FLIPPED TURNED UPSIDE DOWN

As I write this, I’m sitting in my shed gazing at the gloriousness that is its cleanliness — a state far beyond what I’ve ever seen before. If I go any further, the toothbrushes will be coming out. Almost nothing is out of place, and there is hardly even a speck of dust on the floor. Shit, maybe all this extra time at home isn’t all that bad after all? I’m just thankful I’m able to get into the shed during these weird and unprecedented times we are facing. As I’ve said before, it’s an escape for me, a place to clear my head and forget about the world for just a moment.

Aside from cleaning the shed every second day, I’m using this extra free time to finish off all those unfinished jobs I have around the place. Coming into 2020, I made a low-key goal to complete everything I have unfinished; little did I know that Covid-19 was about to make this possible. As I said last issue, my heart goes out to anyone who has lost their job; their business; or, worse, a loved one. But I’m quietly impressed with how we as a nation have knuckled down and stuck to the rules — unlike some other countries, which are paying a much higher price than us right now.

You’ll be reading this a week later than normal, but we will be out of Level 4 by then and looking forward to hitting Level 2. As you may have been wondering — and I’ve had a few very loyal readers hitting me up to ask — yes, it’s been a struggle to put a magazine to print from my workshop–come–home office. With us not able to get out and about and shoot anything whatsoever, we have had to get a little creative this month. While we were lucky to have a selection of feature cars shot and ready to go, when you flick through this mag, you’ll notice it’s anything but business as usual. We’ve had to use these pre-existing shoots sparingly, as we don’t know how long it’ll be until we can get back to business as usual.

So, alongside a handful of feature cars and the last event that took place before Level 4, we have delved into the archives to bring you 10 of our top tech articles from the past decade — everything from DIY how-tos to complete engine builds and a very comprehensive suspension lesson. So warm up that brain of yours, as you are about to go back to school — in a good way.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took part in our NZPC Gram Nationals during the last weekend of Level 4. While it was not your typical car event by any means, the fact that so many of you rallied together to show solidarity during these times made the event as successful as you could expect an online car show to be. Check out a bit of that action on page 12.

Take care of each other, support your local performance shop, buy Kiwi, and let’s get 2020 back on track.