race and have some fun as well!”

Barely allowed to hold a provisional license on the roads they travelled through, Finance EZI’s pair of 17-year-old V8 superstars from the Dunlop V8 Supercar Development Series – Josh Hunter and Andre Heimgartner – piloted their racecars on a very different street circuit to the one they raced just one month ago in Adelaide.

The pair are preparing for the next round of the Dunlop V8 Supercar Series at Barbagallo Raceway in Perth, May 3-5.

“It was a bit different that’s for sure,” laughed Josh. “I’ve driven around Surfers Paradise before, but not in a V8 Supercar. Being part of this team and doing different things like this is fun and that’s what we do it for.”

Heimgartner concurred.

“It is one way to grab some attention! I was too busy concentrating on driving the car to take in too many of the sights along the beach, but no doubt there was plenty to look at! Maurie’s always up for something a bit different and I think he’s achieved it here, it’s definitely something I’ll be looking back on in years to come as a cool way to promote the race team!”

Finance EZI will enter the single-make Suzuki Swift Racing Series with a very familiar name, but an unfamiliar face in Ben Grice. Grice is a Gold Coast local and son of 1986 and 1990 Bathurst 1000 Champion, Allan Grice. Whilst not taking the traditional karting path in his youth, Grice is now trying to forge his own path in motor racing.

He will start his first race under the Finance EZI colours at Mallala in South Australia this weekend.

“Obviously I’ve been around the sport my whole life and have driven a few things in the past, but this is my first opportunity at a full national Series,” explained Grice. “To be part of something like the Finance EZI team on a broader scale is fantastic and I cannot thank Maurie enough for the chance to do the Suzuki Swift Series. Of course, we’ll be looking to try and do as best we can, and as Josh has shown, Maurie is prepared to support young drivers to advance, so hopefully I can follow a similar path in this way.”

Multiple State Karting Champion, Damian Ward pilots the Finance EZI Aussie Racing Car. The irony of Ward is that by day, he drives one of the biggest rigs around – a gargantuan mining truck, but by weekend, he is in the smallest car on the racetracks of Australia! Having completed two rounds of the National Championship, he’s finished both on the cusp of the top 10.

“This is a little different to my usual drive,” laughed Ward. “It has a bit better turning circle and just a bit more torque than the mining truck. Having started in the Suzuki Series last year, to get a chance to go to the Aussie Racing Cars is a big thing. It’s a hugely competitive category and a momentary lapse of concentration can see you go from the front to the rear in a blink of an eye. In that sense, it is very much like I’m used to in karting, but on a slightly bigger scale.”

The final car in the lineup, fittingly keeping a watch over his flock ahead, was another Ford V8 Supercar, that is usually driven by team owner, well-known Car Dealer and Managing Director of Finance EZI, Maurie Pickering.

Pickering is racing in the Kumho V8 Touring Car Series for retired V8 Supercars and was lucky to even be at the event today after the Series’ opening round a couple of weekends ago in Sydney. After a tyre let go, Pickering speared off at Sydney Motorsport Park’s unforgiving turn one at over 260kph! Thankfully, no major damage was done to the car or the boss!

“We’re a proudly Gold Coast based team and today’s event is about unveiling the full compliment of our outfit and let the sponsors, media and people that I do business with on a daily basis see who we are supporting and get to meet them in an intimate environment away from the racetrack.

“Finance EZI Racing positions itself as developing the next generation of motor racing and right across the board, all of our drivers (except this one!) are under 25 and are all so enthusiastic about their motor racing.

“We have some wonderful motorsport heritage in our team – from Josh who’s grandfather, Garry Rush is the greatest Sprintcar driver Australia has ever produced, to Ben – whose father’s exploits in racing, politics and business speak for themselves and Andre and Damian, both of whom are solidly working to carve out their own motor racing legacy.

“It’s a pleasure for Finance EZI to be in a position to support these guys and work with them to build an exciting motorsport brand.”

The 80 guests on hand at the lunch enjoyed food and wine from the Marriott Resort and Spa, Surfers Paradise and the drivers were introduced to the gathering via a lively Q&A session.

Finance EZI is a Gold Coast-based organisation, which is an emerging force on the national lending scene. It works with customers to eliminate much of the stress involved with financing cars, boats, bikes, businesses, equipment and a host of other products, by negotiating on their behalf to obtain (in most cases) better deals than offered by banks.

FINANCE EZI RACING 2013 SCHEDULE:

Dunlop V8 Supercar Series (Andre Heimgartner & Josh Hunter):
1. Clipsal 500 – March 1-2
2. Chill Perth 365 – May 3-5
3. Sucrogen Townsville 400 – July 5-7
4. Coates Hire Ipswich 300 – July 26-28
5. Winton 360 – August 23-25
6. Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 – October 10-12
7. Sydney 500 – December 7-8

Kumho V8 Touring Car Series (Maurie Pickering):
1. Sydney Motorsport Park – March 22-24
2. Mallala – April 19-21
3. Winton – June 21-23
4. Queensland Raceway – August 2-4
5. Phillip Island – September 20-22
6. Sandown – November 15-17

Suzuki Swift Drivers Challenge (Ben Grice):
1. Mallala – April 19-21
2. Phillip Island – May 24-26
3. Winton – June 21-23
4. Sydney Motorsport Park – July 12-14
5. Queensland Raceway – August 2-4
6. Wakefield Park – October 18-20
7. Sandown – November 15-17

Aussie Racing Cars (Damian Ward):
1. Clipsal 500 – February 28-March 3
2. Symmons Plains – April 5-7
3. Coates Hire Ipswich 300 – July 26-28
4. Winton – August 23-25
5. Armor All Gold Coast 600 – October 25-27
6. Sydney 500 – December 6-8

More Information:

That’s mental”, “Check out the size of the turbo”, “That’d be a handful”, “Wonder what it’ll run down the strip” are just a few of the comments heard at the unveiling of Robert Morrow’s HSV Clubsport R8 at the recent Jenners Hall of Fame (held at the 4&Rotary Nationals) where it rightfully took out an award for best driveline.

While from the outside the car looks pretty much as per any other first-generation VE R8 out there, it’s what sits under the hood that makes this car something special. And by special, we mean it’s most likely sitting within the top 10 most powerful street cars in the country — ever.

Do the maths on that for a second. It’s not old enough to have lost that new car smell yet, has never been on a drag strip, hell, it doesn’t even have a roll cage, and in stock form would still set you back about $40k. And now it’s making 824hp at the wheels, and just to add insult to everything else out there, that’s on low boost without nitrous.

Unlike most other big-power cars on the street, it didn’t gradually evolve into what it has become either. It was bought with the sole intention of becoming the most powerful late-model vehicle around — a goal that it has easily achieved.

But why would you do it? Well, the owner’s son, Chris Morrow, is a mechanic by trade and has built many high-performance turbo vehicles over the years, and has recently started his own business, Bling Spec Automotive. The whole aim of the business is to build custom high-performance cars like this, so the opportunity was golden. Chris was after something to showcase what he could do, and due to the family connection was willing to donate his labour to the build free of charge. Never again would an opportunity like this come up for either party, where one saves probably the initial purchase price of the vehicle on labour, and one gets to attach their name to the craziest car around, in pretty much the perfect marketing exercise.

With this plan in place, the car was purchased in 2011, and straight away put on the dyno at Te Rapa Automotive, where Chris was working at the time. It spun 253kW at the tyres, which factoring in drivetrain losses, is about right for the 307 flywheel kW the cars were sold with.

With the initial figure sorted, the car was stripped of the stock exhaust system and dropped to Sinco Customs, where the custom turbo manifolds and exhaust would be created. Once these were sorted it was back home to Bling Spec where the rest of the work was undertaken.

While plenty of parts were being freighted from around the country and the globe, Chris pulled the motor down and dropped the bare block off to Franklin Engineering for machining. With the bore size increased, Chris set about filling the engine with a Callies Compstar stroker crank, Callies Compstar H-beam rods and billet CP Pistons, to give an increased displacement of 6.4 litres. Knowing it needed to be built to last, the list of high-end components used is huge, and the list of stock parts remaining is a very short one. Included in the new bits were NPR rings, Clevite race bearings, ARP fasteners and CNC Trick Flow billet heads. Rated at flowing 225cc, the heads have been fitted with Yella Terra Ultralite roller rockers, Manton pushrods, and large valves. A Comp Cams roller cam was fitted to the block and a set of GM Performance LS9 head gaskets join the whole lot together.

With the bare block assembled, it was fitted into the car for the rest of the work to continue between work commitments. Over the next six months, Chris ordered, fitted and created all the ancillaries required, such as the Precision T88 turbo, monster intercooler with four-inch fittings and the intercooler piping to join the lot up.

With the massive flow rates the T88 turbo offers, creating a fuel system capable of keeping up with its demands was crucial. For this Chris opted to run an ASE in-tank twin fuel pump unit to move fuel into a boot-mounted surge tank. From here three Bosch Motorsport 044 pumps send fuel through a Dash-10 line to an SX Ultra fuel regulator, where the lines split into two Dash-8s that feed FAST billet fuel rails. Fitted to these oversize rails are Injector Dynamics 850cc injectors, which work from instructions sent by the factory (retuned) ECU to fire it all into life.

Besides an unquenchable demand for fuel, the other problem of a big turbo set-up is the risk of the boost blowing the spark out. Chris has been impressed with the stock GM coils though, which in conjunction with NGK plugs and Top Gun leads haven’t had a problem so far.

What may soon test them, though, is the Nitrous Express nitrous system, which as yet hasn’t been used. The twin boot-mounted bottles feed into a plate fitted between the 102mm billet throttle body and FAST intake manifold, and have the potential to up rear-wheel power by another 100-or-so ponies. Even as is though, when the team from ProTune had the car on the dyno for tuning, it just turned the tyres to smoke at every press of the throttle. Due to the large size of the turbo peak power and torque are quite high in the rev range, with a maximum torque figure of 1555ft/lb at 5000rpm.

With the decision made early on in the build to not opt for a cast-iron block, the reality is that trying to do something like a land-speed run, where the car is under full power for a long period of time, would most likely result in a cracked block. But, with the alloy block, the car doesn’t end up as front heavy as it would have if the iron block had been chosen, especially when you factor in the weight of the turbo and associated componentry. And for what Robert (and Chris) were after, the alloy block should hopefully last the distance.

The factory Tremec six-speed gearbox should, all going well, also hold the power, as should the stock diff, thanks to the Harrop Truetrac diff centre that has been fitted. The only other change to the driveline has been the installation of a custom Auto Clutch single-plate clutch and steel flywheel.

The only real giveaways from the exterior of the car are the intercooler which hides behind the stock grille, the sticker on the window and the custom badge on the back. The highest number ever fitted to the rear of an R8 from the factory is 325kW, while this weapon boasts more than double that, proudly displaying 777kW.

So if you ever find yourself at the lights next to a black HSV that sounds a little different from normal, it may pay to check its rear before you get made to look like a fool. As, by our estimates, this really is one of the fastest street cars the country has ever seen, and no one wants to find out the hard way just how slow it can make anything else on the road look.

Of course, Chris would be happy to build any paying customers a car that could do exactly the same thing, so if you’re in the market for something equally as absurd, make sure to give him a call, just don’t expect the family discount rates to apply.

This article is from NZV8 issue 95. Get your copy here.

2007 Holden VE Clubsport R8 – Specs

Engine: 6.4-litre stroked LS2, Callies Compstar stroker crank, Callies Compstar H-beam rods, billet CP Pistons, NPR rings, Clevite race bearings, ARP fasteners, full CNC Trick Flow 225cc heads, Yella Terra Ultralite roller rockers, Manton 11/32 pushrods, Comp Cams roller cam, GM LS9 head gaskets, ARP head studs, FAST LSXR 102mm intake manifold, billet 102mm electronic throttle body, custom intercooler piping, Samco hoses, Precision T88 turbo, Turbosmart 50mm Power-Gate wastegate, TiAL blow-off valve, custom 600x300x110mm intercooler with four-inch inlets, Nitrous Express 102mm plate system, Twin Nitrous Express bottles, ASE in-tank twin fuel pump unit, custom surge tank, 3x Bosch Motorsport 044 pumps, SX Ultra fuel regulator, Injector Dynamics 850cc injectors, dash-10 fuel line, FAST billet fuel rails, stock GM coils, Top Gun leads, NGK plugs, MSD two-step launch controller, custom turbo manifold, three-and-a-half-inch exhaust splitting into twin three-inch, Borla mufflers, custom radiator overflow tank, custom washer reservoir, custom breather tank
Driveline: Tremec TKO 6060 manual gearbox, Auto Clutch single-plate clutch, custom steel flywheel, remote clutch bleeder, braided high-flow feed line, Harrop Truetrac diff centre
Suspension: HSD adjustable coilovers, Whiteline heavy-duty front and rear sway bars, Whiteline front adjustable sway bar links, Nolathane rear subframe bushes, Nolathane diff mount bushes, Whiteline strut brace
Brakes: Stock HSV
Wheels/Tyres: 20×8.5 and 20×9.5-inch Advanti Monza wheels, 235/35R20 and 275/30R20 tyres
Vehicle exterior: Custom fibreglass bonnet
Interior: Twin Scan gauges, custom five-gauge holder
Performance: 824hp at the wheels (615kW), 1042hp at the flywheel (777kW) without nitrous

Robert Morrow – Driver Profile

Age: 49
Occupation: Self-employed
Previously owned cars: VE GTS Commodore, numerous other Holdens
Dream car: Latest-model Corvette
Why the HSV? Bought to build a fast street car that was late-model
Build time: One-and-a-half years on and off
Length of ownership: Two years
Robert thanks: My son Chris Morrow aka Bling from Bling Spec Automotive for the complete car build, my wife Sue and my twin newborn kids, Julie from Counties Auto Painters, Wayne and Dean from ProTune, Mike from Sinco Customs, NZ Performance, Ian from Franklin Engineering, Tim from Pro Coat, Alert Motorsport, Steelie Gears, Webster Engineering, Auto Clutch, John, Mark and any one else who has helped out. Chris would also like to say a big thank you to his fiancé Antonia for all her help and support

Words: Todd Wylie  Photos: Adam Croy

Thanks to Rod Dunn from Creative Auto Photography for the great photos. You can see more of Rod’s work here https://www.facebook.com/creativeautophotography55?fref=ts

V8 Supercars Press Release follows-
The Jason Richards Trophy will head to the trophy cabinet of his team after Jason Bright scorched home in the final race at the ITM 400 Auckland at Pukekohe Park Raceway today.

A tearful Bright, a former teammate of the late Jason Richards, was delighted not only with the win but his overall performance over the weekend earned him the trophy to return to the Brad Jones Racing team based in rural New South Wales.

Strong performances from Ford’s Will Davison, including victory in the first of two 100km races today, earned him the lead in the V8 Supercars Championship, taking over from defending Champion Jamie Whincup.

It gave the beleaguered Ford fans something to cheer about after a slow start to the season.

Bright’s victory also emphasised the remarkable effect of the new cars this year, with four different winners at Pukekohe this weekend featuring teenage Kiwi Scott McLaughlin, Whincup and Will Davison.

The experienced Bright earned the ARMOR ALL pole for the final race, and after slowly hauling in early leader Whincup, he took the lead on lap 11 and from there cleared out.

While the victory was meaningful, it was a special celebration as he hoisted Richards’ daughter Sienna in his arms and hugged wife Charlotte who presented him with the Jason Richards Trophy.

“I got a message from Charlotte during the week passed on from Sienna saying that she wanted to present the trophy to me this weekend – talk about putting the pressure on,” Bright said.

“I think it sums it up. Car 8 wanted to win this race, the whole team wanted to take that trophy back to Albury. I was awake last night thinking about it.

“Yesterday when I got tagged by James Courtney, I think he (Jason Richards) jumped in the car and saved that one for me because there was no way I was going to save that one.

“All I thought about this weekend and all the team thought about was that trophy so it’s very special.”

He even carried the “JR Star” signwritten on his car throughout the weekend.

It marked another strong weekend for Brad Jones Racing, following Fabian Coulthard’s win last weekend in Tasmania with the New Zealander now fifth in the championships, just ahead of Bright.

The third race of the weekend earlier in the day proved a humdinger.

If it was 2-0 in the collision stakes between Whincup and Ford’s Mark Winterbottom based on yesterday’s bash, it is now 2-all after the pair came together twice but the upshot was that both finished at the tail of the field.

It proved a race of drama, with Whincup colliding with Winterbottom on lap 18 allowing Coulthard to slip through into the lead. The Kiwi had to withstand a further Pedders safety car, but he hit the kerb hard on turn three and the resulting loss of speed and flattening tyre allowed Davison and Shane van Gisbergen through.

The race finished on the fourth safety car after Scott McLaughlin, the hero yesterday with the opening win, hit the wall over the ITM Mountain with Davison grabbing his 15th career victory.
It was Ford’s first win at Pukekohe since Marcos Ambrose in 2007.

“It’s a cool stat to break that drought but nine years – we haven’t been here since 07, yeah there is obviously four years in there somewhere where they did it, but I think Muprh may have won all those races, so it’s cool,” Davison said.

“FPR won both races in Hamilton last year. So it hasn’t been all doom and gloom for New Zealand Ford fans. I’m not sure how many cheered me on the hill but hopefully there were a few Ford fans who were pretty relieved, they haven’t seen that here for a while.

He cemented the championship lead that with his fifth placing in the final race to be on 697 points, with Whincup on 681, his Red bull Racing Holden teammate Craig Lowndes third on 591, Holden’s Garth Tander on 553 ahead of Coulthard on 552, Bright on 539 and Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen on 532.

“This time of the year, don’t really want to talk about it (the championship). I found myself in this position last year, three rounds in and everyone is talking about Championship – so much can change so quickly,” Davison said.

“It is definitely encouraging. I expected these first rounds to be a bit tough for us. We don’t have a great handle on the car, but we have dug really really deep at all the moments when it counts and I have been able to have a really clean free run so far, so we will see. I didn’t expect to be leading now so who knows what December will bring – we will certainly be fighting really hard to hold on. ”

McLaughlin’s win, becoming the youngest in V8 Supercars Championship history, was mixed with a non-finish and resulting non-start in the final race to drop him to 10th overall in his rookie season in the main game.
It has cemented three New Zealanders in the top 10 with Coulthard fifth, Shane van Gisbergen seventh and McLaughlin 10th.

The name Trevor Halstead is a familiar one to these pages. Over the years we’ve seen a few of his creations in print. The man doesn’t do things by halves, building almost every aspect of his cars himself, be it panel work, painting, or fabrication; you name it, he’s a metalworking genius.

So a few years back after completing his well known Studebaker delivery (a car that Studebaker never made themselves), he was at a loose end as to what to build next. With no less than five Studes already in the shed, four of which are radically customised, there was never any question as to what make of vehicle it’d be, only a matter of which model, and which style it’d be built in.

For many years he’d wondered about a lone 1953 Starlight coupe, which spent most of its days in Dunedin, before it fell off Trev’s Studebaker radar. As it was the only one in the country, it could be the basis for a very different project. Little did he know, that for the last few years it had been in a shed barely a stone’s throw from his own workshop. All this time he had been quizzing people on its whereabouts, and it was right under his nose.

Once discovered, a deal was done, and the car was his; he towed what remained of it back to his business Custom & Classic Restorations, and began to ponder what he’d got himself into. Having been used to launch a small boat into the ocean for many years, the back half of the car was seriously rusted out; one rear quarter and the entire rear valance requiring a complete scratch-built replacement.

Undeterred, he started the build, rolling folding and sculpting metal to replace the cancerous sections. Returning things back to stock though isn’t really his bag, he’s far more interested in creating a custom look. Having spent many years thinking of how he’d do it to the coupe, he knew exactly what he wanted to do, and how he’d go about it. That involved giving the car small fins along the rear haunches, shaving all badges, trim and handles. But that was really only the beginning. The big change was one that majorly alters the side profile of the vehicle, and that was to remove one-inch from the bottom of the front guards, and create tapered sills that start from nothing and end up at four-and-a-half-inches just forward of the rear wheels. Check out how the door line sits in relation to the sills and you’ll see what he’s done. However, it’s not until you look at that area that you’d even notice. The effect gives the car a roof-chopped look, and makes the most of the design which would have been considered radical when it rolled off the production line back in 1953. Keep looking and you’ll find even more custom touches, such as radiusing of the corners of all panels, frenching of the headlights and completely custom-built tail lights. There really isn’t anything left stock on the car, and that’s a theme that continues on throughout the engine bay, interior and also the undercarrage.

The stock interior was stuffed, but that didn’t deter Trev at all, as it gave him the opportunity to build it how he wanted, and that was radical. The custom gauge pods that now wear Smiths gauges was handcrafted from metal, as was the custom centre console, complete with hidden compartment for all the vehicle’s switches. His handiwork didn’t finish there though, check out the stainless trim on the doors, all cut by hand by the man himself. The only thing he didn’t do was the trimming, which was undertaken by the team at Mastertrim, to Trev’s strict instructions and style guidelines of course.

Like the interior, the engine bay is a work of art. Keep looking, and you’ll keep finding more and more areas of faultless workmanship and creativity. Not only did he spend hours smoothing and filling the panels of the bay, the block of the 490ci big-block Chev has been de-burred and smoothed as well.

While Trev likes to use second-hand parts where possible, the engine itself was where he splashed out and got the good stuff. He did manage to use a tunnel ram set-up that had been kicking around the shed for a while though. In fact he first installed it on his 1951 Bomber back in the late ’70s, when it was new, not retro cool. Not a single wire is visible in the engine bay, and plenty of clever touches learned from years of building cars have gone into making this look as good as it does, and it really does need to be seen to be appreciated. The result of all the hard work is a stout 500hp at the tyres at 5000rpm. Not bad for a motor built in the shed at home by a panel beater!

With that much grunt, it’s a good thing Trev decided to scrap the original chassis, in favour of a strengthened item from a later-model Studebaker Hawk. To get it sitting how he wanted, the front of the chassis has been Z’d and a Torana front end fitted, which has resulted in it sitting over four inches lower than stock, as well as gaining better brakes and steering at the same time. Balancing out the height is a custom set of rear leaf springs, which now hold a narrowed nine-inch diff, rather than an original Stude item. As for the wheels, you wouldn’t pick it, but they’re actually 14x7s on the front and 15x9s on the rear.

As we all know, colour can make or break a car, and Trev spent plenty of time with John from Resene Automotive in Hamilton coming up with exactly what he was after. The chassis, inner guards and firewall are all Du Pont Refinish 2K, while the exterior is finished in lacquer of the same brand and colour.

Like any car of this magnitude, it’s taken longer than expected to complete, and  despite the fact that Trev’s done 99 per cent of it himself, there are plenty of people to whom he’s grateful for their help. We did ask, with it now completed, what would he be building himself next? While he said that what he’s got is enough for him, the glint in his eye and his wry smile tells us we’ll be seeing a lot more of Trev and his wild creations.

This article is from NZV8 issue 95. Get your copy here.

1953 Studebaker Starlight Coupe – Specs

Engine: 490ci big-block Chev, shaved and smoothed 454 block, four-bolt mains, high-volume oil pump, JP timing chain, Hypereutectic pistons, 10:1 compression, Isky Mega cam, Edelbrock performer heads, 2.19-inch intake valves, 1.88-inch exhaust valves, Edelbrock tunnel-ram, twin Holley carbs, Bosch coil, Bosch leads, Carter fuel pump, 1961 Studebaker fuel tank, custom HPC-coated two-inch headers, three-inch lake pipes, custom radiator, electric fan, Toyota heater, Weiand water pump
Driveline: GM Turbo 400, 2000rpm stall converter, nine-inch diff, 2.7:1 ratio
Suspension: Torana front end, 28mm front sway bar, gas shocks, HQ stub axles, leaf rear springs, two-inch lowering blocks,  EB Falcon sway bar, air rear shocks
Brakes: Falcon master cylinder, VH44 booster, Landcruiser vacuum pump, vented discs, Holden HZ calipers, Mitsubishi handbrake lever, 11-inch Ford rear drums
Wheels/tyres: 14×7- and 15×9-inch ROH rims, 205/70R14 front tyres, 245/60R15 rear tyres
Exterior: Shaved trim, custom body mods, custom tail lights, frenched headlights, extended sills, radiused hood, boot and doors, custom rear fins, narrowed bumper, Du Pont Refinish custom paint
Interior: Full custom trim, custom panels, custom dash, custom seats, HQ Holden steering wheel, Promatic shifter, Smiths gauges, hidden switches, VL Commodore steering column, Sony audio
Chassis: Z’d front end, strengthened, Torana front clip, notched rear
Performance: 500hp ATW at 5000rpm, 800Nm at 2500rpm

Trev Halstead – Driver Profile

Age: 60
Occupation: Restoration and custom car builder
Currently Owned Cars: 1947 Studebaker (chopped, channelled, shortened, sectioned), 1950 Studebaker custom delivery [NZV8 Issue No. 51], 1951 Studebaker Champion (chopped, custom), 1952 Studebaker Commander (Restored), 1953 Studebaker Landcruiser Sedan
Dream Car: This is it!
Trev thanks: Special thanks to Dianne, my ever-patient wife; Greg Knight for the technical info, direction and help; John at Resene Automotive and Light Industrial; Shane and Greg at Mastertrim; Ross and Rob at Forlong and Maisey; Paul at Repco; Paul at Aussie Spares; Noel at Nostalgia Motors; Mark at United Sheetmetal; Peter Delaway; Glen Odlum; John at Pan Pacific; Dion Coombs and Rennie; Paul and Gary at Te Rapa Auto Electrics; George at Paniflow; Justin Smith; Brian at Audio Active

Words: Todd Wylie   Photos: Adam Croy

Heading into the final round of the NZV8s championship at Pukekohe next weekend (April 12-14) AJ, who is 18, and Brad, just 16, stand first and second respectively in the Gold Star championship for the original-specification cars.

That is remarkable but not so surprising when you know the background of the brothers, who are based at Turua near Thames. Their grandfather – and team manager – is Frank Radisich, a top driver in his day, and their uncle is Frank’s son Paul, whose accomplishments include winning two World Cups for touring cars.

“We’ve both done motocross since we were five,” Brad Lauder says. “We’ve always wanted to race – it’s just been in the blood.”

AJ is already a champion, having claimed the 2012 Suzuki Swift Sport Cup. Brad finished seventh in that championship, with a few podium finishes along the way.

Now AJ has a big lead in the NZV8s championship, having finished on the podium in all 12 of his races. Switching from a small, front-wheel-drive car to a big rear-wheel-drive one proved less difficult than expected.

“It took a few runs to get the gist of things,” AJ says. “After following a few people around for a few laps I got on to it pretty fast.”

Advice from the family was a big help. “Paul was a champion at it so you couldn’t go wrong.”

The high-profile Pukekohe V8 Supercar meeting has attracted a big entry of almost 30 NZV8s, including triple champion John McIntyre. “It will be good with a lot of cars around,” AJ says.

Driving is his work and his sport, as he drives trucks for a living. “I enjoy getting around and seeing the country. We’re based by Thames so I get all over the Coromandel and it’s nice seeing it in the morning.”

Sibling rivalry – illustrated by banter in the pits — is always going to be strong when two accomplished brothers compete in the same sport.

“It’s always him trying to get at me, always trying to beat the older brother, but it’s all good fun,” AJ says.

Brad adds: “We don’t do anything silly on the track but I always want to be ahead of him and get the bragging rights.”

He also adjusted quickly when moving from the little Suzuki to the much heavier and more powerful NZV8.

“There’s certainly more power there but it’s been easier than I thought it would be,” Brad says. “They are big old taxis and you have to brake a lot earlier than in a Swift. Granddad and Paul both gave us a lot of tips.”

Their Ford Falcons are painted in identical colours, featuring sponsors Discount City Cars and the Radisich company Aegis Oil, except that AJ’s roof is green and Brad’s is yellow.

Both see touring car racing as the most realistic and cost-effective way of developing a motor-racing career in New Zealand and Australia, and aspire to join V8 Supercars.

Frank Radisich says his grandsons certainly have natural talent.

“And they’ve been brought up on it, that makes the difference,” he says. “They were driving cars round the back yard when they were seven or eight.

“I had my doubts about putting Brad in an NZV8 at 16, but he’s absolutely loving it.

The brothers also play rugby together for the Hauraki North under-19 team. AJ is the number eight, Brad the hooker.

“We won the first game of the season last weekend, 23-10 over Pukekohe,” Brad says. And winning is so important for the Lauder brothers.

Attached photographs of the Lauder brothers are free to use but should be credited to Euan Cameron.

The NZV8s entry list for the Pukekohe V8 Supercar meeting is attached.

MSNZ Race Championship calendar:

Round 1: January 12-13, Teretonga (Invercargill)

Round 2: January 19-20, Timaru

TRS: January 26-27, Taupo

TRS: February 2-3, Hampton Downs

Round 3: February 9-10, Manfeild

Round 4: March 9-10, Taupo

Round 5: April 12-14, Pukekohe (V8 Supercars meeting)

Check back in later for more pics and a full report from the event. Till then, here’s some action from qualifying, along with some info you may not have known about the event

The duo have combined to win nine of the last 14 races at the Tasmanian circuit since 2007 with Whincup scooping eight and Lowndes one.

Whincup has won more championship races at Symmons Plains than any other drivers, his eight race wins moving him clear of Peter Brock and Garth Tander on seven apiece.

2. This year is the 41st time the Australian Touring Car Championship/V8 Supercars Championship has visited the Symmons Plains circuit in Tasmania – only Sandown in Melbourne has hosted the ATCC/V8SC on more occasions (43).

The championship first visited Symmons Plains in 1969 and ran every year through to 1999 before returning from 2004 onwards.

Hall of Famer Norm Beechey won the first ATCC race at Symmons Plains in a Holden Monaro GTS 327 in 1969 by just 0.3s over Alan Hamilton’s Porsche 911S.

3. Since the Clipsal 500, Kiwis Fabian Coulthard and Scott McLaughlin have racked up their first V8 Supercar race wins – albeit non-championship victories at the showcase event at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.

However, both drivers have contrasting histories at the Symmons Plains circuit.

Coulthard took his only (so far!) V8 Supercars Championship podium finish at the venue back in 2009 and will line up for his sixth appearance on the ‘Apple Isle’ in 2013, while McLaughlin has never seen the 2.4-kilometre circuit – let alone driven on it!

The 19-year-old sits sixth in the V8 Supercars Championship points after a sparkling full-time debut at the Clipsal 500.

4. The new ’60/60′ Super Sprint format will make its debut at Symmons Plains and so too will the double-file rolling restart.

The 60/60 format will be used on Saturday with drivers to race for 25 laps before a half time break.

The cars will line back up in the running order as of the end of the first half in double file for a rolling restart and another 25 laps of racing will follow. 

The order across the line at the end of the second half is the finishing order of Race 3 and championship points will be applied to that finishing order.

5. Supercheap Auto Racing’s Russell Ingall will make his 221st Australian Touring Car Championship/V8 Supercars Championship event start at Symmons Plains, moving him to second overall on the all-time starts list.

Ingall now moves past Mark Skaife and is second only to Hall of Famer John Bowe on the list.

‘The Enforcer’ won the Symmons Plains round back in 2004 and sits fourth in the V8 Supercars Championship after the Clipsal 500.

The last time Ingall finished fourth or higher in the championship was in his 2005 title-winning season.

6. The tight nature of the Symmons Plains circuit and closeness of the cars generally means the appearance of the Pedders STP Safety Car is highly likely at some stage.

Since the V8 Supercars Championship returned to the circuit in 2004, 69.5% of races have seen the appearance of the Safety Car.

In that time there has not been a year where the Safety Car didn’t appear in at least one of the races over a weekend.

7. Nissan will make its first ATCC/V8SC appearance at Symmons Plains since 1992 at a track that holds great history for the Japanese manufacturer.

George Fury won the 1987 round in a Nissan Skyline DR30 (and also took pole position in 1986), while Jim Richards won in 1991 from pole position aboard the mighty Nissan GT-R.

The best Nissan Altima in the 2013 V8 Supercars Championship is Rick Kelly, who sits 11th in the points after the Clipsal 500.

The 2006 V8 Supercar champion hasn’t had much luck in Tasmania in recent years though – he hasn’t finished in the top 10 in a race there since 2008.

8. Fujitsu Racing GRM’s Alexandre Premat will celebrate his 31st birthday during Friday practice (April 5) at the Tasmania Microsoft Office 365.

The Frenchman enjoyed a strong Clipsal 500, finishing fourth in the Saturday race before power steering problems sidelined him on the Sunday.

The Tasmanian event was one of his best last year, finishing 17th and 13th in the pair of races.

He currently sits 13th in the V8 Supercars Championship pointscore.

9. Five drivers are making their first start in a V8 Supercar at Symmons Plains this weekend. They are:

- Maro Engel (SP Tools Racing)

- Jonny Reid (Dick Johnson Racing)

- Tim Blanchard (Dick Johnson Racing)

- Scott McLaughlin (Fujitsu Racing/GRM)

- Scott Pye (ekol Racing)

Blanchard and Pye have both raced Formula Fords previously at Symmons Plains – Blanchard finished third in the 2007 round, while Pye finished third in 2009.

10. The Holden Racing Team’s James Courtney is fifth in the V8 Supercars Championship after the Clipsal 500 – and that also remains his best race finishing result at Symmons Plains.

Courtney finished fifth in his very first V8 Supercar race at Symmons Plains in 2006 with Stone Brothers Racing – and in 16 races there since he hasn’t been able to match it!

Last year Courtney finished 18th and 8th in the pair of Symmons Plains races.

He last qualified in the top 10 at the circuit in 2009.

Gracing the cover is what has to be hands-down the coolest Ford Thunderbird in the country. It’s kandy-coated, air-bagged, and runs a tunnel-rammed big block under the hood.

Other feature cars include a very smooth Monaro, late model Hemi powered Dodge Dart and a mental sprintcar powered Datsun built for the sole purpose of destroying tyres.

On the event front, there’s our largest ever coverage of Beach Hop, the Drag Racing Nationals from Meremere and of course all the action from Central Muscle Cars.

If you can’t make it in-store, you can grab a copy online, or even a digital version, both from the ‘Shop’ tab at the top of this page.

Following Andy’s advice, Ross soon purchased a big-block 1973 Corvette. Andy being Andy, and Ross being a sucker, it wasn’t long before Andy had convinced him that the stock car wasn’t really the best, and perhaps with a few simple mods it could be a better all-round package. Better still, Andy could not only help with the build, but maybe drive the car too …

The catch here is that Ross is what you’d call hyper-competitive. Anything you say he can’t do, he’ll do. He’s trekked to both the North and South geographic Poles, skydives, base-jumps and plenty more besides. So a car with an average amount of performance was never going to cut it, especially once he’d had it on the racetrack.

So a project of massive proportions began, right around the time that Andy, who was essentially managing the build, decided to leave for Europe to step his racing career up a notch.

This left Ross in the lurch a bit, but with the help of well known race-car–builder Ken Hopper, he managed to turn the pile of parts that Andy had ordered for him into a very impressive machine.

Like Ross, Hoppy isn’t one to do things by halves, so he started off by stripping the car back and creating a serious roll cage with the purpose of not only protecting the driver in case of accident, but also to stiffen up the chassis. More chassis and suspension work was performed, which included making the most of the Corvette’s unique transverse leaf spring set-up, fitting massive sway bars and a beefed-up front end.

While this was all taking place, the stock 454ci big block was ripped out and a high-compression LS7 motor was built. With some serious horsepower the new motor was just the thing to give the car the required performance.

In preparation for the race duties brakes were fitted with bias control and super-wide 16-inch Simmons wheels attached to all four corners. On the interior, all the creature comforts were removed and a set of race seats and harnesses were fitted together with a few Auto Meter gauges to keep an eye on that massive motor. The finishing touch was one that seemed remarkably simple, and that was the task of choosing which colour the machine should be painted. Unlike most of us who struggle to come up with a colour, Ross knew as soon as he saw it that Dodge Viper Blue was the perfect option. The car went to fellow Corvette owner and race driver Tony Gordon for painting and assembly.

With Andy not being there to help during the build, and Ross being tied up between business commitments and other activities, the supposedly quick build end up taking four years. Nonetheless, once completed, Ross was very keen to hit the track in it, and he did so successfully. The blue Vette made a striking sight on the racetrack. With the racing bug taking hold, he then embarked on building a dedicated race-only second-generation Camaro, for which the motor from the Vette could be used.

With the change of vehicles, the Corvette had the original 454 fitted back into it, reverting it to a very tough street car.

Fast forward eight years to the present day, and Ross, who these days spends most of his time abroad, decided to get the old girl going again, with the intention of selling it on to someone who’d use it. With this in mind, the suspension was raised up to be a bit more street friendly, but apart from that, the car is pretty much as raced, with the exception of the engine and big brakes which are easily refitted items.

The 454 which is back in it now is no slouch though, with a decent cam, custom headers, massive lake pipes and a Demon carb sitting up top. As a street-legal car, it’s a weapon, and could certainly outhandle and outperform most things on the road. But despite discovering he still really enjoyed driving the car, he’s not changing his stance on putting it up for sale. Sitting in a shed is not what this machine should be doing. So if you think you’ve got what it takes to tame a wild machine like this, best you check out the online listing for it and get in quick, as we assure you that you won’t be disappointed.

This article is from NZV8 issue 94. Get your copy here.

1973 Chev Corvette – Specs

Engine: 454ci big-block Chev, custom camshaft, custom headers, lake pipes, Demon carb
Driveline: M21 Muncie four-speed manual gearbox, LSD diff
Suspension: Modified Corvette rear end, Nolathane bushes, custom sway bars
Brakes: Stock
Wheels/tyres: 16×10-inch Simmons rims, 255/50R16 tyres
Exterior: Dodge Viper blue paint
Chassis: Strengthened stock chassis, MSNZ homologated roll cage
Interior: Five-point harnesses, race seats, Auto Meter gauges, shift light
Performance: Untested

Ross Maxwell

Age: 50-something
Occupation: Company director
Previously Owned Cars: 1970 big-block Camaro race car
Dream car: 1973 Vette!
Why the Corvette? Andy Booth suggested it, and I was silly enough to take his advice
Build time: Four years
Length of Ownership: Eighteen years
Ross thanks: Andy Booth, Dave Potter, Val, Steve Malam, Tony Gordon, Ken Hopper, Wayne Anderson, Bill Davey, Dean Bradbury

Words: Todd Wylie   Photos: Adam Croy

Words: Alana McIsaac

Jamie Whincup is a modern day V8 Super-Car Super-Driver, so imagine my pure child-like delight when I found out I’d be joining him for a few hot (quite literally) laps around the newly revamped Pukekohe Park Raceway.

Whincup, who is rather appropriately part of the Red Bull Racing team, probably because he really does fly, came out to New Zealand to give us Kiwi’s a small taste of the top tier of V8 racing in the Pacific.

And find his wings he did… well it certainly felt like it from where I was sitting. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am a seasoned rally co-driver and not much can scare me in the way of speed or aggressive cornering, but Whincup had me gasping for air as he threw the Red Bull Racing Holden around the track at some insane speeds.

The new corners at Pukekohe were also very interesting and left me almost wanting to close my eyes. Drivers have the potential to attack these corners in two very different ways which opens up opportunities for passing, but during my ride, it opened up the opportunity for more breath-taking moments. The car goes through some pretty insane deceleration heading into the corner and gets up on two wheels when it mounts the new curbs. Fortunately, Pukekohe Park Raceway has left a big run-off in case the drivers get a little too brave and brake a little too late…

But just what speeds were Jamie and I doing? Well, I’m a little embarrassed to admit this and I’m sure the boys will all give me plenty of stick about this later, but I was too afraid to look. Put me sideways in a rally car any day… this guy is just mad!
Whincup is determined to take the win off the Kiwi’s for the big race in Pukekohe in little over a week’s time.

“The Kiwis have won this too many times now. It’s about time we changed that,” joked Whincup.

But ultimately, like many of us, the day was about having fun on the racetrack for Whincup.

“I have had a bit of fun today and got 20 odd laps around here. It brings back some memories. It still has the character it had when we raced here back in the early 2000s,” said Whincup.

Pukekohe’s character includes numerous bumps that can throw drivers off at high speeds… and those bumps caused a few butterflies (for me at least) today.

“The new stuff has spiced it up. It is much cleaner and much safer now for the drivers and that is the most important thing,” Whincup explained.

While the safety of the drivers was at the forefront of the upgrade, it also allows for much better spectator action around the track with plenty of grandstands being added, along with a second pedestrian over bridge allowing us to get much closer to the action.

And if today was anything to go by, the action will certainly be hot at Pukekohe so make sure you get there!

The sport, or art, of drifting conjures up many different responses. Those who’ve seen the pros do it live are blown away by the speed, control and ability of the drivers. Those who’ve never witnessed it first-hand either don’t get it, or sadly, often respond with “oh yeah, we used to do that, but it wasn’t called drifting back then”.

I hate to burst your bubble if you fall into the latter category, but I highly doubt that what you used to do was anything like what today’s professional drifters do.

Drifting is not sliding out of a corner, far from it. It’s more the art of controlling that slide long before the corner, or more specifically a string of corners, and keeping the car sideways until you’re out the far end. Sound simple you think? Try throwing a second car into the mix that is trying to shadow your every move as closely as possible, some predetermined ‘clipping points’ that you’ve got to hit and then add a serious amount of speed to the equation. By a serious amount of speed, we’re talking well in excess of 100kph, or at high-speed venues such as Pukekohe Park Raceway, drivers are hitting over 200kph down the front straight before throwing their ride sideways into the sweeper. Maximum sideways angle means maximum points …

One of those drivers, who’s willing to put everything on the line whenever he’s competing is Whangarei local ‘Fanga’ Dan Woolhouse. Like most in the drifting scene in New Zealand, he started out competing in a turbocharged Nissan. However, around six years ago, he got more and more interested in running something different. Not only would a Commodore get attention from the crowd, but no doubt create interest with potential sponsors too. Having always driven Commodore street cars, the idea had been in his mind for a long time before he decided to make the move. The aim was to build a car that looked not dissimilar to a V8 Supercar, but with a drift attitude and stance, and the idea percolated until the time was right to put it into action.

After picking up a damaged ex-police car at auction, it wasn’t long before the vehicle was starting to look as he’d always intended: not unlike a V8 Supercar. The cost of the build spiralled though, leaving no budget for engine development. Wanting to sort the chassis out, he made the tough call of dropping in a Nissan straight-six. With over 500hp on tap, the engine that “was just sitting in the shed” seemed a logical choice, even if it was one that raised many an eyebrow.

The plan all along had been to run a V8 though, and the Nissan six was just a stopgap while funds were sourced, which, as always, took longer than expected. This did allow for plenty of seat time though, during which the chassis could be tweaked. In saying that, Fanga was on the podium at his first event, and couldn’t be happier with how the car performed. That’s thanks in part to one of the most important aspects of any drift car: the suspension set-up. Being an uncommon car to use in this discipline, the team at Autolign put plenty of effort into custom-making Tein coilovers that would be up to the task. Surprisingly, whereas the rest of the competition runs a range of steering enhancements to extend lock, the Commodore’s steering is 100-per-cent stock.

Fast-forward to the present, and the car has come a long way from its Nissan-powered debut. Over the years various engine combos have been tried, but the current L98 six-litre naturally aspirated set-up is by far the best. Wanting not only plenty of power, but bucket loads of torque as well, Fanga turned to Zane at Whangarei’s Checkered Flag Automotive for help. The result is one of the most powerful, and reliable, naturally aspirated combos around.

Filled with Eagle H-beam rods and Wiseco pistons, the car runs a solid 12:1 compression ratio. Secured above the tough bottom end by ARP studs are some seriously ported heads filled with a bunch of high-performance gear such as Manley stainless valves, PAC Racing springs and retainers, Lunati high-rev lifters and modified GM Performance rockers. With a custom-ground cam from Kelford and custom-length Manley pushrods sending the instructions upwards, the set-up is about as serious as anyone has got locally with an LS-based engine. Of course, there are plenty of parts to make sure it lasts the distance under the punishment it receives too, such as a Melling oil pump, double row timing set-up and GM Performance MLS head gaskets.

One area that plenty of research went into was finding headers that would maximise performance. After many different options were trialled, Di Filippo items were chosen as the best for the job. With twin three-inch exhausts and Borla stainless steel mufflers, the car really does sound like nothing else out on track.

All up, the package is good for 377kW at the treads, which is more than enough to get them spinning and the 265/35R18 Tri-Ace tyres shredding.

Also helping in this department is a hydraulic handbrake and an Xtreme Drift clutch, which allow Fanga to slow the rear wheels, raise the revs and drop the clutch to get the wheels turning. Not sure about you, but doing this at over 100kph is something I’ve never thought of doing, and something that would take a serious amount of practice, not to mention sizeable nuts.

Besides the handbrake, other interior upgrades include a serious roll cage, a pair of Racetech seats and a Link digital dash. When wiring up the car, the decision was made to ditch the stock ECU for a Link G4 Xtreme item. This not only enabled infinite tuning possibilities, but also allowed for the engine bay to be de-loomed, thus keeping only the necessary items and ditching the rest.

As you can imagine, accidents happen, and a car like this doesn’t stay in pristine condition for very long. Thankfully for Fanga, he’s got the support of Resene Automotive and Light Industrial who supply never-ending amounts of Alto Grey paint and Juice polishes. It’s Morgan Auto Painters who have the unenviable task of applying fresh paint after almost every meet in a somewhat futile effort to keep the car looking as good as new.

The success the car enjoyed on debut has continued; and as we speak Fanga is currently leading the 2013 D1NZ National Championship. Sure, there have been ups and downs along the way, but the results have always been there, and don’t look to be going away anytime in the near future. The desire to win, and the adrenalin rush is just far too great to give up on.

Still think it’s easy? We suggest you head to the video section of Fanga’s website at www.fangadan.com, to find out the truth.

This article is from NZV8 issue 94. Get your copy here.

2005 Holden Commodore – Specs

Engine: LS2 6.0-litre L98 Chev, honed and decked square, 12:1 compression, Wiseco pistons, Eagle H-beam rods, ARP fasteners, ACL Race Series bearings, ported and flowed heads, Manley stainless valves, PAC Racing springs and retainers, custom-ground Kelford Cam, Lunati high-rev lifters, modified GM rockers, custom-length Manley pushrods, double row Adjust-a-Gear timing set, GM Performance MLS head gaskets, Melling oil pump, FAST intake, FAST 102mm throttle body, Bosch 044 fuel pump, Jaz 30-litre fuel cell, Di Filippo headers, three-inch twin exhaust, Bora stainless steel mufflers, PWR radiator, Link G4 Xtreme ECU
Driveline: Tremec TKO-600 gearbox, Harrop diff, 3.91:1 ratio, custom driveshaft
Suspension: Tein Custom Super Drift coilovers, Whiteline sway bars, Nolathane bushes
Brakes: Stock, hydraulic handbrake
Wheels/Tyres: 18×10- and 18×11-inch ROH Strada three-piece wheels, 235/40R18 and 265/35R18 Tri-Ace tyres
Exterior: Custom bonnet, custom wing, V8 Supercar-style bumper, V8 Supercar-style side skirts, pumped rear guards, Resene Automotive Alto Grey paint
Interior: Racetech RT4009HR driver’s seat, Racetech RT4009 passenger seat, Momo steering wheel, Link tack dash G4
Performance: 377kW at the wheels

‘Fanga’ Dan Woolhouse – Driver Profile

Age: 29
Occupation: Marine industry
Previously owned cars: Holden SS Crewman, Holden Statesman, Holden Senator, Holden SV300, Holden Colorado, Holden VY, Holden VX, Holden VT, Nissans, everything but a Ford!
Dream car: 2012 SS Camaro
Why the Commodore: I wanted to make a Supercar look badass
Build time: One year
Length of ownership: Six years
Fanga thanks: Brad and Harry at BG Marketing, Tri-Ace Tyres, Castrol Edge, Tein, Syndicate Signs, Whangarei Tile and Brick, Zane at Checkered Flag Automotive Whangarei, Juice Polishes, Morgan Auto Painters Whangarei, Resene Automotive and Light Industrial, Xtreme Drift Clutch, Kenny at Oversteer TV, Auto Tech Whangarei, Warren at MGNinc, Mike T, Jono, Jock, Donald, Logan, Justin, Dad, Crofty, Pun, and Nicole

Words: Todd Wylie  Photos: Adam Croy

As always, the event saw an amazing variety of cars competing on the short sealed hill climb.

The event’s relaxed atmosphere, and great location make for an event unlike any other.

We’ll have a full event report in an upcoming issue, but until then, here’s a teaser of what to expect.

The full coverage will be available in our issue which goes on sale on April 8, so make sure to grab a copy to find out the full story on the best Beach Hop yet!