NZ Performance Car – October 2019

(Elle) #1
It’s one of the country’s iconic automotive shows, and,
this year, Big Boys Toys will celebrate 21 years in the
game from 1 to 3 November at ASB Showgrounds,
Epsom. As you’d expect, organizers are putting
on a banger of an event to mark the occasion, with
the latest and greatest products and services from
the automotive, lifestyle, and consumer-electronics
industries — encompassing six halls filled to the brim.
The Driven Hall is the premier automotive
area, featuring vehicles and motorcycles from those
you can drive home to those you can only dream
of owning, and, according to the team behind it all,

the supercar set to appear this year is arguably the
greatest ever seen at Big Boys Toys.
Meanwhile, the Action Arena will offer up
all the extreme sports your mind can handle,
featuring the world’s best freestyle motocross rider,
Levi Sheerwood, as well as BMX icon Jed Mildon
performing his array of impressive tricks from an 8m
high mega ramp, and cars being dropped from over
80m in the TCNZ Car Drops.
Early bird ticket specials are available now;
to purchase, or find additional information, visit
bigboystoys.co.nz.

For a small country in the middle of nowhere at the
bottom of the world, we have a ton of hard-to-acquire
cars. While only 500 Lexus LFAs were produced
between 2011 and 2015, at least one managed to
make its way here, and the company that is now
onselling it, Trade in Warehouse in Christchurch,
claim that it’s the only one here.
The model made waves in the industry when first
launched and marked a turning point for a brand that
had become synonymous with luxury and comfort,
proving its performance prowess with the LFA’s 1LR-
GUE naturally aspirated V10 cranking out a reported
412kW and 480Nm of torque. Jeremy Clarkson
claimed that it was the best car he had ever driven.

If the LFA has ever been on your must-own
list, then this is good news for you. There’s only
one catch, however, and it’s a $995K one. With
this vehicle being one of only 129 units delivered
in right-hand drive, the price is not unreasonable,
and, despite it not being exactly New Zealand
new, it was landed five years ago with just 129km
on the clock. It’s done a mere 5000km since
then. So, if you feel like pissing off the significant
other and tacking it onto the mortgage or have
a $995K-sized wad of cash taking up space in
your wallet, here’s your chance. You can find
the full listing on needacar.co.nz by searching
‘Lexus LFA’.

21 YEARS OF


BIG BOYS TOYS


NZ’S ONLY LEXUS


LFA FOR SALE


TARGA


NZ


TURNS


25
Undoubtedly, the dream for most of us is to
treat some of the best roads in the country
like our own personal playgrounds without the
risk of harm to the general public and Johnny
Law giving us the thumbs up from the sideline.
That’s exactly what Targa is; it’s said to be
the ultimate road race, and it’s celebrating
25 years of doing it!
Targa New Zealand is a five-day tarmac
road race with a focus on serious driver’s skill.
At the head of the pack are full-competition,
highly modified rally cars, piloted by driver and
co-driver teams, racing against the clock and
offering no quarter to the competition. The
second category is the Targa Tour. Cars in Tour
are generally unmodified, high-performance
road cars, and MotorSport New Zealand
(MSNZ) safety rules prevent them from racing
against the clock, with the maximum speed
set at 160kph.
Unlike other competition rallies, there are
no pace notes or practice runs on the Targa;
just pedal-mashing of special stages on
unfamiliar, twisting, winding, tar-sealed, back-
country roads at speeds far in excess of the
legal limit.
Organizers are expecting a record
number of big-name and regular entrants on
the Taupo start line, 28 October, for this 25th-
year event. Drivers will cross the finish line five
days later in Palmerston North.
To put your skills and passion to the
ultimate road-going test, see targa.nz.

)ODVKEDFNWRWKHYHU\ÀUVW7DUJD1HZ=HDODQG

the

mo

tor

hoo

d.c

om

1


0

Free download pdf