THE COVER STAR! – 1000kW+ R34 GT-R BILLET MONSTER
It started with a handshake — and ended with one of NZ’s baddest street GT-Rs. Jayden Douglas is back with a 1000kW West Auckland-built monster that’s ready to tear up the streets!
At just 26, Jayden’s no rookie when it comes to building high-power cars, and he’s no stranger to this mag either. You might remember his RB32-powered S15 that made headlines twice for smashing 1000kW while still street legal, ranking among the country’s highest-powered RBs. Now he’s back, with a weapon that’s bigger and better than ever and one he can finally tick off his bucket list.
THE COVER STAR! – HAKOSUKA PERFECTION
You reckon Skylines only came of age in the early 1990s? That turbo tech and all wheel drive were their key party trick? Think again, this 1972 Nissan Skyline ‘Hakosuka’ raises the game for the hallowed nameplate among the Kiwi car scene — and maybe even on a global scale
There’s very few of these floating about in New Zealand, in part being too old when Japanese used imports began flooding our shores, and due to the prices they now command. We’re lucky, then, that blokes like Steve Radich build — and share — cherry examples like this blue beauty.
GT-FOUR FIEND – WIDEBODY CELICA
Paul Wigzell has an insatiable love for the Toyota Celica GT-Four, so after 25 years of various All-Trac projects, he decided to go all-out for this special ST165
Southland local Paul Wigzell’s full-metal-widebody Celica ST165 might be one of the most well-executed Celica GT-Fours you’ve ever seen, and likely takes the cake for the coolest ST165 you’ve come across. It has a menacing, unforgiving look about it, with plenty of subtle allusions to its WRC title-winning past. The skilfully crafted steel bodykit respectfully builds on what Toyota originally designed, following the original lines of the car, and running a 3S-GTE two-litre, he also stays true to the heritage of this all-wheel-drive Celica.
LINKING THE DOTS – C’S GARAGE NEW SLIDER
For Joel Hedges, one half of C’s Garage, drifting has been a constant evolution. Known for their capers with Silvias, it’s a little-known fact that an enthusiasm for retro Toyota has been quietly simmering in the background. Until now that is, with one hell of an NA drift AE86 set to be unleashed
You’d think that with a steadily growing archive of expertise, the machine choices would progress, evolve, and grow newer, stronger, faster. However, human nature means that we’re also somewhat predisposed to yearning for the past. Nostalgia is a powerful drug, especially for the seasoned octane aficionado.
Occasionally, though, these two worlds collide. For West Auckland’s Joel Hedges – one half of C’s Garage – this retina-searing yellow AE86 Levin is the benchmark case in point.
THREE DIAMOND THREE-PEAT – REUNION 2025
One brand, one club, and a whole heap of winners at MOD 2025
Dominant. That would be one way to put the performance of Auckland Evolution at this year’s Mitsubishi Owners Day. For a club with a reputation for being steady and consistent — but never really intentionally seeking to stand out — this year the Auckland Evolution team turned it up and turned out in force, rolling in with over 40 member cars to well and truly stamp their authority on the event. Rumour has it that President Warren Currie had to remove his slippers to keep count of the awards.
FULL HOUSE IN THE SOUTH – JAPFEST 2025
Japfest 2025 proved Christchurch is well and truly holding its own on the national JDM calendar
Japfest 2025 made its return to Christchurch’s Euromarque Motorsport Park in April — and this one went off. Run by the crew at Premier Events, Japfest is a celebration of all things Japanese and rotary-powered. From drag-spec street cars to tidy cruisers and competition-built machines, it’s a proper mix of what makes New Zealand’s JDM scene tick. This year saw over 200 cars roll through the gates from every corner of the country — some from as far north as Northland — proving once again just how far people are willing to go for the right kind of event.
LZ WORLD TOUR – DRIFTING DOWN UNDER
Aotearoa’s finest go head-to-head with global drift superstars on Kiwi soil!
The LZ World Tour is arguably the biggest drift event to circle the globe, bringing together drivers from around the world to compete against local heroes — drivers who once could only dream of drifting alongside the world’s best.
BLAST FROM THE PAST – 2000’S SHOW-SPEC VR-4
Growing up watching the glory years of VR-4s ruling the streets, Jamie Smyth always wanted one of his own. Twenty years on, he’s still got it!
Turning 40 may be a milestone that many don’t look forward to — a point where some start to consider themselves old-timers. But for Tauranga’s Jamie Smyth, it puts him at the perfect age to remember the late 1990s and early 2000s import scene — a time when VR-4s, Lancers, and WRXs ruled the streets, the strip, and the show circuit alike. Being slightly too young to partake in the chaos, Jamie had to make do with a Mini as his first car. Like many others, he used it as an opportunity to learn the art of handbrake skids. He assures us that skill had absolutely nothing to do with the car ending up wrapped around a fence post on the family farm …
STREET LEGAL – 326POWER S14 STREET SLIDER
Wyatt Vermaak’s 326Power S14 proves you can build a street-legal drift car that’s as stylish as it is sideways
WEEKEND WARRIOR – MIRAGE CYBORG DRAG-WEAPON
With 406kW and a stroked 2.3-litre 4G63, Karan Sharda’s Mirage Cyborg-R is built to hit the strip hard
AND MUCH MORE!
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