NZ Performance Car TV
The NZ Performance Car TV logo
Created byGreg Vincent, Graham Ralphs, Darren Cottingham, Michael White
StarringDan Gibson, Craig 'Puka' Linn
Country of originNew Zealand
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes>100
Production
ProducerIain Eggleton
Production locationsNew Zealand, Australia
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkVarious since inception: TV ONE, TV2, TV3, Sky Sport 1-3, Prime TV
Release2004 (2004)

History

edit

NZ Performance Car TV was a free-to-air television program that ran for eight series, produced in-house by Parkside Media. It has had airtime on TV ONE, TV2, TV3, Prime and Sky Sports, often with several networks simultaneously which is unique in its genre. Each series consists of 13 episodes. Two series were screened per year. It was also available via TVNZ ondemand.[1]

First airing in 2004 the series evolved to match the changing tastes of the import car scene. Series 8 had a large focus on drifting.

The show builds on the NZ Performance Car magazine brand, featuring similar content.

Show content

edit
 
Original TV logo for seasons 1-4 when Pioneer was the sponsor.
  • Drifting
  • Drag racing
  • Import car culture
  • Event coverage
  • Driver interviews
  • Modified car features
  • Tech and tuning tips
  • Competitions

The show's content reflects the seasonal nature of the scene in New Zealand. Series filmed in winter tend to feature more modified cars and less motorsport; series filmed in summer feature more motorsport and less modified cars.

Series overview

edit
SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
1623 September 2004 (2004-09-23)28 October 2004 (2004-10-28)Sky Sport 1
2TBA2 April 2005 (2005-04-02)2005 (2005)Prime TV
3TBA17 September 2005 (2005-09-17)2005 (2005)
4TBA16 April 2006 (2006-04-16)2006 (2006)TV3
51423 May 2007 (2007-05-23)22 August 2007 (2007-08-22)TV 2
6TBA2008 (2008)TBASky Sport 1

The series has endured much criticism because of its niche nature, including presenters and their ties to the scene, content choice and timeslots (each series had a different timeslot and sometimes a different channel or network).

Series 8

edit

Series 8 saw a return to a regular timeslot within Sunday afternoon's Powerbuilt Tools Motorsport on TV ONE, with a longer more adult-themed show which aired late night on TV2. Presenters Dan Gibson and Craig ‘Puka’ Linn.

Series 7

edit

Series 7 featured Geoffrey Bell [2] as the main presenter.

Series 6

edit

Series 6 featured Geoffrey Bell as the main presenter.

Series 5

edit

Series 5 featured well-known TV presenter Brooke Howard-Smith. As Howard-Smith is a TV3 presenter, when NZ Performance Car TV moved to TVNZ for Series 6, he was replaced.

Series 4

edit

Frank Liew[3] returned to present series 4

Series 3

edit

Frank Liew, noted Auto Salon judge with deep involvement in the import car scene, presented series 3.

Series 2

edit

Presented by Todd Wylie and Dan Philips

Series 1

edit

Presented by Anna Jobsz and Danny Codling

Controversy

edit

NZ Performance Car TV, like NZ Performance Car magazine has typically been criticised by groups not in favour of import car culture, or those concerned about ‘boy racer’ activity.[4]

Series 8 focused much more on motorsport, covering the NZ Drift Series in New Zealand, drifting overseas, drag racing in New Zealand and Australia (e.g. Jamboree 18 from Willowbank Raceway and Super Lap from Taupo Motorsport Park), including interviews with and profiles of drivers such as Daniel Woolhouse and Carl Ruiterman. Feature cars and other event coverage were still present, but the increased focus on motorsport marked a divergence from NZ Performance Car magazine content.

Production and crew

edit

Series 1-4 were produced and directed by Graham Ralphs. Series 5 onwards were produced by Iain Eggleton

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ TVNZ ondemand
  2. ^ Geoffrey Bell interview on TVNZ
  3. ^ "Adrenalin - Acceleration - Speed - Smoke - Motorsport News for New Zealand". www.nzmotorsport.co.nz. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24.
  4. ^ Cumming, Geoff (15 May 2004). "Death behind the steering wheel". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 November 2011.