THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS!
Well, 2021 proved to be an even tougher year than the previous one, but as our Christchurch base remained largely unaffected this time around, we had no repeat of the printing and distributions problems of the original lockdown period. Alas, our largest city experienced a hugely lengthy period in lockdown, and with Auckland’s boundaries closed we had to shelve or postpone a few of our plans.
However, with the help of our ‘Fortress Auckland’ photographer, Stephen Perry, after a number of false starts we were finally able to go ahead with our planned feature on the brace of Nash Metropolitans featured on our cover. Alas, as I currently reside in the Waikato, for the first time in many years I was unable to attend the actual photoshoot – although as you can see from the results in this edition, Stephen managed quite well without me getting in his way. I would’ve liked to have squeezed myself into at least one of our featured cars for a quick test drive as the last time I’d sampled one of these cute little cars on the road was more than 40 years ago, so a refresher for my failing memory would’ve been most welcome. Mind you, I was a lot slimmer and more flexible back then, so perhaps that was for the best!
In our next edition we’ll be revisiting the past as we mark NZ Classic Driver’s 100th. We’ve asked our founding editor, Allan Dick, to write about the magazine’s history, so that’s something I’ll certainly be looking forward to reading as, of course, I wasn’t there at the very beginning – although the upcoming 100th edition will actually be my 35th as editor, how time flies!
As part of my planning for the 100th edition, I’ve been gradually building up my personal collection of NZ Classic Driver magazines as, due to previous ownership changes, a complete set of editions is unavailable to the current publisher. As a result, I’ve been snapping up old copies on TradeMe or at local second-hand book stores and op shops. However, I’m still missing 15 copies (2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 22, 24, 27, 33, 58 and 61), so if any readers have a spare copy of any of those editions and are prepared to sell, drop me a line at editor@classicdriver.co.nz.
In the meantime, if you haven’t already done so, rush out and grab a copy of our NZ Classic Driver Special Edition: Road, Race & Rally before they’re all sold out. In it you’ll find a bunch of features, ranging from a tool-room replica of an Alfa Romeo Monza to Tempero’s glorious Dino F1 single-seater and the locally built one-off Cole-Baker Special, all the way to a full-house ex-works Escort RS1800 and a show-stopping GT-HO Falcon. Half-a-dozen Buckler sports cars grace the cover, while inside we trace the marque’s UK and local history before getting up close and personal with some splendid examples of the breed and their enthusiastic owners.
We’ve got a few more ideas for future NZ Classic Driver Special Editions, so keep a close watch on the magazine racks during 2022.
I hope all our readers have a great Christmas and New Year. Get out and enjoy your classic cars during the summer, drive safe and we hope to see you all out and about in 2022.