The inaugural Mothers V8 Auto Festival at Sounds of Chrome proved that not all car shows are created equal, there are car shows and then there are car events, this was definitely the later. Celebrating all things V8, this two day event at Hampton Downs is a must, with hundreds of hot rods, street machines and muscle cars lined up for what seemed like miles there was plenty to see. Chev’s, Cadi’s, Fords, Mopar’s, Holdens and pretty much every other make of V8 was there to be appreciated, whatever your taste chances are there was something there for you.

Cars started arriving early Saturday morning and they continued throughout the weekend. Then there were those cruising in out and around the track, it was at times an automotive show in motion. With so much to see I felt a bit like a kid in a candy store, so many cars to see with seemingly so little time. This fluid exhibition of cars was complimented by the numerous trade displays, a stunt ute display, Mothers bikini girls offering car washes, and even cheerleader displays. There was so much happening I was scared I was going to miss something, which combined with the scorching weather was enough to drive some to drink. Fortunately Hampton Downs is also a licensed venue!  (more…)

The Sounds of Chrome Festival is all set for this weekend (26- 27 Feb 2011) and has something for all V8 fans. This inaugural event will celebrate all things V8, including V8s from Australia, Europe, America and Asia (JDM).

There will also be an Auto Trade Show, demonstration racing cars, bikinis, Metalman Burn out Competition, Kids Zone and even cheerleaders as well as a licensed premises.

There is also Radio Hauraki’s Live rock concert on the Saturday evening with Dragon headlining the night with The Jordan Luck Band and Dirty Dozen.

Mothers are the Masters of Metal and they are excited to be hosting the inaugural Mothers V8 Auto Festival at Sounds of Chrome. Mothers loyal customers have been polishing Chrome on their vehicles with Mothers Chrome Polish since Jesus was a cowboy, so they thought it’s only fair to give you a highly polished V8 Auto Festival.

Kicker Car Audio are special guests and will be hosting New Zealand’s largest display of supercharged V8s. A People’s Choice competition will be running on Saturday with fantastic Mothers Car Care Prizes up for grabs. Dr Detail will be on hand offering advice on caring for your car’s interior and exterior. The Pavilion will have a selection of new handpicked V8 powered vehicles from select dealers.

Hampton Downs Motor Sport Park that is located 30 minutes south of Papakura, or 45 minutes north of Hamilton.

Come share in the festivities in what will be a true petrolhead weekend! If you have an immaculate V8, V10 or V12 powered vehicle, bring it along, display it and parade it around Hampton Downs International Circuit! (more…)

Jason Hansen isn’t the kind of guy who sits around waiting for tomorrow to come. He gets a vision, accepts the challenge and goes for it. Although Jason’s company Auto Colour Matrix is relatively new on the scene (it specialises in basic maintenance to complete ground up rebuilds), his involvement in hotrods and street machines extends much further back with an impressive list of previously owned vehicles. Included in the list is the recently sold ‘39 Chev Tudor, which he’d had for years. Also sharing the shed in the past were a ‘59 Pontiac Bonneville Sports Coupe, 2002 SS Ute and a LC Torana. He also owned and drag raced the ex-Taylor Auto ‘23 T bucket Altered.

So, he is no stranger to what makes a car tick and how to make them look good.

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Take the owner of Mothers Polishes and Waxes, add a million chefs and you have one mother of a ute.

I gaze out of the office window towards the car park to see what is occupying the company spaces. On any given day there can be all sorts of wild machinery parked between the white lines. It’s not just big block wonders for NZV8, but impressive classics for our sister magazine New Zealand Classic Car that can often be spied. Of course, there’s the dark side of the car park. Yes those boys from New Zealand Performance Car park their rice rockets there too. But today there was no head-turning beasts — just the usual line-up of MGs that the sales staff drive. Good, dependable, reliable — those are words that come to mind as I scan the spaces.

Real Company Car

This is the reality of most companies around the globe, as the accountants love the sight of the frugal fossil fuel consumers. Well, I say most, but certainly not all. But, then again, Mothers is not your everyday kind of company. No sir. Even down under at the New Zealand division, you’ll find all kinds gas-guzzling modes of transport. I guess you can safely say that the crew at Mothers are car freaks and none more so than one of the head honchos back in the US of A: Jim Holloway.

“The motor already has the right cam-lobe profile and intake manifold, so the work involved is minimal – and making 450 rear wheel kW shouldn’t be a problem”

When he first got his mitts on this El Camino it was powered by the original 396. But, in true Mothers tradition, this was no standard donk under the hood, with low 11 second passes coming on a regular basis. But there was a lot more in store for this quarter mile basher. It had a big reputation to live up to as a Mothers company car. After all, it will have to showcase the entire Mothers product on a daily basis. No dirt allowed on this beast. Being out there in the public eye is one thing, but to have such a high profile as the El Camino will get in the US of A is a whole different ball game.

No Trailer Queen

That is just the beginning of the problem, as this wasn’t built to be a trailer queen. Indeed its 11-second past was not to be left behind, so enter the GM Performance Parts ZZ572. 460kW and a massive 880Nm of stump-pulling, out of the box crate motor. “I wanted monster horsepower and torque, and ‘wow’ when you lifted the hood,” says
Jim. “At the time, no one had a 572 crate motor in a car, so I had to get one”. Since it had to run on pump gas, Jim was forced to order this donk with a mild 9.6:1 compression ratio. “We’re working on a propane injection system that will let us bump the compression up to 12.5:1 without detonation,” he says. “The motor already has the right cam-lobe profile and intake manifold, so the work involved is minimal — and making 450 rear wheel kW shouldn’t be a problem”.

With all that go under the hood, a lot of attention had to be given to the stopping power. Enter Baer with a set of huge discs and equally massive callipers, coupled up to a Hydratech high performance hydraulic brake system. Of course, it doesn’t stop there either. If you can go and stop that fast, why not make the beast handle as well? Not a problem. Chuck on a set of custom billet aluminium upper and lower control arms that are fully adjustable for quick and easy pinion angles tweaks. Taking care of the bumps are QAI coilovers on all four corners, with Hotchkis sway bars lending a helping hand when push comes to shove. “It drives around like a new Corvette, handling and braking-wise, and the horsepower is extremely manageable,” says Jim. “It goes absolutely straight when you put the hammer down. You can put someone in the thing who has absolutely no experience with fast cars and they’d be fine. It was built to drive.” And drive you can, as there is a huge 136-litre Fuel Safe fuel cell for those cross-state cruises.

Chip It

When it came to the overall look, how could one go past Mr Foose. Mothers and Foose work together on many projects including the Overhaulin’ TV show, so it was only logical that his services should be called upon. Slap on the BASF Glasurit Paint and the end result is the stunning two-tone finish that stands out from the crowd. Mothers are not the kind of company that follows the trends. Up front, a set of 20-inch Billet Specialties polished rims with ceramic-coated spokes wrapped in 245/35/20 BFGoodrich rubber — out back a set of 22—inch wrapped in 285/35/22s. This gives the El Camino a real ‘hot rod’ type of stance.

“It drives around like a new Corvette, handling and braking-wise, and the horsepower is extremely manageable”

50/50

However, the most extraordinary feat is one that can’t actually be seen. Although the raked stance suggests function-follows-form engineering, balance and handling were at the forefront of vehicle design. Ace chassis’ man John Omondson of Street Wise (Rancho Santa Margarita, California) painstakingly set the car up to achieve optimal balance. To offset the heft of the motor and fit the 22s, the rear end was actually moved back. In conjunction with meticulous corner weighting, the result is perfect 50/50 weight distribution front-to-back and side-to-side. So, not only does this beast look the part, but it can also show many modern-day supercars a clean pair of heals!

1967 Chevrolet El Camino

Engine: GM Performance Parts ZZ572 Crate Motor 572 CI Tall Deck V8 (cast iron), 9.6:1 compression ratio, forged 4340 steel crank with 4.375-inch stroke, forged 4340 h-beam rods, forged aluminium pistons, rectangular-port aluminium heads, hydraulic roller cam with 0.632-inch lift, stainless steel valves, hardened chromoly retainers, roller rockers, aluminium rectangular-port intake manifold, 850 cfm Demon carburettor, HEI Distributor, Barry Grant 220-lph fuel pump

Driveline: GM 4L80E automatic, 2500rpm stall converter, Compushift transmission electronics, Streetwise rear end with Speedway Engineering quick-change gears, 3.60:1

Wheels and Tires: Billet Specialties, Front: 20 x 8.5-inch BFGoodrich G-Force T/A Radials 245/35/20 Rear: 22 x 10-inch BFGoodrich G-Force T/A Radials 285/35-22

Exterior: Chip Foose paint scheme BASF Glasurit paint, Five Axis Bodywork & Painting, Goodmark cowl hood, Tuff Skin undercoating and bed coating

Interior: Dakota Digital instrumentation, Billet Specialties steering wheel, Ididit steering column, Kicker-designed sound system, Custom Autosound radio and CD changer, custom Interior, Vintage Air front runner air conditioning, Sparco seats, Katzkin leather upholstery, Sparco five-Point harness

Performance: 460kW @ 5500rpm, 880Nm @ 4500rpm on pump gas

Special Thanks To: Chip Foose of Foose Design, Carlos and Revo of Stitchcraft Custom Interiors, Glen Grozich of Billet Specialties, Johnny Omondson, Doug Nagy of Streetwise, Paul Gonzales, Mitch Lanzini of Lanzini Body Work, Jeff Jeppeson of Classy Cars Auto Detailing, Kelly Inman, Specialized Coatings for ceramic and powder coatings, Universal Machine for C&C machining