Magazine – The Surgery – Classic Car Restoration Wellington

17/12/2025 Featured Projects, Ford, Ford Mustang Club, Mustang, New Zealand Classic Cars, The Surgery 0 Comments

Boss Muscle – 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1

If you want to create a standout muscle car, then look no further for inspiration than some of the impressive movie star cars that have exploded out of Hollywood. Our poster car from our last issue is a prime example. Steve McQueen encouraged our fascination with creating US movie tribute cars, with that famous chase scene around the hills of San Francisco in the 1968 movie Bullitt. Using a modified 1968 Ford Mustang 390 Fastback, versus the bad guy in the ’68 Dodge Charger for

31/10/2025 Featured Projects, Ford, Mustang, New Zealand Classic Cars, The Surgery 0 Comments

Ford’s Pony Car Master Stroke – 1966 Ford Mustang Sprint 200

In 1965, Ford was enjoying the overwhelming sales success of its new sporty Mustang, introduced the previous year. However, the company faced a significant dilemma. While it had anticipated selling 100,000 Mustangs in the first year of manufacture, it was instead confronted with an order book of more than 600,000 sales for its pony car! At Ford dealers, the dream market for new car salesmen was becoming increasingly challenging as the company struggled to keep up with the demand for its 289ci V8 Mustang engine

20/08/2025 Auto-electrical, Coupe, Custom Vehicles, Ford, New Zealand Classic Cars, Restoration, Rust Prevention, Rust Repairs 0 Comments

1966 Ford Mustang in New Zealand Classic Car

So cool to see Gordie’s beautiful 1966 Ford Mustang that we worked on featured in the latest New Zealand Classic Car Magazine.

09/08/2025 Auto-electrical, Custom Vehicles, EV Conversions / Electric Vehicles, Kombi, LVVTA Certification, New Zealand Autocar, New Zealand Entry Compliance, Restoration, Rust Repairs, Upholstery, VolksWagen, WOF - Warrant of Fitness 0 Comments

ID Buzz & KEV The EV Kombi

With the launch of Volkswagens new ID buzz featured in this month’s New Zealand AutoCar magazine. Kev, the Kombi, was also featured right beside it. This 1966 classic was brought back to life by our team at The Surgery and converted to electric in an old meets new tribute to a true icon

29/04/2025 Ford, Magazine, The Surgery, Thunderbird 0 Comments

His and Her Thunderbirds

Two of our clients have featured in this month’s New Zealand Classic Car magazine, with his and her Thunderbirds. A nice collection they have, grab a copy and have a read

24/01/2024 Featured Projects, Kombi, New Zealand Classic Cars, VolksWagen 3 Comments

Peace, Love and Energy – KEV The Kombi Electric Vehicle

Volkswagen revolutionised the transport world, not just once with the launch of the people’s car, the Beetle, but a second time around with the Type 2. Initially launched in 1950, the Type 2, more commonly known in this part of the world as the Kombi, took the concept of a forward control vehicle and made it affordable for the masses. The design and price weren’t the only success stories for Volkswagen though, the marketing was a hit too. It was likely a combination, or perhaps

06/07/2021 Featured Projects, Kombi, New Zealand Classic Cars, Photography, Restoration, VolksWagen 0 Comments

Forever Young – VW Kombi

The VW Kombi van is one of the best-known vehicles in automotive history, and for owners such as Steve and Denise Fejos, this loyal steed helps make memories that will never be forgotten Dutch Volkswagen importer Ben Pon visited the VW factory on Wednesday, 23 April 1947, when it was still controlled by the British Occupational Forces under the command of Major Ivan Hirst, a British Army officer and engineer assigned to rebuild Volkswagen after the war. Pon wanted to talk about importing Volkswagens into

22/07/2017 Featured Projects, New Zealand Classic Cars, Photography, Restoration, The Surgery, Toyota 4 Comments

1977 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser – Surgical Procedure

The road into this story is a long and winding one, which begins when three of the Muir brothers — Tony, Neville, and Guy — began developing a 121-lot subdivision in Ngaio, Wellington, in 1970. Tony initially owned a 1965 Land Rover, and, in 1968, he and Guy purchased two new Austin Gipsys, originally designed as competitors to the Landy. In 1976, the brothers replaced the Gipsys with two new Toyota Land Cruisers (these days referred to as ‘FJ40s’), and, in 1978, the three brothers

15/09/2016 Featured Projects, New Zealand Classic Cars, Restoration, The Surgery, Triumph 6 Comments

1968 Triumph Herald – Hark This Herald’s Angles Sing

When David Burke-Kennedy went to visit the owner of this beautifully restored Triumph Herald, he was surprised in more ways than one. You can’t help smiling when you reach the end of the long driveway to Andrew Cowsill’s pristine 19th-century house. His shinier-than-new 1968 Triumph Herald sits beaming proudly in front of it — as if to upstage the beautifully restored and landscaped villa. If this was being written for a classic house, garden, and car magazine, you’d be hard-pressed to know which to focus

23/05/2016 Featured Projects, New Zealand Classic Cars, Restoration, Rover, The Surgery 3 Comments

1985 Rover 3500 Vanden Plas SD1 – Revolutionary Rover

This Rover SD1 has been part of Michael Ahie’s family since his grandfather drove it o the showroom floor over 30 years ago. He shares the story of returning the Rover to its former glory The bright-metallic-green Rover SD1 looked like something from outer space — well, it did to me when I first saw it at the end of our driveway with my grandfather at the wheel. Growing up in a small rural community in Taranaki in the 1970s, my grandfather’s new Rover SD1

15/06/2015 BMW, Featured Projects, New Zealand Classic Cars, Restoration, The Surgery 1 Comment

1986 BMW M635 CSi – Majestic M-Sport

For many classic car enthusiasts, the catalyst for owning a car from a particular marque stems back to the first sighting of that model and the thought, ‘one day I’m going to own one of those’ Phil O’Reilly, the owner of this glorious BMW M635CSi, clearly remembers ogling a blue example at Team McMillan in Remuera Road, Auckland, back in the mid-’80s — a time when red braces and big hair were in, and the world was our oyster. A time when little old New

15/05/2012 Featured Projects, Mercedes-Benz, New Zealand Classic Cars, Restoration 0 Comments

1967 Mercedes-Benz 250SE Cabriolet – Classic Cabrio

It’s probably fair to assume that the city of Auckland has more classic cars tucked away than any other in the country. Having said that, I reckon on a per-head of population basis many other regions would win the count hands down. Take the South Island as an example, I know it’s made up of several regions, but my guess is there are more classic cars squirreled away in barns, sheds and garages per head of population than just about anywhere else on the planet.

15/04/2012 Beetle, Featured Projects, New Zealand Classic Cars, Restoration, VolksWagen, Working Classics 0 Comments

VW Beetle – The Museum Art Hotel Wellington

For every person we meet and every car we feature in NZCC there is a special story – whether linked to the owner’s past or simply the tale of a burning passion to own a particular classic car. However, this story is particularly interesting because not only does the owner of this fairly radical VW Beetle, Chris Parkin, have a keen interest in classic cars and motorcycles, he is also passionate about art and the Museum Art Hotel which he owns. Late last year we

15/03/2012 Featured Projects, Holden, New Zealand Classic Cars, Restoration, The Surgery, Working Classics 0 Comments

1955 FJ Holden Ute – Bangers From A Banger

At NZ Classic Car, we’re always enthused and fascinated by the incredible variety of classic cars that exist in this great country of ours. They range from Austins to Zodiacs, Lamborghinis and Ferraris to Morris Minors and Javelins – and all of them come with their own unique stories and with owners who are equally enthusiastic and passionate about what their favourite marque means to them. Every once in a while a vehicle comes along that we’d consider unusual or unique for whatever reason, such

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