Preview: New Zealand Classic Car Issue No. 324

F O R D X A FA I R M O N T C O U P E — A R E T I R E D P I LOT ’ S R E WA R D

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR DECEMBER 2017 ISSUE 324

Rolling

ALFA ROMEO 6C • XA FAIRMONT COUPE • MERCEDES-BENZ SL600 • FERRARI’S 70TH

art

ALFA ROMEO 6C

MUSCLE GARAGE SUNDAYS ON ISSUE 324 $10.99 INCL. GST DECEMBER 2017 themotorhood.com

MODERN CLASSIC TARGA 2017 MERCEDES BENZ SL600

REPORT & RESULTS

FERRARI'S 70TH

MARANELLO CELEBRATES

CONTENTS

324 DECEMBER 2017

6 1938 ALFA ROMEO 6C 2300 B

58 MERCEDES BENZ SL600

16 1973 FORD FAIRMONT COUPE

70 TARGA 2017

26 FERRARI TURNS 70

76 TARGA TOUR

PURE ELEGANCE

AN AVIATOR’S CHOICE

FERRARI’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY IN MARANELLO

A FUTURE CLASSIC

A FULL REPORT AND RESULTS OF THIS YEAR’S EVENT LACHIE COMPLETES HIS FIRST TARGA TOUR

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COLUMNS

38 44 52 66 90

MOTORSPORT FLASHBACK KITS & PIECES MOTORMAN LOCAL MARKET REPORT PRICE ON

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK — SEARCH ‘NZ CLASSIC CAR ’

EVENTS 82 84 86

ICEBREAKER NORTH CANTERBURY RURAL RUMBLE WAITOMO RALLY

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REGULARS

34 READERS’ WRITES 36 ONLINE THIS MONTH 50 SUBSCRIBE AND WIN 68 NEWS 88 EVENTS DIARY 92 BEHIND THE GARAGE DOOR 94 CLUB CORNER 98 AUTOMOBILIA 96 QUICK QUIZ / CROSSWORD 102 SELL YOUR CLASSIC 103 EDITOR’S PICK 104 CLASSIC CARS FOR SALE 110 LOCAL SPECIALISTS 112 NEXT MONTH

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FEATURE

1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 B Pescara / MM Cabriolet

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Rolling sculpture

CAN THE AUTOMOBILE BE CONSIDERED ART ?

ACCORDING TO THE OWNER OF THIS GLORIOUS P R E - W A R A L F A R O M E O — A B S O L U T E LY Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Adam Croy

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FEATURE

1973 Ford XA Fairmont Coupe

AVIAT R’S CHOICE

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JACK FLEMING HAD BEEN A WORLD WAR II L ANCASTER PILOT AND, IN 1973, RETIRED FROM HIS B L E N H E I M - B A S E D J O B A S C A P TA I N F O R S A F E A I R .

ALL THOSE ADVENTURES, ALL THOSE HOURS OF F LY I N G W E R E F I N A L LY R E W A R D E D … Words: Terry Cobham Photos: Adam Croy

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FEATURE Ferrari at 70

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FERRARI AT 70

TO B E I N V I T E D TO T H E C E L E B R AT I O N S FOR FERRARI’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY IN MAR ANELLO WAS ONE THING, BUT THEN TO BE INVITED TO BE A MEMBER OF THE JURY OF THE CONCORSO D’ELEGANZA WAS SOMETHING ELSE …

Words and photos: James Nicholls

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MOTOR SPORT FLASHBACK

M I C H A E L H E A D S O F F TO B AT H U R S T W I T H S I X OT H E R MOTOR-R ACING JUNKIES, SOME OF WHO SHARE THEIR OWN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCES O N T H E M O U N TA I N Words and photos: Michael Clark, The Magnificent 7, Jim Palmer, Ian Heppenstall

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he idea of a boys’ trip to Australia’s most famous mountain was gathering momentum when I asked Jim Palmer how many times he’d been back to Bathurst since being runner-up in 1968: “Never have — always meant to.” So he was a starter, as was David Oxton, who hadn’t been back since the Commodore he was sharing with Peter Brock dropped out with two laps to go while running second. Bob McMurray had never been and was keen to tick it off his bucket list, as was former drag-racing star Garth Hogan.

So, along with my Christchurch mates Peter Grant and Keith Cowan, we were seven — four Bathurst virgins, two former stars of the race, and yours truly … and I’d only been the once, a mere 21 years ago.

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More everything We spent a much of Thursday in the handily placed bar on the inside of the Chase, and it was a brilliant call on what was the hottest day of the four-day weekend. That morning, Jim and I had wandered around the back of the garages, and he compared the first-class facilities of 2017 with how it was 49 years ago — “Basically unchanged … except there was grass where all this seal is, and I can’t see any canvas — because that’s all we had for pits — bits of canvas.” Later, he spotted the wall between pit lane and the front straight: “That wasn’t there 49 years ago; there was nothing separating the track from the pits”.

The heat of Thursday gave way to a chilly Friday, and the decision was made to get the bus to the top of the mountain. It was an eye-opening experience in terms of the vista,

the track, and the very special type of person who set up camp on what looked to be ‘possies’ that they’ve occupied for decades. I think Bob summed things up best: “It’s steeper than you imagine, narrower than you imagine, tighter — and twistier.” In short, Bathurst is ‘more everything’, but it was time to get another perspective from Jim, because, prior to tackling the big hill in a 327 Monaro, he’d set the outright lap record at the Easter meeting in 1966. There were we, marvelling at the level of bravery we were witnessing in touring car drivers across the top of the mountain, where safety barriers are state-of-the-art, and Jim, in his understated manner, was describing what it was like in an open-wheeler: “There were no run-off areas, old farm fences on the inside, while the surface — well, it was little more than a country track.”

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NEXT MONTH 325th issue and past issues

VW KOMBI The iconic Volkswagen Kombi — otherwise affectionately referred to the ‘Bus’, ‘Transporter’, ‘Microbus’, or just ‘the Camper’ — has stolen the hearts and minds of enthusiasts around the world.

The trusty Kombi is probably best known for providing a mobile home for hippies and surfers of the ’60s chasing endless summers to wherever it led them. As such, it achieved cult-like status due to its charm, chunky good looks, and reliability.

With this in mind, we couldn’t think of a better vehicle to grace to cover of next month’s special summer issue than this fabulous example.

ONE LONG YEAR OF RACING AND ROAD CARS In the last 50 years, New Zealand went from being a nation starved of cars to one with a seemingly endless supply of vehicles and, perhaps, an over-crowded fleet. This has created new opportunities for classic car enthusiasts, with choices only dreamed of half a century ago. Donn Anderson remembers when New Zealand and, indeed, the world were very different.

MISTRAL IN TEMUKA Why do people build cars? It’s a question Patrick Harlow is often asked.

Perhaps it’s the only way they will ever be able to own their dream car; perhaps they played around with cars all their lives and this is the ultimate challenge; or maybe they started one when they were younger, never finished it, and now want a second shot at it.

Patrick discovers one man’s passion to finish his dream car.

20 YEARS AGO

10 YEARS AGO

FIVE YEARS AGO

Hot summer fun: Sunbeam Alpine

Monaro revival: 1969 HT Holden Monaro GTS

Built to beat Porsche: Greenwood Corvette

December 1997

December 2007

December 2012

TO PURCHASE BACK ISSUES ONLINE, GO TO: Photo ID: Milan’s Finest — 1. 1954–1965 Alfa Romeo Giulieta 2. 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint 3. 1962 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS Bertone 4. 1963–1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ 5. 1967–1969 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale 6. 1971 Alfa Romeo 1300 Junior 7. 1972 Alfa Romeo Montreal 8. 1976–1987 Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV 2000