News

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...

You might think the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is just another quick executive sedan with a big price tag. Maybe you’re thinking you could go for a cheaper Kia Stinger? I mean it’s fast and aggressive looking, right? Well, yes, it is both of those things, but the Alfa turns up the volume. In musical terms, if the Kia is Bon Jovi, the Alfa is Led Zeppelin. Let’s explore why. Read on...

Is it a Jaguar or is it a Daimler, and would it matter if a get-away driver turned up to a bank job in the Daimler instead of the bank robbers’ favourite, the lookalike Jag Mk2? After all, to the untrained eye the Daimler 250 V8 looks the same as a Jaguar Mk2. However, while the visual differences are subtle, it’s what’s under the bonnet that really sets them apart. Read on...

It’s big, has seven seats and an equipment list as long as a Tolkien novel. There is so much tech you’ll likely never know what options are fitted to your Audi Q7 unless you take a few hours to peruse the literature in the glovebox. But who cares? Most of the tech is active, it just does its stuff without you really knowing. What matters to you is it looks smart, goes like stink, is big and comfortable. Read on...

Old Mercs from the 60s are so cool. They aren’t fast or sleek, but they are stately, tough, elegant and classy. And it’s affordable coolness, too. You could turn up to a swanky event in this sub $20k 1966 Fintail Mercedes, and look more minted than someone in a new Ferrari or even a new Mercedes. Even the radio is cool, and expensive. Read on.