Aaron Jones may have sold his first muscle car due to lack of funds, but he’s gone on to create the Dodge Charger of his dreams.

Growing up as a muscle car fan these days has both its advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, the internet has made finding parts a far simpler task than ever before. Hell, you don’t even need to actually talk to people, and you can do it while you’re pretending to work (apparently).

On the other hand, cars today are fetching a far higher price than ever before, but due to the internet we’re all well aware of what’s out there and it’s easy to fall in love with a car far outside your budget.

This was the situation Aaron Jones was in. Born a few decades too late to buy his dream Dodge Charger while they were going cheap, Aaron bought the next best thing, a VG Valiant. Owning such a car at a young age wasn’t an easy task. The maintenance required, the cost of upgrading parts and, ultimately, the blowout of a full rebuild got the best of him. While he didn’t want to let the car go, he simply couldn’t afford to keep it. (more…)

Jack Rainbow’s slammed ’61 Impala Bubbletop must have been what the Beach Boys were talking about when they sang, “She’s real fine, my 409”.

Real muscle car power was brought to the people in the early ’60s, especially with the arrival of the 1961 Chevrolet Impala SS 409. Chevy built 491,000 Impalas that year. Only 453 had the SS (Super Sport) package, and of those just 142 got the 409ci engine.

Word spread quickly about a mainstream Chevy V8 with 409lb/ft (554Nm) of torque and the ability to do mid-15-second quarter miles with the standard 3.36:1 rear axle and four-speed manual. The Beach Boys even immortalised it in the song ‘409’ (She’s real fine/my 409).

Jack Rainbow’s 1961 Chevrolet Impala may not be an original SS 409, but with a 409 W series motor now resting between the front guards and an impeccable build quality, it’s “even better than the real thing” — thought I’d keep up with the song theme with that little U2 snippet.

But I’m getting way ahead of myself here, let’s go back to the beginning… (more…)

People build and own V8s for various reasons. Some like the challenge of an intense, full-time build. Some like to tinker away in the garage on a 10-year-long project in an effort to hide from the missus. Others, like Southlander John Abbott, don’t mind skipping that part out altogether. As the owner of Charlton Auto Imports, John has been importing cars and car parts from the States for quite a while now. His main trade involves on-selling those goods to waiting New Zealanders, but occasionally he stumbles across something special, something that tickles his fancy just enough that he has to keep it for himself. This 1957 Chevrolet 150 coupe, in brilliant yellow, is one of those. Classic, American Graffiti rod looks, a five-speed manual and a whole lot of supercharged small block Chevy power at a fair price — that was just too good to pass up.

Running a 427 cubic-inch Chev Motown block sitting inside a smoothed and de-loomed engine bay, the big Chevy coupe snarls up an angry 650hp at the crank, which is more than enough to get the old girl moving. Internally, the motor runs a Scatt crank, pumping tough H-beam rods and forged pistons. Up above, Edelbrock has supplied a pair of high-flowing Victor JNR heads and thirsty twin carbs, which have a healthy dose of air sucked through them thanks to a whining 6/71 supercharger. A big Holley pump matches the large amounts of force-fed air with the right amount of fuel before an MSD 6 ignition system ignites the mix. Finally, a set of free-flowing Doug headers feed waste gases out into a simple exhaust system travelling out to the rear of the car. (more…)

The Australian International Motor Show run over the weekend has had some interesting launches but one of the crowd favourites was the WP Series II Supercar.

Unveiled by Walkinshaw Performance, a part of HSV-owner Tom Walkinshaw’s business stable, the new WP Series II Supercar is based on the 2011 Holden Commodore Series II SS. Fitted with an aftermarket Edelbrock E Force supercharger it means business.

Using Holden’s 260kW V8 combined with the Edelbrock supercharger, the WP Series II Supercar produces a thumping 460kW of power and 780Nm of torque. Amazingly, a full 700Nm of torque is available from as low as 3000rpm.

Walkinshaw Performance CEO Craig Wilson had this to say about the new machine, “Today’s unveiling is the culmination of a real break through year for Walkinshaw Performance, with the introduction of new products and an industry-first driveline warranty. The package is the result of hundreds of hours of testing, refinement and discussions between the WP team and our suppliers to bring to market a truly unique product”.

The vehicle will be limited to just 23 examples in honour of the original Walkinshaw debut in Sydney some 23 years ago, so it will be an exclusive buy.

Other upgrades include an all-new front and rear brake pakage, with six piston calipers clamping on 378mm rotors up front and 365mm rotors at the back.

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If you call yourself Torana-mad, you’d better have the car to back it up. Karl Draper sure does.

Karl Draper grew up rurally with three brothers, dirt bikes and a father who indulged in a bit of V8-powered jetsprint racing, surely all the ingredients for petrol-headedness appearing at an early age. The old man would toss him a spanner and say, “Fix it yourself, boy,” then walk off muttering something about not having all day to mess about with kids’ experiments.
At a younger age than most, then, Karl found himself on the road to mechanical enlightenment, and the sense of pride that comes with modifying cars.

Karl has had a strong love of Toranas from an early age. His condition was diagnosed as terminal after he painted one too many Escorts in the Torana signature black-over-anything scheme, and then started to flare the guards on them for that tough A9-Escort look. In his defence the Escorts were all he could afford at the time, and building a faker, er, replica is almost a rite of passage in the car scene.

Fast forward a few years to a work function that would provide the catalyst to start his latest build. Karl owned a Torana by then, but a chance meeting with the back end of a truck on the way to grab some ice, and the terminal outcome that resulted, meant more than just a new body was required for the next build.

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A Cobra is a pretty sweet street car. A Cobra covered in candy apple paint is even sweeter

“I clearly remember saying to my mate Geoff when he first bought the car that he was the luckiest guy I know. Now I’m that guy,” says Barry Tetley, the owner of this stunning candy-coated Cobra replica. I don’t think many people would disagree with that assessment.

He had wanted a Cobra for as long as he can remember, so when Geoff bought one, Barry was understandably a bit envious. Throughout the time the car was in Geoff’s ownership, Barry always thought of it as his future car. With its rough-and-ready black finish and yellow nose cone, there was no doubt the Cobra meant business, especially with the roll bar extending down between the seats.

It’s Now Or Never

Although the car was Geoff’s dream machine too, it wasn’t long before he figured out it wasn’t quite right for him. With a young family but just the two seats in the car, it didn’t work. “We couldn’t even leave the kids at home and the wife and I go for a drive, as she would have to look after the kids,” Geoff says.

He knew his friend had always dreamed of owning the car, so Barry was the first person it was offered to, and although it may not have been the perfect time for him to be buying, he knew it was now or never. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to stand the thought of someone else driving ‘my car’ if I passed the opportunity up,” Barry says now. Needless to say, the deal was done and Barry was living the dream

Although at the time Barry didn’t know it, he’s since found out that when the car was built back in 1987, it was as a street-legal race car. Apparently the owner went to Graham Berry (now Kiwi Race Cars) with $80,000, which was a lot of money back then, and specced the car with the best bits available at the time.

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Fresh off the boat, this tubbed and blown Nova is set to cause a stir on New Zealand roads

If you want a street-legal weapon that turns heads so quickly it snaps necks (not literally, I don’t think that’s allowed), you could either spend a small fortune modifying your freshly imported V8 donor of choice right here in good old New Zealand, or you could go to a chap named Karl (great name by the way) Chamberlin, who might just have what you are looking for. Karl is ‘da man’ when it comes to importing metal muscle. And cars too, apparently.

On a recent trip to the land of burgers, buxom babes and beer guts, Mr Chamberlin brought back with him four retro rockets, including the tubbed Nova you’re reading about now. I have to say, this is one of my favourite cars among those I’ve had the pleasure of writing about so far. It’s a mighty mound of monster muscle. Although in this case, its bark may just be a little worse than its bite.

Don’t get me wrong, this car is by no means under-powered or granny-like, but you have to admit, when gazing upon a blower large enough to suck in Hamilton and the tubbed ass end stuffed to the brim with rubber, you’d be kind of expecting a little more than 480 equines (I think that’s Latin for horses, it’s the same as 358 new-fangled kilowatts), right? Well, the yank who built this tank wanted something rather common in the V8 world these days: reliability. What he was after was a car that would look the business, carry the family and still have just enough power to kill nearby sleeping farm animals. “Fit the family? It’s tubbed!” I hear you say. Well yes, apparently it’s all the rage these days to fit a modified rear seat that follows the contours of the back tyres. Okay, you wouldn’t want to go on long trips for fear of coming out 5—inches shorter (yes, I know that’s impossible ” just go with it) but at least you could fit someone (or perhaps your favourite pet monkey) in the back if need be. It also looks a heck of a lot neater than welded arcs of ugly metal sheeting. In fact, at first glance you’d be forgiven for thinking it was indeed the standard trim.

Big and Shiny

Not so standard looking is the beast that lies under the hood. At the heart of it all is a two-bolt main Chevy 350ci donk with a few extras thrown in for sh*ts ’n’ giggles, such as a mighty Weiand 6/71 supercharger with twin 750 d/p Holleys, Federal Mogul forged pistons, a back end breathing system made up of Edelbrock coated shorty headers and Flowmaster mufflers, Chet Herbert lifters and a hydraulic cam and a Holley fuel pump grunty enough to power a nuclear sub ” but it wouldn’t work very well as I’m pretty sure nuclear subs don’t run on petrol¦

The list of under-hood gadgets is longer than a lanky gorilla’s arm. Let’s just say it’s one nice piece of balanced and engineered punch.

The cabin, however, is much more understated. The interior is strewn with retro slate grey fabric and carpets ” no leather here. The upholsterer did a great job of keeping the classic, stock look — apart from one minor detail. Actually, a major detail. The front seats. Gone are the low-back buckets that enhance the Nova’s high window-line and low-slung roof, and in come a couple of brown sh*tters straight from an ’80s Civic. Okay, they may not actually be Civic seats but who cares? They’re about as pretty as your mum’s friend Rhonda, the one with the flappy-sack bingo arms and warts on her nose who always made you call her aunty. Oh well, at least these seats don’t pinch your cheeks.

Not Quite Right

When quizzed about the odd choice of rump-resting equipment, Karl uttered, “I think they must’ve been an afterthought.” We forgive you Karl, but only because you have a cool name. And also because you didn’t actually build the car. So shame on you, Dave Rodriguez of Lancaster, California! Shame on you!

Stepping back a bit, literally, we get to the boot. Those of you who are not blind, which is probably all of you reading this magazine, will notice the large box complete with neatly trimmed carpet. No, it’s nothing rude, I was just praising the upholsterer for doing a good job in a spot that is often overlooked. The large box is an RCI 73-litre fuel cell and the carpet is, well, carpet. It’s by no means overdone. There are no glowing neons, building-sized amplifiers, LCD monitors or gravel-voiced rap stars here, just a simple, tidy place to keep a bunch of flammable liquid and a good old lead-acid battery.

After slurping up all the go-juice from its ass end, snorting it through its open throat and spitting it back out the rear in the form of gas, the Nova needs some way to get those 480 rippling stallions to the turf. Cue Mr Nine-inch 4.11 Limited Slip Differential. He is helped along by Mr and Mrs AW Racecars Coil-over Shocks front and rear and cousins Woosung Rubber up front and M/T Sportsman at the hind end. The rubber is lovingly wrapped around a shiny set of Weld Pro Stars. Of course this is all well and good, but it would be for naught if it wasn’t for the TH350 shift-kitted transmission and his close, personal friend, B&M Mega-Shifter.

Together this varied bunch of distant relatives combine to make the Nova hit the ground running and not stop, even when there are things unknown to the everyday American ” strange occurrences known as corners. According to Karl and despite the 3.5—inch front tyres, the car turns surprisingly well.

All in all, while not a glistening show-stopper, this 1972 Nova is a great all-rounder. It’s been built for everyday use so it’s as reliable as a Swiss watch. It also has more than enough grunt (just ask Karl about his accidental drift across six lanes of traffic while in the States) and it’s more than capable of romping down the quarter at a great rate of knots while carrying the kids in the back seat. Which is what makes this car so darned neat ” apart from going fast around corners, it does it all and looks damned fine doing it.

Karl Chamberlin – Owner Profile

Age: 39
Occupation: Importer
Previously owned Cars: ’70 LC GTR, ’74 LH SLR replica, ’75 LH 406 Chev, ’72 HQ, ’67 Chev Biscayne, ’74 Chev Statesman, ’78 Statesman, ’92 VP SS Commodore, ’94 VR SS Commodore, ’70 Nova, ’66 Impala
Dream car: Coming soon
Build time: Approx four years by previous owner
Length of ownership: 10 weeks
KARL thanks: www.topspeedautomotive.co.nz

1972 Chevy Nova – Specifcations

Engine: 350ci (5735cc) two-bolt Chevy, decked and squared, torque-plate bored +30, GM steel crank, fully balanced, late-model EFI heads, Elgin roller rockers, Elgin pushrods, Cloyes True-roller timing set, Chet Herbert hydraulic cam .450/.475 lift, Chet Herbert lifters, Durabond cam bearings, Michigan mains and big end bearings, Felpro gasket set, Federal Mogul forged pistons, Federal Mogul chromoly rings, Melling H/V oil pump and drive, Weiand 6/71 supercharger, twin 750 d/p Holleys, Edelbrock coated shorty headers, 2.5-inch twin system with balance pipe and Flowmaster mufflers, MSD pro-billet distributor, blaster coil, Top Gun 8mm leads
Driveline: Shift kitted TH350, B&M megashifter, Derale trans cooler
Suspension: Elgin V8 coils, two-inch drop spindles at front, mono-leaf springs, AW Racecars coil-over shocks at rear
Brakes: Factory
Wheels/Tyres: Weld Pro Stars 15×15 with M/T Sportsman 31×18.5-15 rubber rear, 15×3.5 with Woosung 165R15 tyres front
Exterior: Custom pearl white
Interior: Custom retro cloth, stained front seats from a Japper, Auto Meter gauges, Grant steering wheel
Performance: Approx 480hp (358kW)

Story: Karl Burnett Photos: Adam Croy

Looking cute and innocent is just a very small part of this supercharged 302-powered Cortina’s bag of tricks

There’s no doubt Simon Peryer’s 1963 Cortina is a great-looking car. With its green over white paint job and Minilight-style wheels, it looks for all the world like a classic rally machine. What it doesn’t look like is one of the best-fabricated vehicles to have ever graced the pages of NZV8. But appearances are deceptive. No part of the car has gone untouched, yet even if you take a close look at it, chances are you won’t notice the majority of its subtle modifications.

Some years back, as a student, Simon had a Cortina that he’d fitted with a V6. That car was never completed due to a lack of funds. So in early 2007, when he found himself in a situation where he could build a project car, a Cortina was what he chose.

Some time between the original Cortina and the more recently purchased one featured here, Simon also developed a love for superchargers. So the plan was to build a supercharged, V8-powered Cortina that looked as much like a rare Lotus Cortina as possible.

From Plan To Action

Simon was sick of looking at former race cars that had no straight panels, or cars with straight panels and a lot of rust, before friend Matthew Walters led him to the ideal shell on which to base the build.

“The firewall had already been knocked back as the guy was planning on fitting a Cosworth motor into it, so it wasn’t as dear as some of the other shells, yet was more suitable for what I was after,” Simon says. It also didn’t hurt that the shell had already been painted in the famous Lotus colours, even though it’s a paint job that perfectionist Simon says is far from perfect. However, the less-than-mint paint allows Simon to drive the car hard without fearing stone chips, and lets him park it where it may get dinged or dirty.

Because he’s confined to an office from nine to five, Simon knew he’d be better off to enlist the help of trained professionals to carry out the build, rather than struggle on it himself after hours. It wasn’t long before he settled on West Auckland’s RaceFX to take the project from a concept to a turn-key work of art. “The advantage of RaceFX was that they could do the whole job; from sourcing parts to custom fabrication to getting it road legal, they could do the lot,” Simon says.

Although the original firewall had been replaced before the vehicle was purchased, the RaceFX team rebuilt it again complete with factory-looking swage lines. It’s the small touches throughout the build ” such as making the firewall look original ” that sets it apart from the rest. This clever and detailed engineering no doubt took a lot of time and money, but the final result is well worth the complications and costs involved.

Eight Cylinders And A Blower

Between the strut towers and the recessed firewall now sits a 302 Windsor crate motor that on its own is good for around 400hp. The motor itself wasn’t a huge issue to fit in the engine bay ” unlike the massive Procharger and associated piping that now hangs off the side of it.

Purchased as a kit complete with front-mount intercooler, the Procharger is self-contained when it comes to lubrication and cooling. Fitting the intercooler, custom alloy radiator and fans behind the grille and far enough off the engine required some tricky fabrication, but as with the rest of the vehicle, the workmanship is flawless.

Sitting above the motor and Edelbrock intake manifold are custom fuel rails, with injectors monitored by a New Zealand-made Link ECU. The rest of the fuel system kicks off with a custom alloy fuel tank that sits low in the boot, and a submergible Bosch fuel pump.

As well as plenty of street use, the build plan outlined the fact the car would also be used for track days and perhaps even for the Dunlop Targa at some stage in future. Rather than find and fix weak links after the build, Simon briefed RaceFX to do it right the first time. With this in mind the driveline includes a Tremec TK0600 five-speed close-ratio gearbox and a late-model Mustang 8.75-inch diff. Due to the Cortina’s compact size the diff has been significantly narrow

All That Looks Normal

Only the trained eye would be able to pick that the car has been very slightly mini-tubbed in order to fit eight-inch-wide rear wheels. The Performance Superlight rims give the look many track and rally specced Cortinas have had over the years, a look that is part of the car’s original appeal.

Sitting the body of the car down low enough over the semi-slick Dunlop rubber wasn’t an easy task, especially as Simon demanded it also handles far better than the factory ever intended. A custom four-link with Watts linkage has been fitted to the rear end, the leading arms of which required the rear seat to be raised slightly ” although again, only the trained eye would pick it.

QA1 adjustable coil-overs have been used all round, and up front they are paired with Mustang struts and hubs along with custom arms. The five-stud hubs allow for easy fitment of Alcon four-pot front callipers and Mustang rotors, which balance braking proportion perfectly with the late-model Mustang rear brakes.

Hanging off the front of the roll cage is a Wilwood pedal box, which, along with the relocated firewall, meant the driver seat had to be moved rearwards around 130mm. To keep the driving position looking factory a long custom steering wheel boss was added to the factory column.

The seat itself is a period-styled Corbeau item that, again, thanks to the Lotus racing pedigree doesn’t look out of place.

On the other side of the enlarged trans tunnel is a seat modified to fit in the small space, and retrimmed in Lotus Cortina style.

The highlights of the interior are not the items you see but the things you don’t, such as the way the roll cage runs along the floor hard up against the sills to strengthen the body, and the late-model gauge mechanicals that have been added to the factory gauge faces. The stock-looking steering wheel is actually from a Triumph, while the badge adorning its centre is the original rear guard badge off a genuine Lotus-spec car. Similarly, Simon thought outside the square when he fitted the Lotus keyring that came with the car to the gear lever, giving a genuine look.

Fooling The Experts

There is so much attention to detail on the vehicle, both to make it look like a genuine Lotus-spec Cortina and to make it look as factory as possible, that even the experts are easily fooled. Of course, as soon as the car fires up and the almost unmuffled side pipe fills with the rumble of a V8, the game is up. The expressions on people’s faces during our photoshoot was a good indication of the looks the car gets on the streets. It’s obvious a lot of the older generation recognise and appreciate the car as a desirable Lotus model, or at least a good replica. Younger people seem to concentrate on the thought of a V8, let alone a supercharger in such a small car.

Once Simon has got the hang of driving the short-wheelbase powerhouse, the plan is to open the motor up, drop the compression ratio and raise the boost. Even as it sits, with just 4psi pushed through the motor, the car can only be described as brutal. With more power, you can just imagine the fun Simon will have behind the wheel.

Regardless of whether you’re a fan of Cortinas or not, the workmanship and thought that have gone into the build has to be appreciated. It truly is a work of art, and a vehicle many of us can learn a thing or two from.

Rather than call it subtle, I would describe it as sheer genius.

Simon Peryer – Owner Profile

Age: 40 or so
Occupation: Sit at a desk and gaze out the window
OTHER CARS CURRENTLY owned: 1965 Mustang fastback — manual, 289 A code 1972 Bolwell Nagari coupe
Build time: Just over one year
Length of ownership: Just over one year
Dream car: De Tomaso Pantera (exotic supercar with a Ford V8¦ how much better does it get than that?)
Why the Cortina: “I had a MkI Cortina with a V6 in bits when I was a student, but lack of funds meant it was never finished. I love the look of the two-door Cortina, combined with the power of a small block Ford. And I always wanted a supercharger.”
SIMON thanks: “Andy and the guys at Race FX have done a great job keeping to the concept, which was to keep the car looking as close to an original period race Lotus as possible, with only the sound to give it away. Nothing through the bonnet, single exhaust only, no drop tank, no huge wheels, and standard-looking interior. It takes a lot of effort to make it look so ordinary. Thanks to Matthew Walters for helping me find a good project car, and Clyde Walters for supplying the hard-to-get Cortina bits. And, of course, thanks to my wife for putting up with endless car stuff.”

1963 Ford Cortina two-door – Specifications

Engine: 302ci (4949cc) Windsor crate motor, 9.6:1 compression, alloy GT40 heads, custom injection, MSD throttle body, modified Edelbrock manifold, Procharger D1SC intercooled supercharger, RaceFX fuel system, custom aluminium fuel tank, MSD ignition, custom fabricated four-into-one HPC coated headers, three-inch pipe, side exit, custom radiator, header tank and overflow tank, Setrab oil cooler, Link computer, firewall recessed 356mm
Driveline: Tremec TKO600 five-speed, close ratio, overdrive fifth, narrowed 2000 Mustang 8.75-inch diff, custom driveshaft
Suspension: Custom four-link with Watts linkage, QA1 adjustable coil-overs, Mustang struts, Subaru Forester power steering rack mounted forward of the cross—member
Brakes: Alcon four-pot front callipers, Ford discs, Ford Mustang rears
Wheels/Tyres: 15×7 and 15×8-inch Performance Superlight rims, 205/55R15 and 225/55R15 Dunlop Formula R semi-slick tyres
Exterior: Subtle mini tubbing, pumped rear guards, reshaped front guards, Lotus-style paintwork
Interior: Rear—mounted seat position, Wilwood pedal box, extended steering column, Corbeau driver’s race seat, customised passenger seat, Triumph steering wheel, Smiths instruments water/oil and fuel gauges, rear half cage
Performance: Detuned to 500hp-plus (373kW-plus) at the wheels

Words: Todd Wylie Photos: Dan Wakelin