Sam Wallace joins Toni Street and Sarah Grandy as breakfast co-hosts on The Hits
What do you drive?
I have a beautiful gunmetal Audi RS4 B7, 2006, it’s an old girl now. But 60,000km on the clock and not a mark on it. One lady owner before me and I can vouch for that too ... because I bought it from my mum three years ago.
My parents have got this thing, they have never given me a single dollar in their whole life. So, when I went to buy it and I was trying to get a good deal, my dad literally went into the Audi shop and worked out how much they were selling them for on the floor and he charged me the same price. He said “you won’t find a better example”, it had done only 27,000km then. There are other ones but they have higher ks or they haven’t been treated with love.
Any modifications?
It’s dead standard and that is the way they should be. Anyone who thinks they can do better than Audi is an idiot.
What do you like about your Audi?
It is a 2006 and, as with all the cars that are in the same vicinity, no one has really overtaken it. It has 420 horsepower (313kW) and it has that direct throttle response of a V8. There is no turbo charger to get in the way, just a high revving V8 and they sound amazing. All the new ones, the BMW M2s and the C63 haven’t really surpassed it. Jeremy Clarkson still has it as one of his best engines, in fact the engine still lives on in the ones they are making today, in the RS4s.
How does it suit your personality?
It’s grunty but practical.
What do you always keep in your car?
The only things allowed in the car are my boxing gloves and towel for the gym. I like to keep it uncluttered.
Who else drives it?
My girlfriend Sarah can drive it.
I let my friend James drive it once but he kerbed it.
Dream car?
The BMW M2. Maybe Audi RS6, maybe RS3. There’s no point in ogling at Lamborghinis and Ferraris because I can’t afford them.
How often do you clean it?
Every weekend. I do it to the extent that I am cleaning the inside of the rims. If anyone is wondering the best way to clean the inside, you get the air gun in there and blow it out and vacuum.
You need an air compressor to get into the nooks and crannies. Another trick for cleaning: only use your hand, never use a brush. I am very particular and I replace my hand mitt every three months.
Who taught you to drive?
My dad in a four-wheel-drive Land Cruiser around the backblocks of Albany. But it started even earlier than that. When I was 4 years old I was on the front of Dad’s quad bike with the Auckland ATV club.
The way I learned to drive was on a Yamaha Blaster 200 when I was about 6. That was manual so you had to change all the gears. I got my licence at 15, first pop.
Most memorable road trip?
My dad and I did a motorcycle tour though the South Island and the best road I’ve ever done was the road from Queenstown over the Crown Range into Wanaka. The road is nice and twisty, which means you’re not going too fast but you are still getting into it, so it’s not dangerous.
Celebrity road trip … where, what and who?
Italy. A new Ferrari. Jeremy Clarkson. He is an absolute idol of mine. He would probably think I am a dick but I would like to be his mate.
New tech and driverless cars?
I have no interest in driverless cars and I neither do I like any of their “assists” that stop if you get too close to anyone. But if I was to buy a new car, and if I was to consider the M2 right now, I would have a big decision whether I would go for DCT or manual.
I think the DCT gearboxes are getting to the point where they are better than manual and I love the pops, cracks and farts that they make.