To build this epic creation, we’d start with a 1961 Sedan de Ville, as not only is a four-door cheaper to start with, but there’s really no advantage of starting with a two-door, since every panel will be getting modified anyway.
The vehicle would be narrowed in all (more…)
Whangarei’s Warwick Hales has been a Corvette man for many years. There’s not much he loves more when unwinding from the stress of the working week, than firing up his big-block 1972 Corvette and hitting the road. And it’s not hard to see why. The Vette is a vary rare Baldwin Motion edition with more than enough power to get him into trouble, and drives like a dream.
The only downside is that with a couple of kids, the Vette doesn’t get out as often as it should.
It was with this in mind that he decided perhaps something a little larger, with a back seat, would be the answer to his problems. And they don’t come much larger than a 1961 Cadillac Coupe de Ville.
Warwick found the car already in New Zealand, and thought that while it could do with a (more…)
Unless you’ve got the budget to get a car built by one of the big names in America, such as Chip Foose, Troy Trepanier, or similar, chances are you won’t know what the finished product will look like, until it’s sitting in your driveway.
Aucklander Geoff Milliken however, knew almost exactly what his next project would look like, and that’s because he already had a picture of it on his wall before he began. Like most of us in the car world, Geoff’s had petrol in his veins from a young age, fuelled by growing up watching his uncle — one of New Zealand’s more well known drag racers — Nick Leifting competing around the country.
From those early days, he’s had a variety of machines, ranging from motorbikes, through to a candy-coated Cobra replica we featured back in Issue 52. With a growing family, the Cobra wasn’t really practical though, so Geoff set about finding something with a few more seats, and that’s when he turned to (more…)
Over the last few months we’ve shown the transformation of a 1956 Cadillac Coupe from a sunburnt and surface-rusted cruiser to an immaculately painted stunner.
The car was unveiled in its completed form over the weekend at Resene Automotive & Light Industrial’s Training Centre, where all of the paintwork has taken place.
Many of those involved with the build were present, which saw the carpark turn into an impromptu car show with a wide range of vehicles on display, including some previous NZV8 feature cars.
The car itself, dubbed ‘Necessary Evil’, was well received – although many couldn’t believe it was the same car they’d seen just over six months ago in a less than ideal condition.
With plenty of blue cupcakes (in keeping with the blue of the car), American hotdogs and ‘Cadi Crush’ – a specially created blue lemonade to celebrate the unveiling of ‘Necessary Evil’ – all those in attendance had a great time.
If you’re keen to see it in person, the car will be on display this coming weekend at the 50th National Hot Rod Show, which is being held as part of CRC Speedshow at ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane, Auckland.
There’s also a detailed build thread in the Users Rides section of the NZV8 Forum, which can be found by hitting the ‘Forum’ button at the top of this page.
John and Robyn Dellamura are familiar names on these pages, and in the V8 scene in general. They spend their days doing what most of us can only dream about – sourcing cool old cars from the States, importing them into New Zealand, tidying them up and getting them legal before selling them on.
Of course, while they’ve got those cool cars in their possession, they may as well use them too, right? And they do.
After years of visiting all sorts of American hot rod events and owning numerous cool cars, it takes something pretty special to get the Dellamuras really excited these days, but that was what happened back in 2008 when they saw a photo of a roof-chopped ’49 Cadillac on a workshop wall.
A month after seeing the small photo of what looked to be a well-executed chop on a very rare car, John managed to track the vehicle down. It was in bits in a car sales yard, and no-one seemed to care, the cash-strapped owner included. John did though, and he wasn’t going to let the opportunity to grab such a cool car pass him by, even if it was in bits.
Thanks to some ex-pat Kiwis, John and Robyn were granted use of a workshop to try and mock the car up and work out exactly what was missing, before shipping it home. After all, ’49 Cadi parts are hard to find at the best of times, but the hunt was going to be easiest while they were Stateside. A business card in the boot was the only lead required to track down the interior, which was missing. As it turned out, it had been re-trimmed, paid for and not collected…
Fast-forward to 2010, and a similar situation played out when the pair stumbled upon yet another chopped Cadi, this time a ’47. By this time it was decided that the ’49 was definitely a keeper, despite most of the cars the pair own having some form of price tag on them. The ’47, however, would be the perfect thing for those who were lining up to buy the ’49… or so the pair thought.
In typical American-built fashion, the cars required a fair bit of work to get them up to scratch at this end, both in terms of legality, and to be up to John and Robyn’s standards. Thankfully both cars’ bodywork had been done well, and could be left completely alone, matte black paint and pinstriping included.
The 4-inch chop on the ’49 had involved the rear screen being tilted forward as well as the boot lid reshaped, and the hood being decked. It’s this lower bonnet and boot-line that makes a huge difference to the overall look of the car. Of course, it’s not till you compare the two that you notice just how much the bonnet of the ’47 protrudes.
“That’s why we’ve never had the cars out together, BADKAD (’49) just makes the ’47 look ugly, hence it’s become known as Ugly Cad,” John says. “Yet if you hadn’t seen them together, Ugly Cad is seriously cool on its own.” And we completely agree.
Both cars run Chev Chevelle front clips, the ’49’s was re-engineered in New Zealand by Tony Henwood in Whangarei. As with all cars the couple import, John stripped it back to a bare shell, so the engineering could be taken care of correctly.
“People underestimate how much time and money it takes to get cars like these on the road here. It’s not a quick and easy job,” John says.
Included in the tidy up was sorting out the engine bay. The injected 454 that came with the ’49 is still fitted, but it now runs as it should, and looks a whole lot tidier. With a 700R4 trans it’s a pleasure to drive, even if having a narrow field of vision takes a bit of getting used to. The interior, which was recovered before the car’s purchase, was deemed up to scratch. However, the material used was horrible, and has been re-done locally in bright red, and a tilt/telescopic steering column has been fitted.
After years of importing wheels, generally large, shiny ones, it was a step away from John’s usual style when he decided to add the 15-inch steelies and wide whites. Some custom hubcaps were all that was required to complete the look.
The amount of attention BADKAD gets out on the road is amazing. Not just due to its wild low slung looks and perfectly executed chop, but also because it’s a rare car on its own. The same goes for the ’47, and just like the ’49, getting it completed to a satisfactory standard wasn’t a small job.
Again, the bodywork had been done well (which makes a change), and left untouched, and the engine that came with the car – this time an Oldsmobile 350 – is still fitted. As with the ’49 though, John removed it and re-engineered many aspects of the vehicle for legality, safety and quality reasons. As it is less powerful the stock drum brakes were retained and rebuilt, and like BADKAD, lowering blocks and custom front springs were added to get the ride height down to where it should be.
Inside the flat black cabin you’ll now find an electric bench seat from an Oldsmobile, which John had retrimmed by Abacus Upholstery in Whangarei. Along with this a Lokar shifter and tilt column have been fitted to ensure a comfortable driving position should you ever find yourself at the wheel. And with this car currently being up for sale, that’s a distinct possibility.
Of course, you wouldn’t want to be too much of the shy type, as although the car may have been nick-named the ugly one of the two, it still takes centre stage every time it’s taken out. Assuming its younger sibling isn’t following too closely.
Then again, you could deck the hood, fit some airbags and chances are you’d soon own the baddest Cad in town.
Engine: 454ci big block Chev, carb injected, Hugger headers, alloy radiator, electric fans
Driveline: 700R4 trans, Chev diff, heavy-duty driveshaft
Suspension: Chevelle front clip, lowering block, custom coils
Brakes: Chevelle front, stock rear
Wheels/tyres: 15×7-inch steelies, 225/70R15 Coker wide whites, custom hubcaps
Exterior: 4-inch roof chop, pancaked hood, panned trunk, matte black paint, custom pinstriping
Interior: Stock retrimmed, tilt column, billet steering wheel
Performance: Head turning
Engine: 350ci Oldsmobile
Driveline: GM 400 trans
uspension: Chevelle front clip, custom coils, lowering blocks
Brakes: Drum front and rear
Wheels/tyres: 15×7-inch steelies, narrow whites
Exterior: 4-inch roof chop, matte black paint
Interior: Oldsmobile electric seat, full retrim
Performance: Enough, but not too much
Occupation: Importers
Previously owned cars: Too many to list… seriously
Length of Ownership: 2.5 years (BADKAD), 1.5 years Ugly Cad
Words: Todd Wylie Photos: Adam Croy
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Cadillac’s staunch looking ELR Coupe enters production with good news and bad news for badge fans. The good news is it looks fantastic and will offer all the luxuries expected in a Caddy, the bad news for purists is that it uses a range-extending hybrid drivetrain.
First shown as the Cadillac Converj at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show, rumours have been around ever since that it would enter production. Now, development has been officially confirmed with the new model, named the ELR Coupe, borrowing technology from the Chevrolet Volt.
“The concept generated instant enthusiasm,” said Don Butler, vice president-Cadillac Marketing. “Like other milestone Cadillac models of the past, the ELR will offer something not otherwise present – the combination of electric propulsion with striking design and the fun of luxury coupe driving.”
No official specs have been released but Cadillac has confirmed its ELR will use a version of the same Voltec drivetrain as the Volt, but possibly a more advanced set up. This will feature a T-shaped lithium ion battery, an electric drive unit, and a four-cylinder engine-generator. (more…)
American tuning firm Hennessey Performance has been responsible for building some of the most terrifying performance machines and has just unveiled a new package for the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe.
Called the V1000, this hardcore version of the CTS-V looks the business with a full aerodynamic carbon fibre body kit with huge bonnet vents, a low front splitter, a rear diffuser and aggressive side skirts. Mechanical upgrades include lowered sport suspension and Brembo 15-inch carbon ceramic brakes. In the cockpit there’s a reworked interior with premium leather upholstery and an Alcantara headliner.
But its under the bonnet where the real magic happens, all to reach the 1,000 horsepower mark. Power comes from a twin-turbo 427 LS V8 which has been upgraded with high-flow cylinder heads, forged pistons, rods and crank, a new crankshaft, upgraded fuel injectors, an intercooler and a revised ECU. With these extensive tweaks the engine now pumps out 1,000 hp (746 kW) with 1,286 Nm of torque. Those figures are scary enough but this machine will apparently move from standing to 100km/h in just 3.5 seconds, run the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds and go on to reach a top speed of 370 km/h. (more…)
