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Greetings to the faithful
I've just returned from a road trip around the East Cape in my ageing Kombi. The great thing about Kombis is they go everywhere slowly, so you get a chance to really take in the world around you. This trip included meeting a remarkably large number of bogans in the central North Island. Being a former Timaru bogan, this is something that I find reassuring. New Zealand actually stole the term "bogan" from the Australians, and in particular from a 1902 poem by the immortal Banjo Patterson, who coined the term in his poem "City of Dreadful Thirst". And while in Australia it's evolved into more of an Aussie equivalent to "hillbilly", here in Godzone it's acquired more positive overtones, something that mixes together "larrikin" and "motoring enthusiast".
Bogans range from Queens Council barristers to freezing workers, but a common thread is their devotion to vehicles and an understanding of the religious nature of road trips. They are also responsible for creating and staging some of the country's greatest celebrations of motoring culture. From the Paeroa Bike Races to the Burt Munro Classic and the Hamilton 400, this country's moral ledger is in huge credit as a result of bogan time, money and madness. And if you dredge the plethora of car part listings on Trade Me you will find them in Q+As passionately arguing whether the manifold in question came off an HQ or an HR Holden, and throwing in some anatomically correct metaphors to ram their points home.
This month in MOD's Motors I mine the rich vein of bogan gold that has made this country what it is today. Plus the usual dodgy collection of hot cars, weird links and anarchy sent in by our readers, a rare Italian Reader's Ride and a competition for those that know their Italian erogenous zones.
Meanwhile, I've had a ton of emails asking when the new ACC levies go live for vehicle owners. The answer is 1 July 2010. Click here for the full story on the final amounts and dates.
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V isn't just for Victory
Engines really only come in two configurations for bogans, with the donk of choice being a pushrod V8. While Frenchman Leon Levavasseur invented the V8 in 1932,
the spiritual home of the V8 is the United States. Once upon a time you were able to pick up a Mach1 Mustang for less than $20,000, but now they are well sought after.
Here's a brutal-looking example running the bulletproof 351.
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Springsteen's fave
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You don't have to listen to many Bruce Springsteen songs to realise where his bias lay. The man who spawned the petrolhead rock opera genre with "Jungleland" on Born to Run has a love affair with Chrysler's hemispherical V8s.
Locally they got badged as Valiants, and right now we've got the sweetest Valiant I've seen in years for sale.
It's a 1960 R Series Valiant, just one of 1008. This is performance art with a straight-6, the bogan's #2 choice of engine.
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Not so fat and ugly
Before the Chevy Camaro got fat and ugly in the 1970s, it was a lithe and sveltely-drawn muscle car. When it was launched in 1966 the Chev suits got asked,
"What is a Camaro?" In a moment of inspired PR they were told it was "a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs".
Here's a generation 1 car looking clean and tight in yellow.
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Closer to home
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The local equivalent to a Camaro was the Holden Monaro. Genuine HQ GTS variants are few and far between, solid evidence that today's bogans are pretty well-heeled.
Here's a minter in the Capital that won the People's Choice Award
last year at Central Early Holden Enthusiast Club's Day Out.
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Sphincter tightening
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If you are sick of all those puny 1450 Harleys and 2300 Rockets, why not try this for size?
It's a 5-litre V8 Trike, teamed up with a Powerglide trannie and independent rear.
This says "serious" in a way that few things do. Even as we speak, Trade Me's heavy-lifting infrastructure team are working out if it can be the new work vehicle.
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Bogan at heart?
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Does tinkering with engines get you fired up?
Trade Me Jobs has a huge selection of
automotive &
transport jobs.
Give your CV a spit and polish and apply today!
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Brand new Holden, demonstrator pricing
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Until 28 February, Holden is offering a range of brand new vehicles for the same price as you'd expect to pay for a demonstrator. So you can drive away in a brand new Commodore Sedan, Sportwagon, Ute, Colorado or Captiva LX at demonstrator pricing.
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Five most popular vehicles on Trade Me
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Five hottest classics on Trade Me
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More enjoyable garbage from the faithful
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This month I've got six new links sent to me by our weird and wonderful whanau of followers.
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Thanks to all the people that entered November's competition, which asked the length of Hampton Downs circuit. Well done to the five winners who gave the correct answer of 3.8kms.
This month the competition takes us to Italy. As well as the regular X1/9s, Fiat produced a limited run of hot Abarths. Tell me the size of the engine in the Abarth variants. The first five correct entries get a cool Trade Me t-shirt. Email your answer to toplessitalians@trademe.co.nz.
That's it for another month. Thanks for taking the time to read MOD's Motors. Don't forget to email me at
kropotkin@trademe.co.nz with your vehicle for Reader's Rides and events for March's calendar. Don't forget to include a URL.
Remember, when there's gas in the tank, there's hope.
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MOD
www.trademe.co.nz
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MOD's views are unlikely to reflect those of Trade Me. For more from MOD, check out
The MOD Blog.
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