December Newsletter

In April of last year, the government announced the mandatory recall of vehicles fitted with faulty Takaka airbags. This was due to the faults potentially leading to serious injury or even death of a vehicle’s occupants. Most have been remedied but over 17,000 have not and from early next year those cars not sorted will fail a WOF. Read on...

Mitsubishi’s theory of evolution was simple; take a standard model Lancer and turn it into a blisteringly fast weapon and keep updating it. The first Lancer Evo was released in 1992 and ten evolutions and loads of motorsport success later the Evo X was the final version. While it may have fully evolved and is no longer built, Turners Hamilton has a very nice example so you don’t have to miss out. Read on...

The car chase in 1968’s Bullitt is considered by many to be the best of all time. That’s a big call, but it is the granddaddy of the modern car chase and its location on the steep streets of San Francisco makes it pretty thrilling. The Ford Mustang used in the film has cult status and its whereabouts was a mystery until just last year. Now the iconic GT Fastback is going to be sold.

As you’ve probably heard by now the government is proposing a new “Clean Car Discount” scheme on imported new and used cars. In simple terms the feebate scheme will be a levy on less efficient cars and a rebate on more efficient cars. This will mean that NZ’s most popular new car, the Ford Ranger, will incur a one-off levy of $2250 while the most fuel efficient hybrids would get rebates up to $6800 and EVs receiving up to $8000. And it won’t just be EVs and Hybrids getting rebates, small cars such as Swifts and Corollas will also be subsidised. The feebate will only be applied once - when a vehicle is sold for the first time after being imported - from 2021.

Alfa Romeo’s entry into the super-mini race has an air of sophistication and exclusivity that comes with the famous Italian brand. And while critics were quick to point out that the Mito was not in the class of BMW’s Mini in terms of performance and handling you could also argue that the Mito wins on looks and style. And the price is important too, and this 2012 example is as cheap as a slice of margarita pizza. Read on...

The original Dodge Challenger was one of the all-time great movie cars so it’s not surprising Chrysler decided to revive the legend. This latest version doesn’t mess about in standard trim but the Hellcat version is completely bonkers...and we mean that in a good way. Read more...

If you live anywhere where parking is tight, traffic is usually slow and petrol is expensive then the Mitsubishi i-Car shouldn’t be overlooked. Most, however, will overlook it because it’s small (we do love big cars) and it looks a little nerdy or something your grandma would drive. But if you let your brain overrule your heart this 2008 example makes good sense at $3990. Read on...

Last week saw one of the American motor industry’s biggest stars depart the stage for the last time at the age of 94. He was the man behind Ford’s incredibly successful Mustang as well as the Chrysler Minivan, the original American people-mover.

Like a first kiss, many will remember their first car, sometimes fondly, sometimes not so much. The truth is, when you were young you were a bit more forgiving; less fussy. What we expected from a car was freedom and something that got us to our destinations, at least most of the time. The kiss was likely the same.