Preview: NZPC 243

$9.99 INCL. GST

243

MAR. 2017

MADBUL GETS ITS MADDEST MAKEOVER YET!

ISSUE

ERED

ON-POW T G N I L L I M

AE86 L E V A R G BASHER

9

416803 800821

NISMO FESTIVAL TEAM DSR FURSTY LIVES HOW YOUR ENGINE INTERNALS ARE BALANCED ROTORPULSE CLUB HANGS

016 MADBUL V7

CONTENTS 024

A car with more passport stamps than most humans, and one that’s had more YouTube and Google hits than its owner — Mad Mike’s legendary MADBUL RX-7 has gone from a stock-bodied FD with a 20B PP to the quad-rotor international superstar it is now. Mike’s not finished with it yet, flick to page 16 and see the iconic RX-7 reborn once more.

024 CAMBER KINGS

The lads at Cany Customs don’t do things by halves, and after setting the world alight with their matching big-winged, chrome-wheeled, harlequin-coated Silvia builds, they’re back once again with these neck-snapping ego-hurters, which run enough camber to make small children cry. Blake ‘Cany’ Harpur’s 326Power S15 and Jared Croft’s BN Sports Altezza make for the ultimate Japanese- versus USstyle battle.

032 THE RESURRECTION OF A LEGEND

Credited with one of the most iconic burnouts in Kiwi history, the ex-13B PPscreaming 808 estate ‘FURSTY’ has returned from the dead. Originally built and piloted by none other than ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett, it disappeared for many years before being restored to almost-exact ’04 spec by its new owner, Stefan — linelocker, rowdy burnouts, and all.

038 CELEBRATING 23

Picture yourself standing among 10s of 1000s of people at Fuji Speedway as train upon train of Hakosukas, 280Z, R34 GT-Rs, and the rest all roll past like it ain’t no thing — that, ladies and gentleman, is Nismo Festival. Join the editor as he explores what he describes as the one event a Nissan fan never wants to miss.

032

038 4

themotorhood.com/nzperformancecar

CONTENTS

074 048 SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND

Built from the byproduct of an unfortunate encounter with the uncompromising environment of rallying, Chris Woudenberg’s now immaculate AE86 was transformed from a wrecked 4A-GZE–powered example into a custom-ordered Millington-engined monster — those Ford Escorts don’t stand a chance in hell against this rooster-tailing ’rolla.

054 DSR DOUBLE TAKE

Adam Davies and Dave Steedman are among the few original players left in the game of drifting. They’ve known each other for half their lives, and have learned a thing or two about how the other drives — we take a look at how this duo have upped their game from street cars in the old days, to round-winning track cars today.

074 ROTORPULSE

Mad about all things rotary powered, this RE-focused club from down south packs a big punch with its line-up of raucous rotangs — to get a better idea on what was on offer we caught up with the crew for a lazy hang, and we weren’t left disappointed!

086 TUNING JAPANESE

Mizuno Works is a name synonymous with low-slung ’yotas and striking a balance between extreme and tasteful modifications. As the original Mizuno-san grows older, Aaron meets the next generation — Kazuki looks set to continue a level of craftsmanship that’s unrivalled the world over.

048 054

6

themotorhood.com/nzperformancecar

080 086

REGULARS 008 EDITORIAL 010 ED TEAM CHATTER 012 NEWS 020 CASTROL EDGE PCOTY 046 SUBSCRIBE AND RECEIVE 062 WEEKEND WORKSHOP 080 DEMON BABE HUNT 084 WEEKEND WARRIOR 090 RACE NEWS 092 NEW PRODUCTS 094 CRUISE MODE 096 UNDER CONSTRUCTION 098 GIG GUIDE 099 DRAG TIMES 100 DAILY DRIVEN 102 TRADE DIRECTORY 104 WHAT’S COMING NEXT MONTH

1994 MAZDA RX-7 (FD3S)

’S MIKEF MAD B UL’ D ‘MAD RNS RETU

URRAY EME M S: GRA O T O H SON P US GIB : MARC WORDS

16

themotorhood.com/nzperformancecar

1999 NISSAN SILVIA (S15) / 1999 TOYOTA ALTEZZA (RS200)

Camber Kings JARED CROFT AND BLAKE ‘CANY’ HARPUR HAVE RETURNED WITH ANOTHER PAIR OF NECKSNAPPING, CAMBER-PACKING, CHASSIS DRAGGERS TO GET THE JUICES FLOWING — THIS TIME PITTING JAPAN AND US STYLE AGAINST ONE ANOTHER WORDS: JADEN MARTIN PHOTOS: ROD DUNN

24

themotorhood.com/nzperformancecar

EXTERIOR PAINT: Painted in FURSTY blue by Ewan at DS Panel and Paint, Blenheim ENHANCEMENTS: Fibreglass 12A Savanna front nose cone, graphics by Mad Mike at Cre8graphics

Stefan contacted Mad Mike, who happened to have all the sticker files on hand to perfectly replicate the ’04 look. The only slight tweak Mike made was swapping the rear window logo on his RK character from Shift to his own logo Now only weeks away from completion, and looking just as it did back in ’04, complete with blue rotor housings, blue roll-cage padding, and the deep-dish Modgies, disaster struck.

“My property took a hammering during the November 2016 earthquake. It shook us pretty bad, and when I opened my shed door, I couldn’t believe my eyes: my road bike had been ragdolled between my RX-4 and the 808,” said Stefan. The right-hand side of the 808 needed to be panelled and repainted, and the graphics reapplied. Another call-out to Mad Mike, and a fresh set of graphics was on its way to Seddon, while local businesses pitched in to get the repairs done in time for the car’s debut at Timaru’s V 4&Rotary South Island Champs, which were only two weeks out.

Seeing the car return in such a high standard of finish surely brought back memories for many a rotary and Mad Mike fan at

the show. Stefan was even using it for its intended purpose, and throwing down some skids, and he extended an invitation to Mike to get behind the wheel once again, although it was politely declined. Mad Mike did say, “I’m yet to see it in person, but I can’t wait. It brings back so many memories [of] good times with the RK boys. Stefan offered me a drive, but I don’t want to wreck somebody else’s toy — I’ll stick to wrecking my own.”

Stefan says the project still has a little way to go until it’s a completed machine. Currently, it’s rocking a full-cut 13B bridgeport with a 48mm IDA, and he hopes to one day soon replace that with a PP, to return the car to the state Mike had it in, in 2004 — but Mike did have five odd bridgeports in there before the PP, so in time we’re sure Stefan will get there and complete the dream that he had back at 14 years old — to own the infamous FURSTY.

DRIVER PROFILE DRIVER/OWNER: Stefan ‘Sherm’ Collins AGE: 26 LOCATION: Marlborough OCCUPATION: Car salesman BUILD TIME: Three months LENGTH OF OWNERSHIP: Six months THANKS: ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett and Toni Cook; Ryan Brown, Ewan Mackenzie; Brian McCann; Troy McElhinney; Leigh Church; Kaerian Burton; Alex MacAskill; Blake Jackson; Luciano Zucchetto; Andrew Sloan; DS Panel and Paint, Blenheim; Mag and Turbo Blenheim; Sloan Engineering; Radiator Services; Smith and Smith Blenheim; BB Signs; my fiancée, Latoga Neame; Daniel Thompson

Stefan couldn’t resist checking out the line locker in true Mad Mike style

36

themotorhood.com/nzperformancecar

1984 TOYOTA COROLLA LEVIN (AE86)

ShineonYou

CrazyDiamond

he needle on the tacho streaks beyond 8000rpm. Strapped inside this scarlet jungle gym, it’s the very definition of sensory overload. Beyond the firewall, the mechanical symphony of four cylinders reaches a fever pitch then subsides, as the madman behind the wheel plucks third, then fourth gear. We’re barrelling along at a pace probably slightly beyond the comfort zone of this virgin to a rallying silly seat, but with barely a lift off the loud pedal, the car tips left into a cambered, uphill turn.

It’s not violent — at least it doesn’t feel particularly aggressive as the tail flicks towards the edge of the road while the nose points at the inside bank. Rather, the chassis motion is fluid,

48

themotorhood.com/nzperformancecar

RISING FROM THE ASHES OF A STACKED AE86, AND ON A MISSION TO SPANK SOME ESCORTS ON THE STAGES, MEET THE MILLINGTONPOWERED AE86 LEVIN RALLY WEAPON WORDS AND PHOTOS: RICHARD OPIE

and the suspension absorbs the ruts and bumps. On command, the bark from the four throttles provides a timely reminder that this is something quite angry, competing with the staccato hammering of rocks against the floorpan.

Rally tyres, it seems, do their job well. The AE86 squats and rockets towards the next right-hander, a rinse and repeat situation of button off, drop a gear, turn in, power out with handfuls of opposite lock, while balancing the attitude of the car on the throttle. And, of course, that ruthless naturally-aspirated soundtrack throughout.

Thanks to Rally Drive New Zealand, we’re out at Maramarua Forest, taking in a rallying experience that’s quite literally like no other in the country. Perched on the gravel among the pine trees is Chris Woudenberg’s freshly completed AE86 Corolla Levin rally

WEEKEND WORKSHOP

spinning rue t GRANT MUNRO FROM ROTORSPORT RACING & ENGINE BALANCING SHOWS US EXACTLY WHAT GOES ON WHEN BALANCING THE INTERNALS OF THE ROTARY ENGINE WORDS AND PHOTOS: MARCUS GIBSON

W

hen you think about the speed in rpm at which your engine internals are moving, both in a rotational and reciprocating (for piston engines) or eccentric (for rotary engines) motion, while you’re hard up the loud pedal, it’s somewhat mindboggling to think they can see upwards, and sometimes in excess of, 10,000rpm, especially when we’re talking rotary engines. The balance of these components is integral to allowing these types of rpm and not have your engine completely destroy itself — think of a washing machine on fast spin, with a cinder block inside.

When dealing with high rpm, even the slightest variation in weight between any parts in the rotating assembly can cause

62

themotorhood.com/nzperformancecar

vibrations. Any vibration in the engine is doing damage. So exactly how do you ensure your internals are balanced perfectly, and why should you have something balanced even if it’s from a factory engine? We spoke to Grant Munro of Rotorsport Racing & Engine Balancing to learn the art. Grant has been balancing engines since his teenage days growing up in his dad’s shop.

Balancing internals is a very specialized task that requires tools you won’t find in most backyard workshops. In fact, many top engine builders send their stuff to Grant. The entire assembly sits on two cradles with hypersensitive sensor plates on which it spins. The software then calculates the variations in weight and can tell you exactly where on the assembly the weight needs to be removed or added. Just how sensitive? We’re talking .01 (one hundredth) of a gram.

1995 NISSAN SILVIA (S14) / 1989 NISSAN 180SX

WORDS AND PHOTOS: JORGI LEE

ADAM DAVIES AND DAVE STEEDMAN HAVE BEEN IN THE GAME SINCE THE EARLY DAYS — AND THOUGH THE CARS MAY HAVE CHANGED, AND THE POWER LEVELS DOUBLED SINCE THEN, THEIR SOLID FRIENDSHIP IS STILL THE GLUE THAT HOLDS TEAM DSR TOGETHER

54

themotorhood.com/nzperformancecar

ROTORPULSE S UCKU R E H ING T BRINGE SOUTH IN TH

Y S: MIKE PHOTO ARTIN M N E D : JA WORDS

74

themotorhood.com/nzperformancecar

S MAYER

BABE HUNT 2016 | FINALIST NO. 12

Courtney LOCATION: Auckland FAVOURITE DEMON DRINK FLAVOUR: Zero FAVOURITE D1NZ DRIVER: Cole Armstrong FAVOURITE CAR: Anything Audi MY BEST FEATURE: My eyes, butt, and teeth (of all things) seem to get the most comments FRONT OR BACK SEAT: Driver’s seat WHERE MY FANS CAN FIND ME: Instagram — @__courtneyyoung

80

themotorhood.com/nzperformancecar

TUNING JAPANESE

WORDS AND PHOTOS: AARON MAI

AARON RETURNS TO MIZUNO WORKS TO FIND IT’S NOW A FAMILY AFFAIR, WITH TRADITIONAL SKILLS AND PASSION PASSED ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF MIZUNOS reasured heirlooms may be more than the objects we usually think of, traditions and skills passed down through family history are just as valued.

On a narrow back road in Saitama sits a house above a workshop, nestled against a narrow waterway. A faded-green concrete pad and a wooden bench seat sit next to a roller door, slightly opened to reveal the rear of a Kenmeri Skyline.

86

themotorhood.com/nzperformancecar

It’s within this humble workshop that a true artist lives, and he’s passing on a dying art form from one generation to another.

Shintaro Mizuno’s love for classic kyusha has become a way of life, and his son, Kazuki, could possibly be the luckiest 19-year-old in Japan. The Mizuno Works story is one of rags to riches. At the age of 18, Shintaro Mizuno didn’t have money for an expensive car, so he bought an old van for $100 and resorted to lowering it and performing his own customization to make it cool. Fast forward a few decades and you are looking at a family