By Ben Selby What does Adolf Hitler, Formula One team founder Ken Tyrrell, Lady Penelope from “Thunderbirds” and Mike Wazowski from Pixar’s “Monsters Inc” all have in common? They all owned or drove in cars which featured six wheels. This trend of six wheeled motoring was some which had a great influence on British automotive designer Robert Jankel. Jankel was the owner and founder of small British sports car maker, Panther, or Panther Westwinds if you want the full name. Panther was founded in 1972 and during the seventies became know mostly for retro-inspired open top sports cars like the J7 ..read more

Who doesn’t love a good spot for a picnic? Yes, we are rapidly approaching the winter months but on occasion there will be some warm sun filled days where a picnic amongst some picturesque surroundings would be more than ideal. Especially at the wheel of a classic car. One of these settings would without a doubt be Ashley Gorge. With vistas, walks and a picnic ground with those picturesque surroundings of the rolling Canterbury high country hills and the Ashely River itself snaking its way through Canterbury from its start point high up in the Puketeraki Ranges. The drive to Ashley Gorge has a ..read more

By Ben Selby The chorus in the TV advert went something like this. “You’ve never seen, anything, like this before!” The General Motors marketing department went all out to showcase their latest and most technologically advanced production sports car ever. They even went as far to say it was the most advanced production car on the planet. It was also a long time coming. General Motors even suspended production on the outgoing model this new car replaced by a whole year. The reason being they wanted to concentrate all their efforts to make this latest evolution of one of their most coveted model ..read more

By Ben Selby When most think of a vehicle with the name “Bread Van” naturally the image of, well, a van filled with bread, pastries, cakes and other goodies from a local bakery spring to mind. Mention Bread Van to a Ferrari fan and they will think of only one vehicle. A 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB, chassis number 2819GT. With its shark nose, flat roofline and that squared off rear, this one-off Ferrari 250 GT Short Wheelbase was given the nickname “Bread Van” by the European Press. It saw action at Le Mans and Brands Hatch as part of the 1962 Sports Car World Championship and is up there today wit ..read more

We recently celebrated our Events Manager, Sally’s 60th birthday in the museum. She had an 18 piece band, called ‘Sideline Swing’, beautiful platters of savoury and sweets, flowers on the tables, a bar and even hot towels to complete the evening. Eighty five guests danced the night away, enjoying the fabulous music, surrounded by 50 classic cars. If you’d like to hire the museum for your Wedding or Event, give Sally a call 027 210 3902 and she’ll help with all the arrangements. It’s all very affordable!! The post Party time at Waimak Classic Cars!  appeared first on Waimak Classic ..read more

By Ben Selby The Beatles. Peter Sellers. Britt Ekland. Enzo Ferrari. James Garner. Steve McQueen. Twiggy. Mick Jagger. What do all these famous people have in common? They all owned Mini Coopers. In particular, the original Mini Cooper. The car which John Cooper and his Cooper Racing Team transformed from the Alec Issigonis designed economical urban runabout, into a rally and track racing legend. Issigonis designed the original Mini to be BMC’s answer to the influx of “foreign” eco cars arriving in the UK in the aftermath of the 1957 Suez Oil Crisis. His design used a transverse four-cylinder ..read more

By Ben Selby There have been many occasions when two car manufacturers, sometimes from different parts of the world, will come together to create something truly special. You only need look at the Ford GT40, De Tomaso Pantera, McLaren F1 and Pagani Zonda to get the drift. However, one car in particular sadly didn’t make that list. The idea of two great titans of the motoring world joining forces to build this car sounded good on paper, but the end result was, shall we say, underwhelming. This is the story of the Alfa Romeo Arna. The Arna story can trace its roots back to the much loved front ..read more

We were joined by the Rangiora Combined Friendship Club for a tour this month. It was a Mystery day out for them so they didn’t know where they were going, and oh what a surprise!  These lovely ladies came without their husbands and partners, who weren’t so adventurous, but when they see the photos, they will be so so envious! The post Rangiora Combined Friendship Club  appeared first on Waimak Classic Cars ..read more

By Ben Selby Legendary Actor and Comedian Rowan Atkinson is known throughout the world as snobbish historical peer, Edmund Blackadder, bumbling super spy, Johnny English, and that comical visitor from another planet, Mr Bean. However, he is also known as a massive car buff. Cars like the Aston Martin V8, a Jaguar MK7 which he races at Goodwood, and that famous McLaren F1 which was crashed by Rowan himself, twice, many iconic cars have graced the Atkinson garage. Now, one of those in particular is up for sale and its no less an icon. CREDIT: Silverstone Auctions This Lancia Delta Integrale Evol ..read more

By Ben Selby In the years following World War 2, Italy dominated Grand Prix motor racing. Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Ferrari, achieved a winning formula which made these Italian giants the teams who everyone made their goal to vanquish. One of the earliest challenges to Italy in Formula One Grand Prix came from Britain. The team in question? British Racing Motors. BRM. The BRM project was intended to be Britain’s spearhead into Grand Prix racing. BRM can trace its origins back to the pre-war years and a racing driver, Raymond Mays. Mays was a patriotic Englishman and one of the brains behind the ..read more