January Newsletter

Back in the nineties this would be the van of choice to take your band on tour across America. These days being a touring musician pays so poorly you couldn’t afford the gas to run the 5.7L V8 across town, never mind the country. Unless you’re in a tribute band. If you are, let’s say, a Guns and Roses tribute band, this Chevrolet Express Gladiator edition could be ideal for you. Read on...

It has an eight cylinder engine that has the power of a very large herd of race horses with impeccable pedigrees, can reach 100kph in 3.9 seconds and has a top speed that is as high as it is pointless. Because the point of a Bentley Continental is not how fast it can go or whether you can drag off a Nissan Skyline from the traffic lights. No, the point is that you have money; lots of money. And you have a car that is more powerful, more comfortable and more expensive than nearly anyone else. Read on...

26 years ago, as Toyota launched the clever but conventional looking Prius, Honda launched the amazing first generation Insight. The Insight was the most fuel efficient mass produced car in the world and also looked like the future. We said COOL! But actually really wanted conventional so the Prius became the success and Honda returned to the drawing board. But Honda couldn’t let go of the dream of a sleek and sporty hybrid and gave us the CR-Z and we went WOW! and bought another Prius. But Honda’s misstep is still a cool looking thing today, like this Mugen kitted one. Read on...

The Ford Capri was an Australian made sports car that had the misfortune of coming to market at the same time as Mazda’s MX5. What would become the biggest selling convertible sports car in history versus a roadster based on a Ford Laser was somewhat of a mismatch. But does the Capri offer something a bit different for the entry level classic car buyer today? Or is it a case of rare but nobody cares? Read on...

The Scirocco is a Mediterranean hot wind emanating from the Sahara desert. It’s also a Volkswagen coupe that’s also hot wind powered – sort of – in the form of a turbocharger. This example has the 2 litre engine and is pretty quick, strangely attractive and an interesting alternative to the much more common Golf that it’s based on. Read on...

As we all know, Ferraris are fast and sexy. In the early 60s the stunningly beautiful 250GT, with its V12 engine, was able to hit 100kph from a standstill in around 8 seconds, a quick car in its day, and pretty swift even today. In this 2017 488 GTB you’d be going around 200kph by the time the stopwatch hits 8 seconds, and it’ll cost you around half what you’d pay for the classic one. Is it a bargain? No. Can you buy it at Turners? Yes. Read on...

The Ford F-series trucks are as American as Cheez Whiz and Twinkies. But unlike day-glo processed cheese and fake cream sponge fingers the F Series is a useful and tough workhorse. And being from 1980s USA it’s big, thirsty and not all that fast. However, while it may be as common as an AK47 at a Texan BBQ State-side, the big Ford is a fairly uncommon sight in NZ and therefore quite desirable. Read on...

The first generation of Toyota Prius arrived in Japanese showrooms in 1997 and was billed as the “Car of the 21st Century”. This dowdy little four door sedan must’ve been counting on the 21st century being a pretty dull century. In its favour it was the first mass production hybrid car, but when you were promised flying cars by 2000 when you were a kid, the Prius was a bit of an anti-climax. Finally, in 2022, a new, sleek and quite beautiful Prius was unveiled, and Toyota NZ decided not to sell it. Read on...

The original Dodge Challenger was one of the all-time great movie cars so it was not surprising Chrysler decided to revive the legend. The reissue was described by Road and Track as being “A petrol bath for pent up souls” and I know there are a few of those reading this. This 2019 RT Skat Pack Widebody edition is being auctioned online by Turners Wellington. Read on...