SHORT SHIFT

Cast your mind back 14 years — yep, fewer wrinkles, a few less aches and pains, but look at the cars. Back then, we were flat out doing the groundwork for what would become the first issue of NZV8. Just as you don’t notice those extra lines on your face — as they slowly creep up on you day by day — until you see photos of your younger self, the global car scene has also changed. While the magazine has evolved — for the better, I hope — the cars that it’s based on have, too. Back when it all began, patina wasn’t a thing, and it was certainly not acceptable for a magazine feature car to have paint falling off it. Nowadays, though, patina is not only an accepted look in most circles but one that some people actively encourage and spend countless hours and money on to imitate. The pickup truck scene has gone crazy. While there were a handful of cool trucks around 14 years ago, now, every second man and his dog seems to be building a C10, an F100 Bonus, or similar. Even the once-unloved pickups from the 1980s are all of a sudden popular, probably due to the prices of all old metal increasing to the point at which some of the cars that were previously unloved are now the only affordable option. Likewise, turbos in the V8 world were almost unheard of, with just a couple of cars locally being fitted with ‘hairdryers’ and many diehard V8 lovers turning up their noses at the mere thought of replacing a supercharger with a turbo. You only need to look at our NZ’s Quickest Streeters list to see how that’s changed; now, not only are turbos acceptable, but they’re also the preferred way to make big horsepower in a streetable combination. Turbo dragsters and altereds — yep, we’ve now got them too. Aftermarket EFI systems are similar — once deemed to be made of pure witchcraft and wizardry, they are now an option that’s affordable and tuneable by the everyday man. Ironically, I think that, in a way, the late-model scene has suffered the counter-effects of this technological advancement. Back when the VE Commodore line-up was released, in 2006, people were queuing up to throw superchargers at them; now, an off-the-showroom-floor equivalent is packing more punch, more drivability, better handling, and better brakes than the upgraded ones of old. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens in the future, with cars like Dodge Demons, Shelby Mustangs, etc. all being such high-performance offerings from the get-go. Will modification become something that doesn’t happen to new vehicles and be strictly for older ones? Or will evennewer technology produced by the aftermarket trump what the manufacturers are offering? Thoughts?

THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU DO TODAY MAHATMA GANDHI