With an immaculate 1969 Hurst Oldsmobile in his possession, Rodney Holland has to be one of the luckiest guys around

The true muscle car era was brief. It really only lasted from 1964 through to the end of 1970. From 1971 the US government enforced new anti-pollution regulations, which saw compression ratios and power figures plummet as manufacturers were forced to convert their engines to run on nasty low- or non-leaded fuel. In 1973 new frontal crush zone regulations were introduced, and manufacturers scrambled to graft ugly, bulbous plastic noses to the fronts of their existing cars. In just three short years, the muscle car industry had been reduced from a frenzy of excitement, colour and power to goofy, boat-like wheezing hiss-boxes, with acres of front and rear overhang, and almost zero street-cred. But while it lasted, the muscle car era produced some of the most memorable vehicles to come out of the US.

The true definition of a muscle car is a little clouded, but the early factory variants were those that combined the engine from a full-sized car with the body of a mid-sized car, purely for added performance. The 1964 Pontiac GTO is considered to be the first true factory muscle car. Its creators, John De Lorean and Russell Gee, were both Pontiac employees and performance car enthusiasts. General Motors had just recently placed a ban on any company motorsport involvement, yet the more switched-on marketing employees realised that without that important motorsport connection, the company would lose a vital link that helped portray its sporting side, thus risking the loss of its lucrative youth market.

To overcome the ban, the concept of creating a production vehicle with true performance capabilities, one that could be sold direct to the public, was formed. Thus the GTO was born.
The GTO was effectively a mid-sized Tempest, a vehicle with a displacement of 326ci as its maximum engine size. De Lorean and Gee fitted the Tempest with the 389ci V8 from the full-sized Catalina and Bonneville models for an instant performance punch.

Internal Politics

However, GM had also stated that no mid-sized vehicle could be fitted with an engine larger than 330ci. In order to skirt this self-imposed policy, the company simply marketed the bigger engine as an option package, rather than standard equipment. The name, GTO, was ‘borrowed’ from the hugely successful Ferrari GTO sports car.

GM’s own GTO was approved and readied for production. Although effectively a marketing ploy that avoided GM’s in-house red tape, the new model would surely help its own cause by proving popular with the public.

As it was effectively the first in a market segment that hitherto didn’t exist, initial sales forecasts were pessimistic. Pontiac sales manager Frank Bridges limited the GTO to just 5000 units. In fact the new muscle car market was grossly underestimated ” Pontiac sold 32,450 GTOs in its first model year. Given the popularity of the GTO, Pontiac’s rivals ” both within GM and from the other American car companies ” immediately began producing muscle cars of their own.

Today, models such as the Ford Mustang, Pontiac Firebird, Chevrolet Camaro, Plymouth Barracuda, Dodge Challenger and so on are often referred to as muscle cars. However, back in the ’60s these smaller V8 models were known as Ponycars. Although the line between the two is blurry, muscle cars appeared to have strong drag racing influences, being predominantly mid-sized vehicles fitted with full-sized engines, usually big blocks. Ponycars were sporty two-plus-two vehicles promoted for their good handling, and were more at home in road racing than drag racing.

However, few would argue that a big block Camaro or Mustang is not a muscle car.

Muscle Car Madness

By the late 1960s, all the US car manufacturers were on the muscle car bandwagon, all pushing the envelope in what was already a wild market that had quickly outgrown its original roots. Although the muscle car appeared most at home on the quarter mile, it was also well represented in the high-stakes world of Nascar stock car racing. The 1969-’70 Dodge Charger Daytonas and Plymouth Superbirds were perhaps the ultimate muscle cars, and arrived just before the entire muscle car market collapsed under its own weight. These insane machines featured a NASA-developed front nose cone and a huge 584mm-tall rear deck spoiler designed for improved aerodynamics, greater top speed and less drag.

One of these cars, a Dodge Charger Daytona driven by Buddy Baker, became the first Nascar to reach more than 200mph, around the Talledega super speedway. The Dodge Charger Daytonas and Plymouth Superbirds were produced in very small numbers, making them some of the rarest cars built during the muscle car era. However, they still weren’t as rare as our feature car, of which only 914 were ever produced.

The Hurst Touch

The name Hurst Performance is well known in the enthusiast car industry. It was founded in 1958 by George Hurst to produce transmission shifters, and by the late 1960s had become the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for several US car makers, featuring predominantly on high-performance vehicles. Hurst products were fitted to vehicles from American Motor Company, Pontiac, Ford, Plymouth and Oldsmobile. This association led to collaborations resulting in low-volume Hurst-named vehicles, including the 1969 Hurst SC/Rambler, 1971 Hurst Jeepster and, most famously, the ongoing series of Hurst Oldsmobiles.

The Hurst Oldsmobile first appeared in 1968, and was followed by models in ’69, ’72-’75, ’79, ’83 and, finally, 1984. It shared its body with the Olds Cutlass and 442 models.

In 1968 GM still had policies in place regarding engine sizes fitted to its own cars. A mid-sized GM vehicle, which is what the 442 was, could not be fitted with an engine larger than 400ci in capacity. However, George Hurst owned a ’68 442 into which he fitted a 455ci from the full-sized Toronado. The 455 was actually lighter than the 400, thus the handling of the Olds was not compromised.

This first Hurst Olds was also fitted with a Hurst shifter, some engine modifications, custom paint and walnut dash. The first run of Hurst Oldsmobiles (H/Os) was to be limited to just 500, but a further 15 were produced due to demand from one Oldsmobile dealer who had pre-sold several cars.

The ’68 model H/Os were fitted with the 390hp W-45 Rocket motor, although cars fitted with A/C had the W-46, which produced 10hp less. The 455s featured big valve heads, a lumpy cam, and modified carburettor and distributor. The ram-air induction system from the W-30 was fitted, and featured twin scoops beginning under the front bumper. Inside was a walnut inlay fitted to the dash, and a specially made console to house the Hurst shifter. All ’68 Hurst Oldsmobiles were finished in Peruvian Silver, a GM colour applied only to the Toronado, over which black stripes ran across the bonnet, boot lid and waist line. GM sidestepped its engine size ruling by implying the engines were fitted by Hurst, when in fact they were factory fitted. However, the cars were then shipped across town to Lansing, Michigan, to Demmer Engineering, where the Hurst items were installed.

The ’68 Hurst Oldsmobile proved a huge hit. But if there was one criticism, it was that the colour scheme was a little subtle. That was to change for the ’69 model, which was finished in a bold yet stylish combination of Firefront Gold over Cameo White, with matching gold painted wheel centres.

Other than the colour, the ’69 Hurst Oldsmobile differed from the ’68 in several areas, including the new for ’69 Olds grille treatment, a wild fibreglass ‘mailbox’ bonnet scoop featuring ‘H/O 455’ decals down each side, a boot lid spoiler, and 15-inch wheels (the ’68 was fitted with 14-inch wheels). It also had racing-style wing mirrors, H/O emblems on the front guards and boot lid, and a blacked-out grille. Each ’69 H/O featured genuine hand-applied pin -striping, apparently all done by just one person. Inside, the ’69 H/Os had painted gold stripes on the head rests, a Hurst Oldsmobile emblem on the glovebox door, and the same centre console as the ’68, although featuring different wood grain. Under the bonnet the ’69 models were given a slightly milder cam for better drivability. They were fitted with a unique intake manifold, chrome valve covers and a special vacuum-operated air cleaner lid to allow cold air from the bonnet scoop into the carburettor. Once again, the Hurst items were fitted at Demmer Engineering.

In all there were 914 ’69 model Hurst Oldsmobiles built, two of which were convertibles.

Instant Success

The ’69 Hurst Oldsmobile proved a popular model, with Motor Trend magazine dubbing it the ‘Hairiest Oldsmobile’. In stock form it could run the quarter mile in high 13-second times, but with slicks and free-flowing headers it could get into the low 12s.

GM relaxed its self-imposed engine policy for 1970, allowing mid-sized cars to now be fitted with engines over 400ci. Thus there was no Hurst Olds for 1970 or 1971. When the next Hurst Olds appeared in 1972, the true muscle car era was over. Although the name continued until the mid-’80s, the ’69 model was the highlight.

With just 914 ’69 model Hurst Oldsmobiles being built, and with muscle cars becoming so unpopular during the mid-’70s oil crisis, survival rates are low. So it comes as something of a surprise to discover that one of these incredibly rare cars resides right here in New Zealand.

Rodney Holland has owned this beautiful example for two years, but first learned about the car 17 years ago and had wanted it ever since.

Despite running a restoration business specialising in valuable cars such as this, out of all the vehicles that have passed through Rodney’s hands, the Hurst Olds has stood out the most. So taken by this car was Rodney that he took a photo the day he first set eyes on it. He still has that photo.

Rodney’s Hurst Olds is in incredibly original condition, even featuring the original eight-track radio, interior trim and carpets. It was repainted a decade or so ago, so the original hand-painted pin- striping is long gone, but this is still an amazingly honest car. So when Rodney found out through his good friend Owen Grigg that the Olds was for sale, he couldn’t believe his luck.
It had originally been imported into New Zealand around 19 years ago, and is thought to be the only ’69 Hurst Oldsmobile in Australasia. According to the Hurst Register, of which Rodney is a member, his is build number 467.

Rodney Holland is a very fortunate guy. Muscle cars of all types are becoming harder to find, and prices are skyrocketing, even on non-original, mass-produced versions. To own such a rare, interesting, original machine, created in a partnership between one of the great auto manufacturers and one of the legendary performance accessory icons, makes Rodney very lucky. But then again, he had to wait 17 years for luck to come his way.

Rodney Holland – Owner Profile

Occupation: Horticultural specialist/part-time restorer
Previously owned Cars: 1965 Ford Mustang, 1967 Ford Galaxie, 1968 Chev Impala, 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass
Length of ownership: Two years
RODNEY thanks: Owen Grigg; I can’t thank him enough for telling me about this car. Roger Williams for his sound advice. David Morris for his support, the guys from www.jeffmeister.com and http://members.cox.net/witrob/

1969 Hurst Oldsmobile – Specifications

Engine: 455ci (7455cc) Oldsmobile Rocket
Driveline: TH400 H/O, limited slip 3.42:1 ratio
Suspension/Brakes: Power discs front, drums rear. All original
Wheels/Tyres: Original Superstock II wheels in Firefront Gold. BF Goodridge 235x60x15 front tyres, BF Goodridge 255x60x15 rear tyres
Exterior: Firefront Gold over Cameo White (factory colours)
Interior: Original custom sport steering wheel and the famous Hurst duel-gate shifter
Performance: Approx 380hp (283kW). Has run 12.4 quarter-mile at Meremere

Words: Steve Holmes Photos: Adam Croy

With more than 1000 cars on show, Christchurch’s Street Machine and Muscle Car Madness lived up to its name yet again

Summer. Lots of sun (hopefully), BBQs, cruising in your V8 and car shows. One of the first highlights of my annual social calendar is Christchurch’s Muscle Car Madness. Most people count down the days to Christmas and the days they have left on holiday, but me, I can’t wait until that’s over and it’s time to hit the car shows.

This year I made a decision to break from tradition and go to MCM on Sunday. I usually go on Saturday, as I can’t bear to wait another day and feel I am missing out on everything, but it was my birthday on the Saturday and I agreed it wouldn’t be fair on my partner to just bugger off on my ‘special day’. Come Friday I’d seen the weather forecast and was seriously regretting my rash decision. The show has had a bad run with weather on Saturday for the last couple of years, but this year it looked as if Sunday would be the bad day ” just my luck. Fortunately, and to my great delight, when Sunday morning rolled around it was a beautiful day ” yay! Mid-morning arrived and it was time to jump into the old beast and drive out to the show. I’ve been going to MCM for many years and have watched it steadily grow in size and popularity, but wasn’t expecting too much different to previous years. Boy, was I wrong. MCM has a new major sponsor this year, Annex Road Metals, and I don’t know if this had anything to do with the changes made to the show or if the organiser, Craig Stare, got a second wind. Whatever the reason, I liked it.

After a nice, windows-down summer cruise out there, I got to the show and was waved into the back carpark and shown exactly where to park by some friendly assistants ” very professional from the get go.

To get to the main part of the show I had to walk past the burnout pad (I was disappointed to see it was the same size as last year, but I guess there isn’t much they can do if that is the amount of concrete they have to work with), and noticed there were people standing round to get a good view. Silly buggers, I said to myself, the burnouts aren’t for another hour and a half. Next thing I passed on the way to the cars was a large array of trade stalls, where I stopped and drooled at everything from chrome headlights, airbag kits and custom airbrushing to full turn-key hot rods and everything in between.

The annual import versus V8 ACDelco Drag Masters 2008 was as action-packed as the last two years, and again the win went to the V8s.

It’s generally accepted that sequels struggle to match the original movie and unfortunately it seems to that Drag Masters has followed that trend. Notwithstanding some very good ideas, Drag Masters Part III felt a little bit flat despite some very good racing, mainly due to an ineffective sound system that left everybody on the right-hand spectator bank completely in the dark about what was happening. The only speaker that could be heard was pointed behind the timing tower, so if you wanted to hear what was going on there was no way you were going to see it. That, coupled with some very long breaks for timing system malfunctions, meant boredom set in and many left early. However, enough negativity, there were some big positives. Originally conceived to attract a younger crowd to a more traditional meeting, the first Drag Masters promoted its V8 versus Import pairings before the event, while Drag Masters II paired competitors up on the day. Though missing out on an opportunity to build media hype, the racing was much closer, as was the score line. Drag Masters III used a combination of hyping the star attractions, boosted by way of handing out free posters at other key events and heavy radio advertising, and matching everybody else who turned up together to make up the other pairings. And it was probably the most exciting racing yet.

First up, Mark Bardsley let rip with an 11,000rpm burnout that ended abruptly when something fell off. Rod Harvey’s incredible new Celica sounded awful, but took an easy solo and started what initially looked like an Asian avalanche of wins. Carl Jensen’s Toyota dropped a 7.92 on the Kevin McGregor Camaro’s 8.18, and Wayne Grimmer fouled away an easy win to Tony Markovina’s screaming blue Mazda smoke machine. Thankfully, Gary Bogaart put an end to the V8 losing streak in his gorgeous new BF Falcon race car, but the massacre started up again right away. A good example of how great a job track staff had done in matching up the cars had to be Dave Levine’s big red Belvedere versus Adam Wiggs’s freshly debuted yellow Skyline: 9.42 Mopar to 9.46 Nissan ” shame about the nap on the Xmas tree, Adam. Another close one was Robbie Ward’s RB30-powered 240Z beating Ron Olsen’s Mustang by seven hundredths, another tough loss, as was Aaron Jenkins’s street-driven HQ Monaro ” 9.89 to Brad Johnson’s 9.88. At the end of the round 10 Jappa victories had been recorded against six V8 wins ” not a good look for us dinosaur lovers.

With its 406ci engine churning out more than 750hp, Chris Robertson’s Camaro has easily enough grunt to back up its tough-as-nails stance

With its 406ci engine churning out more than 750hp, Chris Robertson’s Camaro has easily enough grunt to back up its tough-as-nails stance

Is it just one of life’s mysteries how sometimes a car can become more than the mere total of its parts, or is there some form of science to it? Likewise, how can two cars be built with the exact same components, yet be considerably different in attitude? Maybe sometimes an owner’s love and passion really does show through when compared to a car that has been trucked from workshop to workshop to be built.

It’s a Freak!

Whatever the reason behind it, Chris Robertson’s 1969 Chevrolet Camaro is one of those vehicles which has that special ‘X factor’. The obvious reason would be that it’s a very rare X55-badged car, although I’m sure there is far more to it than that. Perhaps it’s the fact that it was originally imported into New Zealand in 1970 to be turned into a race car that gives it a tougher-than-nails attitude. More likely, though, is the selection of the right components under the hood and the right stance without any unnecessary bling that ties the package together perfectly.

It was a lucky find when Chris managed to purchase the vehicle complete, but in bits and needing a fair amount of attention. Luckily for him, though, the expensive parts had been purchased by the previous owner, and the car was bought for a very reasonable price. Upon closer post-purchase inspection, his buy was found to have factory subframe connectors in it, making it an even rarer vehicle than was first thought.

There were a few setbacks during the rebuild, the main one being a workshop that tried to take Chris for a ride by charging exorbitant prices for the wrong parts. But thanks to some good mates and Chris’s own mechanical ability the car was completed around four years ago. However, with a young family, and a supercharged Chevelle also sitting in the garage, the Camaro hasn’t seen the light of day for the last three years.

Packing a Punch

The 6653cc (406ci) Chev small block purchased with the car is now running to its potential, and with a parts list that reads like a petrolhead’s dream, that potential equals huge power. With a Lunati 4340 steel forged crank spinning away on heavy-duty bearings in an oversized baffled sump, bottom end reliability will never be a problem.

Attached to the crank via SPS fasteners are Lents 152mm rods and Lunati forged pistons with laser-cut rings. The Lunati full roller two-stage race cam gives the game away a bit, as the noise emitted through the three-inch exhaust is exquisite. At the front of the system are Hooker Super Comp headers that have been match ported to the Brodix 10/1 aluminium race heads.

The heads were CNC ported before being hand finished for maximum flow. Not only are they ported on the exhaust side but also the intake. Thanks to Chris’s handiwork the ports on the Brodix single plane tall intake manifold now match those of the head perfectly.

To make the most of the aggressive cam, Chris has fitted Lunati heavy-duty valve springs and roller rockers, along with large stainless steel valves and titanium keepers.

With a tough Cometic head gasket and the high silicone-content pistons, the car is set to handle nitrous oxide if the need ever arises. With approximately 750hp at the wheels on tap, however, that need is quite unlikely to eventuate.

The high compression ratio (13.1:1) has encouraged the car to consume a strict diet of race fuel. With a 760cfm Demon race carb complete with custom venturis, the Barry Grant fuel pump has its work cut out. Luckily, oversized braided lines are there to assist in the tank’s drainage.

The ignition system is strictly comprised of MSD components. Hiding inside the Chev dizzy are MSD internals, and an MSD Blaster 2 coil helps get the fire started.

A nicely restored classic Corvette is always a pleasant sight. Sleek, low slung and classically handsome, the ’Vette is an iconic American car, and one that perhaps best represents the ideal of post-war top-down, hair-up Route 66 motoring. Unfortunately, all this doesn’t actually mean the Chev-built machines are a pleasure to drive. After all, this is a tiny sports car born into a world where vehicles twice its size were the norm. A huge bus-like steering wheel competes with the driver for room, the car wallows about as you roll through, and don’t even consider trying to stop in a hurry, it simply won’t happen.

Long-time rodder Bob Unkovich knows this all too well, after spending years completely restoring his first ’Vette to pristine condition. “To be honest, it was a horrible old thing to drive,” he admits. “I’d always liked the idea of hot rodding the car, making it fun and interesting to drive, but in the end, after a lot of protesting from some other Corvette guys, it was decided that probably wasn’t the best thing to do to a restored classic car.”

As fate would have it, Bob was soon offered a very good price for his car and, as he had brought a total of three C1 ’Vettes into the country for the resto job, he still had access to another chassis, another body and a whole lot of spare parts to build his idea of the ultimate Corvette, something a lot of people tend to disagree with. “The whole concept of rodding a Corvette is fairly new,” Bob explains. “Until a few years ago very few people modified the cars, they were all classic restoration jobs. Over the last few years the idea has been gaining popularity in the States. I’m the first to do it here in New Zealand, though, as far as I’m aware.”

The Whole Package

Nearly every aspect of Bob’s ’62 has been greatly improved from the original, although you wouldn’t necessarily know that to look at it. “Although I wanted the car to get up and move, to drive nicely and to stop well, I didn’t necessarily want to ruin the classic look of the car by advertising that fact, so I’ve tried to keep everything hidden,” Bob says. When Bob starts the C1 up a crescendo of eight-cylinder rumble and a subtle forced-induction whine are present, and the first place you will want to look is straight under that long, slender hood. The motor, an original Corvette 283ci V8, was built way back in the mid-1990s with help from Gearing Engines. It was to go in Bob’s first Corvette, but minds were changed and the now larger capacity 302ci motor sat on a shelf for the next few years. Packing JE pistons, four-bolt mains and a Crower cam, the well-built engine is force-fed air by what some might call the best feature of this car: a front-driven, under-bonnet 4/71 Roots supercharger. It’s not often you see a blower sitting at the front of the engine, but with a little custom work from Bob the unit just fits, receiving air from a pair of filters and forcing it into the ported and flowed heads through a Demon carburettor and Edelbrock dual-plane intake manifold.

Newcomer to the scene Custom Rods has created a huge stir in the car industry; join us as Todd sits down with Jan, Garth and Ben to find out what they are all about.

We first saw Custom Rods’ vehicles on display at the Hot Rod Nationals in Auckland last year. With their super-low airbag stance and fantastic body shape, the cars were a standout. Over the last few months we’ve seen the new company construct three vehicles, all of which are unique and available for sale. The coupe, hard-top and slam-back are all superbly finished, yet so different it was impossible for the NZV8 team to pick a favourite. This trio features Edelbrock crate motors rated at 239kW, although the cars can be built to order with almost any engine package. As the vehicles are built predominantly in-house at Custom Rods’ Onehunga base, every aspect can be tailored to the customer’s requirements. Read on to hear what the Custom Rods team of Jan Ubels, Garth Nielsen and Ben Ubels have to say about the cars, business and fishing trips.

NZV8: So who is Custom Rods, and what is it all about?

Jan: Custom rods is an idea Garth and I had on a fishing trip, ’cause we always talked about cars. We would talk about which hot rods we would build, what’s our favourite one, and every trip it would change slightly, but we’d always say, ’32, ’34 high-boy or something like that. So on one trip we’d gone away and Garth said, “Why don’t we build some hot rods?”. After I called him a tosser and everything else under the sun, we said, well, let’s do it! So we decided it wouldn’t be a hobby; we would build up-market, quality cars as a business. We decided the target market is guys our age (50s). They’ve been in business a bit, got a bit of money, want a nice toy, and a quality toy their partners would use with them.

I started looking and I thought, well, there are already a couple of firms that are doing ’32s and ’34s and doing them well, and there’s no point doing what they’re doing. So I kept looking and I came across this ’37 shape, and I thought I could do something with it. Being a former art teacher, I’m always looking at shapes and making sculptures, that’s what I’m really looking at, shapes. I tracked down these guys in Quebec we could get these bodies from and we started from there. So that’s who we are. Basically it’s Garth, myself and [Jan’s Nephew] Ben, our engineer, and we’ve got another guy who’s got some money in but we’re paying him out soon.

Do you come from a hot rodding background yourself?

Garth: I played around with hot rods when I was a teenager, used to hang around with Harbour City Hot Rod Club for many years, did all the shows et cetera. Before I left school I remember I used to go and work at Hot Rod magazine with Rob Campbell in the school holidays. So I’ve been in the hot rod scene for many years. Then I built a few cars and basically just drifted away from it really; I never lost interest in them, and eventually got back into it.

Jan: No, no, I wasn’t a hot rodder at all. I’ve had a big block Chev Blazer with a 454 in it, and I’ve got a Harley, but I’m not a hot rodder. Even now I look at these cars and think they’re fantastic, but I look at them as shapes rather than a necessity to own one.

Who do you see as your target market?

Garth: It varies, because you’ve got young guys with some serious money who are into their toys. But what we want to provide is an experience. You can spend $150,000 on a mid-range BMW which is going to lose half its value over five years, or you can buy something that is totally unique and has got a bit of style to it from us. What we’ve tried to do with these cars is build something which transcends old-school hot rods and modern cars, so they have quite modern lines to them. Predominantly though the market would be guys around our age group who have worked hard, made a few bucks and want to enjoy themselves.

So you’re not necessarily aiming at the hot rod market?

Jan: No, because I see an element with hot rodders, and with no disrespect to them but there is a Westy element to a hot rod, which is a bit of a counter culture. And I didn’t want to do that with this. As much as I love that, and ultimately I’d like to get around in a rat rod myself because they are so anti-aesthetic, but we didn’t see this as a hot rod. We’ve taken all the elements of a hot rod but tried to institute a bit of glamour and status, so it becomes a status vehicle whereas a hot rod isn’t a status vehicle, it is an interesting car. It’s a unique approach to cars, but they’re never considered as a status car. We see these as getting into that sort of range as well.

What is the range of body styles Custom Rods has available?

Garth: We’ve got the ’37 range, and we are also doing the ’39 Lincoln Zephyr in both a coupe and a sedan delivery. The body is being built in Indiana right at the moment. It will be a front-wheel-drive V8; you’ll be able to ride your Harley in the back of it!

Jan: The idea is a totally flat floor with no diff underneath it, so you can drop it to the ground and ride your bike straight in the back.

Anyone who lives in the central North Island and has a splash of fuel in their bloodstream will already be well aware of Eagle Automotive, but to a lot of Kiwis it is just another unknown ace up Taranaki’s sleeve. Luckily enough, while on a trip to New Plymouth in the never-ending search for hidden talent, we set aside some time to pop in and see what Eagle Automotive is all about.

It first fired into life back in 1993. Owner Willie Roach had just come back from a stint in the USA and needed something to keep his hands busy, and after working with the likes of Squeak Bell and the Kiwi Konnection lads, a standard mechanic position wasn’t going to cut it.
Willie teamed up with Ian Scott and long-time friend Geordie Rob to start the first incarnation of Eagle Automotive, a little five-car shop on Seaview road. It specialised in left- to right-hand-drive conversions, nine-inch diff builds and instalments, and engine rebuilding.

Demand for Eagle’s services meant the company quickly outgrew its space, and after opening a second shop only to fill that too, Willie decided it was time for a purpose-built premises big enough to facilitate all the work ” a 1400-square-metre building containing a fibreglass department, two paint booths and ample workspace.

With the new space Eagle Automotive kept on growing and the right-hand-drive conversions quickly spread into an international affair. Clients based in Asia, Australia and the Bahamas were hunting the team down thanks to Eagle’s strong reputation, and to keep on the game Willie went through a 12-month process to become New Zealand’s only ADR (Australian Design Rules) compliant workshop.

Now Eagle Automotive employs 24 full-time staff and averages eight high-end car conversions at a time, ranging from 2007 Mustangs to H2 Hummers, Dodge Rams, Cadillac Escalades and Ford F150s. Each conversion takes a total of 240 to 250 hours, which includes all the fibreglass dash, consoles, trim and rear-vision mirrors being custom made for the vehicle. Eagle Automotive continues to sit at the leading edge of conversions. It was the first to convert the 2006 Ram, and has just completed a right-hand conversion in a Chevrolet SSR ute. All the research and development is done in-house, resulting in a guaranteed quality finish.

With a high demand for parts and ongoing servicing, Eagle Automotive imports a vast number of American parts, and is in the process of setting up an in-house WoF/CoF facility. However, despite all the conversion work, Willie has not forgotten his roots as a hot rodder, and is bringing in more old American muscle and returning to complete conversions, including rear ends and engine rebuilds.

The rodder streak never really left, and it is evident among the Eagle Automotive crew when you enter the workshop and see all the personal projects out the back, such as the ’44 Ford Jailbar ex-army truck being restored by the lads. Heck, even the cleaner drives a ’36 Dodge coupe to work every day. The ’44 Ford Jailbar has become personal project of Willie’s as it belonged to the father of Rusty Kay, one of the Eagle Automotive team. It spent the last 20 years in a local museum, and now it is being used to teach the apprentices old-school panel, paint and mechanical techniques as they restore it to its former glory.

Throughout its 14 years Eagle Automotive has been an active participant in both the local and motor-sport communities through projects such as the ’44 Jailbar and numerous motorsport sponsorships, in fact while we were there we happened to spot a rather rare piece of New Zealand motorsport history, the Midnight Stroker built by Patton and Black. Back in the early ’70s it was the first funny car imported into New Zealand, and with the young Max Baker (16 at the time) it was running in the sevens. It was purchased by Willie a few years ago, and with the help of Max Baker it was to be restored. Unfortunately, Max passed away just two months after work started and the project has been on hold ever since. However, once the ’44 project is out of the way there is talk of completing the rebuild.

So if you are after a new American import, interested in a bit of old-school muscle, or are just refreshing your pride and joy, over the last 14 years Eagle Automotive has clearly proved it is an industry leader and is more than capable of building, converting and maintaining any piece of Americana you might own.

Its new premises is located at 40-42 Hurlstone Drive, New Plymouth, or if you aren’t local enough to pay a visit, give Willie Roach and his crew a call on 06 769 9664.

Words and Pics Quinn Hamill

While most of Alec’s mates were busy modifying imports, he chose to do up dad’s VN Commodore. Now he has the best mix of import and V8 performance.

In this day and age of modified cars the lines sometimes get blurred and the stereotypes no longer apply. V8 muscle and import tuner scenes are not as well defined as they used to be, with the smart players starting to take the best performance and styling cues from both camps.

So what does a young Alec Chen do when handed the keys to the family Commodore as his first car at age 15? All his mates were into imports, but a good old VN V6 Commodore Executive is not your stereotypical boy racer car; it doesn’t quite fit into the V8 scene, either. I’m sure when dad bought the VN new back in 1989 he had no idea it would turn into the 6.1-litre, fire-breathing monster gracing these pages now. Losing control on a roundabout not long after getting the keys off dad was the start of what became a 14-year project, turning the family sedan into a nice blend of late-’80s and early-’90s Aussie muscle with more than a little influence from the import scene thrown in for good measure.

POWER PROVIDER

The muscle is supplied by one of Holden’s injected 304 blocks, now stroked out to 372ci (6.1 litres). The first engine Alec built up, a 383 stroker, ran fine until spinning a couple of bearings 15,000km into the fun. Fortunately, Ken from Shore Performance was on hand to make sure Alec wouldn’t be caught out a second time. A Harrop 355 stroker crank with Romac balancer is held in place by an ARP stud kitted four-bolt mains conversion. Filling the 105mm bores are 152mm scat H-beam rods, ACL bearings and custom JE pistons. A custom high-capacity oil pan holds the important stuff in, while HTD custom drive pulleys make sure it all circulates.

Cold air is sucked through a K&N filter feeding the Group A twin-throttle body, while Ford ” yes, Ford Motorsport ” 36lb injectors, a Venom adjustable fuel regulator and a high volume fuel pump supply the go juice from a 60-litre aluminium fuel cell. Spark is supplied by an MSD 6AL ignition module, coil and leads firing NGK Iridium plugs. An Autronic SM2 computer tells everything what to do and also controls the 150kW (200hp) shot of NOS from the bottle tucked away in the boot.

One of Kelford’s finest custom grinds and Crane gold roller rocker gear help the VN heads flowed to 447kW-plus (600hp-plus) do the breathing. Exhaust gases are taken care of by a custom set of four-into-one equal-length extractors, while twin three-inch pipes send the gases through Flowmasters to finally exit via the import-style custom rear resonators with five-inch chrome tips.

BURNING RUBBER

On hitting the loud pedal, power is put through a 2500 stall converter in the 700R4 trans that has been rebuilt for the job with a heavy-duty shift kit and Corvette servo. The stock six-cylinder diff was ditched in favour of an HPC-coated VL LSD unit fitted with 3.45 gears. To keep everything cool there’s an all-aluminium radiator, a 330mm electric fan and Earl’s transmission and oil coolers. A remote-mount oil filter makes oil changes easier, and a  GReddy catch can collects any extra residue.