THE GAME-CHANGER 2K18
V 4&ROTARY NATIONALS 2018
From humble beginnings, the V 4&Rotary Nationals has now spanned two decades, with this year’s event taking a different path. One thing remains constant, though: the annual V 4&Rotary Nationals is still the biggest date on the calendar.
As is the tradition, the unofficial day one of the three-day bender kicked off on Friday for those placing their creations on display. For anyone interested in the scene, this is one experience you can’t miss — we strongly suggest hopping in the passenger seat of a mate’s car to take in all the glory of rolling through those doors and being greeted by the sensory overload caused by the exhaust fumes and noise of 300-plus cars piling into one massive echo zone — not to mention getting that first glimpse of all the pure awesomeness up close; it’s truly second to none.
Hands down, the best part of Nationals for a wide-eyed punter is busting through those doors the second they open on Saturday and rushing into the main halls to see what automotive porno is on offer, then spending the subsequent hours drooling over the mammoth number of cars there for your enjoyment. This year’s selection saw the likes of Rocket Bunny–clad pieces of art, every generation of Evo your heart
could desire, massive representation from the Euro scene, one of the biggest rotary presences in the country as part of a collaboration with the REunion team, Kanjo Hondas, mini trucks, drift cars, drag weapons, low-riders, record-breakers, and even a genuine All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) RX-7 in full race trim. You name it, it was there.
Unlike the past two decades, the show was not followed by an almost religious journey to the Meremere Dragway — this time, we ended up on the sunny banks of Pukekohe Park Raceway for a Chrome-style track day. The new format went off without a hitch, and those who had filled the halls the day before were able to call out and line up whoever they pleased down the back straight. There’s not a lot better than a few cheeky pulls on the front straight when you’re five-up and watching the crowd in the stands cheering you on. This was the addition that some had been calling for, and the event was all the better for it.
Now that we’ve finally been able to wash the smell of wax and E85 out of our clothes, and kick the high caffeine consumption required for poring over that many cars, it’s insane to sit back and think that another V 4&Rotary Nationals has come and gone already. Thank you to all those who swung by the NZ Performance Car stand for a yarn, as there really is nothing more satisfying than meeting the people who eagerly buy the magazine each month. We hope to see you all out in April for the drag strip throwdown, too.
In the meantime, here’s a few of our standout cars from the weekend that was.