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R A L LY O F T H E I N C A S — T W O K I W I S ’ I N C R E D I B L E E X P E D I T I O N NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR APRIL 2017 ISSUE 316

VW GOLF GTI • PEUGEOT 205 GTI • VAUXHALL VELOX PASX • ASTON MARTIN DB11

THE ORIGINAL

HOT HATCHES

ISSUE 316 $9.99 INCL. GST APRIL 2017

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VW GOLF GTI VS PEUGEOT 205 GTI

ASTON MARTIN DB PERFORMANCE DIALLED UP TO 11

TA R G A R OTO R UA

A CLASSY BLUE LADY AWARD-WINNING VAUXHALL VELOX PASX

— A L L T H E R E S U LT S I N S I D E

CONTENTS

316

4

APRIL 2017

4 GTI CONS

THE ORIGINAL HOT HATCHES

16 RALLY OF THE INCAS

TWO KIWIS’ EPIC JOURNEY THROUGH SOUTH AMERICA

28 A CLASSY BLUE LADY

AWARD-WINNING VAUXHALL VELOX PASX

36 STILL BESOTTED

WE ROAD-TEST ASTON MARTIN’S NEW DB11

28 36 2

New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com

16

SPECIAL FEATURE

64 EXTERIOR TRIM

WE TALK TO THE EXPERTS ABOUT THE FINAL TOUCHES

COLUMNS

48 MOTOR SPORT FLASHBACK 54 KITS AND PIECES 58 MOTORMAN 70 LOCAL MARKET REPORT 92 PRICE ON

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK — SEARCH ‘NZ CLASSIC CAR ’

EVENTS 76

82 84 86 88 90 92 94

TARGA ROTORUA — FULL REPORT AND RESULTS EVOLUTION MOTORSPORT CLASSIC SPEEDFEST HISTORIC MUSCLE CARS ALL FORD DAY TAURANGA BRITISH CAR DAY 37TH ANNUAL CORVETTE NATIONALS HANMER MOTORFEST BRITISH CAR DAY

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86 82

REGULARS

42 ONLINE THIS MONTH 44 READERS’ WRITES 46 SUBSCRIBE AND WIN 74 NEWS 91 EVENTS DIARY 94 BEHIND THE GARAGE DOOR 96 CLUB CORNER 97 QUICK QUIZ / CROSSWORD 98 AUTOMOBILIA 102 SELL YOUR CLASSIC 103 EDITOR’S PICK 104 CLASSIC CARS FOR SALE 110 LOCAL SPECIALISTS 112 NEXT MONTH

74 themotorhood.com | New Zealand Classic Car

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FEATURE

VW Golf GTI - Peugeot 205 GTI

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New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com

T H E H U M B L E F A M I LY H AT C H B A C K — A N I N D I S P E N S A B L E T O O L I N E V E R Y D AY L I F E F O R M I L L I O N S O F D R I V E R S A N D A L S O A V I TA L P L AY E R IN SHAPING PERFORMANCE CARS FOR THE AGES. LACHLAN SPENT SOME TIME WITH A COUPLE OF E A R LY P I O N E E R S Words: Lachlan Jones Photos: Adam Croy

themotorhood.com | New Zealand Classic Car

5

ADVENTURE BEFORE DEMENTIA

RALLY OF THE INCAS

themotorhood.com | New Zealand Classic Car

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with its bonnet up in the rain and some poor sod spraying CRC. We arrived at the first test track; it was still pouring down. Ken took over and peddled the car at an astonishing speed for the conditions.

Then it was on to the first regularity section.

We expected rough dirt roads, and, yes, that is what we got. Dirt and clay with no shingle, and massive ruts that if you got a wheel in them would give you some testing moments.

The average speed was set at 70kph over the distance, but, the way the event is run, you do not know where the finish will be.

So they hide around the corner, and you get about 10 seconds to stop, and that may be anywhere through what might be a 20 km distance. You have a set of tables that show you distance against time, and the navigator has to keep telling where you are at, at all times, as the finish may be just around the next corner. That 70kph was a challenge, but I loved it. We finished two seconds fast. Then it was on to a BBQ lunch at a cattle ranch.

The second regularity was also at 70kph, on a smoother dirt road with smaller ruts but still a challenge. We got held up by another 18 New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com

car at the checkpoint, so were 15 seconds late.

Many expletives.

Transition to the hotel in Mar Del Plata came after 524km for the day.

Day two In the morning, the noticeboard said that car 35 — us — was in eighth position out of 38 cars in the classic section — we were chuffed. Many seasoned veterans of these events were well behind us.

It was a 7.55am start, with a timed drive to the Museo Juan Manuel Fangio in Balcarce — what a great museum in honour of the man, many others who have been part of Argentina’s rich car racing history, and Mercedes-Benz.

Then it was on to the Autódromo Juan Manuel Fangio circuit for tests on both the small and main tracks. Ken pushed the car to the absolute limit — boy, you could smell the brakes at the end. His times were just amazing.

Then it was on through passage controls to the hotel in Bahía Blanca. Again, our timing was perfect, so no penalty points, and 518km for the day.

Day three As there had been no regularity stages on day two, we had dropped to 10th place, but this is an endurance rally not a sprint. We were not unhappy, as there would be fewer track tests and more regularity stages coming.

Day three was a big day. We left Bahía Blanca at 7.55am, with a 120.9 km transition to a time control, then on to a new transition to a test circuit at Autódromo Viedma. Ken did the track test, which went really well. This circuit suited the more powerful cars, but we were boxing well above our weight. Then we had a further transition to the big regularity section for the day.

Yay, we were back on shingle — much like the roads at home. The section length was 52.72km, with a control speed of 80kph. Ken and I set up a new system of average speed timing to make it easier for both of us to understand where we were in the section to within 10m. We had a long drive on shingle along the coast, and the wind just got stronger and stronger the further south we got into Patagonia. Then it was back on tarmac, and long straight roads south through timing and passage controls. We estimated the headwind

FEATURE

2017 Aston Martin DB11

STILL BESOT TED

JACQ U I A D M ITS TO H AV I N G A SO F T S P OT F O R A S TO N S , A N D T H E L AT E S T D B 1 1 DOESN’T DISAPPOINT Words and Photos: Jacqui Madelin

36 New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com

I

t’s lucky that Aston Martin’s first DB model in 10 years has broad shoulders, as there’s quite a lot resting atop them. For the DB11 headlines the historic brand’s launch into another century, with seven all-new models expected, which is no doubt why new(ish) Aston boss Andy Palmer calls this the most important model in the brand’s 103-year history.

Timeless form The car sits on a new aluminium platform that carries a suite of fresh-to-the-marque tech, like turbocharging and multi-link rear suspension. Aston’s designers have followed the same basic brushwork of old to deliver a recognizable and timeless form, with body panels in aluminium — bar the magnesium door frames, the plastic composite boot lid and quarter panels, and injection-moulded plastic for bumpers and sills.

As for the chassis beneath that sleek body — it’s 21kg lighter and 39 per cent stiffer than its predecessor. Not that the DB11 is lighter overall — the rear suspension and the motor alterations add weight, quite apart from the small increase in size.

The 48-valve engine is more or less the same structure as the 5.9-litre V12 powering its predecessor but now with a shorter stroke and, along with it, a smaller capacity — 5204cc. But those twin-turbos deliver 447kW and boost torque to 700Nm, available anywhere from 1500 and 5000rpm — while the DB9 delivered a comparatively paltry 619Nm at 5500rpm.

Must be thirsty, you say? There’s auto cylinder deactivation to try to curb that, though, frankly, if you’ve spent NZ$365K on your car, you’ll be less worried about the fuel bill than, presumably, the emissions and globalwarming effects of cutting your vehicle’s thirst. Claimed numbers are 11.4 litres per 100km — we logged 16 litres per 100km after a slightly countryside-heavy drive.

The car’s style has been pitched as a move away from the earlier Aston curves, but it’s just as graceful, just as elegant, and, though, yes, some of the design details are perhaps a little more aggressive, the overall effect is as timeless as it ever was.

We’re told that the aerodynamic details are genuinely useful, with air fed from the front wheel arches through the front wing vents to cut axle lift, and inlets in those C-pillars sending air through the rear wings and out via an Aeroblade spoiler. Which all sounds fabulous if you’re planning to race or, for that matter, indulge in low-level flights down some German autobahn. It’s slightly less useful in strictly speed-limited New Zealand, of course, unless you’re seeking boasting rights down at the yacht club after a few aggressive corporate takeovers. themotorhood.com | New Zealand Classic Car

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MOTORMAN

Words: Donn Anderson Photos: Donn Anderson, Adam Croy

Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger — forgotten ’60s gems

T H E R O OT E S G R O U P S P O R T S C A R T H AT T U R N E D H E A D S W I T H I T S L O V E LY S T Y L I N G . B U T, A S D O N N A N D E R S O N R E L AT E S , T O D AY T H E Y A R E F E W A N D F A R B E T W E E N …

T

he age-old dilemma of how to define a classic car has never been resolved, but when we all have differing priorities and desires, who cares? However, a recent British study produced some fascinating results that few of us might never have imagined.

Participants were asked the main reason for owning a classic, and the clear winner was styling, with 38 per cent voting it top. The second most popular reason, gaining 21 per cent of votes, was the actual age of the car — hence the fact that almost anything old and well preserved will eventually be a prized and often valuable possession.

Technical brilliance and standing out from the crowd each scored seven per cent, 58 New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com

while the fact a vehicle enjoyed historical competition success was favoured by 4.8 per cent of the participants. Six per cent liked the idea a car was handmade, and a vehicle’s pedigree attracted five per cent. And the criterion that a car was good to drive attracted a miserable one per cent — the least favoured reason for buying or owning a classic.

Emphasized styling Which brings us to the Sunbeam Alpine, a car not always rated that highly but one that strongly emphasized styling and was later immortalized by the bent-eight Tiger version.

It’s 50 years since the last Alpine was made, and, today, you will struggle to find one on offer in New Zealand. But a lot of this has to

do with the numbers built. While the Alpine was the car the Rootes Group wanted to challenge the MGB, its model life was much shorter, and total MGB production was more than seven times greater.

In fact, with its introduction in 1959, the Series I Alpine predated the MG by three years. In total, 69,251 Alpines were made until 1968 plus 7066 Tigers produced between 1964 and 1967, so little wonder the car is relatively scarce. In addition, most of the Tigers were left-hand drive and sold in the US. A total of 6495 Tiger 260s were made, and only 571 of the later Tiger 289, which sported an even larger motor and was manufactured between December 1966 and June 1967.

According to the Sunbeam Car Club, there is only one genuine Tiger currently in New Zealand Both versions had well over twice the power of the Alpine. Externally, the only distinguishing features were the egg-crate grille and chrome strip along the sides.

Unsurprisingly, Tiger values are up 40 per cent since the death of Carroll Shelby in 2012.

Jack Brabham raced an Alpine in the US and suggested a more potent engine could be transplanted in, what he considered to be, a competent chassis. But the task of developing the Tiger went to Shelby, who used the same Californian workshop where the AC Ace had been converted into a Cobra. When Shelby quoted $10K to sort the prototype, his legendary racing engineer Ken Miles said he would do the same job for $600. Earlier, it was Ferrari that had been approached to improve the performance of the Alpine, but that prospect came to naught. Norman Garrard, competitions manager for Rootes, was keen on the idea, and his son Ian, who was sales manager for the Rootes dealership in Los Angeles, took the process further.

Ironically, the Tiger launched in the same year that Chrysler acquired Rootes, but the new management stuck with the Ford engine until 1967, when sales were dropping and it was uneconomic and difficult to engineer a larger Chrysler V8 into the tight engine bay; the compact dimensions of the Ford motor and its front-mounted distributor fitted so well under the front-hinged bonnet.

Winning combination Media reports were positive, with one British monthly reckoning there was no more 62 New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com

exhilarating way to spend a journey than by doing it in a Tiger. Motor Sport magazine said no combination of an American V8 and a British chassis could be happier.

Car and Driver readers voted it tops in the sports car class in their annual poll and claimed, “Rootes are holding a winner by the tail”. Maurice Smith, editor of Autocar, and Gregor Grant, editor of Autosport, were so impressed by the Tiger that they each bought one. Forty years ago, Smith concluded the car could well become a classic, yet it is only in recent times that both the Alpine and Tiger have become rising stars.

A specialist car dealer in Britain, who regularly drives exotic machinery, says that each time he drives a Tiger, he finds the Below: A US advertisement in October 1964 for the Sunbeam Tiger V8

combination of engine size and performance quite amazing. Negatives include a heavy clutch, long gear-lever movement, axle tramp under hard acceleration, a tendency towards excessive understeer due to extra weight over the front wheels, kick-back from the steering on poor road surfaces, and tyre scrub on full lock. Both the Alpine and Tiger are prone to rust in the front inner and outer wings, sills, footwells, and rear wing section, but engine reliability is good, apart from a propensity to overheat.

Alpine and Tiger parts are difficult to obtain — one local owner spent $2K on a windscreen. Nice Alpines in Europe fetch the equivalent of $30K. With so few on offer, judging prices in New Zealand is extremely difficult. A 1968 Series III Alpine was recently listed for $20K, while a 1965 example had an asking price of $9K, and a South Island Alpine built in 1964 was $5K. According to the Sunbeam Car Club, there is only one genuine Tiger currently in New Zealand.

Understandably, northern-hemisphere prices for genuine Tigers are more than twice those of Alpines; pristine examples of the British V8 muscle car top the equivalent of NZ$100K in both the US and UK. Labelled a ‘poor man’s Cobra’, albeit more subdued and refined, the Tiger is a car that can bite, but it’s a great-sounding machine with effortless performance and, like the Alpine, is still fine-looking. Obviously, buyers are much more likely to find an Alpine, and they are unlikely to be disappointed. They are both rare and desirable classics with a ’60s point of difference.

EVENT

Targa Rotorua 2017

ROTOVEGAS SHOWDOWN

A L L T H E A C T I O N F R O M T H I S Y E A R ’ S TA R G A R OTO R U A Words: Ross MacKay (Fast Company) Photos: Fast Company / ProShotz

T

arga event regulars Jason Gill and codriver Mark Robinson (Mitsubishi Evo IX) were the toast of New Zealand's tarmac rally fraternity on Sunday, March 19, after their breakthrough win in this year's Targa Rotorua event.

“We’ve definitely been second a few times,” Aucklander Gill said as he was surrounded by fellow competitors and well-wishers at parc ferme on Rotorua's Village Green immediately after the event.

The pair were second, too — to fellow Aucklanders Leigh Hopper and Michael Goudie, after the first day of competition on Saturday. But there were only 36 seconds in it, and when Hopper, the defending event title holder and four-time Rotorua event winner, crashed his newly-built Subaru Impreza WRX just 4.7km into the first special stage of the day on Sunday morning, the event was Gill's to win.

76 New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com

“The pressure was definitely on but we did it and today the car didn't miss a beat,” he said.

After famously getting within spitting distance of the Hawke's Bay finish line only to blow an engine in the 2013 Targa New Zealand event, Gill has earned a reputation as being quick but unlucky. So, after last year's Targa New Zealand event he commissioned a major rebuild of his Mitsubishi Evo IX for what was to be his 13th Targa event. It obviously paid off, because bar a blown intercooler hose slowing it on Saturday, the long-serving Mitsi was a picture of reliability.

Welcomed timing Traditionally, the two-day Targa Rotorua event has been held over Queen's Birthday weekend but the move to bring it forward in search of longer daylight hours, warmer weather, and drier roads was welcomed by virtually everyone.

“We've had the odd person lament the fact that the rain stayed away this year,” said event director Peter Martin, “but for everyone else, competitors, Tour participants and our volunteers the balmy weather this weekend has been a godsend,” he said.

The first day kicked off with seven special stages, the first featuring fog just like a June event of old — south-west of Rotorua before heading to the South Waikato for the afternoon and a long transport stage at the end of the day to base camp at the Rotorua Novotel and the adjacent Village Green.

Sunday's action remained in the eastern Bay of Plenty with four stages before a return to the ceremonial finish line at the Novotel.

With current Targa New Zealand champion Glen Inkster on commentary duties on Saturday, and five-time former Targa NZ event winner Tony Quinn and co-driver Naomi