Bruce Willis is back as the tough nut John McClane in the next instalment of the iconic Die Hard franchise, A Good Day To Die Hard. We have ten in-season double passes to give away to lucky fans. To win, all you have to do is head over to 
here and tell us how many Die Hard movies have been made. Draw closes January 31. The synopsis for this instalment sees Bruce Willis returning in his most iconic role as John McClane — the ‘real’ hero with the skills and attitude to always be the last man standing. This time the take-no-prisoners cop is really in the wrong place at the wrong time after travelling to Moscow to help his estranged son, Jack. With the Russian underworld in pursuit, and battling a countdown to war, the two McClanes discover that their opposing methods make them unstoppable heroes. A Good Day To Die Hard opens in cinemas February 14.

The countdown is on to the country’s biggest annual historic motorsport event – the New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing’s ‘Gulf Denny Hulme Festival’.

The unique-to-New Zealand format of two full weekends of racing at Hampton Downs on January 18-20 and 25-27 will this year mark the life and career of the country’s only Formula One world champion, the late Denny Hulme. It will also once again see the world’s biggest annual gathering of iconic ‘big banger’ Formula 5000 cars in action at the North Waikato race track.

The golden era of another of motor racing’s most celebrated classes – the mighty US-based Can-Am series of the sixties and seventies – will also be revived to celebrate one of the category’s biggest stars – Hulme himself. Hulme was Can-Am champion twice in 1968 and in 1970 and runner up in 1967, 1969 and 1972 while racing for legendary Kiwi driver and constructor Bruce McLaren.

Many of the big V8-powered sports cars from the heyday of the championship still run in historic racing events throughout the world and festival organisers have attracted a number of the Can- Am racers to compete for the Denny Hulme Trophy – a unique trophy that will be presented by the late 1967 Formula 1 World Champion’s wife Greeta Hulme to the winner of the nine race championship. The McLaren Trust M8A Hulme car will be demonstrating on track having competed its restoration as will a Matich SR4.

The Can-Am cars will not be the only historic V8 racing cars in action. The New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing has played host over the past three years to the world’s biggest gathering of Formula 5000 cars and these will race again in the 2013 event as will one of New Zealand’s biggest ever fields of original specification Australian, New Zealand and US V8-engined Historic Muscle Cars. The classic years of Group A racing will also be re-visited with a field of 30 plus cars travelling from all over New Zealand to take part in the event.

It’s in the international Formula Junior and Formula Three category – another class in which Hulme raced – that interest has soared, with two grids on the first of the back-to-back weekends and a full grid of 37 for the second weekend.

Festival Chairman Jim Barclay is delighted with the 44 entries from Formula Junior and Formula Three racers and car owners in Australia, Italy, New Zealand and UK. Marques confirmed so far include UK-built chassis from Brabham, Cooper, Elva, Emeryson, Gemini, Lola, Lotus; Italian-built racers from Autosud, Stanguellini, Taraschi and Volpini; Australian cars from Ausper, Donford, Elfin and Nota and the NZ-built FMZ.

Formula Junior was an open wheel formula racing class first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI (International Sporting Commission, the part of the FIA that then regulated motorsports). The class was intended to provide an entry level class where drivers could use inexpensive mechanical components from ordinary automobiles.

The idea to form the new class came from Count Giovanni “Johnny” Lurani who saw the need for a ‘first-steps’ class for single-seater racing cars for younger drivers. Kiwi legend Hulme was not the only driver with a background in the class. Jim Clark, Peter Arundell, Trevor Taylor and John Surtees were also regulars.

A very big field of 37 Historic Formula Fords will also face the starter with cars coming from Canada, Denmark, France, Netherlands, New Zealand and UK/Northern Ireland.

Off track, there will be a large display of some of Denny’s other race cars and vehicles, including his famous Can-Am boat and his Scania racing truck. The Red Checkers will also be in action over the second weekend of the event.

Action kicks off at 9.00am each day and more details are available at www.nzfmr.co.nz – there are still tickets available but organisers recommend purchasing in advance for Grandstand seats. General Admission tickets are available in advance or on the gate.

Okay, so maybe it’s not true that he’s owned nearly every Camaro in the country, but he’s had plenty more Camaros than we can count, or that he can remember. A constant tinkerer, he’s always got a project on the go, and if it’s not a Camaro, it will soon be sold or swapped for one. Despite his somewhat unhealthy obsession for the Chevrolet icons, he’s not a one-trick pony, instead, he’s owned a bunch of different cars over the years, including a couple of hot rods, although none of the previous rides stack up to this one.

A friend of Shane’s actually started this build, and after things got a bit stressed between the original owner and builder, the unfinished project was Read the full story »

There are three types of people in this world. Those who like late-model cars, those who like old-school cars, and those who really couldn’t give a shit either way. Auckland car audio Installer Cam Wong falls firmly into the category that loves late-model stuff — the newer the better. Sure, he appreciates the character that comes with old cars, but the chances of ever Read the full story »

That’s another busy year done and dusted!

We’d like to thank you all for your help and support over the last year, we really couldn’t have done it without you.

We’ve got some big things happening in 2013, so are looking forward to getting back into it.

If you get a chance, we’d love you to take part in our Reader Survey (www.v8.co.nz/survey)

As always, feel free to email us; editor@v8.co.nz

All the best for the festive season

Todd & the NZV8 team.

Following the success of his previous books, our very own Steve Holmes has launched another: Petrolheads In Sheds, which is  a detailed look at some of the country’s most amazing sheds and car collections. While some are familiar to NZV8‘s very own pages, there are some amazing sheds that we’ve never seen or heard of before, and some truly bizarre collections. The 185-page full-colour softback book is the perfect Christmas gift for car lovers, both young and old.

We’ve got five copies to give away, to be in to win one just enter your details by clicking here.

BNT – the leading provider in New Zealand of replacement and aftermarket automotive spare parts and an established sponsor of V8 motor racing in the country – has been confirmed as the category sponsor for 2013 for the V8 SuperTourer championship.

The multi-year deal will see the category become known as the BNT V8 SuperTourers, with further round-specific sponsorships set to be announced as well as title sponsorship for the Motor Racing Series in which the BNT V8 SuperTourers will run.

“BNT have watched with interest the evolution of V8 racing in New Zealand over the past 12 months,” explained BNT General Manager Greg Horne. “We have been impressed with the progress made by the V8 SuperTourer series over that period. As a result of that, and because we believe their formula for the future is the right one, we are very pleased to confirm our association with V8ST as principle category partner for next season and beyond.”

BNT V8 SuperTourers enjoyed a super-successful, action-packed first season in New Zealand, with very close racing. Rising star Scott McLaughlin won a closely-fought championship against Kiwi legend Greg Murphy and the fierce on track battles attracted more than 100,000 spectators and more than a million viewers across the 2012 televised series. The SuperTourers also attracted strong interest from Australia, the United States and Europe. More than 130,000 Speed TV viewers in Australia tuned in for each round, a factor which helped in attracting a number of Supercar drivers to the endurance races in the second half of the V8ST season.

In fact, V8ST attracted drivers with experience in most global racing categories, including Formula One, Indycar, World Touring Cars, the German DTM series, Supercars and the global Porsche SuperCup.

“There is no question this has been a tough first season in challenging economic times, but we have seen some fabulous racing, plenty of big name drivers, good crowds and as we iron out the teething troubles, a really great product that has provided a superb platform for existing and new motor sport companies to get involved in something that is 100% home-grown and right at the cutting edge of where global motor racing is going,” explained CEO Didier Debae.

“It is really fantastic for us to know that in 2013 we will have a great partner like BNT on board as the main Category Sponsor. This will help us raise the game even further and consolidate V8 SuperTourers position as the premier racing class in New Zealand.”

Asking Jen and Jed Mein where their love for V8s comes from creates an interesting discussion. While Jen had her 1966 Impala before she first met Jed, he too was into V8s long before that occasion, even if he was driving a Datsun at the time. Questionable origins aside, the pair have well and truly made up for any doubt about where their allegiance lies.

After buying a Camaro, Jed sold it to make way for the black 1970 Charger, which soon became Read the full story »