A historic Lycoming Special race car is up for sale in NZ with a hefty price tag

Ever wanted to own one of the most important pieces of New Zealand car history? Well, now you can.

A 1956 Lycoming Special is going under the hammer at the Ayrburn Classic Live Auction. This special race car has been widely regarded as “New Zealand's most-loved racing car”.

The car was built by Ralph Watson in the mid-1950s and features a body made from polished aluminium. For race cars, it’s what’s inside that matters, and this car had it all. The car was powered by a Lycoming O-290 aircraft engine, which was upgraded in the 1960s to 320 cubic inches.

What makes this car so special, in terms of New Zealand racing, is the fact that it was built here and was a race-special build, meaning it was never produced as a standard production make or model.

The Lycoming Special was a dominant racing car in New Zealand, reportedly holding its own against newer factory-built cars. The car was capable of around 240 km/h and recorded a quick quarter-mile time for its era.

While the history of Lycoming Specials is important to New Zealand racing, this specific model stands out among the rest for two reasons. Most notably, the car was almost lost after being dismantled, but it was recovered and restored in the early 1980s by Dunedin engineer Ralph Smith.

The other key reason is that this model was raced by legendary Kiwi racer, Bruce McLaren. Yes, that McLaren. The car was raced at the Wigram circuit after McLaren’s own car broke down in a pre-race warm-up. After being offered the Lycoming Special to complete the race, McLaren took the offer and raced the car.

Sunday Drive auction manager Rick Ortiz told Stuff: “One of his (McLaren’s) biggest complaints was the braking system. So he actually called some of his people in Europe to bring over a braking system that is still fitted to the vehicle today.” This helped cement the car’s reputation, attracting many well-known drivers.

Alongside McLaren, the car was also driven by legendary Kiwi racers such as Jim Boyd and Jimmy Clark. The car has been confirmed as the one raced by McLaren from the engraving located on the car's steering wheel.

The car became part of Ralph Smith’s collection after he restored it, but following his recent passing, some of his collection is going up for auction at the Ayrburn Classic Live Auction by Sunday Drive. The auction will include 50 cars, ranging from collectables to more modern vehicles.

The car’s expected price range is between $350,000 and $500,000, and the auction is set to take place on 21 February 2026 at The Dell in Ayrburn, Arrowtown. While this won’t be a purchase for the average Kiwi, the car would make a standout addition to any racing enthusiast’s collection.