Historic Touring Cars NZ (HTCNZ) will begin its 2026 season at Ruapuna with the annual Skope Classic meeting on February 6-8. Then the series will return for the April 17-19 Supercars meeting as part of the ITM Christchurch Super440.
A grid of touring cars from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s is expected to assemble for the two race weekends. Cars from Group 1 and Group A period as well as the 2.0-litre Super Touring and early 5.0-litre V8 era will be the stars of the show.
A variety of Ford Sierra RS500 touring cars are expected to race. The iconic Whittaker’s Peanut Slab Sierra and the ex-Dick Johnson Shell Sierra will be joined by the Colin Bond Caltex Sierra and the Andy Rouse Kaliber Sierra.
Steven Richards will return to the series in the Nissan Skyline GTS-R that his father Jim Richards drove to the Australian Touring Car Championship.
Greg Murphy is poised to race the Honda Accord Super Tourer, formerly driven by David Leslie and Neil Crompton.
Meanwhile, the Matt Neal Nissan Primera will be driven by NZV8 champion Kayne Scott.
A variety of BMW machinery of Group A- and Super Touring-spec is expected to feature prominently, with E30 and E36 plentiful in numbers.
Perhaps the most well-known of those cars is the infamous Tim Harvey Listerine BMW E36 that was involved in a controversial conclusion to the 1992 British Touring Car Championship at Silverstone.
2026 John Fairhall Historic Touring Cars NZ calendar
Round 1 – Skope Classic – Ruapuna – February 6-8
Round 2 – Christchurch Super440 – Ruapuna – April 17-19
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