Articles in ‘Motoring’

By Utkarsh Sood · The Holden is one of the most mechanically audacious bikes to exist - Bonhams · You’re looking at a motorcycle that predates most two-wheeled engines on the road today. One of the most mechanically audacious bikes of the veteran era is gearing up to be a centerpiece at Bonhams’ upcoming Rex Judd Collection sale in April this year. · Among the headliner lots in the collection is a circa 1902 Holden 'motor bicycle.'…

Not too long ago, the Peugeot 103 was ruling the streets of France. These were "pedal-and-pop" bikes, meaning they required the rider to pedal them for the two-stroke 50cc engine to kick in. And you didn’t even need a license – since they were limited to around 28 mph (45 km/h) – so they were all the rage back then. Now, after five decades, Peugeot has revived the nameplate as an electric moped. And unlike most revivals, the 103 still retains a…

The government has slashed New Zealand’s clean car standard by 80 percent, cancelling an estimated $265 million in penalties on higher-emission “ordinary” cars. · Transport Minister Chris Bishop said, “the bottom’s fallen out of the EV market,” as importers face both low demand and tight supply. Safety concerns now dominate public discussion. Officials stress that EV fires remain rare, but the cluster of incidents, the lack of clear public…

The Rotary Club old Papakura is proud to bring you the 2024 New Zealand Motorcycle Show, proudly sponsored by Star Insurance and proudly all profits are for charity. · Our 12th such show since 2012 it is recognised as NZ’s pre eminent Motorcycle Show. Returning to the fantastic Auckland Showgrounds, this show offers something for every motorcycling enthusiast. Featuring numerous Clubs, groups and private entries there will be a diverse array…

MIT’s Electric Vehicle Team has taken to the racetrack with a Ducati 900SS that’s been gutted and converted into a hydrogen fuel cell motorcycle, hoping to start collecting a few fossil-fuelled scalps. It’s also open-sourcing the design for others. The dozen-strong team decided to build this battery-buffered fuel cell hybrid to get their heads around this higher-density, lesser-used clean fuel source, and hopefully to inspire others to give it…

The current Labour government have decided that we will all drive electric vehicles. How will they make that become reality? The first step in that process is to ban the import of ICE’s (Internal Combustion Engine vehicles) which is being suggested will happen from the year 2040. Some vehicle manufacturers are planning to cease production of ICE’s by the year 2035 in line with international governmental recommendations from many countries…

The Morrari Recreation has been one of my Dad Mark Stokes’ dream projects for at least 10 years. It is a recreation of the late Garth Souness Morrari which ran in the sixties in the All Comers class. It was a Morris Minor body draped over an unwanted and outdated 1955 Ferrari Super Squalo Grand Prix chassis. It ran a 327 Corvette engine. It was called The Monster but media of the day coined the name Morrari and it stuck. Are play on the words,…

It was early March when the sixth annual model a day was held in Oratia in West Auckland. Hosted by Chris Hornblow and Shane Adlington this great day is a casual afternoon to celebrate all things Model A. Just on 50 Model A cars were in attendance including one Model T powered by Model A. The furtherest travelled was Kev Topham from Masterton with his Model A coupe which he drove all the way up within seven hours. · The casual afternoon is a…

Photos and words David Child-Dennis The late 1960s saw the best pre-Formula One racing this country has ever experienced. Racing took place over January, during the European winter, giving the Formula One teams a chance to test new chassis and suspension systems prior to the upcoming European season. The only difference was that the engine capacity was limited to 2.5 litres, as opposed to the Formula One limit of 3 litres. · As a young motor…

It was early March when the sixth annual model a day was held in Oratia in West Auckland. Hosted by Chris Hornblow and Shane Adlington this great day is a casual afternoon to celebrate all things Model A. · Just on 50 Model A cars were in attendance including one Model T powered by Model A. The furtherest travelled was Kev Topham from Masterton with his Model A coupe which he drove all the way up within seven hours. · The casual afternoon is…