V 4&Rotary Madness: eight reasons you need to be there

29 January 2016

Every year, the day before the V 4&Rotary Nationals show and shine, we set up camp, and scope out the talent. We decided that this year we’d give you a little teaser, and a background look into what you can expect from tomorrow’s show. Good news too — the wheels are wide, the cars are low, and the horsepower is high.

We spotted some slick-looking rides today, and we’ll start with James’s Mazda RX-7 FD. The thing we were most impressed with about James’s RX-7, is the fact that the gorgeous paint on those panels is from the factory. James has set the car up for high-speed driving too, which is another unique part of the build. With under-car diffusers — front and rear — a drag-style wing, and 317kW at the wheels, he assures us at speed it’s very stable and keeps pulling as long as they gear will allow.

The RX-7 is also packing a very slick pair of Mazdaspeed optioned seats, Advan wheels with Bridgestone Potenza tyres, and a single-turbo conversion. This is definitely one of the cleanest RX-7s on display.

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One car that took our fancy was Mike’s 1988 Mitsubishi Starion turbo. With factory leather interior, factory paint, and 18×9-inch and 18×11-inch Work Meisters, it sure is a different take on a classic combo.

Shoneel Ram showed us his Evo back in NZ Performance Car Issue No. 221, when it had factory bodywork. You certainly wouldn’t know it was packing around 440kW that’s for sure.

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Now though, the Evo wears new 18×9.5-inch Enkei RPF1s, Voltex wide guards, a Varis diffuser, Mines lip spoiler, and canards all round. Shoneel hopes that the Evo will soon be back on the dyno to crack the 500kW mark. Certainly worth a look.

Last Nationals, Steve Ellicott showcased his 1974 Mazda 808 with 13B turbo engine, however it was matt black at the time and nearly completed. This time around, the car is complete — finished in a factory Mazda colour. The 13B is running too, and outputs 328kW (440hp) at the wheels on only 14psi, which is on the run-in tune.

Steve plans to wind the boost up to 35psi on the final tune, to crack 560kW (750hp) at the wheels, which in a 900kg machine should make for an easy 10-second car. The Mazda sits down low on a set of 15×8.5-inch and 15×10.5-inch Simmons. A classic-looking Mazda that packs a serious punch — well worth a look.

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It’s also very cool to see the Croydon Developments R32 GT-R Skyline parked up next to Zohab’s Evo and Docile. Nostalgia kicks? Heck yeah!

However, there can only be one winner for us, and that is Iann Clegg’s Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R, which literally came out of nowhere. What took us by surprise was the sheer size of the car, with its five-inch-each-side–wide bodykit and 20-inch Work Meisters shod in 285-wide semi-slick rubber.

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The action doesn’t stop there though, as the R33 GT-R is now packing a Garrett GT42-boosted RB30 engine that outputs 747kW (1000hp) at the wheels and will run an easy nine-second pass straight off the trailer. This R33 will simply blow your mind in person, so you need to come down and check it out for yourself.