Articles in ‘Motoring’

The Rotary Club old Papakura is proud to bring you the 2024 New Zealand Motorcycle Show, proudly sponsored by Star Insurance and proudly all profits are for charity. Our 12th such show since 2012 it is recognised as NZ’s pre eminent Motorcycle Show. Returning to the fantastic Auckland Showgrounds, this show offers something for every motorcycling enthusiast. Featuring numerous…

The Rotary Club old Papakura is proud to bring you the 2024 New Zealand Motorcycle Show, proudly sponsored by Star Insurance and proudly all profits are for charity. Our 12th such show since 2012 it is recognised as NZ’s pre eminent Motorcycle Show. Returning to the fantastic Auckland Showgrounds, this show offers something for every motorcycling enthusiast. Featuring numerous…

MIT’s Electric Vehicle Team has taken to the racetrack with a Ducati 900SS that’s been gutted and converted into a hydrogen fuel cell motorcycle, hoping to start collecting a few fossil-fuelled scalps. It’s also open-sourcing the design for others. The dozen-strong team decided to build this battery-buffered fuel cell hybrid to get their heads around this higher-density,…

The current Labour government have decided that we will all drive electric vehicles. How will they make that become reality? The first step in that process is to ban the import of ICE’s (Internal Combustion Engine vehicles) which is being suggested will happen from the year 2040. Some vehicle manufacturers are planning to cease production of ICE’s by the year 2035 in line with…

The Morrari Recreation has been one of my Dad Mark Stokes’ dream projects for at least 10 years. It is a recreation of the late Garth Souness Morrari which ran in the sixties in the All Comers class. It was a Morris Minor body draped over an unwanted and outdated 1955 Ferrari Super Squalo Grand Prix chassis. It ran a 327 Corvette engine. It was called The Monster but media of the…

Photos and words David Child-Dennis The late 1960s saw the best pre-Formula One racing this country has ever experienced. Racing took place over January, during the European winter, giving the Formula One teams a chance to test new chassis and suspension systems prior to the upcoming European season. The only difference was that the engine capacity was limited to 2.5 litres, as…

It was early March when the sixth annual model a day was held in Oratia in West Auckland. Hosted by Chris Hornblow and Shane Adlington this great day is a casual afternoon to celebrate all things Model A. Just on 50 Model A cars were in attendance including one Model T powered by Model A. The furtherest travelled was Kev Topham from Masterton with his Model A coupe which he drove…

It was early March when the sixth annual model a day was held in Oratia in West Auckland. Hosted by Chris Hornblow and Shane Adlington this great day is a casual afternoon to celebrate all things Model A. Just on 50 Model A cars were in attendance including one Model T powered by Model A. The furtherest travelled was Kev Topham from Masterton with his Model A coupe which he…

Back on the first weekend of February, a grand opportunity arose for me to display my Model A pickup at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona California, USA. This show is the ‘Grand Daddy’ of them all and attracts over 600 vehicles displayed indoors and over 1100 vehicles show up each day to be displayed outside. It has been a bucket list thing to attend all these great USA…

As life becomes more costly and complicated, we are always looking for simpler and more carefree times. Whether it’s an escape to the beach or taking on a new hobby or somehow reliving the past - we all seek more simplified times. Car guys are no exception and the two cars you see here are perfect examples of that. The automobile has a rich history of evolution and particular…

A Covid delayed Repco Beach Hop went off with great success back in November at the cool Coromandel town of Whangamata. New Zealand's largest celebration of the 50's & 60's proves to be as popular as ever with people coming from all over New Zealand as well as other parts of the world. The nearly week long event kicks off on the Wednesday at Waihi, then onto Thames on the…

Passion and zest for life is all about goals and influences and living life to the max. With that we all have our heroes who we look up to or are influenced by. For me growing up in the world of hot rodding a whole world away from where it all began in the USA I had my share of influences locally in New Zealand but also internationally. One of those guys I looked up to was the…

A welcome return to the rodding calendar in October was the Trouble Bound Side Show supporting West Auckland Hospice. Brilliant weather gave a taste of the summer season on its way and the no location filled to capacity. This year the Glenora Rugby League Club in Glen Eden was the perfect new venue for this ever-popular West Auckland show. "We tripled the size of the venue and…

The New Zealand Hot Rod Association (NZHRA) recently celebrated a Covid delayed 60th anniversary. For two weeks during September the "Diamond Cruise" traveled from one end of New Zealand to the other stopping at hot rod clubs and shops all over the country. Those who attended said it was an unreal journey as the cruise zig zagged its way across the country starting in Bluff and…

For further information or dinner ticket bookings, please do not hesitate to email Gary Bogaart at meremeredragway@xtra.co.nz - Saturday night’s formal dinner is ONLY $55 per head. There will be no door sales for Saturday night and it is limited to 200 people, so get in quick. There will be more information to follow. Back in 1973 a significant milestone was reached when…

It was the holy grail to visit the El Mirage Dry Lake with Project 29. This has been the location for land speed racing in California for over 60 years. Hot rodding for me is all about the history and heritage and how that inspires us moving forward. Living all my life a whole world away from the USA motherland of hot rodding in Auckland, New Zealand my influences and…

Back in April, my work horse Chev pickup blew the transmission so my daily driver for just on three weeks was my 1929 Ford Model A tudor. In an era where we are now been forced into electric cars, watch emissions and climate change, it truly was a case of turning back time as I used the old Model A each day. Car enthusiasts in particular always have a hankering for the past and…

Mid May was the third attempt (due to Covid restrictions) that the Hot Rods and Horsepower Show at the Indian Hall went ahead and to say it was a success would be an understatement. Hosted by the Pukekohe Hot Rod Club and Napa Auto Parts Dragway, the show boasted an incredible array of diverse vehicles and the public loved it. Saturday also featured a swap meet outside and the…

It all started with a mad passion for an old Ducati. To be honest it was almost in a box of bits. Unloved, forgotten and abused. Tossed in a corner with nothing even shiny to catch the eye of a wandering magpie. “What the heck is that you’ve found?” I asked Derek (Derek Price – Performance Transmissions, Pukekohe), who by notoriety is an extreme perfectionist when it comes to…

Hosted by Pukekohe Hot Rod Club and Napa Auto Parts Dragway Like most things which haven’t been cancelled totally by Covid restrictions imposed by our government, the Hot Rods & Horsepower Show hosted by Pukekohe Hot Rod Club & Napa Auto Parts Dragway has been delayed. The new date will be the weekend of the 14th-15th May. After dealing with Covid restrictions for the past couple…