ME AND MY CAR
AIRBUS CAPTAIN AND AEROBATIC PILOT GRANT BENNS LOVES PLANES AND CARS, PREFERABLY IN RED . . .
80s Japanese style icon
What are you driving?
My Toyota MR2 is a New Zealandnew AW11 with a manual gearbox, registered new in 1990 from Alan Clarke Toyota in Albany. Production ceased in October 1989 for the replacement SW20 model, so this car would most likely be the last of this model sold new in New Zealand.
Why this car?
It has iconic 80s Japanese styling — wedge shape, big wing, fighter cockpit, Alpine cassette deck with green buttons. The 1600cc 4AGE engine, with a 7700rpm redline, is also a big part of the car’s character. Although relatively lowpowered these days, it feels like a go-cart, with a short-throw gear shift. The mid-engine experience is quite different, too.
What do you mean by that?
All the noise comes from behind you. And, if you get a corner wrong, that is the direction the scenery can come from, too.
Have you made any changes?
It has an aftermarket electric aerial. The engine bay looks like new, as does the rest of the car, after a full refurbishment.
Will you eventually sell it?
Probably not. It represents my youth — going to the Auckland Motor Show in the early 80s and seeing the prototype SV-3 and thinking “I have seen the future”. If somebody with a Ferrari 328 GTB wants to do a swap (with cash difference my way) I may consider it, but after briefly driving a 328, I was broken-hearted — the MR2 is better in almost every respect, except for the Pininfarina curves, of course.
Who else is allowed to drive it?
Anybody who is responsible and can drive a manual, which is therefore becoming selfrestricting.
Any other vehicles in your garage?
A 2005 Mazda MX5 NC “third Generation Limited Edition” (red). That is another collectable that is a much better drive than the MR2 and shows why Toyota went out of the MR2 business.
How often do you clean and polish it?
After every drive, which is about twice a year. The rego is on hold for most of each year, bar three months over summer when, on a cloudless day, she comes out for a stretch.
Do you prefer manual or automatic cars?
Manual. Why cede the skill and pleasure of a gear change to a computer?
Who started your interest in cars?
My Dad has always had interesting cars, from a 1918 Ford Model T to a 1990 Mazda MX5. He loves MGs and has a beautiful MGA, an older English version of the MR2/MX5. It has a wonderful gearshift and looks so pretty, so I get it.
What was your first car?
A 1971 Morris Marina Coupe, but not the 1800cc TC — it was an underpowered 1300cc midnight blue “beast” with bright red vinyl interior. A truly awful car in every respect, but if it had survived the 90s, it would probably be collectable now. Like many awful, ugly, unsafe and unpopular cars have become.
Dumbest thing you have done in a car?
Tailgating my mate through an intersection, only to have him slam on his brakes and thus prove the stopping power of a Mark 2 Ford Cortina is greater than that of the following Morris Marina Coupe.
Your fantasy garage?
1990 Honda NSX (red), 1989 Ferrari 328GTB (red), 1991 Honda CRX SiR (red), 1987 Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth (white, because they weren’t made in red).
Do you have a favourite car scene from a movie or TV show?
The kid in me loves the opening scene of Magnum PI — Tom Selleck sliding the red 308 GTS on to the road. The adult in me loves the whole of the Bruce McLaren movie — beautifully told, with great historic footage of a kiwi icon and his fabulous cars.
What’s a great day trip out of Auckland?
Down to Raglan via Highway 22, turning off SH1 at Pokeno and enjoy the flowing, empty roads less than an hour from the city — a recent and memorable MR2 road-trip with friends and family in a “red-car” convoy.
How would you improve Auckland’s traffic?
Reward ride-sharing, introduce congestion charging, and make the private car less attractive than public transport.