Cars And Kiwis

"For such a small country New Zealand has a staggering number of hugely impressive motoring collections. Whether it's due to the fresh air, the wide open spaces, the cheap fuel, or just a national fixation with tinkering, Kiwis enjoy collecting and hoarding old cars. Steve Holmes presents some incredible collections in these pages, including a few private collections, and the brand-new Highlands National Motorsport Museum"--Publisher website.

Right from the outset Kiwi car enthusiasts took to the muscle car concept. With our relatively cheap fuel, open roads and love of fast, noisy V8s, New Zealanders own a disproportionately high number of muscle cars of all makes and models, particularly given our relatively small population. In Kiwi Muscle Car Collections Steve Holmes gets unprecedented access to some rare, exotic, mild and wild high-performance vehicles, and their proud owners.

Classic American cars with classic American names - Chevy, Chrysler, Ford, Pontiac - are enormously popular in New Zealand and, each year, tens of thousands of fans flock to events such as the Whangamata Beach Hop, the Kumeu Classic Car and Hot Rod Show, Americarna in New Plymouth and the Dunedin All American Car Show. In addition to these, numerous other provincial car shows, swap meets and individual car marque rallies are on around the country at any given time. KIWI AMERICARS WE LOVE celebrates Kiwis' love of big American cars in glossy photographic style. A wide range of cars popular in New Zealand including hot rods, street rods, muscle cars and classics are showcased in the book including a comprehensive selection of marques and models. Appealing to the hard-core enthusiast and hobbyist/tinkerer alike, this is the ultimate gift for the New Zealand petrolhead.

The vintage era ¿ 1919 to 1931 ¿ was a brief period of time in our motoring history when only the strong would survive. The First World War was over and many new makes and models were being released but, all too soon, the Wall Street crash lead to a turbulent time for the motor industry and many did not last the distance. Some of the names in this book are still known to us today, such as Ford and Dodge who proved that they had what it took to stay at the top of their game. Others, though, such as Oakland, Erskine and Jewett, were in production for only a short period of time and have been long forgotten by most. Meet the Kiwis who have taken the time to lovingly restore these vintage beauties and, in doing so, know the real joy it is to own some of the great names from our motoring past.

Austin Somerset, Morris Minor, Standard Vanguard, Ford Prefect, Vauxhall Wyvern, Jowett Javelin, Hillman Super Minx . . . names redolent of the heyday of British car manufacturing, and for a great many of us representative of the cars we grew up with. From dated-looking Forty-niner Fords and Chevy Fleetlines, to the 'otherwordly' Forward Look Chryslers; from the chastened lines of mid-60s Ramblers, Larks and Fairlanes, to the last of the genuinely stylish American cars: Mustangs, Camaros and Firebirds - these are the cars of movies and television, of magazines and novels, of hopes and dreams. A combined and updated edition of John's previous books Yank Tanks and The Cars We Loved, this book features the British and American classics adored by all New Zealanders.

We Had One of Those! celebrates New Zealand's golden age of motoring, from the 1950s through to the 1970s, with a selection of cars that Kiwis loved and drove during that period. Although these cars are no longer common on New Zealand roads and are rarely seen, they are still held in fond regard. This book is literally a nostalgic drive down memory lane. The selection of 36 cars is illustrated using the evocative artwork of sales brochures of the times. Accompanying the brochure artwork are texts for each car that mix technical descriptions with social history and nostalgia. These are cars that we, or our parents and grandparents owned, cars with a gloriously wide-ranging diversity of design and mechanics - and idiosyncrasies. Many of which became icons of New Zealand popular culture, such as the Mk II Ford Zephyr. The book showcases British marques and models such as Vanguards, Vauxhalls, Hillmans, Cortinas and Minis; occasional 'Yank tanks' such as Chev Impalas and Ramblers; the Holden, of course; the odd uniquely Kiwi concept such as the Trekka; and a touch of European exotic and luxury in the form of the Jag E-type and Fiat 850 Coupe. We Had One of Those!, like the cars it features, is a classic and will proudly sit on the coffee table of car, design or nostalgia enthusiasts.

"Holden A Kiwi Passion" celebrates Holden motor vehicles, New Zealanders' passion for them and the role they've played in our lives. It describes the history of the Holden motor company from its early beginnings in Australia, to its expansion into New Zealand. It features stories of several interesting Holdens and their proud Kiwi owners, mixed with old photographs showing Holdens being used in everyday life, Holden race cars, customised Holdens, as well as Holden car sales brochures, old magazine features, and even Holden memorabilia.

Kiwi blokes and utes go together like fish and chips. An affectionate look at our longstanding love for utes in full colour. Join Steve Holmes, author of the popular KIWI HOT RODDER'S GUIDE TO LIFE, as he profiles over 50 Kiwis and their utes. What is it about the ute that has caught the attention of so many car enthusiasts down under?