Auctions

If you were upper-middle management at a city accounting firm in 1971 the Vauxhall Viscount might’ve been the car you aspired to. The big boss would have a Jag and those under you, maybe something Aussie with a bench seat. Your equivalent at a law firm across town might’ve gone for a Holden Premier, but being an accountant, you thought the Vauxhall offered better bang for buck. And that might still be true today. Read on..

KTM are a company more known for motorcycles, so for its first foray into four wheels it’s maybe not surprising that the X-Bow looks like something a motorcycle designer might come with for a car. There’s no (proper) windscreen, roof or side windows – basically all the comfort of a sports-bike. However, it’s under 800kg and can sprint its way to 100kph in 3.9 seconds, so has the performance of a sports-bike. It’s less “wind in the hair motoring” and more hurricane in your face motoring. Read on...

You may ask yourself why a fairly plain 1992 Porsche 911 with an automatic gearbox and a few niggly problems to sort could be worth $140,000. Surely you could get a newer, faster 911 for that money? Well the answer is “air-cooled”, and, to some extent, “resto-mod”. This car is to be auctioned by Turners in Auckland. Let’s explore why it will be so popular. Read on...

21.5 million Volkswagen Beetles were built across its long production history, and yet, the very desirable and popular convertible version only accounted for 331,847 of that number. That’s still a big number, so to break it down, this 1965 Beetle Convertible - being auctioned by Turners Christchurch - was one of just 10754 built that year. Total Beetle production that year was around 1.6 million. So they are rare by Beetle standards. Why was that? Read on...

Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus and legendary Formula 1 driver, said the secret to speed was to “simplify, then add lightness”. Chapman died in 1982 and not all subsequent Lotus cars have adhered to his philosophy. But the Elise is the very embodiment of the quote. Sure, Colin would have deleted the radio, air conditioning and floor mats, but the series 2 Elise is a slip of a thing coming in at 850kg. And boy, is it fun. Read on...

For some, the thought of touchscreen dashboards, plastic bumpers and EV drivetrains gives them night sweats. For them, dreams of a large V8, a thin rimmed steering wheel - with no buttons unless it activates a horn- and a stereo that only plays rock from the golden years, are the key ingredients for a good night's sleep and a calm mind. If that sounds like you then your dreams could become very real with this 1965 Chevrolet Impala 2 door hardtop Super Sport. Read on...

BMW’s first EV was launched in 2013 and despite being out of production for two years, the i3 still stacks up as one of the best in its class today. It’s a small car by today’s standards but is roomy and has thoroughly interesting modern styling. Older examples are still consistently hitting their range targets and they have a pretty good reliability reputation. The BMW i3 might just be a canny used EV buy. Turners Westgate has this one coming up for auction. Read on...

The Defender has long been the go-to vehicle to make posh people look more rugged. But make no mistake, this is one tough beast from a time when the Defender was a stripped back, no nonsense, work truck. The new Defender is actually posh. It’s all modern and flash and it probably doesn’t even leak oil like it’s supposed to. And costs around $150k. Turners North Shore has this one that could be yours. Read on...

Mitsubishi’s theory of evolution was simple; take a standard model Lancer and turn it into a blisteringly fast weapon and keep updating it. The first Lancer Evo was released in 1992 and ten evolutions and loads of motorsport success later the Evo X was the final version. While it may have fully evolved and is no longer built, Turners Wellington has a nice example so you don’t have to miss out. Read on...