Editorial

classiccar.co.nz
ISSN 1170-9332

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EDITORIAL TEAM
EDITOR Quinton Taylor
editor@classiccar.co.nz
SUB-EDITOR Ian Parkes
PROOFREADER Odelia Schaare
CONTRIBUTORS
Gerard Richards, Mark Holman, Quinton Taylor,
Richard Truesdell, Vaughan Wilson,
Patrick Harlow, Donn Anderson, Chris Moor,
Jim Richardson, Ian Parkes, Michael Clark,
Ben Selby, Greg Price, Kerri Nevin,
Richard Waugh
COVER
David and Catherine Parker’s 1958 Buick
Century Caballero Estate Wagon
Photography by Cameron Leggett Photography

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR MAGAZINE
IS PUBLISHED BY

2024 – A GREAT
START TO THE YEAR
shows they are no less safe. In fact, the
lowest failure rate was for vehicles 40-plus
years old! The minister is keen to see it
happen. It’s the Waka Kotahi New Zealand
Transport Agency that needs convincing,
FOMC president Garry Jackson says.

f there is one underlying factor
that stands out for me as editor of
New Zealand Classic Car, it is the
passion evident from all involved in our
car scene. It’s a force now driving what
is a formidable slice of the New Zealand
economy, expanding social networks.
New Zealand Classic Car might be bimonthly, but a daily influx of emails and
phone calls shows the level of enthusiasm.

I

WHAT’S INSIDE

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It’s not just the blokes. I’ve got three emails
from wives and daughters about their
partner’s or dad’s cars, asking if I could see
if there is a story. Topping the list is a father
who contacted me about his son, now
apprenticed into the restoration industry.
It became the background to a story. A
schoolmate approached the firm and both
ended up apprenticed at the same company.

NEW ZEALAND FEDERATION
OF MOTORING CLUBS
New Zealand Federation of Motoring
Clubs (FOMC) past-president
Harry Duynhoven and vice-president
David Raven met recently with transport
minister Simeon Brown to put the
association’s case for 12-monthly Warrants
of Fitness (WOF) instead of the current
6-month requirement for vehicles 40-plus
years old. It’s an important and expensive
issue for owners. A survey of WOF failures
for all light vehicles showed that those
over 40 years old were comparable with
light vehicles up to 10 years old. That

nz classic car | Subscribe

An absolute gem on our cover, a Buick
Century completely rebuilt and first
publicly shown at Americarna. Rare even in
the States, it is another example of talented
restoration abilities in New Zealand. Two
Wolseley Brits next, a credit to their owner’s
skills. US correspondent Rick Truesdale
has a lovely companion piece for our Buick
about women interior designers in the US
auto industry. Vaughan goes country with a
Ford 250, then slides into a svelte Chrysler
Valiant Hardtop and Donn recalls some
very fast ’70s Italians.
Chris recounts his sedate ride in a royal
Rolls, Jim continues his meeting with a
delightful Allard, and Ian meets up with a
captivating Alfa Romeo Spider.
Michael has a hilarious lunch with mates
David Oxton, Brent Riley, Peter Buckleigh,
Bob McMurray, and Murray Taylor.
Gerard finishes off Part 2 of his delightful
North Shore racing and identities. I
take a peek behind the garage doors at a
bunch of Austin-Healeys being restored in
Christchurch, and Ben looks closely at the
Holden HQ for a solid investment. Grab
your favourite tipple, sit back, enjoy, and
catch up on all our regular columns! „
Quinton Taylor
Editor/Brand Manager

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

1

IN THIS ISSUE

#395

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
2024

FEATURES
4

BUICK CENTURY CABALLERO
ESTATE WAGON
R A R E M E G A- C H R O M E D ’ 5 8 WAG O N

14

1970 WOLSELEY 18/85
MARK 2 AND 1974 WOLSELEY SIX
A C U T A B O V E T H E I R S TA B L E M AT E S

22

DESIGNING WOMEN
THE 1950S US AUTO REVOLUTIONARIES

32

1968 FORD F-250
PAT I N A - P E R F E C T I O N P I C K U P

52

1939 ROLLS-ROYCE WRAITH
THE PLEASURE OF DRIVING WITH LOUIS

60

1951 ALLARD – PART 2
THE MOTHER OF ALL COBRAS

66

1974 ALFA ROMEO SPIDER
L O N G L I V E L A D O L C E V I TA

74

1972 CHRYSLER VALIANT HARDTOP
CLASSIC AUSSIE OPULENCE

102 NORTH SHORE STOMPING GROUND – PART 2
H O M E PAT C H A U T O M O T I V E A N D R A C I N G H I S T O R Y

2

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

22

14

44

102

COLUMNS
42

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

44

MOTORMAN – 1972 FIAT 125T

IN SEARCH OF THE BIG CATS
KIWI ITALIAN FLIER

82

MOTOR SPORT FLASHBACK

88

POSTCARD FROM AMERICA

94

KITS AND PIECES – 1960 MARK 1 TURNER SPORTS

LUNCHING WITH THE LEGEND
THE DELIGHTS OF THE MARCONI MUSEUM
SMALL CAR, BIG HEART

110 PRICE ON – RUCS

ROAD USER CHARGES, AGAIN

124 MARKETPLACE REPORT

REGULARS
40

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE

112 MODELS
116 BOOK REVIEW
118 COACHING FROM THE BENCH
122 BEHIND THE GARAGE DOOR
127 NEWS
128 DAILY DRIVER
128 NEXT ISSUE

TRUE BLUE AUSSIE: THE HOLDEN HQ

126 SHOWSTOPPERS

TOP SHOW CARS FROM AROUND THE
COUNTRY
ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

3

1958 Buick Century Caballero Estate Wagon (Model 69)

JEWEL IN
THE CROWN
4

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

A big wagon made even
better with its radical twotone colour scheme

Always the innovator in the General Motors line-up, Buick and its
Century models featured a shorter, lighter body offering its biggest
engine. In 1957 and 1958, Buick produced the striking Century
Caballero Estate Wagon. A magnificently restored example of this
very rare hardtop wagon survives in New Zealand
By Quinton Taylor, photography by Cam Leggett, Kevin Walsh

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

5

ntroduced in 1955, the secondgeneration Buick Century,
named for its 100-plus-mileper-hour capability, offered a station
wagon option for the first time since
the first 1936–’42 Century models.
The Century coincided with the
launch of the General Motors (GM)
Oldsmobile 88 and 89 Holiday
range, and they were the first fourdoor hardtops produced in the US.
A booming US economy, a
rapidly expanding jet age, and the
space race grabbed the public’s
attention. Car designers responded
with styling cues such as fins,
large curved glass windscreens,
multiple banks of tail-lights and
chrome in abundance, signalling
war-time austerity was out the

I

Huge load area
and big tailgate
surrounded by fins

6

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

door. Buick styling cues such as
the four portholes along the front
mudguards were included in the
new Century, along with the new
one-piece panoramic windscreens
on all GM cars.
In 1957, Buick introduced its
Buick Century Caballero Estate
Wagon. Also a hardtop, the wagon
included almost every imaginable
extra as standard equipment, with
an emphasis on decoration using
stainless steel and chrome – lots of
chrome! Fancy options included a
chrome roof-rack and a third row of
seats. Overall sales of Buick models
were encouraging, with sales of the
Caballero of about 10,000 for that
year being relatively small. Rival
Chrysler would change that.

“Some of the best cars
come out of the desert,
only they are all just a bit
sunburnt!” – Dave Parker
side of the bumper bar were also replaced
with smaller overriders.
Advertising reflected jet fighter
influences. Would it be enough? The
sales figures, especially for the wagon,
said no. A meagre 4400 Caballero
wagons were sold in 1958. By the end
of the year, the Century name was
gone, although it was reintroduced in
1973–’77 to be replaced by the new
Buick Invicta, with sweeping jet-age
styling and, of course, big fins for 1959.

RARE BUICK IN
NEW ZEALAND

SUDDENLY ITS 1960

“An emphasis on
decoration using
stainless steel
and chrome – lots
of chrome!”
A lot of what you
see here had to
be hand made

Chrysler took a big gamble with Virgil
Exner’s dramatic and fresh styling options
for 1957, with large wraparound glass
front and back, bright colours; optional
two-tones with usually a separating
alternative white spear down each side;
and the coup de grâce, fins. The fins were
huge! Struggling to match Ford and GM
sales, Chrysler executives took a chance.
The unexpected ‘Flight Sweep’ styling
from conservative Chrysler caught both
Ford and GM completely off guard, but
their response was rapid. Conservative
Chrysler had gone overnight to new
space-age styling, and it was hurting Ford
and GM sales.
As a feisty stop-gap measure for
1958, GM’s Harley Earl redesigned the
Century’s front end treatment. Gone
were the distinctive Buick portholes
along the front mudguards, replaced
with miniature gun sights on top of each
mudguard. Twin headlights surrounded
by chrome strips and new stainless-steel
panels made an eye-catching statement.
But most amazing were the front grille
and bumper bar. What Earl called his
‘Fashion-Aire Dynastar’ grille featured
160 dazzling squares designed to reflect
light. The big chrome pontoons on each

Dave and Catherine Parker’s 1958 Buick
Century Caballero Estate Wagon arrived
in New Zealand in 2005 but then spent
the best part of 17 years in an Auckland
shed. Typical of a car found in desert
conditions, it turned out to be structurally
sound but in need of a full restoration, as
Dave explains: “It was found in Arizona
somewhere. Some of the best cars come
out of the desert, only they are all just a
bit sunburnt! We bought it from a guy
who had dug it out of the desert. He was
going to restore it and he got a little way
into it tidying up underneath. He then
got cancer and had to sell it to pay for
his treatments. It was a complete car. The
motor had been rebuilt at some stage but
had never been run when I got it. The
transmission was knackered – you put oil
in one end and it went out the other.”
Getting the car back to New Zealand
went without difficulty, using Kiwi
Shipping out of Los Angeles.
“Less than what it costs today,” says
Dave. “I wouldn’t do it now. The car was
originally metallic brown. Not really sure
how many owners it had but it [this ’58
model] was originally sold very late in
’57, as they do model changes mid-year.”

STRIPPED AND STORED
With the Buick back home, it was
time to assess what to do with it. That
process took a few years.
ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

7

1958 BUICK
CENTURY
CABALLERO
ESTATE WAGON
(MODEL 69)

Steering wheel – a bit of art

“We stripped it to everything bar
the motor, trans, and glass,” says Dave.
“I’ve got more than one vehicle, and
everything gets in the way, and it got
put into the back shed. It sat and sat
and it became a do-we-sell-it-or-do-we
fix-it question.”
The answer came while attending
Americana in New Plymouth where
they noticed the work of Kevin Walsh
and his Custom Street Rides (CSR)
team from nearby Inglewood.
“Cath and I do Americana every
year. Kevin had a display down there
and I saw some of his work. A couple
of years later, and he had a display there
again, and I had a good look at his
work. I quite liked what he was doing,
so I thought he might be able to pull
this thing back together, and that’s how
he got it. I said to him, ‘I’ve got an old
Buick. You may not want to do it. It’s in

bits and pieces, so if you are up our way,
come and have a look and if you like
what you see, it’s yours to do.’”
With the chance to restore a very rare
American, it didn’t take Kevin long to
take up the challenge, Dave says. “Kevin
turned up one day with a trailer, and we
loaded it up and that’s the last we saw of
it. He picked it up two-and-half to three
years ago, and it was stored for a year
while his new building was being done.”
It would be Americana 2024
before the Parkers would see their
project finished and on display at the
New Plymouth event.

TAKING UP THE
CHALLENGE

Engine

Fireball (Nailhead)
V8

Capacity

364-cubic-inch
(5957cc)

Valves

Overhead, two per
cylinder

Bore/Stroke

104.8mm/86.4mm

Comp. ratio

10:1

Max. power

224kW at 4600rpm

Max. torque

542Nm at 3200rpm

Fuel system

Rochester
Quadrajet
carburettor

Transmission

Dynaflow twospeed automatic,
rear-wheel drive
shaft via torque
tube

Brakes, F/R

Hydraulic drum /
Hydraulic drum;
power-assisted

Suspension, F/R

Independent
wishbone and
coil spring with
telescopic shock
absorbers /
Solid back axle
connected by
torque tube and
trailing bracing arms
and Panhard rod

Over the years, some amazing projects
have appeared out of CSR’s workshop,
including a Ford Escort Mark 1

Dimensions:
Wheelbase

3899mm

Track, F/R

1527mm/1499 mm

Length

5389mm

Width

2025mm

Height

1510mm

Performance:
Standing quarter-mile 18.9s

Night shot emphasises the Buick’s balanced look

8

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Top speed

179kph

Fuel consumption

16–19.2 litres/100km

Twin Cam replica, which we featured
in New Zealand Classic Car.
CSR owner Kevin Walsh takes
up the story and recalls the special
challenges that were overcome
finishing this project: “Dave has a
lot of cars, and that one by far would
be the jewel in the crown. There’s
nothing as special as that Buick. He’s
got some really nice cars, and they are
all good runners. The Buick is a bit
next level.”
Their association grew from
meeting at Americana. “I first met
Dave and Catherine at Americana
about five years back. They had seen
the ’38 Dodge we had done. They
were very keen for us to do the build
on the Buick once they had seen the
workmanship on the Dodge and what
had gone into that restoration.”
A trip to Auckland saw Kevin
return with the Buick on a trailer,
along with a very large number of
boxed and tagged parts. An assessment
of what he had taken on would
challenge the skills of his team.
“It was the same old story: go
through everything, things they had
been told about the vehicle, like a
rebuilt engine and that, and it was
quite the opposite once we got into
that vehicle. Everything on that
vehicle had to be done. We pulled

Primed and ready

it to bits. The guys in America had
attacked the crankshaft with an angle
grinder and cut chunks out of the
crank as they tried to balance it. A real
mess! Dave originally didn’t want us to
touch the motor and he just wanted
us to sort out the trans.”
It was not all good news either
when Kevin and his team examined
many boxes of parts.
“Dave and his mates stripped it,
and they did a pretty good job of
bagging and tagging all the parts and
putting them into boxes, but 60 per
cent of those parts needed to be
replaced and 40 per cent had to be
rebuilt. Things like window winders,
and door mechanisms; everything had
broken springs and it was a mess,”
Kevin recalls.
The enormity of the task was
obvious, as most Buick parts are
extremely rare or, in many cases,
non-existent.

Much had to be fabricated in-house

“Being such a rare car – we are
not talking about some ’57 Bel Air
here – there was nothing available –
no door rubbers, for example – but
one of my men is next level with his
skills set, and he had to make a lot
of the rubbers up. We got different
ones and cut and glued them to make
good rubbers,” Kevin says.

MORE CHROME
THAN A CADDIE
The bodywork was stripped and
sandblasted. It was in relatively good
condition with some small panel-rust
area repairs needed. There was a bit
of head-scratching when it came to
the chrome and stainless-steel parts of
the car. It was not going to be cheap.
Some of it was chromed cast light
alloy, which often did not fare well in
the re-chroming process.
Kevin says, “One of the things Dave

Detailed matching
dash. Radio has
modern FM internals

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

9

What it used to be –
the change has been
dramatic

said to me at the outset was ‘there’s more
chrome on this car than any Cadillac!’ –
something that always rang true in my
head. We were going through boxes of
parts and looking at pictures of the car
and I thought, He’s not wrong. There is
stainless or chrome all over that car.”
It was inevitable that a lot of parts
would have to be hand built: “Some of
the really intricate parts Paul Wells had
to end up making. All the chrome that
went across the front of the bonnet, we
hand-crafted all that in-house, also the
spear that goes down the bonnet and
the star on the tailgate: all that stuff was
made in-house here, and then we sent
that away to get chromed.”
The rear tailgate’s green-tinted glass
was the only original glass used in the
rebuild. All new glass was cut locally.
A new windscreen was brought in
from the States.
Harley Earl made a style statement with the Century

10

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

GREEN TO GO
When it came to the final striking
colour scheme, the Parkers knew
exactly what they wanted, as Dave
explains: “The colour I wanted was
something different. I’ve got red cars;
I’ve got blue cars; I’ve got turquoise
cars; I’ve got black cars. I’m not really
a green fan, but there are some greens
that are really nice, so that’s what
we came up with. The door panels
were made in the States, and carpets
and hood lining were also made in
the States, and we bought rolls of
upholstery from the States as well.”
Kevin matched the colours for the
car exterior as close as possible to the
green shades of the interior.
“We didn’t farm anything out on
that job except the upholstery,” he
says. “We use our local upholsterer

down at Eagle Automotive. He’s
from overseas and does a great job.
Ryan Blackburn did some metal
spray-outs, and they agreed on
that colour. I also threw in
the idea of doing a bit of
a pearl in that mint
green. They were up
in the air about the
colours, so I did a steel
water-jet cut-out and
painted it in the colours
of the car. We got it as
close on the cut-out as
we could, and they were
just all over it. They just
loved it and said that’s
the perfect colour.
It’s a really stunning
colour combination,
and people who have
seen it just love it. It was a
massive hit when we unveiled it
at Americana.”
A gleaming set of Dayton Truspoke
chrome wire wheels with whitewall
tyres that Dave and Catherine
brought from the States is the
ultimate finishing touch, also eliciting
a lot of favourable comments.

AMERICANA 2024
On 19 February 2024, although not
quite ready for the road, the Buick
was unveiled and displayed at the

Six-litre Nailhead
delivers with plenty of
torque

three-day Americana event in
New Plymouth, celebrating
all-things American. Dave
and Catherine visited CSR a
handful of times during the
course of the restoration and
now, somewhat stunned, they
took time to sit back and look
at their wagon on display,
noting the comments. The
car also featured on TV1 on
Seven Sharp, and Classic Restos.
Kevin reflects on months of
work involving many hours on
the Buick for his team, saying:
“It was a pleasure to do the
build for David and Catherine. Our
mission statement is turning dreams
into reality, and that’s what we want
to do – build people’s dreams. They
are so passionate about the vehicle,
but as they live in Auckland and we
are in Taranaki, four to five hours’
drive away, I sent them progress

Glittering
Dayton
Truspoke
chrome wire
wheels add a
striking touch

“Our mission statement
is turning dreams into
photos every single month
and also talked to them on the
phone regularly. Catherine is
involved as much as Dave, so
they are really good clients to
deal with.”
This has been a very special
project, and Kevin is proud

reality, and that’s what
we want to do – build
people’s dreams”

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

11

“The result is
stunning and the
attention to detail
is evident in every
corner. It’s going to
attract a few trophies
at car shows”
First public display at Americana in February 2024

of the work that his team put into the
project, managed by Wayne Hall. Jason
Gallyer looked after the panel work, with
Jesse Johns and Ryan Blackburn bringing
the car to life in those amazing colours.
Paul Wells worked his magic with the
fabrication of trim, and Evert Klass
and Zarn Williams gave the 65-yearold classic a new lease of life on the
mechanical side.

LOOKING BACK
Although Dave and Catherine had
moments when they wondered if they
were doing the right thing in restoring
the Buick, a complex project, it now
takes a special place in their collection.
The result is stunning and the attention
to detail is evident in every corner.
It’s going to attract a few trophies at
car shows.
When we ask them about their
decision to restore, Dave answers with

Buick Caballero looks
good from any angle

12

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

a laugh, “It’s a bit of a mixed barrel that
one. I’m glad it’s done, but halfway
through we were starting to have a
few doubts as to whether we should
or shouldn’t have. You get to a point
where you have gone this far, then you
have to finish it. I wouldn’t do it again.
I just happen to like it. I like station
wagons and I’ve got three. There are a
few ’57 Buicks here, about a half-dozen
I think, but ’58s? I think it might be
the only one. I haven’t seen or heard of
another one yet, and it’s a damn goodlooking car!”
Catherine has yet to drive the Buick,
but she won’t have to wait long, as Dave
explains: “We are just waiting for good
weather to get it out for a good run. She
will get used, don’t worry. I got it built
as a car to use, but I think Kevin and the
team were building a show car. We’ve
been to Auckland in it a couple of times,
and we are members of the American
Classic Car Club of Auckland.” „

INGLEWOOD,, TARANAKI
CSR are one of New Zealands leading hot rod shops specialising
in ground up custom vehicles and classic restorations.
Fully equipped shops for all Mechanical, Fabrication,
Electrical, Panel and Paint.

45-47 Cutfield Street, Inglewood, P. 06 756 7144 or 027 603 7586

Custon Street Rides

1970 Wolseley 18/85 Mk 2 and 1974 Wolseley 2.2 Six

A CUT ABOVE THEIR
STABLEMATES
It didn’t win any prizes for beauty, but the acres of space in Issigonis’s Austin
1800, and its relative toughness, helped convert the world to front-wheel
drive. These up-market Wolseley versions add power and finesse
By Quinton Taylor, photography by Ben Townsend, Ginger & Honey Photography

14

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

esigner Alec Issigonis’s 1964
ADO17 Austin/Morris 1800
concept, the largest of his
range of three front-wheel-drive
sedans that radically influenced
future automotive design, might have
pushed the envelope just a bit too far
for conservative bigger car buyers. His
Mini struggled at first then became
a raging success and now enjoys
cult status. The 1100/1300 likewise
enjoyed strong sales. But, when it
came to the third of his designs, sales
of the 1800 were a disappointment.

D

Designed in conjunction with
Italian styling house Pininfarina, many
critics expressed the view that perhaps
Issigonis and BMC should have left the
styling with Farina as they had done
with successive A40, A60, and A110
models, and, of course, the MGB.
Farina showed what could have
been with its 1967 Aerodynamica,
based on an 1800 floor pan. Often
maligned and saddled with the gawky
‘Land Crab’ nickname, BMC’s nononsense 1800 nevertheless developed
into a competent international rally

and endurance race competitor.
BMC and later Leyland management
attempted to improve the lacklustre
1800, and in Mark 3 form, it was a
well-equipped and capable-handling
family car, but it couldn’t shake off
its early lack of acceptance in the
marketplace. Although awarded the
European Car of the Year in 1965,
the 1800 was considered too big
against the likes of Ford’s Cortina
1600 and its Hydrolastic suspension
too complicated. It was very much a
misunderstood design.

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

15

Tribute Paddy Hopkirk and Tony Nash Austin 1800 1968 London–Sydney
Marathon car at Dunedin Best of British show, 2024

SO FAR, SO CLOSE
Paddy Hopkirk and his crew nearly
won the inaugural 1968 London–
Sydney Marathon in their 1800, but
they had stopped to assist a fellow
competitor in an accident near
Nowra, in the Flinders Range section.
Andrew Cowan in a Hillman Hunter
took line honours. Hopkirk was
second and Australian Ian Vaughan
third in an XT Ford Falcon GT. It was
a great test of engineering, and the
1800’s extremely stiff body structure
meant that it finished impressively,
despite many mishaps along the way.
Who would have thought a Hillman
Hunter would be the victor?
The Land Crab nickname
apparently came about in the
Australian section of that event when
a commentator watching the 1800’s
sideways progress from a helicopter
coined the phrase, and the name
stuck. At 1150kg, the 1800 was a
hefty car for its size and even more so
in marathon trim.
Seven works cars based on Mark 2
versions were prepared for the 1968
London–Sydney Marathon, five for
the works team and one each for the
Royal Air Force Red Arrows team and a
Royal Navy team. Tuned for reliability at
100bhp (75kW) and slightly over-bored
to 1894cc, they were kitted out for three
with all their gear on board. The only
place for two spare tyres was on the roof.
All were in BMC’s competition colours
of red and white, and they made for
a popular Dinky toy model. All seven
factory cars finished the marathon.
The first works rally versions,
running a Group 6 competition
engine producing 136bhp (101kW),
entered the Danube Rally in 1965 and
won in the hands of Tony Faul and
16

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Hopkirk’s book on
the 1968 London–
Sydney Marathon

Mike Wood. A surprised
BMC management received a
second shock when a second
car driven by Brian Culcheth
and Johnston Sayer won the
Alpine Rally soon after.
Buoyed by these successes,
BMC sent teams to Africa on the
1968 Safari Rally, but that didn’t
go well, all three cars failing with
niggling mechanical problems. A good
10th came soon after for Culcheth in

the Acropolis Rally. His car was then
sent to Canada for Faul to drive in the
Shell 4000 where he rolled it, but still
finished second in class.

“The 1800’s
extremely stiff body
structure meant
that it finished
impressively, despite
many mishaps along
the way”

Front engine and
suspension layout
showing Hydrolastic
system

Classic walnut trim – no bland
black vinyl for a Wolseley

Janice and Stephen enjoy driving
their two very comfortable Wolseleys

“Appearances
can be deceiving,
as they are quite
different cars
under the skin”

1969 BMC/AUSTIN
MORRIS SALES
1100/1300

150,000

Mini

90,000

A60/Oxford

30,000

Minor

22,500

1800

20,000

A40
Total

2750
315,250

Nine British Leyland cars,
including Triumph 2.5 PIs and
Austin Maxis, were prepared for
private entrants for the 1970
London to Mexico World Cup
Rally. Seven of these cars finished,
including the three 1800s. Shortly
after the London–Sydney Marathon,
Lord Stokes, head of British Leyland,
closed the competition department.
The tough Land Crab had acquitted
itself well.

A CUT ABOVE THEIR
STABLEMATES
The Wolseleys featured are two
impressively restored cars owned by
Stephen and Janice Belcher of Tauranga.
Appearances can be deceiving, as they
are quite different cars under the skin.

British Leyland Motor Corporation
(BLMC) wanted to inject some
momentum into the 1800’s flagging
sales, and its approach was simple: give
them an up-market makeover with a
classier interior featuring the obligatory
loads of wood and plush trim.
It also added a few tweaks to the
B-series four and, of course, the usual
bit of badge engineering, co-opting
the quality image of Wolseley, a name
synonymous for many decades with
Scotland Yard. They were touted as a
cut above their stablemates, and in its
final iteration, the model lived up to
its performance image.
Looking at this pair, the earlier
blue car is typical of the 1800s –
well-equipped, with twin carburettors
as per the ‘S’ versions – while the
brown car has a nice performance
edge courtesy of a very smooth little
E-series six-cylinder engine.
Austin/Morris 1800s were
assembled in New Zealand and sold
reasonably well and were popular
with taxi operators too. The Wolseley
versions with their twin-carburettor
engines embarrassingly out-performed
the big Austin 3-Litre when it was
released. Leyland Australia went one
better with a Rover V8 fitted into
a Wolseley 1800 driving the front
wheels, as opposed to the rear-drive
UK 3-Litre. Described as “a bit of
a weapon”, it did suffer badly from
torque steer on full power.
ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

17

Stephen’s trade expertise with woodwork
shows in the high standard of finish of the
attractive wood dashboard and door capping

A BARGAIN
WOLSELEY 18/85
In Reef Blue, a BMC colour, Stephen
has done a remarkable job of restoring
this car with its matching blue
interior. His trade expertise with
woodwork shows in the high standard
of finish of the attractive wood
dashboard and door capping. Stephen
and Janice are virtually the car’s
second owners, as Stephen explains: “I
saw the Wolseley 18/85 advertised in
a local newspaper, so I went and had
a look at it. A young fella had it and
it was his auntie’s car. She came from
Mission Bay and it was a one-owner
vehicle. She couldn’t drive any more,
and he inherited it, and, typically, not
knowing how to do anything on them,
he also struggled to find a mechanic
that would even work on them.”
Stephen thought about the car for
a while, but when he noticed it had
been passed in at Turners auctions, he
made an offer.
“The young fella and I did a deal.
It was 1998 and I bought it for $300,”
Stephen says. “It was a pretty original
car with 57,000 miles [91,700km]

on the clock. It hadn’t been well
looked after. The old lady had made
a lot of short trips, and it had a lot of
scrapes, but overall it was a good one
to restore.”
Stephen spent a bit of money
getting it to a stage where he could use
it as his daily driver. Three years on, he
began a bare-metal restoration, which
took 10 years. Previously repaired in
a number of places, the car required a
lot of work.
“There was a lot of bog and I ended
up doing quite a lot of work to get it
straightened up,” he says. “It ended
up being too good to use daily. I was
going to have it as my best car, but I
realised it was too good to use as my
everyday car.”
It has served Stephen and Janice
well since it went back on the road
around 2014.
“We have treasured it ever since
and taken it to shows and things like
that. It is an absolutely magnificent
car,” he says.
Now in pristine condition,
they took part in the annual
Brits at the Beach Rally at
Whangamatā.

Roomy, light
controls, and
peppy motorway
performance:
Janice asks,
what’s not to like?
18

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

1970 WOLSELEY
18/85, MARK 2
DE LUXE (1973
WOLSELEY SIX
DE LUXE)
Production

35,597 (25,214)

Engine

B-series, east–west
mounted, in-line cast-iron
four-cylinder (E-series,
east–west mounted,
single overhead camshaft
in-line six-cylinder, alloy
cylinder head)

Capacity

1798cc (2227cc)

Bore/Stroke

80.2mm/89mm
(76.2mm/81.3mm)

Fuel system

Twin SU HS6 carburettor
– both cars

Max. power

81kW at 5400rpm (82kW
at 5300rpm)

Max. torque

87Nm at 2100rpm (168Nm
at 3500rpm)

Transmission

Four-speed manual
or three-speed
BorgWarner 35 automatic
– both cars

Dimensions:
Weight

1168kg (1187kg)

Length

4219mm (4235mm)

Width

1702mm (1702mm)

Height

1410mm (1410mm)

Performance:
Top speed

145km (174kph)

0–100 kph

18.0s (13.1s)

Fuel consumption

22mpg (13 litres/100km)
(20–22mpg [13–14 litres/
100km])

The 2.2-litre six gave 160-plus-kilometre-per-hour performance

“There were a lot of cars there
then,” he explains, “and although
nothing happened, it did get noticed.
We then took it again the following
year, and there were over 700 cars
and it won Best in Show. It’s a
concours-condition car and it’s won
all the main car shows around the
Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. In the
first 16 months, it took six cups – a
real cup winner!”
Stephen enjoys restoring these
rare cars, and he knows how to
prepare a car for restoration. “I do
all the bodywork, and the painting,
all the restoration work on it,” he
says. “The only thing I don’t do is the
upholstery, so I am pretty chuffed
with my abilities.”
Stephen was fortunate with this
car, as it had very little rust: “There
was rust in the bottom corners of door
skins and not much else. It was more
the numerous dents and frontal swipe
in the front valance that left it pretty
munted, so I made a new one. You
have got to have the engine out to get
at it, and with the engine out it was a
good time to rebuild it.”
Stephen couldn’t resist the
temptation while rebuilding the
B-series engine to give it a bit more
get up and go like the later models.
He says, “I had the engine
balanced, as I thought if I was going
to use it as an everyday car, I might
as well get a bit more juice out
of it, along with a mild cam and
twin carburettors.”
It’s a car that they enjoy driving
immensely. “We only use it for trips

A rare sight on our roads even when new

“It’s fitted with
a 2.2-litre sixcylinder crossmounted E-series
engine driving the
front wheels”
and avoid going out in the rain.
It’s just one of those sorts of cars,
and I take it out as much as I can,”
he explains.

SMOOTH SIXES
Their second car looks similar
externally apart from the surprisingly
attractive metallic brown colour,

but it’s the under bonnet area that is
most impressive. A 1974 Wolseley
Six De Luxe, it’s fitted with a 2.2-litre
six-cylinder cross-mounted E-series
engine driving the front wheels, a
derivative of the 1500/1750cc engine
used in the Austin Maxi. We first saw
it in Leyland Australia’s Tasman and
Kimberley models, popular here in the
1970s, before it was adopted for UK
ADO17 models. It would later see
service in Leyland Australia’s P76 as
a 2.6-litre option. It’s now a very rare
car on our roads. It’s similar in the UK
– there, the Wolseley club shows there
are just 80 18/85s still on the road of
35,597 built, and 44 Wolseley Sixes of
25,214 built.
Stephen saw the Six advertised
locally: “I got distracted. This one I’ve
got now came out of the woodwork.
I was looking on the internet when
it came up for sale. Someone on the
North Shore had it, and he had a
good price on it. I bought it over the
phone, after looking at photos. There
were a lot of people looking at it, and
I didn’t want to miss out.”
Stephen bought this car in 2014,
not long after the blue car, and it sat
for about three years before he started
on it.
“This one is fully restored,” he says.
“I started it in 2019. The body was
lots worse and the doors were badly
rusted out, so I had to make new door
skins for all the doors and rebuild the
frames, as well as strip it for a baremetal respray.”
The engine had been rebuilt and
he didn’t need to touch it: “The
BorgWarner 35 auto was done too,
and it all seems to be fine. I had to
fix the parking pawl, and a mate
who works on autos helped with it.
We replaced a lot of bits in the auto
ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

19

“The brown car now looks quite outstanding, and it’s hard
to imagine the repair work that it once needed done”
and it should be better now, as they
upgraded a lot of bits when the BW35
was used in Ford Falcons.”
The Wolseley Six has just
70–80,000 miles (115–130,000km)
recorded.
“We’ve been using the brown car
a bit lately, up to Whanganui and
Ellerslie shows, and a couple of times
to Taumarunui. It recently received
new CV joints, and I replaced the
wiper-arm boxes. It seems to be going
pretty well.”
The original trim that Leyland used
on this model could have been better,
says Stephen. “It’s really a Mark 3
six-cylinder Wolseley. Leyland used
cloth inserts in the seats instead of the
previous vinyl. The fabric was rubbish
and has now been replaced. I’ve tried
to match the original colour of the

20

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

carpets too. The door cards have been
restored using a vinyl spray.”
The brown car now looks quite
outstanding, and it’s hard to imagine
the repair work that it once needed
done. Stephen enjoys driving this rare
car, a model he never knew existed.
“I didn’t even know, even after I
had the other one, that there was such
a car,” he says. “In the Wolseley club a
few years later, I discovered it because
there was a member, an ex-traffic cop,
who was right into them and who has
since passed away. He had bought up
just about every one of them he could
find. They were all English assembled,
so they were all imported here. He
had three or four of them and swore
by them.”
Stephen had been pleased to
find a fellow devotee of the 1800.

He also declares that there is a third
Wolseley in his garage, also soon to
be restored.
“He was the only other member
in the club at the time that liked the
Land Crab apart from myself,” he
tells us, “so we got on quite well. He
got to a stage where he wasn’t well
and sold me a car and I’ve got that
car. It’s actually a better car than the
brown one I have since restored.
It’s a 1973 Wolseley Six De Luxe
model and has the factory Rostyle
sports wheels, a factory heated rear
windscreen, and that’s still waiting to
be restored. It’s a very good original
car, that one. Once I get around to it,
it’s going to be very nice to see it on
the road.”

APPRECIATIVE
SUPPORTER
Janice enjoys driving their Wolseleys
as much as Stephen and is an
enthusiastic supporter of his work.
“Stephen rebuilt the blue car over
many years while he was working,”
she says. “The Six he did after he
retired. It only took him two years
to restore the Six during the Covid
lockdown. He surprised me, as I
didn’t know he was doing it. Stephen
also forgot to mention that with
his Wolseley Six, he re-veneered the
walnut, but with the 18/85, that was
polished, and he did a beautiful job.
Stephen used to do wood polishing
in his job.” „

Janice enjoys driving their
Wolseleys as much as
Stephen and is an enthusiastic
supporter of his work

Let us deal with the tyre kickers!

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Industry special

DESIGNING WOMEN

Below: Six of the 11 Damsels (left
to right): Suzanne Vanderbilt,
Ruth Glennie, Marjorie Ford Pohlman,
Sandra Longyear, Jeanette Linder, and
Peggy Sauer, with (centre) Harley Earl

In 1955, General Motors’ vice-president of design Harley Earl brought
11 talented women into the male-dominated field of automotive design. What
was their impact?
By Richard Truesdell, photos supplied

22

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Marjorie Ford
Pohlman’s
Tampico Buick
Special

ost-war America was a time
of unbridled optimism. After
World War II, with most of
Europe and much of Asia devastated,
the US emerged almost untouched as
the world’s first superpower.
It was an era in which America’s
middle class emerged fully, powered
by returning veterans taking advantage
of the GI Bill to attend college (for
most, the first generation of their
families to do so) and to buy their first
homes. Those starter homes of 100m2
or less often had attached garages.
Their new owners, having suffered
during the war years, were eager to
park shiny new US-built automobiles
in those garages.
The country’s independent
automakers – Studebaker, Packard,
Nash, Hudson, Kaiser, Frazer, and
many others – had introduced all-new
post-war models before 1948. In
1949, the big three – General Motors
(GM), Ford, and Chrysler – countered
with their response. These cars looked
nothing like their warmed-over
pre-war-design 1948 models. The
big three settled in to offer restyled
models every year, and their planned
obsolescence motivated hungry
buyers to buy a new car every other
year. The US’s consumer economy
was underway, and it powered
the economy through decades of
unprecedented growth and expansion.

P

POST-WAR BOOM
With a short slowdown for the
1950–1953 Korean War, the big
three embarked on a brutal price war,
which caught the independents in the
crossfire. Chrysler was the weakest of
the big three, but as an engineeringfocused company, it introduced the
legendary first-generation Hemi V8.
Over at Ford, a massive reorganisation
was happening in the aftermath of its
near bankruptcy in the 1940s, led by
founder Henry Ford’s son, Henry II,
often referred to as ‘The Deuce’,
and a group of senior managers

called the ‘Whiz Kids’, led by
Robert McNamara.
GM, fuelled by profits from its war
contracts, was the clear market leader.
After the war, its Chevrolet, Pontiac,
Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac
divisions controlled more than 50 per
cent of the domestic marketplace,
selling more than three million
vehicles in the watershed year of 1949.
In that year, perhaps not surprisingly,
as it was just four years after the Nazi
surrender, Volkswagen sold just two
cars in the US. The industry sold
more than six million in a recordsetting year, but GM bosses joked

1949 Philadelphia Auto Show

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

23

1937 Buick Y-Job

they were still missing out on five out
of 10 sales. GM’s market domination
was so complete that throughout the
1950s and into the 1960s, there was
anti-trust talk, advocating breaking
up GM. How quaint that seems today
when GM has less than 20 per cent of
the US domestic market.

HARLEY EARL, DOUBLE
PIONEER
Even before the outbreak of World
War II, GM had reorganised its
design and engineering departments.
Legendary stylist Harley Earl had
created the need for an art and colour
division at GM. He introduced
the practice of clay modelling and
designed the industry’s first concept
car, the 1937 Buick Y-Job. One of
Earl’s early hires was Helene Rother,
who joined GM in 1943. She stayed
until 1947 before moving on to
establish her own design firm. Her
studio worked with Nash Motors
before that company was merged

into American Motors Corporation
in 1954. Rother is often grouped
in with the 1955 group collectively
known as the ‘Damsels of Design’
but, thanks to Earl, she was by some
distance the first female automotive
designer employed in the US.
In reality, besides being a design
visionary, Earl was a social visionary:
offering women an opportunity to
excel in the male-dominated field

RECURRING DREAM
From 1949 to 1961, GM’s Motorama was an annual roadshow showcasing
vehicles from all five automotive divisions, as well as appliances and
kitchen designs from its Frigidaire subsidiary. Harley Earl, once called GM’s
greatest salesman, used the Motorama to present to the public new ideas
in the form of ‘Dream Cars’.
Collector Joe Bortz has spent a lifetime finding, rescuing, restoring, and
sharing vehicles from the Motorama era. Through to February 2025, six of
Bortz’s vehicles from 1953, 1954, and 1955, the peak years of the Motorama,
will be on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
The story of how Bortz saved many of the Motorama Dream Cars has
been detailed on the Petersen museum website at bit.ly/JoeBortzSavior.

“He introduced the practice
of clay modelling and
designed the industry’s
first concept car, the 1937
Buick Y-Job”

24

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

of automotive design, albeit with
some constraints.
At the same time, starting in 1950,
Earl and GM embarked on a dazzling
new way to present new models with
its Motorama traveling roadshow.
Design, or at least styling, was the
sizzle that GM was selling, and no one
could orchestrate this process better
than Harley Earl. Being the visionary
that he was, Earl understood that
women powerfully influenced the
purchases of new cars. To this end, in
1955 he recruited into the GM design
department 11 talented women from
some of America’s most prestigious
design schools, such as the Pratt
Institute in New York City.
These 11 were Gere Kavanaugh,
Jeanette Linder, Ruth Glennie,
Marjorie Ford Pohlman,
Peggy Sauer, Sandra Longyear,
Suzanne Vanderbilt, Amy Stanley,
Jan Krebs, Dagmar Arnold, and
Jayne Van Alstyne. Through the
efforts of GM’s powerful public
relations department, they became

Joe Bortz Collection at the Petersen museum

Harley Earl

known as GM’s aforementioned
Damsels of Design.
Earl assigned seven of them –
Linder, Glennie, Pohlman, Sauer,
Longyear, Vanderbilt, Stanley – plus
Rother to the five GM automotive
divisions. Krebs, Arnold, Kavanaugh,
and Alstyne were moved to its
Frigidaire appliance subsidiary.

A WOMAN’S PLACE
Exterior design was, however, left
entirely to GM’s male designers.
Starting in 1955, the women began
work on GM’s 1958 models at the
Eero Saarinen–designed GM Technical
Center in suburban Warren, Michigan,
north of Detroit. The 1958 full-size
models, many of which featured

Earl promoting the Damsels of Design
outside the GM tech centre

distinctive horizontal tail fins, were to
be a one-year-only transition from the
landmark 1955–1957 models and the
completely restyled 1959 models.
The Damsels could hardly be
blamed for the poor reception that
greeted the cars’ heavy ornate styling
in the marketplace. Their influence,
however, could be seen in the
interior designs. It went far beyond
selecting trim materials, colours,
and detailing, although that was
their primary responsibility in the
Chevrolets, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles,
Buicks, and Cadillacs in GM’s brand
hierarchy. There was still one area
of interior design where they had
little if any influence: the instrument
panels, which were designed by their
male colleagues.

“The Damsels’
influence, however,
could be seen in the
interior designs.
It went far beyond
selecting trim
materials, colours,
and detailing”

They worked
on different
brands but,
handily, most
of them were
together for
this shot

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

25

signed GM’s stylish
Eero Saarinen de

Technical Center

Krebs, Arnold, Ka
vanaugh, and
Van Alstyne conf
er in the kitchen

“GM domestic
Jeanette Linder pioneered multicoloured trim

divisions exhibited
DAMSEL DEMO
In 1958, to promote the Damsels’
work, Earl organised what was called
the ‘Feminine Auto Show’ in GM’s
Design Dome at the tech centre. It
was publicised internally at GM and
executives from all corners of the
GM world visited the exhibit – at
the time, Vauxhall in the UK and
Opel in Germany were part of its
far-flung empire.
Each of the five GM domestic
divisions exhibited cars that showcased
the influence of the company’s female
designers. Jeanette Linder’s Chevrolet
Impala Martinique was a convertible
in pearlescent yellow and white. It
pioneered GM’s multicolour trim
offerings starting in 1959, featuring
seat upholstery inserts in a specially
designed four-colour fabric. The same
fabric was used to line the trunk and
to create a set of custom luggage.
The interior sported lighted make-up
mirrors and a glove-box-mounted
vanity designed to appeal to women.
In a vote of exhibition attendees taken
at the time, the Martinique took
top honours.
Ruth Glennie painted her
Fancy Free Corvette in a stunning
metallic silvery-olive hue. The
interior featured seasonal seat covers.
She designed a yellow print for
summer and a simulated black fur
26

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

for winter. Fancy Free also featured
an innovative storage bin for a
purse. Also forward-thinking was
Ruth Glennie’s conceptual design
for retractable seat belts on the
Fancy Free Corvette, an idea that
would take decades to be adopted on
production vehicles. This car survives
to this day.
From the Pontiac Studio,
Sandra Longyear designed a
Star Chief hardtop called the
‘Bordeaux’ in a deep maroon. It had
Sandra Longyear suggests storage

cars that showcased
the influence of the
company’s female
designers”

Putting things away – Peg Sauer
introduces a novel concept

Women’s work at
the Fe

“In the press

minine Auto Show

photos from 1958,
four-year-old Terry
Donaldson seems
to be having a
great time”
asymmetrically trimmed leatherupholstered seats and a unique
system of leather trunk straps to hold
groceries. Her Bonneville Polaris
convertible was finished in a colour
she called ‘Starfire Blue’. It featured
bucket seats finished in two-tone
blue leather as well as a storage
compartment for picnic gear.
Station wagons were the SUVs of
their day. For Oldsmobile, Peg Sauer
designed the pillarless Carousel
four-door hardtop station wagon.

It featured a rear-seat play area with
toy-storage pockets in the back of
the front bench seat. In the press
photos from 1958, four-year-old
Terry Donaldson (the same age as
this author at the time) seems to be

having a great time.
From the Buick studio came two
cars from Marjorie Ford Pohlman.
The Tampico Buick Special
convertible was painted Alabaster
with a contrasting flame-orange
ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

27

Marjorie Ford Pohlman
accessorised the Shalimar with
a roll-out Dictaphone

“We particularly
enjoyed proving
to our male
counterparts that
we are not in the
interior. It featured bucket seats and
a storage console for binoculars and
a camera.
Pohlman also designed Shalimar,
a four-door hardtop that featured a
deep royal purple exterior with an
interior of purple and black leather
and a special purple cloth. Like other
cars displayed, it bristled with unique
storage features like a compartment in
the front seat-back that stored a robe
and a swing-out Dictaphone in the
glove box.
Designer Suzanne Vanderbilt
created two Cadillacs, displayed sideby-side under the Design Dome. Her
Eldorado Seville Baroness coupé had
a black exterior with a black vinyl
top. Inside, a custom black-andwhite interior was trimmed in black
Mouton. Illustrating that Vanderbilt
was 35 years ahead of her time, it
was fitted with a radio-telephone,
the precursor of the cell phone. Her
Saxony convertible was finished in a
grey-green metallic with a matching
leather-trimmed interior with cloth
inserts, which also featured storage
pockets in the seat backs.
Vanderbilt was quoted as saying,
“We particularly enjoyed proving to
our male counterparts that we are not
28

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

in the business to add lace doilies
to seat backs or rhinestones to the
carpets, but to make the automobile
just as usable and attractive to both
men and women as we possibly can.”
As well as modern essentials
such as lighted mirrors and storage
consoles, their inventive thinking
contributed to innovations like childproof doors.
If there was a common design

The Frigidaire Kitchen of Tomorrow

business to add
lace doilies to seat
backs or rhinestones
to the carpets”
– Suzanne Vanderbilt

“Like their boss,
these women were
truly ahead of their
time”
1956–1957 Dodge La Femme

DODGE’S DIRECT APPEAL
GM was not entirely alone among Detroit’s big three in targeting the
emerging post-war market for women. In 1955, designers at Chrysler
produced the Dodge La Femme, based on two 1954 Chrysler show
cars, Le Comte and La Comtesse. They in turn were based on a 1954
Chrysler Newport two-door hardtop and given a clear plastic roof
over the entire passenger compartment. While the Le Comte was
designed using masculine colours, the La Comtesse was painted
a two-tone combination of Dusty Rose and Pigeon Grey, to convey
femininity. Positive reaction on the 1954 show circuit encouraged
Chrysler to offer a production version of La Femme for its Dodge
division. It was, however, produced for just two model years, 1955 and
1956, and fewer than 2500 were sold.

thread, it was the innovative storage
solutions they incorporated into their
cars, but it took the automotive industry
years to fully embrace them. Like their
boss, these women were truly ahead of
their time.
The other four Damsels assigned to
GM’s Frigidaire appliance subsidiary
– Krebs, Arnold, Kavanaugh, and Van
Alstyne – collaborated on the design
of the Frigidaire Kitchen of Tomorrow,
besides working on designs for individual
appliances. Their floor plans influenced
the designs of American kitchens
throughout the 1960s.

Now you’re talking –
Suzanne Vanderbilt
adds a radio-telephone

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

29

“More than a decade
passed before GM
again made a serious
effort to recruit

William Mitchell

the best and the
brightest women”

THE TIMES, THEY ARE
NOT A CHANGIN’ YET
The 1958 Feminine Auto Show would
turn out to be the high-water mark
for the influence of the Damsels of
GM Tech Center Design Dome interior

30

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Design. In 1959, Harley Earl reached
the mandatory retirement age of 65
and was replaced by William Mitchell.
Mitchell didn’t share Earl’s enthusiasm
for the female designers and was said to
have stated, “No women are going to

stand next to my male senior designers.”
With Mitchell in charge, their time
as cutting-edge influencers within the
halls of the GM Technical Center came
to an end. By the early 1960s, all the
Damsels except Suzanne Vanderbilt
(who, after taking a break to get her
Master of Fine Arts degree, would stay
at GM Design until her retirement
in 1977) would be gone. Several took
positions with other companies, while
others established their own design
firms, often consulting on automotive
projects. More than a decade passed
before GM again made a serious
effort to recruit the best and the
brightest women into their design and
engineering ranks.
Gere Kavanaugh is still active
at 95, a living link to a pioneering
pathfinding experiment, GM’s
Damsels of Design. „

THE TEAM AT SHELBY NZ WOULD LIKE TO
THANK PENNY FOR TRUSTING US TO BUILD HER
DREAM CAR AND WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
07 888 7831 • SHELBYNZ.CO.NZ • INFO@SHELBYNZ.CO.NZ

1968 Ford F-250

PATINA
PERFECTION
PICKUP

32

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

New Zealand, like most
Western nations, is heavily
influenced by US culture,
food, music, television, movies
– and vehicles
By Vaughan Wilson, photography by Vaughan Wilson

merican car shows in
New Zealand often see well
over 500 and sometimes
more than 1000 vehicles on display,
from all decades, and in original and
modified form. After World War II,
the New Zealand market was
dominated by small British and some

A

American vehicles. Slowly, Australian
vehicles entered our market, and by
the 1970s, we had a plethora of large
sedans. In the 1990s, the SUV trend
began in earnest, and in the 2000s
the pickup truck models increased,
not only in terms of product
offerings but of girth too.

Fast forward to today, and even
with the government trying to get us
to buy electric cars as fuel prices head
towards gold-per-ounce-type pricing,
big utes still dominate the top-10
vehicle choices, the Ford Ranger
being by far and wide the most sold
vehicle here.

Working for a living, and its patina shows

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

33

“The Ford F-Series of
trucks has been the
most popular of all

FORD PICKUP HISTORY

truck models in the

Last year, in an article on a Wānakabased family’s collection of Ford
pickups, editor Quinton Taylor talked
about Henry Ford being credited with
creating the pickup from a Model
T Roadster, successfully selling the
new line of vehicles and coining the
term ‘pickup’.
As Ford released its various models
up until World War II, a pickup was
included with improvements for
comfort. Post-war, car companies were
redesigning their models as an eager
public returned to normal life. The
year 1948 saw Ford release the F-Series
of pickups, a model in its own right,
built on a truck chassis. The venerable
half-ton was termed the ‘F-1’, a far
more coveted term today, and the
three-ton, the ‘F-8’.
This tonnage is the US measure of
carrying capacity in the bed or tray.
For those of you born after 1967, a US
ton is 2000 pounds (lb), or 907kg. (A
UK ton is 2240lb, pretty close to our
metric tonne at 1016kg – Ed.)
In 1954, Ford released a new
model, replacing the F-1 moniker
with ‘F-100’ and a brand-new engine,

US for over 50 years,
with close to a million
selling per annum in
recent decades”

a 3.9-litre V8 producing just over
130bhp (97kW). This new engine
replaced the flat-head V8. Up until
1957, rear mudguards were separate
from the sidewalls, as were the
running boards, and the floor of the
bed was made from timber with steel
strips. In 1957, Ford released another
milestone in pickup truck design, the
‘Styleside’ bed.
This was an all-steel design that
pushed the well-deck walls out to cover
the wheel arches, as in modern utes or
pickups. The Styleside was copied by
other manufacturers and often called
the ‘Fleetside’. It was simpler and
cheaper to make for the manufacturer
and provided a little more load space in
the bed. For 1957, the more traditional
version where the mudguard/wheel
arches, or ‘fenders’ in US terminology,
are visible outside of the truck bed
was named the ‘Flareside’, also called a
‘stepside’ by other manufacturers. This
style was available on a Ford until 2009.
The stepside typically reduces the
carrying capacity of the well-deck, but
it adds a lot of style to the look. The
‘step’ in the term comes from the step
provided to the forward area of the
fender where the bed meets the cab.
Big deck, big loads

34

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

“In 1957, four-wheel-drive
versions were only available
with after-market kits.
From 1959, Ford started
offering factory-made fourwheel-drive versions for the
first time”

4WD AND FOUR DOORS
In 1957, four-wheel-drive versions
were only available with after-market
kits such Napco for Chevrolet and
Marmon-Herrington (M-H) for Ford.
From 1959, Ford started offering
factory-made four-wheel-drive
versions for the first time.
For 1961, a new Ford truck was
released with a much squarer, modern
appearance, which sold well. Ford
went one better in 1966, releasing the
fifth-generation truck with an even
squarer design known to fans and
collectors as the ‘bumpside’ pickup
due to the distinctive bulges on the
sides of the truck bed. This new model
did away with the rounded hood and
had a more angular appearance.
Ford also focused on trucks for the
suburban market with a larger range of
engines and trim levels. Design packages
for the F-100 included the Contractor
Special, the Farm & Ranch Special, and
the Camper Special. F-100s came in
three trim levels: Standard Cab, Custom
Cab, and the Ranger.
The Ranger was the top-of-theline model, with upmarket seats
and carpets, power steering, power
brakes, and even air conditioning.
The ‘Ranger’ name had been used
previously in the late 1950s on Edsels.
By 1982, it became its own model line
in the US as a small pickup, sold in
New Zealand as the ‘Courier’.
The fifth generation also saw for the
first time the Crew Cab option with four
doors, now a standard option in F-150s,
and in the Ranger sold in New Zealand.
The SuperCab was released in 1974,
providing a greater level of storage in the
cab with small seating options. It was
positioned between a Regular Cab and
the Crew Cab.

The sixth generation, released in
1973, looked similar to the fifth but
is known as the ‘dentside’ due to the
long crease along its load-well and cab.
In 1975, Ford released the F-150,
offered alongside the F-100. The key
difference was the weight capacity,
also known as GVW (gross vehicle
weight), being the weight of the vehicle
plus its allowable load. The 1975 Ford
F-100 pickup had a GVW range of
2110–2585kg (4650–5700lb) whereas
the F-150 had a capacity of 2744kg or
6050lb. However, the aftermath of the
global fuel crisis allowed the F-150 to
be categorised as a ‘heavy-duty truck’,
thereby avoiding recently implemented
US emissions regulations. The popularity
of the F-150 continued to grow, and
Ford dropped the F-100 model in 1983.

F-100 VERSUS F-250
Visually, the F-100 and F-250 are
similar. The main difference is the
carrying capacity. The F-100 could carry
1000lb (i.e., a half-ton) in the bed and
be ordered with a six-foot-long (183cm)
or an eight-foot-long (244cm) bed. In
contrast, in 1968, the F-250 could carry
1500lb (three-quarters of a ton) and
only came with an eight-foot-long bed.
The F-250 also came with a thicker
chassis frame, heavier axles, larger
brakes, better suspension, and eight
lugs on the wheels (versus five lugs
on the F-100 version). Back then, the
F-250 cost US$200 more at US$2579
and weighed in at around 136kg
heavier at 1682kg empty.
The Ford F-Series of trucks has

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

35

Ready for rabbits: handy gear-shift

“Attitude is a lit
tle
thing that mak
es
a big differenc
e”
– Winston Chu
rchill

been the most popular of all truck
models in the US for over 50 years,
with close to a million selling per
annum in recent decades.
Chevrolet, Ram, and Toyota also sell
a lot of similar large pickups, making
this type of vehicle in the US the
most popular and most lucrative for
manufacturers. As with our ‘utes’, there
are models now for every consumer
and every taste, with high-powered
sports models; leisure-based models;
and, of course, models for the farm
and blue collar use too. The options
list seems limitless, and every year an
improvement comes along making you
think, How come I didn’t think of that?

UTE VERSUS TRUCK
The word ‘ute’ is short for the word
‘utility’, a term coined in Australia for
its car-based pickup bodies, which
were quickly adopted in New Zealand.
Rough and tough on
the outside but trimmed
nicely on the inside

However, it was in the 1950s that Ford
and Chevrolet first introduced the
ute concept with the Ford Ranchero
and the Chevrolet El Camino. Ford
continued this theme with its Falcon
version in the early 1960s, thereby
exporting the idea to Australia.
The ute is based on a car unibody,
which was stylish but also cheaper to
manufacture. The main difference
visually to the US pickup is that there is
no gap between the bed and the cab in a
ute. The separate unit design on pickup
trucks allows a bit of flex between the
bed and the cab – put too much weight
in the bed of an early ute, and you may
find the doors will either not open or
open on their own. Today, motoring
commentators, retailers, and the public
in Australasia refer to the Ranger, Hilux,
and others as ‘utes’. Technically, this is
incorrect, as these popular vehicles have
separate beds and cabs and thus meet the
definition of ‘pickup truck’.

Daily driver gear-shift is more
acceptable skulled piston

1968 FORD
250 PICKUP
Engine

Modified Ford iron
block big block V8

Capacity

428ci (6700cc)
(over-bored 360ci
[5.9-litre])

Bore/Stroke

102.87mm/
101.09mm

Fuel system

Single Holley
four-barrel Street
Avenger 770cfm
carburettor

Power

370bhp (275kW) at
4400rpm

Torque

547lb·ft (741Nm) at
2400rpm

Transmission

Four-speed manual

Suspension, F/R Twin I-beam
independent, coil
springs, shock
absorbers / Modified
solid rear axle
turned 180 degrees
and lowered with a
US kit
Brakes, F/R

Drum/Drum

Steering

Recirculating ball
bearing

Dimensions:

36

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Wheelbase

131 inches
(3327mm)

Deck length

Eight feet
(2926mm)

Overall length

202.3 inches
(6166mm)

PETE’S F-250
Pete immigrated to Otago from
Britain with his wife and three sons
in 2005. He quickly settled into
the lifestyle that Wānaka offers.
Being a scaffolding expert, it wasn’t
long before he set up his own firm
providing scaffold to the region’s
burgeoning building frontier.
He purchased his big Ford in April
2021, his first foray into US cars, but
he already owned a big black Harley,
so effectively he already had the bug.
The Ford had had one owner from new

in dry-as California. It was imported
by Nathan Joll of Magwarehouse in
Manukau City. Nathan got the truck
complied and registered, and Pete
was the first New Zealand owner and
second owner ever.
The truck was an F-250 with an
eight-foot bed, a 360-cubic-inch
(5.9-litre) factory big block V8 and
four-on-the-floor manual transmission.
It had been largely used to transport a
camper on its bed, and this had been
removed before it was exported. The
truck was in great original condition
and with a ton (or a tonne) of charm

and patina. Pete decided early on to
retain that charm and only improve its
driveability and good looks.
First, local engine expert
Murray Thomas from
Peak Potential Engineworkz stroked
and and bored the V8 to a larger
428ci (seven litres), with new, larger
pistons; a new crank; and a bigger
cam. Flowtech silver metallic ceramiccoated long tube headers were also
added, along with MSD ignition for
reliability.
Cylinder heads and pistons were
machined by Rod’s Engine Services

“The truck had been largely used to transport a
camper on its bed, and this had been removed”

This many cubes will smoke those rear tyres
ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

37

Tailgate still in
great shape

of Dunedin. A 770cfm Holley Street
Avenger four-barrel carburettor was
installed with a K&N four-inch
(102mm) air cleaner on top, along
with a new radiator shroud. Also
added was a 75mm stainless exhaust
by Wanaka Stainless, exiting via port
and starboard ahead of the rear wheels
for a throaty, aggressive sound when
idling and when the accelerator pedal
is depressed.
Pete had the new power plant put
on the dyno at Central Performance
Ltd in Alexandra, with pleasing
results. Horsepower and torque
were up from the 215bhp (169kW)
and 327lb·ft (443Nm) at 2400rpm
that it had left the factory with, to
a much more invigorating 370bhp
(275kW) and 547lb·ft (741Nm) – a
healthy increase.

Pete and his daily workhorse Ford F-250 pickup

38

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Without the weight of the
camper on the back, the truck was
sitting a little high at the rear. After
some research on the internet, Pete
imported a kit from the US for the
rear axle. He turned the rear axle
180 degrees, and now the truck sits
beautifully low, even in the front. It’s a
much-improved stance, both visually
and for handling.

BUSINESS PROMO
Pete had local signwriter Duncan
from Wānaka Signs cleverly paint a
sign reflecting his scaffold business
onto the doors to look as if it has been
there as long as the original faded blue
paint. The result is fantastic and really
helps to advertise the business.
Next, local engineering sultan

Barry Morgan (whose Mercury we
featured a few issues ago) was asked to
manufacture roll bars for the bed to
match the look and age of the truck
and its paint. These also allow Pete to
load up the bed with scaffold and have
it sitting over the cab. The large truck
mirror Pete then added completes
the look.
The interior was showing its
50-plus years of service and the
effects of the blasting heat of
California summers. James Mitchell
of Optimum Trim Ltd, Wānaka,
recovered the seats and dash, while
Pete added his own custom touch,
with silhouettes of Winston Churchill
and a raven both in the cab and under
the hood.
The result is a very usable work
truck that is great for marketing and
with body work that you don’t have to
wash and be worried about every time
you drive it. It sounds great, and Pete
loves to get it out on the road and give
her the occasional squeeze.
These square-body pickups from
the 1960s and 1970s are very popular
both here and in the US, and you can
see why. Their rugged good looks and
capabilities make them the perfect
collector’s vehicle, and parts are
plentiful and cheap in comparison to
other makes and models. „

FATHER’S
DAY
IS COM I NG SOON
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Letters to the Editor

Send your letters to editor@classiccar.co.nz

IN SEARCH
OF THE
BIG CATS

Alan and Margo
Vliet Vlieland’s 1956
Jaguar Mark VIIM,
still in mint condition

2025 will be the 75th anniversary of the MkVII’s introduction at the London Motor Show in October 1950

S

hifting from Auckland to Christchurch,
Richard Waugh has wasted no time
in getting in touch with local Jaguar
enthusiasts.
Hot on the heels of his last letter
seeking out Ngaio Marsh’s elusive Mark V
Jaguar, Richard contacted me again to
announce another project: “A modest
publication on the Mark VII, VIIM, VIII, and
IX cars”.
Richard explained why he was
researching these cars for his book:
“Next year will be 75 years since the
Mark VII was introduced at the London
Motor Show, in October 1950, and
the anniversary gives a good focus to
New Zealand owners of these cars to get
together.”

Dear Editor
75th anniversary of the Jaguar Mark VII
I am hoping readers can help with
stories and photographs of the 1950s
Jaguar flagship saloons; the Mark VII,
VIIM, VIII, and IX cars. The Mark VII,
when introduced in late 1950, was
an advanced sports saloon with the
new twin-cam XK six-cylinder engine.
Along with the XK120 sports car (which
used the same engine and adapted
chassis from the Mark VII) and the 1950s
Le Mans wins, the Mark VII helped
Jaguar establish a new global profile.
Plans are already underway for 75th
anniversary gatherings in late 2025,
including a book on the history of the
cars in New Zealand. It is estimated

A one-piece windscreen distinguishes Mark VIII and IX Jaguars from the VIIs

42

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

that about 1000 cars were imported
over the years by various dealers.
Details of surviving cars are now sought
(including chassis numbers) and stories
and photographs of the various models,
especially when they were new. Any
assistance will be gratefully received.
Please contact me at
richard.waugh.rev@gmail.com.
Come on you ‘barn find’ spotters out
there! I know of a running, often-driven
example of a Mark VII and the possible
location of two others. Send your
photos to editor@classiccar.co.nz if you
have seen any of these big Jaguars.
– Ed.

Book Review

AMERICA’S
GREATEST
ROAD TRIP!
KEY WEST
TO DEADHORSE
By Tom Cotter and Michael Alan Ross (MAR).

PUBLISHED 2023 BY QUARTO.
ISBN 978–0-7603–8106–9. ABOUT $75
REVIEW BY MARK HOMAN

T

om Cotter may be familiar to some of
you as the author of various barn find
books, based on his travels around the
US in search of ‘lost’ automotive treasure.
In this new book he partners with
photographer MAR for a journey they call
‘9000 miles across backroad US’ (even
though they did also drive through parts
of Canada …)
Beginning in Key West, the start of
US-1 in Florida, the aim was to take back
roads as far into Alaska as they could
reach by road which was, you guessed it,
Deadhorse: Ice Road Truckers territory, I
guess. It really was Small Town America
– but without the politics – most of the
way, with many of the places they passed
through obviously having seen better
days. Some locals seemed happy to stay
in their hometown while others were
desperate to leave. Cotter is a gregarious
guy, happy to strike up conversations in
shops, restaurants, and camping grounds,
and to knock on the doors of strangers
whose land might house a barn find or
two. That usually succeeded, whether
it was a Corvair in a collapsed service

station, a Canadian Mercury cab-overengine truck or a Pontiac GTO Judge. Off
the beaten track, North America seems to
include plenty of rather eccentric sights

“The book is strong
photographically; in
particular, some of
MAR’s scenic photos
of locations such as
Watson Lake in the
Yukon are stunning”

too: how about the world’s largest ball
of twine (all 2600km of it!) or a field of
abandoned airliners in Fairbanks, Alaska,
used as parts to keep other old planes in
the air?

People met along the way feature large
in the book; residents, local baristas and
restaurant staff, camping ground owners, a
dirt-track racing family in North Dakota and
other travellers, who include an intrepid
mother and son cycling about 3000
miles! Some of these encounters result in
detailed stories, but I guess that’s all part of
the long-distance experience.
The book is strong photographically; in
particular, some of MAR’s scenic photos
of locations such as Watson Lake in the
Yukon are stunning. I did find the ‘product
placement’ content a bit wearing though.
It was very nice of Ford and Airstream to
lend the duo a new Bronco and a small
camper but constant references to them
(they appear in 35 of the photos too!)
seemed rather overdone.
If you are planning to take such a trip
yourself, this large 192-page hardback
would be an essential travel companion.
Even if you’re not, it’s a fascinating
look at parts of North America that
many travellers would not experience,
with some interesting classic vehicles
thrown in. „

America’s Greatest Road Trip!
book documents 9000-mile
backroad trek to Alaska

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

43

Motorman – 1972 Fiat 125T

Doug Algie
cornering under Paul
Coghill’s Vitesse –
Queenstown

FIAT 125T:
ITALIAN FLIER
The locally inspired Fiat 125T had the competition ingredients to go far, but
its production was short-lived. Donn Anderson got behind the wheel of an
early example in 1972 and was highly impressed by the performance
By Donn Anderson, photos provided by Mike Thomas of the Fiat 125T Collectors and Enthusiast Group

tart with something good,
develop it, and invariably you
will emerge with something
even better. That was the theory
behind New Zealand’s modified
Fiat 125T five decades ago – and
it worked.
It is, however, drawing a long
bow to label this warmed-up fourdoor Italian sedan ‘locally inspired’,
since its origins could be traced to a
South African tuning kit known as
‘Scorpion’. Still, Torino Motors, the
New Zealand Fiat concessionaire at

S

44

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

the time, could see the potential of
the standard 125 and how a special
version could score not only with
buyers but also in the country’s
production saloon car races.
Sales did not quite pan out as
planned, but the local car market
in the ’70s was always difficult to
gauge, and when Kiwi knuckles were
apparently smacked by the factory
back in Italy, the production run
was bound to be limited. No one
could deny, however, that the 125T
was the fastest four-cylinder saloon

“No one could deny,
however, that the
125T was the fastest
four-cylinder saloon
ever assembled in
New Zealand”

ever assembled in New Zealand
until then.
The standard 1608cc twinoverhead-camshaft-engined 125
launched in 1967, and the first
Italian-assembled examples arrived
here the following year. A total of
603,877 would be built before the
model life ended in 1972 – ironically,
the same year that the 125T
was developed.
Back in 1968, I was enthused
after a lengthy 1300km North Island
drive, labelling the standard 125 an
outstanding high-performance saloon,
even if the $3578 price tag was high.
The 4232mm long 125 replaced the
similar-size 1500 sedan that was also
a good class-winning car in its time.
Early 125s imported here had a clock
with a sweep second hand in place
of the much-needed rev counter that
came later, but the intermittent wipers

were a rare standard feature that rival
models lacked.
By the time the 125T arrived four

“I was enthused
after a lengthy
1300km North
Island drive,
labelling the
standard 125 an
outstanding highperformance saloon”

years later, a standard 125 retailed
for $4249 and the 125T $4829 – a
bargain when the modifications and
equipment additions were considered.
Local assembly of the base model
began in 1970, and the following year,
a larger extractor grille appeared on
the rear quarter panels. High-backed
front seats appeared in 1972, and
although the 125T enjoyed a build
programme of just a few months,
the New Zealand–built standard 125
lingered on until 1974, a year after
production ended in Italy.
An Italian-assembled 125 Special
was imported for a couple of years,
featuring a different grille, wheel-arch
mouldings, and horizontally mounted
tail-lights in place of the vertical
units. It had slightly more power
and a higher specification, with cloth
seat inserts, heated rear window, and
sports wheels.

A good turnout of 125Ts at Ohakea

side Stu’s
d Stu Johns be
Dave Murray an
Fiat 125T, 1980

Carter Millen in Fiat 125T

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

45

“The standard
125 was no mean
performer and was
always regarded as a
good driver’s car”
Steve Boyle in his 125T in 2021 – 17 years of ownership

TOOTHED BELT A FIRST
The 1.6-litre power unit in the
standard 125 was apparently the
first production engine to have its
overhead cams driven by a toothed
belt, which the makers applauded,
saying it made servicing easy and
manufacturing both cheap and
efficient. With relatively big valves,
a cross-flow head, and a five-bearing
crankshaft, the engine produced a
conservative and unstressed 67kW.
The livelier 125T would develop an
impressive 93kW – a 39 per cent
increase – while torque improved by
19 per cent from 128Nm at 3400rpm
to 152Nm at a slightly higher
3500 revs.
Top speed went from 164kph to

180kph, while the zero to 100kph
time was cut from 11.0 seconds to
7.9 seconds. Yet this only starts to
tell the story of a car that turned
good handling into an even better
proposition, especially when let loose
on a race track.
An indication of the performance
potential was the Scorpion-modified
125 of Trevor Tapper and Walter Hart
in the 1972 Heatway International
Motor Rally run over North Island
roads. This car was fitted with the
Alconi parts that comprised the
Scorpion kit, with high-compression
pistons, modified camshafts, a higher
compression ratio, and modifications
to the cylinder head. The intake
manifold was modified to accept
twin 40 DCOE side-draught Weber

carburettors. The sum of these changes
resulted in a power output of 95kW
– just slightly more than the 125T
production model that followed a few
months later. A modified Volkswagen
tank boosted the Fiat’s modest 45-litre
standard petrol capacity, and the
125T followed suit with a larger tank
in the boot to cope with long-distance
saloon races.
Alconi had begun development
work on the 125 soon after the
model was introduced, and the
125S Scorpion was marketed by Fiat
franchise holders Pretoria, with full
support from Fiat South Africa.
The Tapper/Hart example was
badly damaged competing in
the production race at the Levin
international in January 1972 and

Steve Boyle’s
New Zealand–built 125T
racing in Australia

46

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

B&H 500, Pukekohe, 1972

required an extensive rebuild for the
Heatway rally, where it had problems
with an overheating engine and
a puncture.
The standard 125 was no mean
performer and was always regarded
as a good driver’s car. The suspension
is conventional enough, with double
wishbones and coil springs up front,
and a rear live axle similar to the
Fiat Dino sports car, with single
radius links mounted ahead of the
axle and long leaf springs. Paul
Currin and Clint Johnson won the
Group 3 class with a 125 in the
50-lap Glenvale Trophy at Bay Park in
June 1972.

GREAT DEBUT IN
PUKEKOHE SALOON
CLASSIC

125T in the 1972 B&H 500. Saloon
champion Paul Fahey teamed up with
1970 Tasman champion Graeme
Lawrence in one of the works
125Ts. Lawrence was having his first
competition outing following his
horrific accident in the New Zealand
Grand Prix eight months before, his
leg still in plaster. However, Fahey
rolled the Fiat in the early stages of the
lengthy race before Lawrence could
take the wheel.
Lawrence had driven a prototype
125T while the car was being
developed and said it looked and
felt highly competitive, praising

“The late Tim Bailey, who
established the successful
Continental Cars
dealership in Auckland,
won his class with a 125T
in the 1972 B&H 500”

A fleet of 125Ts at the Pukekohe 1972 B&H 500

Meanwhile, development of the 125T
was completed only a few weeks
before the 1972 Benson & Hedges
(B&H) 500 at Pukekohe, the race in
which the car made its mark. Ten were
entered and the Fiat scooped its class
and finished third, fourth, fifth, and
10th overall. No major problems arose
from the lengthy production race,
and Torino Motors seemed assured
of building the requisite 200 units
needed for the model to qualify for the
Castrol GTX production series.
The late Tim Bailey, who
established the successful
Continental Cars dealership in
Auckland, won his class with a
ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

47

“The 125Ts were prepared
Doug Algie at the first of two Telecom Classic Motorfest events, held in 1993 and 1994, Hamilton

and assembled at the
Performance Development
operation run by Ray Stone
and Dennis Marwood”

Strong bottom end
on Fiat 125 motor

48

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Torino Motors for the time, money,
and effort it put into the project.
Peter Hughes at Town & Country
Cars / Torino Motors was instrumental
in developing the 125T. Peter raced
a Daimler SP250 V8–engined Lotus
25/33 in 1969, and later campaigned
a Lotus 41B, Begg FM2, Brabham
BT18, and Brabham BT29. He also
won the New Zealand Formula Ford
Championship for the 1973/’74 season.
The 125Ts were prepared and
assembled at the Performance
Development operation run by
Ray Stone and Dennis Marwood.
Improvements from standard
consisted of livelier camshafts with a
wide power output, modified cylinder
head, twin Dellorto side-draught
carburettors or the equivalent Webers,
revised inlet manifold, and straightthrough exhaust, although the exhaust
manifold remained standard.
Metal Shapers in Hamilton
manufactured the inlet manifold;
the neat fibreglass air cleaner was
produced by Auto Research, also
Waikato based; and the 5.5Jx13
alloy wheels were an inch wider than
the standard rims. Boot space in a
standard 125 was always slightly
compromised by the 45-litre fuel
tank. Luggage accommodation in
the 125T was further restricted by its
much larger 77-litre tank, but that

obviously meant fewer pit stops in
long-distance races.

DISTINCTIVE BRIGHT
YELLOW PAINTWORK
You could not miss one of these special
Fiats, since they all came with bright
yellow paintwork and looked a lot closer
to the ground. Indeed, the car was
lowered two inches, and, while the front
shock absorbers were standard, those
at the rear were heavier duty. The front
springs were stiffer, and when heavily
laden with four or five occupants, the
125T was inclined to bottom out.
The grille was matte black (and
flaking off on the test car that I reviewed
in 1972), and there were 125T badges
front and rear. Bumper over-riders were
removed, and the rear panel below the
boot lid was finished in matte black.
Those bright, polished, drilled alloy
wheels provided better cooling, and the
front brake backing plate was bent out to
benefit air flow. The equaliser valve at the
rear was adjusted to compensate for the
lower suspension.
The demonstrator example that we
tested was well finished and painted,
although all four doors required a hefty
slam in contrast to an easily shut boot
lid. The boot admitted a fair amount of
dust after about 40km of loose metal
motoring. There were no additional

instruments, and the lack of an oilpressure gauge was lamented. Apart
from the comfortable and supportive
high-back PVC-trimmed front seats and
a two-spoke sporting steering wheel,
the 125T interior was unchanged from
the standard version. Early 125Ts had a
wood-rim steering wheel, later replaced
by a polished steel–spoke wheel with
plastic rim, both inherited from the Fiat
850 Coupé.
Front seat accommodation is good,
while rear seat occupants feel restricted
by the large, rake-adjuster front seats.
The square shape means that the 125
has plenty of headroom, driver elbow
space is generous, and fore and aft seat
movement is plentiful. Low-geared
window winders are somewhat tiresome.
Pop the front-hinged bonnet and there
is little room to work in the short engine
bay, and access to some components is
difficult. With a warmed engine, it is
tricky to retrieve the oil dipstick from
between the two carburettors without
burning your hand. The cam belt requires
a check at 40,000km and replacement at
60,000km, while all suspension joints are
sealed for life.
Both the large speedometer and
rev counter are clearly visible – a good
thing given the willingness of the

Steve Grant leading Doug Algie in
their 125Ts, Queenstown, 1992

Dunedin street race

engine. Clearly, the power unit has
been carefully fettled, given the speed
at which the revs rise. Initially, the test
example 52 years ago felt lethargic until
we spotted a broken nylon accelerator
cable on the bulkhead.
Once this was rectified, the Fiat
displayed its true mettle. You suspect
the urge is going to be good by the
noisy exhaust that some road-going
owners may find intrusive. The engine
can be fussy at slow speeds, and an
intermittent low rev mixture causes
less-than-smooth transport. On a few
occasions, at moderate speeds the 125T
was reluctant to pull away on hills, and
happier on the open road instead of at
pottering speeds.

“Clearly, the
power unit has
been carefully
fettled, given the
speed at which the
revs rise”

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

49

Donn having fun
on

slippery gravel

Little twin-cam provides sparkling performance

A CLASS-LEADING
PERFORMER
At 100kph in top or fourth gear, the
Fiat is turning a fairly high 3500 revs,
but it is reasonably flexible. No
changes were made to the gearing,
although the fitting of 165 section
radials in place of 175s slightly lowers
the overall final gearing. Put pedal
to the metal, and the performance
is nothing if not impressive. The
car snakes away from the line with
plenty of wheelspin, rapidly reaching
6500rpm in all gears. On the
Pukekohe circuit, the 125T would
pull between 6000 and 6700rpm
in top gear. During the lengthy
production race, one of the Fiats ran
to 6800rpm in fourth – a genuine
177kph and a substantial increase on
the standard 125’s 164kph.
In its day, the 125T was a flier
provided revs were kept above
2500rpm, and mid-range torque and
response was rapid enough to see
off most cars. The short gear lever
is handy and easy to use – a good
thing, since the 6200rpm red line is
rapidly breached.
At open road speeds, steering is

50

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

“In its day, the 125T
was a flier provided
revs were kept above
2500rpm”
light and positive, although it becomes
a little heavy at parking speeds. The
unassisted Fiat worm-and-roller
steering is geared to 3.6 turns of the
steering wheel from lock to lock.
Wind and engine noise remains
moderate at high speed, and the
exhaust crackle intrudes somewhat as
speeds rise. Subtle suspension changes
do wonders for the car’s handling and
road holding, and while the ride is
firm and somewhat choppy, it is rarely
uncomfortable. There is virtually
no body roll and gone is the sledgy
understeer of the standard 125.
On gravel and loose surface
roads, the 125T feels well balanced
and predictable. Given the right
conditions, the Fiat is happy cruising

between 120 and 150kph, with
handling capabilities equal to the
impressive engine performance. In allround driving, the car is about 10 per
cent thirstier than a standard 125, and
it is only the poor town and urban
running and noisy exhaust preventing
the Italian from being an all-round
’70s beauty.
Had it not been for lack of a
collapsible steering column, the
car may well have been exported to
Australia. About 1000 standard Fiat
125s were sold in New Zealand. Final
production numbers of the 125T are
vague, but perhaps only around 80
of the intended 200 units were built.
Seeking a genuine example today is
akin to locating a needle in a haystack.
In our test of a near-new example
in 1972, we headlined the Fiat
‘Furious’ with the 39 per cent power
boost turning the car into a startling
sporting saloon that would shut
down a Lotus Cortina or an Alfa
Romeo 1750 with ease, coupled
with an ability to reach 100kph
from a standstill almost two seconds
faster. It is an indecently quick and
special sporting Fiat that deserves to
be remembered. „

1939 Rolls-Royce Wraith

THE PLEASURE
OF DRIVING
When Simon started researching the history of his 1939
Rolls-Royce Wraith during its restoration, he was unprepared for
the royal connections that he discovered
By Christopher Moor, photography by Ross de Rouffignac

52

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Louis’s suicide doors and a running
board wide enough to display
Ellerslie Classic Car Show trophies

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

53

Refurbished walnut and burr walnut veneer dashboard

“Simon has named
the car ‘Louis’, after
Lord Mountbatten”

delighted Simon Manning got
his wish to be a Rolls-Royce
owner on 6 July 2011. After
looking for some time and making
unsuccessful bids on several other
Rolls-Royces, he won his prized 1939
Wraith in a US-based online auction.
Miles Miller, who had owned the
saloon from the late 1970s, supplied
him with all the information that
he had on the car but that didn’t
include who else had owned the car
in America or how and when it was
purchased from the British Admiralty
in Malta. The events of the Wraith’s
missing years are being actively
pursued by the tenacious Simon.

A

ROYAL HISTORY

Lord Louis Mountbatten

54

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

“I had no idea of the royal connections
until I started researching its history,”
says Simon.
Its life started with a suitably blueblooded instigation. The Maharajah of
Gwalior (1916–1961) ordered the car
on 19 June 1939 from Hendry Brothers,
Salisbury House, London. He cancelled
the order on 4 August 1942 – why is
unknown, although extremely limited
shipping space during World War II
might have been a factor.
The Rolls-Royce Wraith line
made its debut at the London Motor
Show in October 1938. Rolls-Royce
produced 492 Wraith chassis prior to

the declaration of World War II on
3 September 1939, 491 of them sent
to coach-builders as rolling chassis.
A few became complete cars during
the war years, but unsold cars went
into storage to await buyers. Simon’s
Wraith chassis, No. WEC12, went
to Windovers in London where an
aluminium body was fitted. The
Ministry of War Transport received
delivery on 4 July 1944 and it went
into storage as a replacement car, in
case one of the Royal Family’s cars
were destroyed in the bombing.
At the conclusion of hostilities,
the car was shipped to Malta
in 1945 for use by Lord Louis
Mountbatten and other naval
commanders. Simon has named the
car ‘Louis’ after Lord Mountbatten
(1900–1979), a second cousin of
King George VI (1895–1952).
He was also a second cousin once
removed of Princess Elizabeth, later
Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022), and
the maternal uncle of her husband,
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
(1921–2021).
Before becoming queen, Princess
Elizabeth lived in Malta from 1949 to
1951 as a navy wife, after Prince Philip
received a posting there as a lieutenant
in the Royal Navy. Princess Elizabeth
certainly rode in the car in Malta. After
service in Malta, the car was sold to
an American and then to Miles Miller,

Dave Wilkens (left) and
Simon Manning (right) preparing
Louis for photographs

Cadillac first. New Zealand Classic Car
featured the hearse’s transformation
from a near wreck to an American
beauty in The Ultimate Ride in the
December 2021 issue, No. 372.

SIMON’S CAR

who sold the car to Simon through
Celebrity Cars in Las Vegas. Louis
was shipped to Wellington in 2011,
where it went straight from the wharf
to Dave (David) Wilkens and his able
crew at Bristols in Upper Hutt for
restoration. Simon says that he trusts
Dave implicitly.
Dave and his staff became his

friends during the restoration of the
recently retired funeral director’s
1959 Cadillac hearse. Simon had
interrupted the restoration of his
esteemed Wraith after taking delivery
of the hearse in 2013. He chose to
invest first in a future business asset
over what would be his personal
car, green-lighting restoration of the

1939 ROLLS-ROYCE WRAITH
Engine

4257cc in-line six

Max. power

94kW

Max. torque

29Nm

Transmission

Four-speed manual, single-plate clutch

Suspension, F/R

Independent, closed-coil / Semi-elliptic leaf-spring

Brakes, F/R

Rod-operated drum / Rod-operated drum; enginepowered mechanical servo-assist

Accessories

On-board mounted hydraulic jacks

Louis arrived in New Zealand looking
quite American, with whitewall tyres
and two-tone paint – a mid-light
grey lower body, and the mudguards,
bonnet, and boot painted black. The
car now sports a black ceramic painted
body, new black tyres, a completely
refurbished interior, a stripped down
and rebuilt engine, and surely looks
as it did on arrival at the Ministry of
War Transport in 1944, if not better.
Louis the car has his own website,
wec12.co.nz, that tells his story from
new to completed restoration. Simon
and Dave spent uncounted hours
searching for the film footage and
photos published on the website, and
Simon has thoroughly researched the
historical content.

Union Flag flying from
the Spirit of Ecstasy

Dimensions:
Wheelbase

3454mm

Length

5150mm

Width

1870mm

Kerb weight

Approx. 1.9 tonnes

Tyres

Firestone 600/650-17

Performance:
Max. speed

137kph

0–80kph

16.4s

Fuel consumption

35 litres/100km

‘Windovers’ plaques above the
running board under the front doors

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

55

A happy Simon Manning
with Ellerslie awards

“Louis came home with
second prize in the
Masters Class, much to
Simon’s joy”

The Queen and Prince Philip made
a tour of Malta in 1954 with their
older children Prince Charles, now
King Charles III, and Princess Anne.
Prince Charles and Princess Anne
are seen getting into the car in Pathé
newsreel footage on the website.
Their mother is shown with the car
in a photo from 1950, when she lived
in Malta. Simon named the website
‘WEC12’ after Louis’s chassis number,
and has ‘WEC12’ on the personalised
plates that he imported from England.
They were chosen to maintain Louis’s
thoroughly British appearance. Simon
says Dave would know more about the
restoration than he does. “In saying
that, he [Louis] was stripped down to
his chassis and everything was polished
and, if required, was replaced or made
from scratch.”
Simon believes that bringing Louis
back to its original state required more
work than did the Cadillac hearse.

DRIVING LOUIS

Folded jump seat each side of the storage cupboard

56

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

“I was over the moon when I was able
to collect Louis a couple of weeks
before Christmas [2023], and I drove
him to my sister’s on Christmas Day.
I have driven him to friends in
Whanganui, and to Foxton, and he
truly is a pleasure to drive. I can’t

believe I’m driving an 85-year-old
car. The gear change is so smooth, no
clunking, and there is so much power
there. When Louis stops, he is truly so
quiet. I’ve read that the 1939 Wraith
was the quietest of all Rolls-Royces
produced, and I can quite believe it. I
can hardly hear it when idling in the
garage,” Simon enthuses.
He purrs when Louis gets stared
at when out for a spin. “Everyone
stops and looks. Even the children
who I would have thought wouldn’t
have known what sort of car it is,
can be seen mouthing the words
‘Rolls-Royce’. A lot of drivers toot
as they pass or wave out, and I
toot back.”
If Simon parks up, people
congregate to ask him about Louis and
what model he is. “Everyone seems
to smile when they see him,” says his
proud owner, who enjoys sharing his
joy with others through the smiles
Louis brings to them.
“I guess that when we see
something 85 years old in beautiful
condition, it just brings a smile to the
face. He most certainly has the wow
factor,” says Simon.
A few days before our photo shoot,
Dave Wilkens, his partner Jen, and
work colleague James transported
the car to Auckland and back for

“I love every moment of
riding in a chauffeur-driven
Rolls-Royce that once
transported the King”

Rear window blind keeps the sun off both royal and commoner necks

Call the chauffeur

the Ellerslie Classic Car Show, on an
open trailer with a front-end cover to
protect it from stone chips. Cleaned
and polished after his 633km ride, and
looking his usual pristine self at the
show, Louis came home with second
prize in the Masters Class, much to
Simon’s joy.
Now, Dave leads the way in
his white van to an undisclosed
northern Upper Hutt location
for the photos, with Simon,
photographer Ross de Rouffignac,
and I following in Louis. Ross and
I have worked together on many
classic car articles over the years for
New Zealand Classic Car, and this time,
we don’t know where we are going for
the photos in advance. Later, Ross says
he thinks that I was being too trusting.
I have since found out Simon didn’t
know where we were going either,
proving to me why he trusts Dave
completely.
Simon winds down the glass
partition between passengers and driver
before we start on our mystery tour.

The trafficators pop out, stirring
memories of childhood car rides

I remember my parents saying to me
that going for a ride in a car was the
only way they knew to stop me from
talking. This trip does the same for
me. I love every moment of riding in
a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce that
once transported the King. The ride
is quiet and smooth, as Simon said it
would be. I’d describe what I see from
the comfy rear seat as very slightly raised
and looking down on the landscape
with an uninterrupted view. It is as if I
am seeing the world from a luxurious

mobile sitting room. Dave has chosen
a location with an English look most
suitable for photographing a 1930s,
post-vintage British saloon. While
Ross photographs Simon with Louis
and his trophies from Auckland, Dave
tells me the restoration has been “a
labour of love” for him and his staff.
The answer is “No, no, no” when
Simon is asked if there will be any
more classic restorations in his future.
“I don’t know if I would have done
it if I’d known the cost … It will be
around in 100 years, thanks to the
extraordinary restoration,” he says.
Simon has now retired to Otago
where he is wished a long and happy
retirement driving Louis.

FUTURE-PROOFING
Built at Derby in rolling-chassis
form for just two years (1938 and
1939), the Wraith was a further
example of Rolls-Royce’s propensity
for names conjuring up feelings of
stealth, silence, gracious progress.
Trusted English coach-builders
such as HJ Mulliner & Co.,
James Young Limited, and
Hooper & Co. were supplied with
Big smoothie:
the rebuilt
4.3-litre engine

STATELY PROGRESS
Sitting in Louis unlocks childhood
memories for me of riding in cars with
running boards and their trafficators,
or flickers, popping out when turning.
ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

57

The folding jump seats are in the same Bedford
cord fabric as the back seats

Armrest in the middle operated by controls each side of rear seat

“The Wraith, taking its
name from an old Scottish
word meaning ‘ghost’,
would be Rolls-Royce’s
foray into modernity”

Front seats in soft black leather

known in New Zealand from the 1950s
as the supplier of bus bodies on AEC
chassis that were used exclusively for
some years by various operators such
as the Christchurch Transport Board,
which used them for its fleet of big red
buses. The Rolls-Royce aero engine
division was exceeding expectations,
but there were increasing challenges,
especially from US manufacturers such
as Packard, Cadillac, and Chrysler.

LEADING TECHNOLOGY
chassis for customers and received
vehicles with those firms’ own
distinctive styles from their creators.
Despite the tough economic times of
the 1930s, Rolls-Royce acquired the
firm of Park Ward, giving the company
the ability to build complete cars.
Park Ward would later become well-

To counter the threat to its
traditional coach-building and
engine-manufacturing techniques,
Rolls-Royce sent its chief chassis
engineer, William Robotham, to the
US in 1934 to study how this was
being done. It soon became apparent
to Robotham that Rolls-Royce did

not need to manufacture everything
in-house; other firms could create
various assemblies at the required level
of quality, efficiently, and at less cost.
The Wraith, taking its name from an old
Scottish word meaning ‘ghost’, would
be Rolls-Royce’s foray into modernity,
also taking engineering cues from the
Phantom III (1936–1939), such as
independent front suspension based on
Packard’s 120 model, adjustable shock
absorbers, and hydraulic jacks to ease life
for the chauffeur when servicing or in
the instance of a chance puncture. There
was a riveted chassis instead of the usual
welded construction and considerable
attention was paid to weight saving
and strength. Its 4.3-litre alloy-block
six-cylinder engine was a development
of the previous 25/30hp model. No
longer was engine starting a tedious
juggle of advance and retard controls on
the steering wheel; everything was now
done at the touch of a starter button. An
engine-driven servo brake system was
used, based on a Hispano-Suiza design
made under licence by Rolls-Royce.
A total of 491 examples (492
chassis) had been completed by the
time World War II intervened in
1939, but 16 pre-war Wraith chassis
provided a great start for Rolls-Royce’s
1946 introduction of new Bentley and
Roll-Royce Silver Wraith models.

A BIT OF A STAR

Glassed-in number plate

58

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

The Wraith has also made it onto
the silver screen, with appearances
in My Favorite Brunette (1947) and
Johnny Dangerously (1984), and an
example featured in episodes of
the television series The Man From
UNCLE and the vampire movie series
Turncoats (2015). „

Classic

BALL JOINTS

KONI SHOCKS

SWAY BAR BUSHES

BODY / SUBFRAME

KYB SHOCKS

SWAY BAR LINKS

MOUNTS

PITMAN ARMS

TIE ROD ENDS

BUMP STOPS

RACK ENDS

WHEEL HUBS &

COUPLINGS

SILICONE HOSES

WHEEL BEARINGS

ENGINE MOUNTS

SPRINGS

HARMONIC BALANCERS

STRUT MOUNTS

H&R SPRINGS

SUPERPRO BUSH KITS

IDLER ARMS

SUSPENSION ARMS

KING SPRINGS

SUSPENSION BUSHES

S

e
p

l
a
ci

s
t
is

We resume the story of British sports car maker Sydney Allard, a pioneer
in the field of amalgamating big American V8s with nimble British sports
chassis, who led the way for Shelby, Jensen, Bristol, and the Rootes Group
By Jim Richardson, photography by Jim Richardson

ydney Allard, set up in a Ford
dealership by his father, made
his name as a designer, racing
enthusiast, and one of the earliest drag
racing exponents in the UK using a
formula that proved irresistible and
virtually all-conquering.
Nearly all of his creations were
equipped with American V8s. The
standard unit was the 21-stud Ford
flat-head. However, some customers

S

60

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

opted for the 24-stud Mercury flathead, which was bored and stroked to
produce 140 horsepower (104kW).
Many Allards, especially those
exported to the US, were fitted with
Cadillac, Oldsmobile, or Chrysler
Hemi engines.
Dan and Donna Thompson’s P1
has a 239-cubic-inch (ci) (3916cc)
Mercury V8 Canadian truck engine in
it, fitted with Edelbrock aluminium

heads, three Stromberg 97 twobarrel carburettors, and performance
exhaust headers.
If you peer under the front ends
of most Allards, what you will see is
essentially a solid Ford truck front axle
cut in half, with the two halves bolted
to the front of a cross-member in the
centre. This provided a sort of semiindependent front suspension.
The front wheels did move up

Lovely sounding Mercury ‘flattie’

1951 ALLARD P1
Engine

Iron block
Mercury flat-head
V8 (Canada)

Capacity

239ci (3916cc)

Bore/Stroke

80.96mm/
95.25mm

Max. power

86kW (standard;
feature car’s triple
carburettors and
better flowing
exhaust headers
give more)

Comp. ratio

6.15:1 (standard;
Edelbrock higher
compression
heads fitted in
feature car)

Fuel system

Three Stromberg
97 carburettors

Transmission

Three-speed
manual

and down separately, so at least
wheel ‘tramp’ – a situation in
which one wheel telegraphs its
reaction to a bump across a solid
axle to the other wheel, resulting in
alternating bouncing that looks like
Charlie Chaplin’s signature rocking
waddle – was eliminated. But it was
not, by any means, independent
front suspension.
Drivers had to put up with swing

axles that caused the front wheels
to tuck under during acceleration
and splay out during braking when
the weight of the car was transferred
forward, causing challenging handling
peculiarities. The later post-war
Allards had parallel pivots for the
swing axles, which mitigated the
handling problems to some extent, but
this design was only adopted after a
determined effort on the part of Allard

Suspension, F/R Cut beam axle
and centrebeam pivoted,
cross-mounted
leaf spring /
Ford differential,
trailing links and
coils (modified);
telescopic shock
absorbers
Steering

Marles worm-andfollower

Brakes, F/R

Drum/Drum;
hydraulically
operated

Performance:
Top speed

136kph (standard)

0–100kph

24s

Sydney Allard introduced
drag racing to Europe

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

61

Carroll Shelby in No. 11

“Shelby campaigned
a J2X during the
entire 1953 racing
season and came to
appreciate the havoc
that big American
V8 torque and
brute horsepower
could wreak”

buffs to go to more sophisticated
front suspension.
Would-be buyers expressed
concerns about the primitive front
set-up, but Allard saw it as a simple
system that was rugged, as well as easy
and inexpensive to produce. Whenever
customer concerns came up, he would
retort that he took a third-place finish
at Le Mans in 1950 and won the
Monte Carlo Rally outright in 1952,
so it couldn’t be that bad. For good
measure, he would also point out
that he passed legendary Formula 1
champion Juan Fangio, who was
driving a single-seater Cooper Bristol
at an Easter Goodwood meeting
as well.
The rear end set-up in the Allard
was a bit anachronistic too. It consisted
of a pre-1948 Ford differential with the
axle tubes removed, and inboard drum
brakes added. Suspension consisted of
the pre-1949 Ford transverse semielliptical leaf spring. As primitive as
this was, handling was surprisingly
good. And for extra consideration, an
Allard Quick Change differential was

Shelby J2X

62

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

also available that was likely a copy of
the original Halibrand units popular
in the US.

CARROLL CONNECTION
Hearing and seeing the big, thundering
Allards from the late ’40s and early
’50s is much like hearing one of
Carroll Shelby’s awesome 1960s
Cobras strut its stuff a decade or so
later. In fact, the J2X Allards were the
direct inspiration for Shelby’s later
creations. Shelby campaigned a J2X
during the entire 1953 racing season
and came to appreciate the havoc that
big American V8 torque and brute
horsepower could wreak with the
European competition in a race.
Shelby’s Cobras had primitive
suspension as well, and were actually
sort of a cross between an American
dirt-track sprint car and a British AC
Ace, but they managed to rub a lot of
the continent’s competitors’ noses in it,
and were a brilliant success on and off
the track in the 1960s.
Sydney Allard’s brawlers were the

1960 Allard Chrysler dragster, now at
the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu

SYDNEY BRINGS DRAG RACING TO EUROPE
Sydney Allard was captivated by the
US drag racing scene, and, in 1960, he
imported a legendary Chrysler 354ci
(5800cc) Hemi engine fitted with a GMC
6-71 supercharger. Using an American
Chris Karamesines ‘Chizler’ ‘rail’, he built
Europe’s first dragster and introduced the
sport in the UK.
For fuel, his dragster used methanol
plus a small quantity of acetone. The
Chrysler Hemi produced 480bhp
(358kW) at 5000rpm on a compression
ratio of 8:1 with a max boost of 20psi.

Maximum torque was 550 pound
feet (745kW) at 3000rpm, modest by
today’s standards.
The Allard Chrysler was first
demonstrated at Brands Hatch
racing circuit in 1961, then at a press
demonstration at Silverstone. The first
public run was at the Brighton Speed
Trials in 1961, followed by various
meetings in 1962, achieving 10-second
quarters at 150mph (240kph).
Las Vegas speed shop owner
Dante Duce challenged Allard to a drag

race, and they appeared at Silverstone
raceway in 1963. Duce used a Dean Moon
600bhp 350ci (447kW 5735cc) Chevrolet
V8 dragster, ‘Mooneyes’. Then at the 58th
Brighton Speed Trial, they were joined by
Mickey Thompson in a Ford V8 dragster,
the ‘Harvey Aluminium Special’.
To get people into the sport, Allard
sold a dragster kit, the Allard Dragon.
Sydney’s son Alan also drove the
Allard Chrysler. Sydney died in 1966, the
same year that Santa Pod, the home of UK
drag racing, opened in Bedfordshire.

Sydney Alla
rd

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

63

result of a synthesis of American
muscle and British ingenuity
that resulted in some of the most
exciting sports cars of all time. Of
course, similar things had been
done during the ’30s when Britain’s
Alvis imported big Hudson sixes
to power their offerings but never
before had it been done with such
panache. Out of this unholy alliance
came not just the inspiration for
the Cobra but other later brawny
American automotive beasts too,
such as the solid-axle Corvettes, and
still later, the Dodge Vipers.

Allard name meant speed, usually with a V8

A P1 RESTORED
Dan and Donna’s P1, though utilising
essentially the same early narrowed Ford
chassis and running gear of the J2 racers,
was intended primarily for street use.
Their particular P1 is a sporty-looking
roadster, but most of the P1s produced
were closed saloons. And while the
J2X had an aluminium body, the P1
was mostly steel, with an aluminium
bonnet. The P1 is still very much a highperformance sports car that would hold
its own in a hay-bale race at the local
airfield, though it is cushy, comfortable,
and well behaved on the motorway.
Dan has lavished a lifetime of love
and attention primarily on American
classics, but owning an Allard had
been a lifelong goal. His father had a
J2 when Dan was a boy, and he had
always admired it. The opportunity
to own a P1 finally presented itself in
the form of a much-neglected roadster

“Bruce McLaren,
arguably the
greatest Kiwi driver
of them all, raced
one at the beginning
of his career”

THE MOTHER OF ALL
COBRAS
that he found mouldering away in a
shed used to house chickens. It took
him two years to restore it, and he had
to fabricate new doors and a bonnet
from scratch, plus strip the car to bare
metal to make the necessary repairs,
but today the fit and finish are superb,

Leather and wood
complete the ’50s
British sports car

64

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

and the paintwork is deep enough to
walk into and sit down.
In the process of restoring his dream
car, Dan added a few minor touches
that enhance the Allard’s appearance
and reliability, such as recessed 1959
Cadillac tail-lights and a beautifully
designed set of side vents below the
bonnet and in front of the cowl –
because the old Ford flat-heads have a
tendency to run hot, and because the
car seemed to need some nice accents
on its sides. I am sure Sydney would
approve were he here today.

After all, Allards were limitedproduction, semi-hand-built,
sometimes one-off creations,
assembled largely from spare parts
from a Ford dealership, though the
results were cleverly engineered and
beautiful. And they won their share
of races, back when the drivers were
fat and the tyres were skinny. Even
Bruce McLaren, arguably the greatest
Kiwi driver of them all, raced one
at the beginning of his career. And
thanks to American racer and car
maker Carroll Shelby, they really were
the mother of all Cobras.
After a delightful afternoon
with two of the most charming and
delightful motorheads I have met
in years, culminating in a long chat
sitting in their beautiful lounge
munching snacks and coffee, I
reluctantly take my leave. As my
humble Honda wends down their
long, beautiful drive, we pass a pink
1957 Cadillac stretch limousine, a
sample of the Thompsons’ yard art. It
is a day I won’t soon forget. „

1974 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000

Alfa Romeo’s Spider is about as classic as you can get in a two-seat sports car, it’s
combination of great looks, fine engineering and driver appeal mean many of
those ensnared can never escape
By Ian Parkes, photography by Ian Parkes

here is something serene
about Donald Osborne’s long
relationship with his Spider;
he has always been a fan of Alfas, but
this has the kind of charm of someone
reunited with a high school sweetheart.
Italian cars, and especially Alfas, have
always had the X-factor for Donald,

T

66

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

their style, often advanced technology,
and driving spirit raising them above
the other cars of his youth.
But then Alfa Romeos have always
had a band of especially devoted owners
who have kept more than their share
of them alive and going strong, even if
they were even more prone to rust than

most of their contemporaries.
Their sheer character – their sweet
lines, enthusiastic and rorty engines,
odd driving position, and even their
reputation for needing careful nursing
just to keep them from self-destructing
– meant they could never simply be just
another car.

Timeless clean lines

The ageless Alfa

Some models, like the celebrated Alfa
Sud, made in the south of Italy where
rain was so scarce that it didn’t rate
as something worth guarding against,
simply dissolved too fast for their oftenyoung owners to keep up with. Though
the Suds introduced many to the concept
of front-wheel-drive cars that handled
brilliantly and flat-four engines that sang
mezzo-soprano, they were cheap, and
body repairs have always been expensive.
Luckily, the more deluxe sporting
coupés and roadsters built in Milan were
always a bit special, so they were generally
owned by people who had the means
to commit to their survival. In the mid
to late ’70s, when Donald’s era of car
ownership began, the Alfas of the ’50s,
’60s, and ’70s were already appreciated
as stone-cold classics, and they had – in
fact, still have – one of the most vibrant
owners’ clubs supporting them.

“The more
deluxe
sporting
coupés and
roadsters
built in Milan
were always a
bit special”
Spider, circa 1970 (photo: Jamie Hodgson, Hulton Archive)

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

67

Essential sports car styling

AROC AND A HARD PLACE

“Alfas’ supposed frailty
didn’t apply to the potent
in-line four-cylinder twincam engine”

Alfa crested wing mirror

68

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

While many car owners might be
put off by the lonely responsibility
of owning a reputedly fragile car,
those who took the plunge often
found themselves members of an
incredibly supportive brotherhood
in the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of
New Zealand (AROC).
The cars’ sporting nature helped
enormously, which meant that the
usual club runs were often spiced with
a healthy dose of track days, both local
and national, introducing members
to a wide range of expert help and
friendships, frequently reinforced, that
have lasted a lifetime.
While the fortunes of car clubs
wax and wane, the AROC has always
been strong. The social side of the
three-day May Madness usually held
at Manfeild, is legendary. It would
also incentivise owners of languishing
garage projects back into action, just
to attend.
Alfas’ supposed frailty didn’t apply
to the potent in-line four-cylinder
twin-cam engine that powered many
of the cars of the ’60s and ’70s. Many
an Alfa would be driven to the track,
thrashed around it all weekend, and
then driven home at the end.
The membership is also supported
by a number of Alfa tuning oracles
around the country, including
members who turned their enthusiasm
into full-time Alfa parts or other
specialist businesses.
Donald wasn’t one for risking his

pride and joy jousting on the track,
but travelling down from Auckland,
often in fast convoy, meant that he
could also appreciate other Alfas in
their element. Then he got to talk
Alfas all weekend as well. He says
that the Alfa club and contact with
like-minded fans has long nurtured his
appreciation of the marque.
His garage has suitable motoring
memorabilia and his library is replete
with books on Alfas, and others on
mostly Italian marques. There’s no
doubt that he has absorbed them over
many a quiet evening.
As with a lot of car makers of the
era, Alfa Romeo’s models would evolve
or be modified on the fly, and Alfa
was quite cavalier with its naming
conventions, appropriating different
names, even giving them different
meanings to suit the logic of the
moment. Donald can easily and gently
set the record straight on any point
of contention.
The Spider has an illustrious
role in the history of Alfa Romeo
as a light, sporting convertible with
attractive lines; it is the very essence of
a sports car. Styled by Pininfarina, the
new-for-1966, 105 series Alfa Romeo
1600 Spider was a radically modern
design that had to take on the mantle
of the fabulously successful 1950s and
early ’60s 101 series Giulietta and
Giulia Spiders. Its advanced technical
specification included an aluminium
twin-cam engine, Weber carburettors,
a five-speed gearbox, and disc brakes
all round.

Donald at the wheel

“The car’s handling
equalled any
independently-sprung
rivals at the time and was
still being praised into
the 1990s”
Weighing only 955kg due
to the lightweight aluminium
engine, gearbox, and diff castings,
performance from the original 1600cc
four-cylinder engine was sprightly. It
was the foundation of a near 30year dynasty. The car remained in
production until 1994, because the
fundamentals were just so right. While
it has a live rear axle, combined with
coil springs and shock absorbers,
the car’s handling equalled any
independently-sprung rivals at the
time and was still being praised into
the 1990s. More than 120,000 people
bought Alfa Romeo Spiders over those
28 years.

Today, the 105 Spiders (‘115’
in the US) are effectively grouped
in four series, with engine options
ranging from 1300 to 2000cc. The
biggest change occurred in 1969,
when the Kamm-tail coda tronca, or
‘short tail’, design was introduced to
reduce the drag coefficient, following
the aerodynamic principles of
Dr Wunibald Kamm.

TINGLES IN THE WEB
So why a 1974 Spider? To be sure,
there are other Alfas that Donald
would own if he had the opportunity,
but this one came up in 2005.

“A friend called one day to say
an early Spider had been taken
in as a trade-in on another car at
Continental Cars,” he recalls.
“Immediately, I went round and
saw this 1974 Alfa Romeo Spider. I
wasn’t too surprised it was left-handdrive, as there weren’t too many righthand-drive ones sold in New Zealand.
“The car had spent its early years
in California and didn’t seem to have
any rust. Although I didn’t hear the
car running, I was quite keen to see if
I could buy it.”
Donald knew that any engine issues
would be easier to sort than a dodgy
body, and left-hand drive simply meant

1974 ALFA ROMEO
SPIDER 2000
Engine

Four-cylinder twin-cam

Capacity

1962cc

Bore/Stroke

84mm/88.5mm

Max. power

96kW

Max. torque

176Nm

Comp. ratio

9:1

Fuel system

Spica mechanical
fuel injection (feature
car: Dellorto DHLA40
carburettors)

Transmission

Five-speed manual

Suspension, F/R Unequal-length A-arms
/ Live axle; coil springs
and shock absorbers
Steering

Burman worm-and-nut

Brakes, F/R

Disc/Disc

Dimensions:
Length

4265mm

Width

1630mm

Height

1290mm

Wheelbase

2250mm

Track, F/R

1324mm/1274mm

Weight

1090kg

Performance:
Top speed

192kph

0–100kph

8.9s

Twin-carb twin-cam

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69

The original roundtail Spider, the Duetto

keeping the car running sweetly.
“We have been fortunate to have
had a very good experience with the
Alfa Spider over the 18 years we have
owned the car,” says Donald.

FUSS-FREE OWNERSHIP

“We have been fortunate to have had a very good
experience with the Alfa Spider over the 18 years”
it was more authentic. In a neat role
reversal, he quickly drew up a sales
contract, went straight back and asked
the dealer to just sign on the dotted line.
Its documents showed the car
had been imported years earlier by
a New Zealander visiting the US –
actually, by someone who had bought
one of Donald’s early Alfas from him
many years earlier. Before shipping it,
he had had the engine rebuilt by the
local Alfa specialist in Atlanta, who, as
it happened, was probably America’s
greatest Alfa exponent: four-time
Sports Car Club of America national
champion Paul Spruell.

70

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

After that owner sold it on, it
was “lost to the Alfa community for
about 15 years,” says Donald, before it
emerged from a barn in Karaka to be
traded on a new Audi.
The car had 83,000 miles
(132,000km) on its US-spec speedo
when Donald bought it. It has now
done 117,000 miles. Contrary to
expectations, Donald has not had
to do any work on the body, but
he does take exceptionally good
care of cars. He enjoys working
on the Spider but credits regular
servicing by Tony Morgan at
Performance Automotive with

He has replaced suspension bushes
twice, springs, and shocks, which
means that the car has retained its
characteristic well-balanced and wellmannered handling. Donald has also
replaced the interior floor mats and
the dashboard, as the original had
surrendered to the California sunshine
and warped. Parts are readily available
from Classic Alfa and other suppliers
in Europe and the US, which was a big
market for Alfa Romeo Spiders.
Donald has no plans for a groundup restoration. Its condition certainly
doesn’t warrant it, and the remarkable
value Spiders offer, especially compared
with the coupés’ price trajectory, would
make it an expensive indulgence.
The roundtail Duetto Spiders from
1966 to ’70 command higher prices,
but the much more common Kammtail Spiders from 1970 onwards can be
had for $25K to $35K.
Donald’s plans for the car are just
to keep enjoying it. Keeping it original
means that this car still wears its

oversized American indicator repeaters
on the wings, and some oversize
warning lights and labelled buttons
have appeared on the dash.
“The Americans have a lot to answer
for,” says Donald. While those clunky
additions don’t sit well with the finesse
he appreciates so much about the
Italian design, they are part of this car’s
heritage and he can live with that.
The only non-standard things
about the car are its carburettors. The
two-litre cars, standard in the US
from 1972, were originally dispatched
with mechanical Spica fuel injection
to meet emissions requirements,
but converting them back to carbs
was a popular performance option.

“There is just
something about

Spider’s lair

A previous owner fitted the pair of
Dellorto DHLA40 carbs, which
Donald is happy with. Alfa Romeo
used both Dellorto and Weber on
factory models.
“There is just something about
Italian cars of that era that appeals to
me,” Donald says. “It’s the way they
drive and the way they make you feel
when you are driving; it takes you to
a different time and place. It makes
every journey an adventure.
“And part of the pleasure of
ownership is seeing other people’s
reactions to the car as well. It does
seem to attract a lot of nice attention.”

Italian cars of that

MAGIC MOMENT

era that appeals”

Other sports cars, especially roadsters,
do that too, so what was it about the
Alfa that drew Donald in and not, for
argument’s sake, an MGB?

“When I was walking to college,
I would go past a 1750 GTV, and to
me, the whole car looked impossibly
exotic,” he says.
British cars were, after all, also very
common then.
“The design is one thing. The
lines of the Spider are very attractive.
Pininfarina did most of the Ferrari
models as well, and you feel that
wonderful design tradition.
“I always felt I would like to own
a car like that one day, and that
really planted the seed for a love of
Alfa Romeo.”
Donald also owned a Fiat 850
Spider in his youth, designed,
like the 105 1750 GTV, by
Giorgetto Giugiaro while he was
at Bertone. It shared a lightness of
touch that is the hallmark of Italian
design. Donald’s first Alfa Romeo
was a “delightful” 1970 GT Junior

Evening elegance

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71

The perfect cocktail mix

1300 that was followed by a 1973
GTV 2000. The GTV was sold about
30 years ago to fund a rather more
upmarket Italian car, from the UK,
which Donald also still owns, but
it was only a matter of time before
another Alfa joined it. And Donald
says it’s still the Alfa’s keys that he
reaches for first.
We head out to take some
photographs. The seating position is
low, of course, compared with modern
cars, and the windscreen, although
more steeply raked than in the original
Duetto, is still close. The ride is
surprisingly supple and comfortable
and progress is smooth; the two-litre
engine is flexible and companionable.
The door cards are simple compared
with modern moulded jobs, the
instrument panel is dominated by two
big Jaeger dials, and the two-litre’s
original three-spoke wooden-rimmed
Nardi Personal steering wheel is large,

“The grip on the road
is unwavering and the
response to the throttle
is just lovely”

72

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

signifying that you are in a classic
sports car; all very good things.
The most noticeable difference is a
bit of rattle and flap from the soft-top.
I’m sure Donald doesn’t even notice it,
the car being as comfortable to him as
a favourite pair of shoes.
What surprises me is how grown
up the car feels. There is nothing
raw or crude about it; there is no
allowance that its occupants need to
make for its age. When we park for
photos, the toots and waves from
passing traffic, and some tourists’
request for a photo with the car,
underline its friendly appeal.
The car is virtually unblemished
and the details delight: the chrome
highlights, the classic 15-inch Alfa
Turbina mag wheels matched – to suit
Donald’s discerning eye – with period
balloon-shaped Pirelli Cinturato tyres.
Donald closes the bonnet and boot
with the carefulness that has kept this
car so neat and offers me the keys.

ALL THE FEELS
First, I let him drive off the lumpy
grass and around the puddles. The
stylish soft-top folds down easily and
I soon notice the creaks and rattles
have gone with it. Old sports cars were
famous for ‘scuttle shake’ but there’s
none of that evident here. I remember
Paul Spruell raced and won in Alfa
Spiders. He wouldn’t have done that if
they were floppy.
The gear lever is long and so are
the throws, but it slots into every gear

smoothly and the clutch action is
natural and light. It makes you want to
double declutch and grab another gear
much more often than you need to; that
impression of flexibility from the engine
is no illusion. Yes, the 1750 might be
more sprightly, but the two-litre is
rewardingly torquey from low revs.
Press on a bit and the car bounds
forward in a finely judged manner.
Donald points us to some twisty
roads. There’s a bit of body roll, which
is natural for a car as comfortable as
this one, but the grip on the road is
unwavering and the response to the
throttle is just lovely. It has all the urge
that you would want from a car that
you simply wouldn’t want to push to
the edge.
This is a relaxing car to drive; it
gives you time to appreciate those
mellow feelings that Donald talks
about. It’s obvious that it wasn’t just a
sports car; it can hustle, but it is a car
designed for a day out in the Tuscan
hills. The induction noise and growl of
the engine would reverberate off village
stone walls most gratifyingly.
The air turns a bit chilly and the
heater goes on, giving the impression
we are sitting in a warm bath. It is
an immensely likeable car. It’s clear
to see that the X-factor Donald saw
in Alfa Romeos all those years ago is
a living, breathing reality. Alfas, and
especially the pared-back, essentially
ageless Spiders, somehow evoke both
drama and simplicity in their style – but
it’s the way they drive, and the way they
make you feel, that is their real magic. „

1972 Chrysler Valiant Hardtop

Most people who were born
before decimal currency
know who Buddy Holly was
By Vaughan Wilson,
photography by Vaughan Wilson

74

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

hose fans of the 1980s remember
La Bamba and the story of
Ritchie Valens. Both he and Holly,
along with the pilot, died in a small
plane crash along with JP Richardson. JP
was better known as ‘The Big Bopper’,
a less famous singer of the time. Like
The Big Bopper, Chrysler’s big Aussie coupé
of the 1970s has been largely forgotten.

T

Chrysler Australia was first established
in Australia in June 1951, when Chrysler
acquired Chrysler Dodge Distributors
(Holdings) Pty Ltd, a company that had
been formed in 1935 by 18 independent
distributors. During the 1950s and
1960s, Chrysler invested significant
capital in manufacturing plants in
Australia, consolidating in Adelaide.
ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

75

Big comfortable interior for long distances

nt
Chrysler Valia
R Series RV1

THE VALIANT VALIANT

Chrysler R Series Valia
nt SV1

Advertisement for the Chrysler Valiant AP5, 1964
76

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

The Plymouth Valiant was released in
the US in 1959, and it was an instant
success. Chrysler decided to further
this success in Australia, launching the
Chrysler Valiant in 1962 (coded as the
‘R Series RV1’) and assembled at its
Adelaide Mile End facility.
The Valiant’s styling was a little
polarising, but the public generally found
its looks modern and space age, and it
sold well. The RV1 Valiant was an instant
success. The RV1 was replaced with
the updated SV1 Valiant from the US,
and in 1963, the first fully Australianmanufactured Valiant, the AP5 (‘AP’
for ‘Australian Production’) was built.
This new car shared doors, windscreen,
and mudguards but little else with its
US cousin.
Generations of Valiants came and
went, and the fourth-generation VH
arrived in June 1971, replacing the VG
Valiant. The new VH competed with
the XA Falcon and HQ Holden and,
much like its contemporaries, it was
the first Australian Chrysler to be fully
locally designed, and apparently the first
Chrysler vehicle anywhere to be designed
in CAD. It stayed in production until
March 1973, when it was replaced by the
VJ Valiant, but not before 67,800 VH
Valiants had crossed dealership floors.
Styling was now not only an Aussiederived thing but so was the sheet metal.
Whereas previous Valiants had had their
body panels south of the windscreen
imported from the US, now all body
panels were made in the land of Oz.

“Styling was now not only an Aussie-derived
thing but so was the sheet metal”
The cars got larger too, making them
bigger inside and out, with gargantuan
boots and bonnets, capable of
devouring V8s and straight-sixes of
varying sizes. The sedan and wagons
had 111-inch (2820mm) wheelbases.
The Charger, released in September
1973, debuting in the VH Valiants,
used a 105-inch (2667mm) wheelbase.

HARDTOP FOR
THE HARDTOP
Called the Hardtop, the coupé rode on
an even longer wheelbase of 115 inches
(2920mm). It was first sold to the
public in November 1973 and was the
last of the VH models to be released. It
was available in three models, the base
XL, the Regal, and the top-of-the-line
770. Engines across the Valiant range
varied from the six cylinders of the
215-cubic-inch (ci) (3500cc), 245ci
(four-litre), 265ci (4350cc), and the
South African 225ci (3700cc), to the V8
318ci (5200cc) and 340ci (5.5-litre). All
featured either a three-speed manual or
three-speed auto, with a few Chargers
sold with four-speed options.
The facelift to the VH was the VJ,
released in 1973, in production for
around two years. It was the bestselling Valiant model over its history,
with 90,865 units of all types sold.
Wheelbases from the VH were retained,
as were the engine options, but a 360ci

Chrysler assembly plant, Adelaide, 1972

(5900cc) V8 was added to the range.
In total, only 1067 VJ Hardtops
were sold, making them the rarest of
the VJ Valiants manufactured except
for special models within the Charger
range and only 10 per cent of the total
Charger production.
Valiants were assembled as
complete knock-downs (CKDs) in
New Zealand by Todd Motors in
Petone and in South Africa. Along
with Holdens and Fords from
Australia of the same vintage, the
Valiant suffered from boy racers, rust,
and the ravages of time, and whereas
they were commonplace in the 1980s,
their presence is now largely only
at car shows and the get-togethers
of enthusiasts. The large Aussie was
retired to the hallows of motoring
history with the closing of Chrysler
Australia in 1981, when operations
were taken over by Mitsubishi.

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

77

“Chrysler by Chrysler
was an Australian
marketing and
styling experiment,
creating a luxury
Valiant line”
CHRYSLER BY CHRYSLER
Long before ‘La Ferrari by Ferrari’
was uttered without thoughts of
vainglorious nomenclature, there was the
‘Chrysler by Chrysler’. Starting in 1971
and continuing until 1976, Chrysler by
Chrysler was an Australian marketing
and styling experiment, creating a luxury
Valiant line competing with the Ford
Fairlane and Holden Statesman.
Known as the ‘CH Series’, the models
were a stretched four-door sitting on the
2.9m Hardtop wheelbase and a coupé/
hardtop on the same. This additional
100mm gave the sedan more area
for backseat passengers in the sedan.
Externally, the CH differed from its more
modest contemporaries with a unique
four-headlight-and-grille design and
a different tail-light assembly. Frontal
styling and the wraparound bumper were
said to emulate the Chrysler New Yorker
from 1969 to 1971.

Chrysler Hardtop: big style statement and added luxury touches
78

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

1972 CHRYSLER
VALIANT HARDTOP
Engine

360ci (5898cc) V8

Bore/Stroke

101.6mm/90.9mm

Fuel system

Holley two-barrel carburettor

Max. power

190kW at 4400rpm

Max. torque

488Nm at 2400rpm

Transmission

Three-speed TorqueFlite
automatic

Steering

Recirculating-ball

Suspension, F/R

Independent by torsion bars,
unequal-length control arms,
anti-roll bar, telescopic shock
absorbers / Solid rear axle, semielliptical leaf springs, telescopic
shock absorbers

Brakes, F/R

Power-assisted disc / Drum

Dimensions:
Length

4996mm

Width

1885mm

Height

1402mm

Wheelbase

2921mm

Weight

1620kg

Performance:
Top speed

198kph

0–100kph

8.7s

Fuel consumption

20.7 litres/100km

“Julian suddenly
Mechanically, they had front
disc brakes, power steering, and a
push-button radio with an electric
antenna. Visually, they had creature
comforts such as a carpeted boot,
electric windows with tinted glass, and
adjustable reading lights in the rear.
Additional sound proofing was used
to reduce the horrors of driving noise,
vibration and harshness.
Power came from the reliable
but dull 4350cc six-cylinder. More
power could be ordered with either a
5.2-litre V8 or, if you really had more
money than sense, the 5.9-litre V8.
CH models only came in automatic,
all three-speed TorqueFlite models.
Supposedly, eight Hardtops came to
New Zealand and all were assembled
in Adelaide. At NZ$8500 each, they
cost much more than the comparable
Charger (and the associated famous
“Hey Charger” successful marketing
campaign), and they were therefore
a slow seller. South Africa–assembled
CH models sold as the ‘Dodge SE’.

CH models also made their way to
Japan, distributed in small numbers
by Mitsubishi and in the UK as
luxury units.

became the proud
owner of some

THE BROWN BEAST
The owner of this 1972 CH Hardtop
coupé with a factory 5.9-litre V8 is
Julian Briggs, a long-time Wellington
resident who has spent a fair
amount of the last 20 years living in
Papua New Guinea. Julian bought
the Aussie dreadnought in 1991 off
a merchant banker who had used the
car to tow his boat. Julian was in the
right place at the right time. The deal
was done, and Julian suddenly became
the proud owner of some Adelaide
history. The car was used on and off,
with much of its recent history spent in
storage shared with other ocker iron.
During his ownership, Julian has
maintained the car. In 1994, the car
had a 21st birthday – not by doing a
yardie but instead getting an engine

Adelaide history”

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

79

Plenty of room in
he rear for two

Chrysler Australia styling followed the low and wide look of the US model

“The car is a true
360ci model, rare in
New Zealand and in
Australia, with few
Hardtops still in
existence and even
fewer CH models”

80

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

reconditioning and having bodywork
repaired and a respray. Soon thereafter,
the interior was reclad in leather, a
smart departure from the factory
velour that aged the car and was hard
to source. Since then, the back seat
looks like it has never been used and
under Julian’s stewardship has only
recently been occupied by his young
child, car seat and all.
Julian had the engine mildly
worked, including a new exhaust. He
also had the car lowered and added the
Crager mag wheels, which improved
the looks and stance of the long,
low golden coupé. The wedge shape
is further enhanced by this lowered
carriage and its street presence is
impressive.
The car is a true 360ci model, rare
in New Zealand and in Australia,

with few Hardtops still existing and
even fewer CH models. The car is a
leviathan on the road, more akin to
its US cousins. Fuel efficiency is not
something to be considered, but it has
presence, and, of course, the boot can
absorb all the suitcases thrown at it
with room for more.
What next for the CH Hardtop?
Julian plans to hold on to it
indefinitely and, given that it is
probably the rarest of all production
two-doors from Australia, its value
is only going the same way as petrol
prices. Julian just had a second child,
so that immaculate back seat will soon
be covered in goop and old raisins. He
loves driving the family around in it,
and it grabs attention with its throaty
growl ensuring onlookers know it’s a
V8 – mate. „

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Motor Sport Flashback

LUNCHING WITH
THE LEGEND

David Oxton and Brett Riley

A new, mentally strong, if slightly physically infirm, lunch-based motor sport
supporters team forms around the legend that is David Oxton
By Michael Clark; photography by Michael Clark, Quinton Taylor, and the Begg Collection – Jacqueline Blake

hen Peter Buckleigh
discovered that his best
mate Brett Riley was
visiting Auckland, a lunch of motor
sport minds was assembled. When Jim
Palmer was a late withdrawal, I was
happy to complete a table for six, along
with good buddies Bob McMurray,
David Oxton, and Murray Taylor.
The conversation covered a range
of diverse motor racing topics of the
moment: when Liam Lawson will get his
big break, how well Marcus Armstrong is
doing in the US, what is going on with
the Australian Supercar scene, whether
Mercedes is really going to promote a
teenager straight from Formula 2 (F2)
into its 2025 team, and how excruciating
we all find so many motor racing
commentators on TV.
All these exchanges only commenced
after a round-up of respective ailments,
treatments, scans, and the test results we
were variously dealing with. Nothing
serious, mercifully, but it was noted that

W

82

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

had we been meeting 30 years ago such
matters would never have needed raising.
Bob suggested that when we meet again,
we institute a ‘swear jar’ – but instead of
dropping coins for naughty words, we’d
be fined for lengthy health updates.
Peter and I canvassed our reflections
Brett Riley

on our week at Indianapolis, concluding
that we were both looking forward
to going again. The current state of
New Zealand motor racing was analysed
at both tier one and historic levels.
It was about then that Murray, enjoying
a full-revs wind-up of his mate Oxo,

David Oxton with George Begg at Teretonga

reminded us all of the importance of
diarising the meeting at the end of
January in his honour (Legends of Speed,
25–26 January). On the heels of previous
meetings to celebrate careers like those
of Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon,
Denny Hulme, Howden Ganley,
Kenny Smith, Jim Palmer, and
Graeme Lawrence, the New Zealand
International Grand Prix (NZIGP) has
named the Hampton Downs meeting
next year in honour of the five-time
New Zealand Gold Star winner. Oxo’s
natural modesty means that he was
slightly embarrassed about all this,
which, combined with MT’s natural
talent for taking the mickey, made for
much humour.

As with previous events, where
actual cars or similar examples are
displayed and/or demonstrated, lists
of ‘Oxton cars’ have already started.
David advised that the Daimler
SP250 that he first starred in is now
in Australia. That was followed by
a pretty little Lola sports car, before
the first open-wheeler. Only in
recent years have I discovered that
the Brabham BT16 competing in
Formula Libre piloted by Peter Avery
is actually the ex-Oxton car.
The championship-winning Elfin
600FF was sadly destroyed, while the
Boss Ford–powered Lotus 70 F5000
that resided for years in Christchurch
– a sister to the car that David drove

initially before handing it over to
Chris Amon for the rest of the 1971
Tasman – has been sold offshore. The
1971 car swap with Chris saw David
slotted into the March 701, and it
was important to remind my lunch
buddies that at the ’71 New Zealand
Grand Prix (GP) meeting, Davis surely
became the first – and last – person to
win a Formula Ford (FF) race and race
a contemporary Formula 1 (F1) car on
the same day!
Then came the first of the Beggs,
the FM4 – a car that George Begg said
“had a kindness about it”. It was the car
that David won the first of the five Gold
Stars in. He raced a Merlyn Mk11A
in English FF in 1972, culminating in
putting it on pole for the world cup race
at Brands Hatch in late October.

“Oxo’s natural
modesty means
that he was slightly
embarrassed about
all this”

David Oxton in
Begg FM5 racing
in the UK

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

83

David Oxton in the Ralt RT4 – his favourite
car – at Pukekohe (photo: Ross Cammick)

“Then came the first of the Beggs, the FM4 – a car
that George Begg said ‘had a kindness about it’”

By the time he returned, George
had the new FM5 finished, and with
that came a hat-trick. The car was
painted yellow for its first title and
black for the 1973/’74 campaign.
Both Beggs are in museums in the
lower North Island.
Most at lunch weren’t aware that
David had also done two races in a
Lola T330 in the South Island in early
1975, and I’d completely forgotten
about a one-off race in a Lyncar
Formula Atlantic in the support race
for the 1973 British GP. Oxo flew
through the field from near the back
to finish a fine fifth at about the time
that championship was at its strongest.
We couldn’t ignore long-distance
saloon car races, and surely there’s a
Triumph 2.5PI, a Leyland P76, and
a Fiat 131R that can be found for
display over the weekend. The F2
Chevron B29 that Brian Redman
raced here in 1976 and was run by the
Oxtons in the first Formula Pacific
Championship in 1977 is no longer
resident, but the B34/39 Chevron that
followed has never left.
Arguably the most memorable
Oxton chariot remains in his
ownership. When asked if one car
stands out more than any other, it’s
clear that while David has affections
for the FM5, he ultimately concludes
“probably the Pye car”. The allconquering Ralt RT4 was a thing
84

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

of beauty anyway, but somehow the
combination of the royal blue livery
and bold white Pye lettering gave
that car a distinctive and memorable
appeal – add to that the success that
David enjoyed, and it’s not hard to see
why he’s kept it.
We all enthusiastically volunteered
our various services and talked up
our respective mechanical abilities for
assisting the owner with preparing it
for its big weekend in January. David
surveyed the technical talent around
the lunch table, and I’m assuming
that at least three of us won’t receive
invites. We rolled on with talk of
the Ford Sierra XR4i and various
Commodores.
MT wasn’t done with ribbing his

old mate: “If we’ve all got to trundle
out to Hampton Downs to a race
meeting in your honour, David, then
we’ll need our own T-shirts to show
our support.”
Various slogans were kicked
around, but eventually it was Murray
that came up with ‘I’ve Lunched with
The Legend’. Perhaps we might sport
David’s race number 18 for the back
but either way, Howden Ganley – who
will be back here for the first time
since Covid to motorhome his way
around all historic events from north
to south and the golf courses and
aircraft museums in between – loves
the idea and has ordered one. “Sadly,
these days I’m an XL …”
It appears that another ‘planning
meeting’ will be necessary ahead of
January, so that David can provide a
progress report on the RT4. All we
need is for Brett to indicate a return
date, Peter to work his magic with a
venue, Bob to find a suitable swear jar,
and Murray to give us an update on
theT-shirt design.

DID JOHNNY EVER RACE
A 5000?
One of the great things about getting
together for lunch is travelling the
byroads the conversation takes. There
are topics so predictable that they
could go onto an agenda: F1, current
health issues, F1, how Kiwis are doing
overseas, followed by a bit more
F1, but it’s the tangents and rabbit
holes that provide for the greatest
entertainment.
The eating and drinking all fits
between belly laughs – mention of the
Lola Mk1 that Oxo raced in 1966/’67

David Oxton rolls out the other
Begg FM5 at the George Begg
Festival, Teretonga 2023

George Begg’s daughter
Jacqui Blake, now in Australia, with
David Oxton at Teretonga, 2023

brought back memories of Brett’s
dad Johnny, and he and his partner’s
partying and general high jinks, each
acquiring examples of Lola’s little gem
as part of their transition from stock
cars to paved circuit racing.
It is almost impossible to remember
Johnny Riley’s career without also
thinking about Irvine Dawson,
universally known as ‘Red’ and whose
given name was not in fact Ian, as was
commonly reported back in the day.
They were great mates, who enjoyed a
party and were spectacular drivers on
every circuit. Johnny had an edge in
open-wheelers, but when they moved
into saloons, Brett confirms that Red
was probably spending a bit more
and “had the greater desire to beat
Paul Fahey”.
They were both mentors to many
an aspiring driver, and Ken Smith
is forever grateful that he was taken
under their generous wings when
he and his dad first showed up. Ken
remembers Brett’s dad as being a
“lovely man; a hard worker but not a
hard man like Red”.
Kenny recalls that Red was “very,
very funny. We went together to the
States when I bought the 5000, and
we ended up on a road with Jeeps all
over the place and shots being fired.
Guys in commando gear were running
around yelling at us – somehow, he’d
driven us onto an army firing range.
Things like that could only happen
to Red.
“He was a great friend who loved
taking the piss out of people – it was
his sport. But the same guy, when
I bent the Lotus 41, came to me
and said if I needed to borrow some
money to get it fixed, it wouldn’t be
a problem. I don’t think that sort of
friendship exists to the same extent
these days.”
There were times when their
hard-charging ways resulted in
the odd scrape, and a view of
Harman’s Corner at Bay Park was
always a must when Johnny had
a head of steam up in either his
ex-Fahey Mustang or ex-Marwood
Camaro. Murray Taylor, sitting
to David’s right, asked Brett if
Johnny ever raced 5000s. Oxton,
recalling Johnny’s car control with
large dollops of Detroit horsepower
added, “Johnny would have gone
well in F5000”. It’s important to

“Oxo opined that
Johnny Riley would
have gone well in a
5000. Brett quietly
replied, Yes, but not
for long’”
keep in mind some of Johnny’s fencebending antics when considering the
expressions on the faces of Oxton and
Riley junior in the accompanying
photo [see page 82], as Brett quietly
replied: “Yes, but not for long.”

WHY?
Sometimes the most memorable
questions on matters of motor sport
come from the most unlikely people.
In 2009, Museum of New Zealand
Te Papa Tongarewa had a display
of nine F1 cars called The Great

Design Race. The oldest car was a
front-engined Lotus 16, while the
newest was an 07/08 McLaren. The
exhibition ran for four months, and
I was engaged to take people on a
walking tour through the evolution of
the F1 car from the 1950s.
Once a month, I would make my
way to Wellington for morning and
afternoon sessions over weekends.
Fortunately, I was able to involve far
more knowledgeable mates, so our
walking parties variously benefitted
from the insights of Chris Amon,
Wally Willmott (McLaren employee
number one), Bob McMurray,
Greg Murphy, Murray Taylor – and
even Eoin Young, who somehow
forged a long and illustrious
international career as a motor racing
scribe without having the slightest idea
or interest in anything mechanical.
This was a man who got an electrician
in to change light bulbs.
As people assembled for the start
of another walk and talk, I would
typically chat with them to see if they
were hard-out F1 fans or just broadly
interested in engineering evolution.
One elderly woman admitted she’d
got her weekends wrong and hadn’t
even intended having anything to
David Oxton in second row at
Mondello Park, Ireland, 1973

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

85

David Oxton and Begg
FM5, Silverstone, 1973

do with racing cars but, seeing as she
was here, she might as well join the
walk. I never expected to hear a peep
from her as I asked if there were any
questions. I was wrong. “How has the
weight distribution changed with the
evolution of F1 car design?” It was a
very good thing that my co-host for
that session had an immediate answer.
It was an even better thing that it
wasn’t ES Young with me that day.
A friend with no real interest in
motor racing had become intrigued
with Max Verstappen long before
Netflix introduced F1 to an entirely
new audience. Rather than asking the
obvious question – what makes him
so good? – he asked the rather more
interesting “what is his weakness?”
That not only caught me off guard;
I found it difficult to answer. While
preparing for the trip to the Indy
500, I carefully prepared myself on
a diet of YouTube clips of previous
500s, re-read City of Speed: Los Angeles
and the Rise of American Racing and
Indianapolis Roadsters 1952–1964 –
both by completely underrated US
author Joe Scalzo and two of the finest
motor sport books you will ever be
pleased to get your hands on. It even
got to the point where my wife heard
me one day and opined that if the
guy who sings Back Home Again in
Indiana came down with laryngitis
on the morning of the race, I should
definitely restrain the urge to fill in.
But as I was rediscovering
the names of past drivers, she
wondered “Have you ever done
a story on why certain drivers
attract huge fan bases and others
don’t?” I hadn’t, so she continued:
“It’s obvious that you’ll support
Kiwis, but why Johnny Rutherford,
why Gilles Villeneuve – and why
Fernando Alonso?”
86

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

“Any other rivalry
is a tiff in a sandpit
compared with
the Alain Prost–
Ayrton Senna feud”
Why indeed? We know so much
more about personalities these days
than when I first started following
motor racing in the mid ’60s.
Hell, I’d never heard Jim Clark or
Bruce McLaren speak while they
were alive. We were familiar with
Graham Hill’s speech impediment
from the Brink TV ads that he did
while he was here, and we’d heard
Jackie Stewart talk, but I’m not sure
I’d really heard Denny Hulme or
Chris Amon speaking until some
years later. How, then, did we form
opinions? It certainly didn’t come from
regular TV appearances or interviews.
The answer must be from what we’d
read. In the 1950s, Denis Jenkinson

was almost certainly the most widely
read writer to the English-speaking
audience. Perhaps we didn’t know it at
the time, but the views of the highly
opinionated ‘Jenks’ either became our
positions or largely shaped them.
In the 1970s, Autosport’s
Nigel Roebuck made no secret of his
affection for Amon, Ronnie Peterson,
Mario Andretti, and Villeneuve, and I’ve
no doubt many of his many disciples
adopted similar views. I know that I did,
but I took no sides in what was without
doubt the most polarised driver war in
the history of the world championship.
Any other rivalry is a tiff in a sandpit
compared with the Alain Prost–Ayrton
Senna feud that ran, depending on who
you talk to, for at least four and a bit
but probably closer to six years. If you
followed F1, it was axiomatic that you
supported one or the other – unless you
were in the Nigel Mansell camp, or part
of the tiny Nelson Piquet fan club. And
why was that?
It’s said that Piquet is not a nice
person, but that possibility has only
emerged relatively recently. It was
largely unknown beyond the group of
insiders back in the day. And why was
Mansell so popular in Australia where
whingeing Poms are widely despised,
yet Nige was that brand’s poster child?
Why we like or dislike certain
personalities is a lot easier to
understand when media channels allow
us to decipher a personality, but as for
supporting a driver from the old days
on anything other than nationalistic
grounds – it was very largely on the
back of what we read, and photographs
showing car control. I’m still working
on Sandy’s one-word question – why?
And while I ponder that, I should
also explore why certain drivers were
absolutely not my faves! „

Gary Pedersen (Begg FM4) ahead of David Oxton (Begg FM5) (photo: Terry Marshall)

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Postcard from America No. 3

THE DELIGHTS OF THE

MARCONI MUSEUM
My third instalment of Postcard from America
is based on a visit I made in Los Angeles last year
to the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin,
Orange County. Visit the Marconi. You won’t be
disappointed

“In the late 1950s,

By Vaughan Wilson, photography by Vaughan Wilson

old son, relocated

he Marconi is one of those
amazing museums, privately
owned and operated on a
philanthropic basis, giving back
to the community in the form of
charitable endeavours.
In the late 1950s, a young man
called Dick Marconi, newly married
and with an 18-month-old son,

from his native

T
88

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

relocated from his native Gary, Indiana
(home of the Jackson 5) to make his
fortune in California. Apart from his
entrepreneurial spirit, he had $500
and an MBA. He created Herbalife,
which grew into the world’s largest
manufacturer of custom-made vitamins,
weight-loss products, and food
supplements.

a young man called
Dick Marconi,
newly married and
with an 18-month-

Gary, Indiana to
make his fortune
in California”

“Its goal is to
raise US$1M
annually
for various
children’s
charities”

1991 Ferrari F40

x for size
2023 Meyers Man
e
th
t
ou
es
tri
n
Vaugha
ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

89

“Valued at over
US$60M, there are
100 vehicles and
counting, and there
is something for
everyone. Ferraris line
up, mostly in red, and
stand to attention,
wanting yours”

90

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

ALL FOR GOOD CAUSES
As his fortune grew, he started
collecting cars. In 1994, along
with his son John, he created the
Marconi Automotive Museum and
Foundation for Kids. He donated
the building and car collection

to this foundation. This is how the
museum operates to this day, as a
non-profit organisation. Its goal is
to raise US$1M annually for various
children’s charities.
The museum hosts regular events
in the large public car park out
front, and any money raised goes to

“American muscle cars
vie for your interest
over the TV and movie
cars that also say ‘pick
me’. In an adjoining
room, there are even
more cars, some stacked
two high”
charities. These events can be as simple
as a coffee and cars meet, or various
marque events. Clubs or associations
that use the museum include those
for Chevrolet Corvettes and Ferrari.
Other events focus on war veterans
and toy drives closer to Christmas.
The cars that visit these events are
just as interesting as the museum’s
collections. When I went on a
Saturday, there was a bevy of European
and American sports cars, modern and
old school, as well as rare coupés and
the latest Meyers Manx beach buggy
with a lockable boot. A 1974 BMW
three-litre CSL Batmobile in lime green
was resplendent in the sun, as was a
late-model Pagani in chic carbon fibre,
and a new Chev truck decked out for
its paraplegic driver with an oversized
gull-wing door.

‘pick me’. In an adjoining room,
there are even more cars, some
stacked two high on hoists. The
museum offers other collectors storage
opportunities in this secure, climatecontrolled environment where a team
of specialists toils during the week to
maintain vehicles in the highest order.
Some of the cars belong to other
people but most are the property of
the Marconi Automotive Museum.
1989 Batmobile

ALL GLITZ AND GLAMOUR
Inside, competing with the attraction
of some delicious doughnuts the most
rotund US cop would be proud of,
the large, cavernous museum was
a symphony of colour and lights.
Valued at over US$60M, there are
100 vehicles and counting, and there
is something for everyone. Ferraris
line up, mostly in red, and stand to
attention, wanting yours. American
muscle cars vie for your interest over
the TV and movie cars that also say
ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

91

S
TWR XJ220
996 Jaguar

Pagani

SOME OF MY
FAVOURITES
• A 1973 Ferrari Dino in amazing
•

•

•

•

92

condition, beautifully presented in red.
A 1973 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 – often
called a ‘Daytona’, these cars became
popular after Sonny Crockett
(Don Johnson) drove a black one (I
believe it was a replica) in the 1980s
TV programme Miami Vice. The
‘S’ means ‘Spider’, or convertible. I
think these cars look a little dated as a
hardtop (GTB), but as a convertible,
they are timeless. The yellow one in
this collection is truly stunning.
A 1954 Mercedes 300SL, more
commonly known as the ‘Gullwing’.
Possibly the world’s first supercar,
this is a thing of beauty that took
car design in a different direction.
Movie cars included a 1969
Dukes of Hazzard Charger, a 1989
batmobile created specifically for
the Batman movie franchise, and a
1982 KITT Knight Rider Pontiac
Trans Am for all those ’80s kids
at heart.
A 1996 Jaguar TWR XJ220S – from

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

“For those of you
who cannot get
enough of these
types of museums,
the Marconi
should definitely
be on your list”
1992 to 1994, Jaguar produced its
own supercar with close to 447kW.
Only 282 examples were produced.
TWR also produced nine highpowered versions, three for racing
called the ‘XJ220C’ and six called the
‘XJ220S’ with 514kW. The museum
has one of those six wide body
XJ220s. Weighing less than a regular
XJ220 with the generous assistance

of carbon fibre and deleted features,
the XJ220S could get to 100kph in
three seconds flat.
• The Marconi has a lot of Ferraris on
show, but two that whet the appetite
were the F40 and F50 – difficult
to see individually anywhere in the
world and almost impossible to see in
the same room. When you see them
together, you instantly enter into a
debate with yourself and anyone you
go with about which one you would
buy if you won Lotto.
• 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby
GT350 – a rare car and the rawest
of all Shelby Mustangs, this was
the actual car that provided the
car engine noises for the Eleanor
Mustang in the Nicholas Cage
movie Gone in 60 Seconds.
• Bumpers, the museum mascot –
this is a clever life-size sculpture of a
horse made from chrome bumpers
and bumper ends from the 1950s.
• Three Ford Thunderbirds from the
original T-Bird models from 1955
until 1957.
• A 1996 Ferrari FX – one of only
six, made for the Sultan of Brunei.
A beautiful dark blue Ferrari and
the only one on display anywhere
outside of Brunei.
• A 1996 Ferrari 456 convertible, and
the only 456 convertible made –
again, for the Sultan of Brunei – and
stunning in British racing green.
Los Angeles has an expansive list
of automotive museums, including
the Petersen and Segerstrom, which
I wrote about in 2023. For those
of you who cannot get enough of
these types of museums, the Marconi
should definitely be on your list. The
collection is immaculate and covers
the spectrum of manufacturers,
featuring cars that you probably can’t
see anywhere else.
The money goes to a good cause. „

A FORCE
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Kits & Pieces: 1960 Turner Sports

SMALL CAR
BIG HEART
Only a few car builders make it to the big time, but some of those idiosyncratic
car makers make exactly the right car for exactly the right owners
By Patrick Harlow, photography by Patrick Harlow

em Marsh, Trevor Wilkinson, and
Colin Chapman have one thing in
common: during the 1950s, they
were all building clubman racing cars
for themselves and other enthusiasts.
For each, it was a case of a hobby
turning into a business producing
kits and the odd turnkey car. That
morphed again into businesses building
and selling only factory-built turnkey
vehicles. Did you guess the companies
that grew from these small beginnings?
They were, of course, Marcos (1959–
2007), TVR (1946–present), and Lotus
(1948–present).
These manufacturers represent
only a handful of the companies, sole
traders, and chaps in sheds that were
manufacturing cars during the ’50s and
’60s. Most have faded into history, their
memories kept alive mainly by ageing
enthusiasts. Without these enthusiasts,
cars like Buckler, Falcon, and Ashley
would have been long forgotten.

J

94

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

RACER TURNED
CONSTRUCTOR
Another man who tried to go down this
route of building kit and turnkey cars
was Jack Turner, a clubman sports racer.
Brett Riley

The car featured here is a Mk1 Turner
Sports (produced 1959–’60), one of only
two road-legal Turners in New Zealand.
Of the approximately 600 Turner cars
that were made during this period, about
160 were Mk1 Turner Sports cars.

Jack Turner holding a
picture of his Turner GT in
South Wales, 1985

“A Turner could
be purchased to
take a range of
engines including
the BMC A-series
948cc and Coventry
Climax FWA 1098cc
or FWE1216cc
engines”
The Turner was a remarkable car
for its day, with a pretty fibreglass
body attached to a stiff tubular chassis.
The rear suspension is a live axle
supported by torsion bars, with tramp
bars and a Panhard rod, all designed
in-house by Frank Turner. The front
suspension came from the BMC
A-series, which was also used on the
MG Midget.
As a kitset car, a Turner could be
purchased to take a range of engines
including the BMC A-series 948cc
and Coventry Climax FWA 1098cc
or FWE1216cc engines. The Mk1
would evolve into the Mk2 and
eventually the Mk3. Each new model
had minor visual and mechanical
upgrades. Turner’s business went into
liquidation in 1966.

as a kit from Turner Sports Cars in
Wolverhampton early in 1960 by
William David. William opted for
the Climax 1098cc engine. In 1972,
Andrew Moynagh became this car’s
fourth and current owner. It was
quite an upmarket kit for the time,
being sold with all the parts needed to
complete the vehicle.
The chassis was

sold fully assembled, with the front
and rear suspension, rear axle, wheels,
tyres and brakes already fitted. The
body came complete with the doors,
bonnet, and boot lid fitted. Most
of the interior was done, including
the wiring and instrument cluster.
Turner claimed that the car could
be assembled by
a couple of

MAKING ITS MARK
The Mk1 Turner featured is car
number 60/373. It is a rare car, even
among Turners. Only 30 Mk1 Climax
Turners were built, and it is believed
that only 10 now survive worldwide.
Despite its rarity, these cars were
quite successful on the track. For
example, Mk1 Climax Turners have
won the Historic Sports Car Club
championship on seven occasions;
that’s more than any other make
of car.
Turner No. 60/373 was purchased

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

95

“Fortunately, the seller
was emigrating overseas
in a few days and agreed
to sell the Climax-powered
Turner for £250”
Hip-hugging
bucket seats

blokes over a weekend. William David
first registered his car for road use on
1 July 1960.

SOLD ON THE MARQUE
Before purchasing this car,
Andrew Moynagh had already owned
another Mk1 Turner for a short time
in 1970, for which he paid £100.
He did not know much about its
history, but thought it was a coollooking car. The body was rough,
but it had a wonderful engine, better
than the Mk1 Midget that he had
owned previously. He kept it for a few
months before selling it for £110.
In 1972, Andrew, while studying
to be a doctor in London, was looking
for a cheap little runabout car to get

him to and from his studies. When he
saw another Mk1 Turner come up for
sale, he had to check it out. It was in
better condition than the one he had
previously owned, but the owner was
asking £400 – a lot more than Andrew
could afford. Fortunately, the seller
was emigrating overseas in a few days
and agreed to sell the Climax-powered
Turner for £250.

GETTING IT RIGHT
As can be expected with secondhand cars, Andrew’s car was not
without its problems. It had not been
assembled well and suffered from
what was called, rather worryingly,
a ‘broken back’. When the back
end moved up and down, the doors

would occasionally fly open. In the
case of this particular Turner, it was a
builder error.
When Andrew investigated, he
discovered that William David had
not bolted the boot to the chassis,
deciding some wooden blocks and
wood screws would suffice. Ergo,
the boot could move up and down
when going over undulations, causing
the door catches to come undone –
especially flamboyant when going
around a corner. Andrew put this to
rights, designing a steel bracket that
firmly attached the rear of the body to
the chassis.
During this repair, Andrew
also discovered that the body was
misaligned due to an incorrectly fitted
shock mount. To put this right was a
significantly bigger job, so it went on
the to-do list for when he could afford
to have the car off the road for a while.
Once he had finished his studies,
Andrew drove the Turner to his first
job at the Harold Wood Hospital,
where he started work as a junior
house doctor. Apparently, it was a

generally reliable car – except on one
occasion when Andrew stopped to
pick up a hitchhiker. The hitchhiker
was excited to be picked up in a sports
car and no doubt looking forward
to travelling in it. Unfortunately, his
trip only lasted 100m, as the clutch
chose that particular moment to spit
the dummy. The second 100m of the
hitchhiker’s journey was spent pushing
the car further up the road where it
could be left somewhere safe.

A CLOSE SHAVE
Andrew was often tweaking the car
to make it just that little bit faster.
Another issue was that after doing a
Stage 2 tune on the Climax engine,
the car never went well. It took
several years to discover that the SU

fuel pump was not pumping enough
fuel. Swapping out the pump for
a higher output pump solved the
problem instantly.
As with all tweaks, once the new
pump was installed, it was deemed
necessary to take the car for a test
drive to ensure that the problem
had truly gone away. A good way to
confirm that petrol is getting to the
engine in sufficient quantities is to
press one’s foot firmly to the floor
to see what happens. It was while
Andrew was performing this highly
scientific test on a narrow English
road that, to his horror, he saw a bus
coming the other way. The Turner is a
very skinny car but, on this occasion,
not quite skinny enough.
Andrew dove left and missed the
bus, but his front wheels went over

“The Turner is a very skinny car but, on this
occasion, not quite skinny enough”

Coventry Climax FWA provides sparkling
performance from 1100cc

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

97

the front doorstep of a house that had
been built right up to the edge of the
road. The front wheel hit the step hard
and the car rolled. This was before
the days of seatbelts. Fortunately,
Andrew had fitted roll bars that now
performed their intended function
of protecting his head. When the
Turner eventually stopped, it was
upside down, containing a shaken
but undamaged driver. The car did
not fare as well and suffered a broken
windscreen, including the surround,
and a smashed up fender.

Everything within easy reach

NEW HORIZONS
All this occurred shortly before
Andrew and his new wife left England
in 1976 to take up permanent
residence in New Zealand. A friend
offered to fix it up for them, and, six
months later, the fully repaired Turner,
with the body and errant shock
mount now perfectly aligned, arrived
in New Zealand. Andrew could now
afford to change the status of the car
from daily driver to weekend hobby
car, and on fine days it still had regular
use until 1979, when it was taken off
the road for a full restoration.
This process proceeded
sporadically, when time allowed.
Stripping it down was the easy bit,
resulting in most of the car spending

the next 18 years suspended from the
garage roof. The restoration would
take a total of 21 years. On the car’s
40th birthday, July 2000, it was once
again rolled out of Andrew’s shed, this
time in better condition than the day
it was first registered.
During the restoration, the
windscreen was swapped out for aero
screens so that the car could be taken
racing. Naturally, this new hobby
meant that the car was once again
being tweaked to get a little more
speed out of it. Andrew had a camshaft
ground to the R21 Hillman Imp
profile, but this did not work well,
as peak power for this cam arrived
at a rev range much higher than this
Climax engine could reach, so it was

“The fully repaired
Turner, with the
body now perfectly
aligned, arrived in
New Zealand six
months later”

Not for those
dimensionally
challenged!

98

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

A chance meeting with
the only other Turner in
New Zealand

“To ensure that it continues to do so the
engine has been rev-limited to 7000 rpm”
reground to a profile supplied by
Bruce Sutcliffe. This was excellent,
but the reground cam suffered from
premature wear. He obtained a new
unground blank Climax camshaft
from the US and had this ground
to Bruce’s profile. It was perfect.
More time was spent tuning the SU
carbs, and now, 60 years on, the car
is running sweetly. To ensure that it
continues to do so, the engine has
been rev-limited to 7000rpm.

RETIREMENT NOTES
When Andrew retired from
the Accident Compensation
Commission (ACC) in
Lower Hutt a few years ago, it
was only fitting that the Turner

was driven to work, a tribute to
its contribution to his first day of
employment, so many decades earlier.
Another highlight has to be when
Andrew met up with the only other
road-legal Turner in New Zealand,
when the two owners compared notes.
On another memorable occasion,
he took the Turner to Manfeild
race track, where he broke an axle
halfshaft. As the car was undrivable
and with no car trailer, he endured
two-and-a-half hours of being towed
home on the end of a 3m tow rope in
the rain, without a roof, ‘sheltering’
behind the scant protection of a
Brooklands windscreen. A few days
later, Andrew received an email from
the Turner Register in England. It
had been contacted by an American
ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

99

Turner owner visiting New Zealand,
who wanted to know more about
the Turner he had seen on the end of
a tow rope heading to Wellington.
Andrew’s humiliation and misery had
been broadcast worldwide.

TRYING A TURNER
FOR SIZE
When I visit Andrew, the Turner has
just been through another minor
restoration. The full windscreen
and soft-top are now back in place.
On a sunny day, it is driven from
Karaka Bay, Wellington, over the
Rimutaka mountain range to the
Wairarapa for a cup of coffee. For me,
driving the car is a great experience.
Despite its small doors, it is an easy
car to get in and out of.
With its rear torsion bar and front
coil and lever shock absorbers, it
handles as well as, if not better than,
most modern cars and corners very
well, with almost no body roll. The

100

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

rack-and-pinion steering is very light
and quick. Andrew warns me that the
pedals are quite close together, but
I have no problem using them with
size-nine street shoes.
The Smith gauges are easy to read.
Interestingly, the Turner speedo goes to
120mph. This was the first time Smith
had ever built a speedo that could
measure that speed, and it was built
especially for the Turners. Although not
as fast as modern cars, it is still quite
peppy and easily up to the task of quick
travel around the windy roads that
border Wellington’s many bays.
Despite having only been
manufactured for such a short time,
there is still an enthusiastic following
for the marque. The Turner car register
is kept in the UK, and there are enough
Climax motors still around that parts
are still easy to get. The windscreen
comes from an MG Midget, and
aftermarket parts are still plentiful.
It is gratifying to say the long-term
future of this car is assured. „

“It is driven from
Karaka Bay,
Wellington, over
the Rimutaka
mountain range to
the Wairarapa for
a cup of coffee”

Looking Back: North Shore – Part 2

AN AUTOMOTIVE/RACING HISTORY OF MY

NORTH SHORE
BAYS HOME PATCH
IN THE ’60S TO ’80S

The North Shore was the frontier of Auckland’s baby boomer population
explosion in the 1950s and ’60s. Gerard continues his memories of
motor sport identities from the North Shore bays, some of who became
household names
By Gerard Richards, photography from various archives

102

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Pete Lodge’s ’37 Ford Coupe with blown and
injected Mercury V8 power at Kopuku, North
Waikato, 1967 (photo: Peter Lodge Collection)

Daniels and Blair Pilcher in Daniels’ V6
Zephyr–powered dune buggy, Maramarua
rally, late 1970s (photo: Percy Pilcher)

Havard Daniels in his Eureka VW at Riverhead,
early 1980s (photo: Kevin Corin Photography)

Daniels with the V6 Zephyr–
powered dune buggy at
Mystery Creek, Hamilton, late
1970s (photo: Percy Pilcher)

“Some of the
cars they raced
were memorable.
Havard started
with a Studebaker
V8–powered U2

n Part 1 of this series in
New Zealand Classic Car, Issue
No. 395, Gerard recalls the origins
of ‘the Rothesay Bay racing mafia’
shortly after he left school, when one
of his best mates, Chris Davison,
went flatting with a crew of “hardwired Rothesay Bay petrolheads” in
Knights Road.

I

HAVARD DANIELS
Havard Daniels was probably the leading
light of this tribe. It was an exciting time,
as the lads started getting involved in
grass-roots motor sport. Rallying, sprints,

hill-climbing, circuit racing, and rallycross
were the rich feast of events on offer on the
North Shore and wider Auckland regions.
They all embraced it with gusto. Some
of the cars they raced were memorable.
Havard started with a Studebaker
V8–powered U2 sports car known as
‘The Scarab’. He progressed from that to
a Datsun 1200 rally car, previously run by
top North Shore rally driver Alan Carter.
Carter had great success later in winning
the English Group 1 rally championship
in an RS2000 single-overhead-cam Escort.
My mate Chris had his first rally
co-drive with Havard when he debuted
the ex-Carter Datsun in the Rotorua rally

sports car”

Daniels in Mazda 808 at the B&H 1000 at Pukekohe, late
1970s (photographer unknown)

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

103

Percy Pilcher’s Datsun 1200 after rally car race at
Grand Prix meeting, Pukekohe (photo: Percy Pilcher)

around the mid ’70s. Following that, or
at around the same time, Havard took
on a Zephyr V6-powered dune buggy,
built by the famed Millen brothers,
then living just down the road. Havard
had a lot of success in hill-climbs,
sprints, and rallycross in the V6 buggy.
He even circuit-raced it as Rod Millen
had done before.
By the 1980s, Havard had raced a
Mazda sedan in the Benson & Hedges
(B&H) 1000 at Pukekohe, was hillclimbing and circuit racing a Eureka
Volkswagen-powered prototype kit car
for the manufacturer and was racing a
sidecar motorbike at Western Springs
with passenger Percy Pilcher. While
this didn’t end well (a crash into the
wall at the Springs injuring Percy), it
was a memorable time.
Havard later took a hiatus from
racing doing the family thing, before
Pilcher in his ex–Kevin Dolores
1932 roadster, Meremere, 1974
(photographer unknown)

104

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Daniels with Pilcher as passenger during sidecar race at
Western Springs, 1980s (photo: Colin Irwin)

PERCY PILCHER

“Maybe the legacy
of the wild, unruly,
hot rod outlaw
antics on the Shore
back in the day”
returning in sprint cars at the Springs
in 2002. He also spent three seasons
racing oval tracks in Canada. Havard
tells me that he hasn’t completely
discounted a return to the Springs,
once he has recovered from a medical
procedure, to possibly enter the fray
again post 70 years of age. This man
certainly has the right stuff.

Percy was another major player in
the unholy alliance of the famed
Rothesay Bay flat. His first move into
high-performance motoring was in
buying the 1932 Ford V8 roadster
road rod of famed ex–Meremere drag
racer Kevin Dolores. He drag-raced
this machine successfully in the street
rod class at Meremere around 1974,
though he later lost his licence in it,
for a dangerous driving charge on the
street: maybe the legacy of the wild,
unruly, hot rod outlaw antics on the
Shore back in the day.
Following that, he bought a
Sunbeam Imp and ran it in rallycross
at Hamilton’s Mystery Creek around
1975 for a season. Eventually, he
buckled the chassis after one too many
jumps and hard landings. He sold it

eater
o MER two-s
tw
’s
ke
w
a
H
nown)
One of Ray
grapher unk
to
o
h
(p
rs
ca
sports

A BRIEF HISTORY
OF THE MER
Thanks to Percy Pilcher for
supplying this background on
the MER – Ed.)
The MER was built in 1967,
by Matamata Engineering for
Les Reisterer. There were a
few chassis built but very few
made it to complete cars. Of
these, two were two-seater cars
and the others single-seaters.
Chassis number one is instantly
recognisable, as the front
bodywork is modified to allow for
a forward-leaning radiator and
air outlet. Chassis number two
is in Matamata, owned by Kevin
O’Hanlon.
Ray Hawke, current president
of The Historic Racing and Sports
Car Club New Zealand (HRSCC),
has one two-seater and his son
the other two-seater. Ray’s twoseater has a brief racing history.
By far the most famous of
them is chassis number one.
It was raced successfully by
Les Reisterer and then very
competitively by Doug Cross.
Of note is that, at the time
Rod Millen was hill-climbing his
V6 buggy, one of his strongest
Continued on page 107

Pilcher racing his MER Special at Cowan Bay Road hillclimb, late ’70s or early ’80s (photographer unknown)

to Chris, who fixed it but didn’t race it
before selling it.
His third competition car was
a Mini Cooper that he bought off
Ian Coley, brother of Barry, another
member of the infamous flat. It was a
genuine car but had been rolled by Ian,
and all the good gear had been installed
into a new shell. Percy raced it in hillclimbs and two Maramarua rallies.
During this time, he bought the
most significant race car that he
competed in and which he feels grateful
he still owns.

PERCY’S MER SPECIAL
The MER single-seater was a gorgeous
little purpose-built hill-climb and
grass-track racer. Built by Les Reisterer
in Matamata in 1967, ‘MER’ stands for
‘Matamata Engineering Reisterer’. Les
built two single-seaters and two twoseater sports cars. There were reported
to be other chassis built, but no further
cars emerged, apparently.
Percy’s car was the first one built
and has the most celebrated history.
Briefly, Percy’s original car was raced
successfully by Les Reisterer and then
very successfully by Doug Cross. At the
time that Cross was hill-climbing it, Rod
Millen, the rally master, was hill-climbing
his famed V6 buggy, and the two were

MER hill-climb and grass-track racer early in Pilcher’s ownership
with Graeme Ogg’s Mazda RX-3 (photo: Percy Pilcher)

Pilcher driving Daniels’ V6
Zephyr–powered dune buggy at
Anderson’s Farm hill-climb, late
’70s (photo: Havard Daniels)

fierce rivals for outright honours. Doug
Cross at times was able to see off the
hard-charging Millen for the win.
Sometime F5000 racer Dennis
Phillips raced it briefly after that, before
Percy took over the reins. The battle
then resumed, Percy duelling with
Havard in his ex–Rod Millen V6 buggy
on the hill-climb circuit.
After the Mini motor incurred a
serious haemorrhage, Percy decided to
park it. He was rallying a Datsun 1200
also at the time and was fairly stretched.
Chris offered to build up a new engine
for the MER with a brother-in-law, if
he could take on competing with it.
A deal was struck for him to lease it,
and Chris ran it in hill-climbs for two
seasons in the early ’80s, with some
success. The MER then went missing,
or at least Chris didn’t know where it
was. Eventually, he tracked it down
and it was returned to Percy, in slightly
less-than-pristine shape. As Percy
recounted to me, he was just ecstatic
to get it back, as it had now received
historic racing car status. Percy began
the long process of restoring the MER
to its former glory. It now shares garage
space with Percy’s pristine 1959–’60
Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe – talk
about polar opposites in your shed!
Recalling those early years of the
North Shore tribal racing fraternity,

Pilcher’s Chev Impala Sport Coupe, stablemate to his
restored MER Special (photo: Percy Pilcher)

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

105

Rod Millen’s
Mazda RX-3,
winner of the
New Zealand Rally
Championship
1975–’77
(photo: Marshall
Photographics)

a memory of Percy’s stands out. The
suggestion is that the recognition
of how special it was may not have
been fully appreciated at the time.
Percy remembers on several occasions
“sitting in Rod Millen’s garage,
drinking beer in Matipo Road,
working on the V6 buggy and his
RX-3 Mazda rally car. Steve would
come in with his ex–Dave Silcock
Jaguar Mk2 at times to work on.
Legendary days, and we just didn’t
realise that some of these guys would
become international stars.”

HOME PATCH HARD
CHARGERS
It was tough going getting a foothold
into the racing fraternity, but the
North Shore seemed to punch well
above its weight, and a number broke
through onto the national scene. There
Steve Millen’s ex–Dave Silcock Jaguar
Mk2 leaving Murrays Bay for South Island
tour, 1972 (photographer unknown)

106

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Steve Millen on the outside of the third row in maroon Jaguar Mk2
for the Bay Park Saloon Feature, November 1971 (photographer
unknown)

“Bruce Mannon was
a hard-charging and
successful driver in
Sports Sedans in
the 1980–’90s”
was, of course, a whole raft of other
North Shore racers in the next tier –
Robbie Francevic, etc. The following
really is only a name check of some of
the North Shore racing stalwarts that
Chris, Havard, and Percy mixed with
on the local and national scene.
Howard Collier, often known by
the nickname ‘Captain Howie’, as
recalled by Havard, was “quick as hell”.

Collier was legendary for his parties as
well as his racing. A top rally driver, he
also circuit-raced in Formula Ford and
B&H saloons.
Alan Carter, as previously
mentioned, made his name punting a
Datsun 1200 rally car with indecent
haste. After selling this to Havard, he
built up a very quick RX-3 Mazda, in
which he enjoyed much success until
it was destroyed in a serious accident
when he was directed down the
wrong road in a rally. Following that,
he had his major success, winning
the Group 1 rally championship in
England.
Bruce Mannon was a hard-charging
and successful driver in Sports Sedans
in the 1980–’90s in his legendary
turbo-charged two-litre Mk2 Escort.
Brothers Bob and John Couch were a
formidable rally team. Bob driving with
John as co-driver, they initially rallied

Continued from page 105

competitors was Doug Cross, in
this car. Often the fastest time of
the day, it came down to these
two cars, and sometimes Cross
would take the win. After that, it
was sold to Dennis Phillips, who
raced it a few times, and then to
me, and I campaigned it for a few
years with the Hibiscus Coast
Motorsport Club, with a modicum
of success.
A deal was struck between
me and Chris Davison to lease
the car, and he ran it for two years
with the same club. After that, the
car was lost for a few years and
then returned to me by Chris. It
sat in disrepair for many years,
until I decided to dismantle it in
preparation for a rebuild.
After two house moves and
about seven years of storing all
the parts, I decided to finish it
before the parts were lost. The
car was stripped back to a bare
frame, sandblasted, etch primed,
and repainted. Everything was
either repaired or replaced. All
the work up to the rolling chassis
stage was done by me.
At this point, some
fabrication work was required,
and I took it to Tony Lynch of
Lynchbuilt Performance, who
I have known for many, many
years. Tony is a very innovative
and creative guy, and his
knowledge is vast. Once it was up
there, it just took on momentum,
and finally reached the point
where I took it back to finish the
assembly and wiring.
The car is finished with some
serious handling improvements
and a modified cooling system.
The engine, rebuilt by North Shore
Engine Reconditioners, is a
1275cc from a Mini. Basically,
it’s a Mini subframe and engine
sitting in the back of a singleseater. A good mate, Peter Page,
generously sanded and polished
the aluminium bodywork. It was
brought back down to Whitianga
where I now live, and I finished
off the wiring and fuel system and
everything else needed to start it.
It is now a running car waiting to
do something.
Percy Pilcher

Robbie
Francevic and
McLaren 10A,
Warwick Farm,
Australia, 1972

Steve Millen in Hillman Cob van at Cossey’s Farm hill-climb, North Shore, Auckland, circa 1970

a three-litre Capri before importing an
ex-works Mk2 BDA-powered Escort.
Havard remembers this potent machine
captured in a legendary photo by Dennis
Green, 2m in the air over a hill at
Woodhill Forest.
Other brief mentions include
Clyde Smith, a very quick rally
driver, who was competitive with
Howard Collier, and Brian Corric,
another quick punter.

LOCAL HEROES,
INTERNATIONAL STARS
The Millen brothers, living just down
the road from us in Mairangi Bay,
were a glittering example. From
modest beginnings with a go-kart at
the Bush Road dirt track in Albany,
they managed to make the transition

to the international paved circuit and
rally scene. They began their meteoric
rise with a shared Hillman Cob van,
which went indecently quickly, around
1970. Rod Millen then moved to a
V6 Zephyr–powered Supertune dune
buggy, and brother Steve took on
the ex–Dave Silcock Mk2 Jaguar 3.8
modified saloon circuit racer. Both cars
seriously advanced the two brothers’
profile on the national circuit and hillclimb scene. The dune buggy steered
Rod towards national and international
rallying success, and the Jaguar set Steve
on a course for a circuit racing career
that would take him through singleseaters to International Motor Sports
Association (IMSA) success with Nissan
in the US for many years.
Up in Torbay, two iconic race drivers
were taking their first steps to national
ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

107

Ron Kendall’s Lotus Twin Cam Anglia
100E at Waikaraka Park, 1970–’71
(photo: Ron Kendall Collection)

and international success in two wildly
different codes.
Ron Kendall was an oval-track man
from the start. He began in stock cars
at Waikaraka Park around 1967, before
moving into Production Saloons in
1969–’70, which was a new category
just getting established. He became
the frontline saloon racer in Auckland
along with Peter Howarth, winning the
New Zealand title in 1970–’71 with
his Lotus Twin Cam–powered 100E
Anglia, and again with his ballistic
Mazda RX-2 in 1974–’75, setting
him on course for success in Australia
and the US. He later became a top
Speedcars driver at Western Springs for
many years.
Peter Lodge also came out of
Torbay. Peter was the first Kiwi to
build and race a full-house drag car
in New Zealand. This was unheard
of at the time in New Zealand’s
rudimentary backyard specials drag
racing culture in the late ’60s.
Somehow, Lodge managed to
acquire the serious hardware of
a blown Hemi 392 Chrysler and
other essential speed equipment,
in an import-strangulated
New Zealand, and put together the
first professionally built strip racer
here. It was a steep learning curve,
but a couple of years later his ‘Baloo’
Fiat Topolino AA altered broke the
outright national record in 1971.
With a later incarnation of the car,
‘Hombre’, he was top eliminator at
the New Zealand drag nationals in
1976 and competed at the Australian
nationals in 1977. He was another
Shore boy who seriously made good.
Although not strictly a
North Shore native, it would be

“All these drivers
had ‘the right
stuff’ and achieved
success in their
chosen category”
a travesty of justice for me not to
mention Robbie Francevic, who
lived for many years in Torbay. While
originally from Henderson and
Grey Lynn, Robbie later moved to
the Shore and established a Nissan
dealership in Orewa.
He won the first of his
crowning glories, the circuit racing
1967 New Zealand Saloon Car
Championship, with his famed and
feared ‘Custaxie’, when based in
Grey Lynn. Twenty years later, as a
Shore man, when it seemed his days of
international success were behind him,
he pulled a stunning championship
victory out of the bag. His victory
in the 1986 Australian Touring Car

Championship was against the odds.
The Group A Volvo 240T started the
trail well, but with conflicts within the
team and up against the faster Nissan
Skyline, Robbie fought tooth and nail
to hang on for a sublime overall victory!
There are many others I should
mention as well, like Allan Woolf,
Paul Adams, Bill Shiells, and John
Le Feauve, but for the constrictions of
space. All these drivers had ‘the right
stuff’ and achieved success in their
chosen category.
Wrapping this up, I’d also like to
remember the efforts of the largely
unknown weekend warriors in all motor
racing arenas. The home-basement
racers, toiling away, always with little
funding but huge enthusiasm – the
drivers like Chris Davison, Havard
Daniels, Percy Pilcher, and Barry
Coley, who no one knew and no one
remembers. They’ve been the backbone
of racing in this country since the
beginning, turning out weekend after
weekend, running on the smell of an
oily rag. They’re the ones battling down
the field, giving meaning and substance
to the one picking up the spoils. Here’s
to the unknown gladiators battling it
out for 15th place. Without you, the
sport wouldn’t exist! „

Robbie France
vic’s Katipo M
J 70A F5000
readied for th
car being
e 1971 New Ze
aland Grand P
(photo: Mike Fe
rix
at Pukekohe
isst)

Pete Lodge’s ’37 blown and injected Mercury
V8–powered Ford Coupe at Campbells Bay,
1966–’67 (photo: Peter Lodge Collection)

108

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

ed buggy at
Zephyr V6–power
in
s
el
ni
Da
d
ar
av
H
Pilcher)
70s (photo: Percy
19
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Price On … RUC’s

ROAD USER
CHARGES – AGAIN
Watch out! They’ll want to put electronics in your classic
By Greg Price

ust when you thought that common
40 years old, or at least those that do
sense might finally prevail, another
not have, and never did have, on-board
numpty comes out of the woodwork
computers. Otherwise, who will be forking
and proposes yet more nonsense that may
out for the on-board technology we will
well impact on our classic vehicles.
barely use?
Auckland has recently lost its
Monitoring our annual mileage may be
congestion charge, which was included
reliant on the accuracy of the odometers –
in the price per litre of fuel (can you
which you may be interested to know, do
Auckland people keep the cheering
not need to work as a Warrant of Fitness
noise down a bit, please?). While I could
(WOF) requirement. Disconnecting the
understand the concept of a congestion
odometer won’t benefit you much though,
charge in cities like London, UK, I didn’t
as many a diesel owner found out when
think our New Zealand cities were big
some smarty pants at the Waka Kotahi
enough to warrant them. In Christchurch,
New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA)
for example, it only takes about 30 minutes noted the sudden drops in annual mileage
to get from one side of town to the
other – that was until the dopey
council introduced 10kph speed
limits, and footpath-sized singlelane roads in the vicinity of the new
white elephant stadium.
Now some other numpty
wants to introduce a tax that
will be generated on how many
kilometres you clock up. How are
they going to establish that, you
may well ask? Perhaps it will be
based on an electronic widget in
Rare 1962 Jaguar E-Type barn find
the car that triggers something in
the road surface or is captured by
a camera somewhere. I first encountered
of some SUVs. He or she sent estimates
this technology in Palmerston North a few of mileage covered to the owners, making
years back, when I allegedly overstayed
it the owners’ responsibility to prove said
a parking meter in the city centre.
estimates were incorrect!
Apparently, the technology alerted the
Setting the aside the iniquity of
parking warden to my misdemeanour, but
imposing GST tax on the taxes already
the warden incorrectly wrote down the
added to fuel, I would have thought that
wrong parking space number, so, after a
the present fuel tax was the fairest way of
few letters back and forth, I was advised
paying your share for distance travelled.
that no fine would be imposed.
After all, if you don’t use the vehicle, you
Now, as any older classic car or
don’t use any petrol, and thus aren’t using
motorcycle owner will attest, good old
the roads, right?
Lucas generators barely cope with the
So, how does Minister Simeon Brown
normal electrics of horn, lights, battery
propose to gather more ‘user pays’ revenue?
charging, etc, so any additional electronics
A newspaper report dated 5 March 2024
would likely drain the battery. Very much
written by a cub reporter noted the
like the petrol station attendant in Dunedin following: “Meanwhile Road User Charges
asking me to turn off the Cadillac’s engine
(RUC) would also be going up by an
so the petrol bowser could catch up.
equivalent amount. All vehicles would
Fortunately, none of our classic cars or
eventually be moved to some kind of RUC
motorcycles has a computer, and we will not based on the type of vehicle they drove,
be fitting one anytime soon!
Brown said.”
Hopefully, the Vintage Car Club of
Remembering too that many more toll
New Zealand and maybe the Federation
roads are being promulgated, numberof Motoring Clubs will put pen to paper
plate reading technology will become the
seeking an exemption for vehicles over
thing. Which is probably why the NZTA

J

110

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

recently notified that any unlawful number
plates would be a WOF fail. Now, just
in case you’ve forgotten, number plates
are necessary to establish the type, make,
and model of the vehicle, so that when
you flash past the toll thingy on the
Northern Motorway north of Auckland,
for example, your vehicle owner will be
billed for that toll. Just like when you drive
out of a petrol station without paying – oh,
wait! So that’s why people steal number
plates! Logically then, to avoid any further
charges in the future, more number plates
will be stolen? Good move, minister!
Interesting to note that there are now
so many types of number plates out
there. Those pesky car retailers started
it all, wanting long European-style
plates for their BMWs and their
like. Now, Japanese car enthusiasts
are buying Japanese-style plates for
their rice rockets. For my part, I
personalised a pair of Hawaiian plates
for our 1962 Thunderbird, and our
1995 Mustang GT. It cost US$25
for the pair, rather than $1200-plus
from (then) Personalised Plates. A
few times, I was followed by a nice
policeman who might well have been
calling in the plate to confirm that
it belonged to a black 1995 Mustang GT
convertible, before he went on his way. I
note that many other American car owners
have personalised US plates, for no other
reason than they actually fit into the space
on the bumper.
Common sense seems to have
prevailed, and the NZTA’s move to outlaw
anything not made in New Zealand has
been postponed until later in the year.
One wonders why. The NZTA has also
abandoned their search for adhesive-type
number plates for the likes of E-Types and
Mazda MX-5s and similar with no place
on the front on which to mount a plate.
Is the newer ‘plate scanning’ technology
better at reading different plates? If not,
well, diddums to that. The purpose of a
number plate is to identify the vehicle –
overlooking the ones with stolen plates.
So, if the number plate has the correct
number/letter combination for that
vehicle, what’s the problem?
Instead of worrying about this sort of
trivia, maybe the police could spend a bit
more time catching number-plate thieves? „

PUBLISHED BY

AUG/SEP 2024 ISSUE 116

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Models

Tony Lyne and
his Ferrari F1
Tony Lyne at work

SHELF
CLASSICS
By Quinton Taylor

W

elcome to a new addition to New Zealand Classic Car and the
world of scale modelling. Skilled model-makers are building
some amazing cars, bikes, and trucks – scale miniatures of the real
thing – and some take months, not hours, to build. What better way
to admire those garage classics than in your own living room? We
take a brief look at some modellers.
Aaron Mai meets Tony Lyne, Formula 1 (F1) model builder. Model
car builders are a special group among car folk, people who get
an extra kick out of their passion by merging it with their hobby. A
fine model car is like a song; it can transport you back to a specific
time in your life or motor sport history. Tony Lyne has been building
models for as long as he can remember, and he has realised his
love for classic F1 in spectacular fashion.
Gary Petersen has featured in New Zealand Classic Car and
The Shed magazine. A prolific builder of accurate scale models of
their owners’ real things, he has a familiar passion for what he does.
He recently completed a model of Mary Robertson’s Ford Mustang.
Mary has been building the real car for some time.
Josh Kelly has a passion for all-things Mini, and he is also a
talented modeller, winning a Kiwi Modeller build-off competition
with this Goodbye Pork Pie diorama.
Mike Thomas has been modelling for some years. He currently
administers the Fiat 125T Collectors and Enthusiast Group on
Facebook and has made this great pair of Fiat 125T tribute cars. I
have seen Mike’s work first-hand, as he made my wife a model of
her work Ministry of Transport Holden patrol car. „
112

Josh Kelly’s diorama of Goodbye Pork Pie

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Mike Thomas made these 1:24-scale Fiat 125Ts

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Industry Insider

Remanufacturing steering
ball joints and cups

HBI ENGINEERING:
PRECISION IN MOTION
F
rom a humble workshop at the
back of Harry Clegg’s house,
HBI Engineering has blossomed
into a flourishing business, employing
the latest in computerised machining
technology to deliver superior products
and services. Current owners Greg Smith
and Scott Duncan have been instrumental
in the company’s success over the years.
Greg has been with the company for
34 years, while Scott has contributed 24
years, both bringing a wealth of knowledge
and experience.

Okuma LCS-25 CNC machining lathe

114

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

A LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE

In its early days, HBI Engineering was
authorised to remanufacture steering joints
for cars, trucks, and buses. However, in
August 1990, the company ambitiously
applied to the Controller of Vehicle
Standards at the New Zealand Land
Transport Safety Authority to expand its
services to all vehicles, including passenger
service vehicles.
Their dedication to quality and precision
was recognized on 6 May 1991, when they

Integrated CNC programs ensure highest
quality machining in the workshop

received this crucial authorisation with the
stipulation to identify each remanufactured
joint with the HBI logo and provide a
certificate detailing the work done.

3000 programs since March 1989. This
adaptability ensures it remains at the
forefront of a rapidly evolving market.

EXPERTISE
GROWTH AND INNOVATION
The journey of growth saw HBI
Engineering relocate to its current site
in 1988, and, by August 2000, a new
building was constructed to support
their expanding operations. A significant
milestone was reached in March 1989 with
the acquisition of their first CNC lathe, a
Mori Seiki SL2.
This investment not only accelerated
production but also ensured stringent
adherence to quality standards. The
momentum continued with the addition
of an Okuma LCS-23 CNC lathe in
December 1996, underscoring their
commitment to leveraging the latest in
engineering technology.
The integration of CNC production
has revolutionised HBI Engineering’s
manufacturing processes. By storing
programs for future use, the company
has built an extensive library of over

HBI Engineering has honed its expertise
in remanufacturing steering and
suspension joints for a wide array of
vehicle makes and models. Its specialised
services include:
• Classic restorations: HBI has extensive
experience in restoring steering and
suspension systems for some of the most
coveted vehicles from the past century.
• Farm equipment: it excels in
remanufacturing inner and outer tie rod
ends for large tractors and telehandlers.
• Cars: comprehensive remanufacturing
services for tie rod ends, drag links,

steering idlers, suspension joints, and
bushes.
• Light commercials and
4WD: specialised in steering
and suspension repairs and
modifications for a variety of 4WD
and light commercial vehicles.
• Torque rods: expertise in torque
rods and V-stays for all makes and
models of trucks, buses, and cranes.
• Steering idlers: refurbishment of all
styles of steering idlers, including
bronze, nylon, and nolathane.
For more information, contact
the team at 03 348 3624 or visit
hbiengineering.co.nz.
Join HBI Engineering in driving
precision and innovation forward,
ensuring your vehicle receives
unparalleled expertise and quality. „

“The integration of CNC production has revolutionised
HBI Engineering’s manufacturing processes”

Steering-component dust boots made in-house with mould press formers

Remanufacturing steering components being
chemically case-hardened

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

115

Book Review

LE MANS 2023
OFFICIAL
YEARBOOK:
91ST EDITION
By J-M Teissedre and T Villemant

PUBLISHED 2023 BY SOPHIA EDITIONS
ISBN 978-2-38514-025-0
£49 (PLUS POSTAGE FROM THE UK)
REVIEW BY MARK HOLMAN
And the winner is: Ferrari!

N

ame the famous, long-established
international event last year in which
New Zealanders finished in second, third
and fourth places, but which attracted
little comment in the local media. Yes,
you’re right: the Le Mans 24 Hour
race, with Messrs Hartley, Bamber, and
Dixon starring. That’s a crafty lead-in to
the centenary edition of the Le Mans
24 Hour Yearbook. OK, it wasn’t actually
the 100th race, thanks to the impact of
World War II, but it acknowledges the first
running of the classic event which took
place in 1923.
For many years, Le Mans was a true
race of endurance, with many retirements,
lengthy pit stops, and winning margins
measured in many laps rather than a few
minutes and seconds. With three drivers
per car and frequent tyre changes, the
modern editions have been more like a
bunch of one-hour sprints.
This is the first Le Mans yearbook that
I’ve bought, and I was impressed with it.
It’s incredibly comprehensive, covering
just about every minute of the lead-up to
the race, including a description of the

“In a nice touch for the
centenary event, the
race was won overall
by Ferrari, for the first
time since 1965”
various categories, and plenty of photos
of the centenary activities, test day,
practice and qualifying, auction, driver
parade, and the curtain-raiser races.
It’s a large format book, with
304 pages, of which the hour-by-hour
race coverage takes up 130 pages. This
is primarily photographic, taken in the
pits and on the track. The standard of
photography is exceptional. I particularly

liked the dramatic double-page shot of
a frantic-looking Ferrari pit stop and the
all-action shot of a GT Aston Martin about
to be swallowed up by Hypercars from
Peugeot, Cadillac, and Ferrari.
In a nice touch for the centenary event,
the race was won overall by Ferrari, for
the first time since 1965. The wet weather
caused havoc at various times during the
race, but this was the first Le Mans for
a while where Toyota faced some real
challengers as the Hypercar regulations
proved their value. The competition
featured the team’s dramatic-looking
cars from Cadillac, Peugeot, Glickenhaus,
Porsche, and Vanwall – and 2024
promises to have other teams such as
BMW joining them. All the LMP2 cars
were based on Oreca chassis but the
GT categories provided plenty of variety,
with entries from Porsche, Aston Martin,
Corvette, and Ferrari.
It all augurs well for the famous event’s
92nd running. And, in the meantime,
this book provides an excellent and
value-for-money souvenir of last year’s
classic race. „

There is room only for ….

Pressure pit stop in the wet and dark
116

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

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the utmost care and precision.

• Windscreen Replacement
• Rear Screen Replacement
• Quarter Glass Replacement
• Chip Repair
• Fix Windscreen Leaks
• Glass Removals & Refurbishment
• Mobile Service available

48 Montgomery Crescent, Clouston Park, Upper Hutt 5018.

P: 04 526 8888 | www.huttcityautoglass.co.nz

Coaching From The Bench

SEEING YOUR
WAY CLEAR
Replacing your classic’s windscreen doesn’t have to be a pane in the glass.
It’s another job usually left to professionals, but Jim Richardson shows how
you could tackle this yourself
By Jim Richardson, photography by Jim Richardson

restored my 1968 Volkswagen
a number of years ago, but
kept the original windscreen
because it looked OK at the time.
Since then, it has been scratched
by a bad windscreen wiper and has
become a bit cloudy. I asked my mate
Bruce Haye at Ace Panel and Paint in
Whitianga to help me replace it, and
he agreed to show me how.
Pitted, scratched, or cracked
windscreens are unsightly, as well as
possibly dangerous. The glare off of
fine pits can make it hard to see when

I

118

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

driving into the sun, and scratches
made by worn out wiper blades can
be distracting as well as ugly. Also, any
windscreen that is cracked – even if it
is only through one layer in the case of
laminated glass – is dangerous because
it could shatter in an accident and
cause injury.

GETTING STARTED –
TOOLS AND SAFETY
Luckily for me, installing a new
windscreen is easy on an old Beetle

and requires but a few easily acquired
hand tools and a couple of hours of
effort. You will want a mate to help,
if possible, because, though one man
can do the job, it will be a lot easier
and safer with another set of hands for
certain steps in the process.
Start by ordering the necessary glass
and rubber seal. Make sure you tell the
supplier the exact year and model of
your car, and whether you want tinted
glass or not. You will also need some
of the correct urethane windscreen
sealant. And then, while you are

waiting for your new windscreen to
arrive, you can take the old one out.
Place a blanket on the bonnet and
cowl to protect the paint. Mark the
windscreen wiper arms in relation to
their stanchions so they can be put
back on in their original positions, and
then remove them.
Next, using a utility knife with a
sharp new blade, from the outside of
the car cut around the inside edge of
any brightwork metal strip. If there
is no brightwork strip, just insert the
knife until you feel the outer edge of
the glass, and then cut, slowly and
carefully, around the whole windscreen.
Once that is done, the windscreen

should come out easily if you press
on it from the inside. Be sure to wear
heavy work gloves and eye protection
while doing so, because it is possible
for the glass to fracture and even
shatter in some cases. Have a friend
help guide and handle the glass on the
outside to help prevent the glass from
denting or chipping your paint.
Once the glass is out, pull the
rubber seal away from the pinch
moulding, brightwork strip and all,
being careful not to bend or kink the
metal strip. And finally, with the old
seal off the car, you can lay the rubber
gasket out flat and gently pull out the
metal brightwork strip.

Mark your winds
creen
wiper arms in re
lation
to their stanchio
ns
before removin
g them

Place a blanket over
your car’s cowl and
bonnet to prevent
paint damage

“Be sure to wear
heavy work gloves
and eye protection
while doing so,
because it is
possible for the
glass to fracture”

Place a blanket over
your car’s cowl and
bonnet to prevent
paint damage

Pull the rubber gasket
off, brightwork and all,
but be careful not to kink
the brightwork

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

119

Holes require new welded-in metal patches to prevent leaks

“Remove any rust
down to clean bare
metal, then prime
and paint the areas”
INSTALLATION

SURFACE PREPARATION
Remove all the old sealant on the
pinch moulding where the windscreen
goes using a liquid gasket and seal
remover, available at auto spares and
hardware stores. If your previous
windscreen was not sealed properly,
you may find rust along the pinch
moulding. Remove any rust down to
clean bare metal, then prime and paint
the areas using primer and matching
enamel. You can usually just brush the
paint on because it won’t be seen once
the new windscreen seal is in place.
Holes and rusted-out pinch
mouldings are more serious. The
only correct way to fix them is to

get rid of all the surrounding rust,
then weld in patch sections. This
may mean that you will have to
repaint your car’s cowl. Small holes
might be fixable with plugs, but
bigger ones will need to be welded,
and that will likely destroy the
finish around them. On many cars
from the era, including my VW, the
interior headliner is partially held in
place at the front by the windscreen
gasket, and if it pulls away at all,
it will need to be re-glued using
trim cement.
Once the pinch moulding is
prepared, you are ready to press
the new rubber seal onto the
windscreen glass.

Work the new gasket
onto the glass, starting
at the corners

Pinch moulding is clean,
painted, and ready for the
new windscreen

120

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Work a strong
cord into
the lip for
the pinch
moulding all
around

A little soapy water spritzed in the
groove of the rubber will make this
process easier. Slip the rubber seal onto
the corners of the glass first, and then
work it into place all around.
Next, run a bead of urethane
caulking sealant made especially for
installing windscreens in the lip for
the pinch moulding all around. Don’t
be tempted to use ordinary silicone
sealer because it will not do the job.
Urethane caulk is especially designed
so it never hardens. That way, it will
continue to seal for many years.
Now find a piece of stout smooth
string long enough to go completely
around the windscreen with about
60cm to spare. Starting at the top of
the windscreen, work the cord down
into the pinch-moulding groove so
that the two ends meet in the middle
of the bottom of the windscreen. Tape
the two ends to the glass so you can
access them easily inside the car.

Get a friend to help set the windscreen down
over the bottom of the pinch moulding

While press
ing
glass, slowly on the
pull the
cord so the
lip of the
rubber goe
s ov
pinch mould er the
ing

Use a plastic filler spreader
or a tongue depressor to
ease lip of seal out over cowl

NEED TO
REPLACE YOUR
WINDSCREEN
OR BUY NEW
GLASS FOR
YOUR CLASSIC?
Hutt City Auto Glass takes
pride in its expert team,
specialising in classic car
glass replacement with the
utmost care and precision.
The team can source the
glass for your vintage coupé,
hot rod, or any iconic classic.
Whether it’s windscreen, rear,
or quarter glass, Hutt City
Auto Glass has you covered.
Contact:
Ph. 04 526 8888 or visit
huttcityautoglass.co.nz

A PAIR OF EXTRA HANDS
IS GOOD
From outside, place the windscreen
on the lower pinch moulding and
then have a friend push it down and
in while you get inside the car and
pull slowly away on the string so
the rubber seal flops over the pinch
moulding. Take it easy, especially
in the corners, and use a wooden
stick or plastic filler spreader to coax
the rubber lip over the moulding
as needed.
Have your helper push on
corresponding areas as you pull out
the string, so as to force the gasket in
place. You may need to use a wooden
tongue depressor or thin plastic filler
spreader to work the front of the seal
into place on the outside as well. But
don’t use a screwdriver for this; you
could crack the glass if you do.
When everything is in place the
way you want it, shoot a bead of
sealant into the windscreen lip on the
outside of the car to further seal the
windscreen. Clean off any excess sealer

Carefully install brightwork
moulding using a screwdriver
or filler spreader

with seal and gasket remover. Don’t
use lacquer thinner – it could ruin
your car’s finish.

THE FINISHING TOUCHES
Finally, install the brightwork strip
using a little soapy water and a
flat-head screwdriver or plastic filler
spreader to help pop it in place.
Be extra careful not to scratch or
kink the moulding or mess up your
car’s paint.
Note that on some cars you
may need to install the brightwork
moulding in the rubber seal before
installing the windscreen. If you are in
doubt, consult a shop manual or glass
installer about your make and model.
Editor’s note: As always,
New Zealand Classic Car magazine
offers Jim’s mechanical insight as a
potential guide only. Your challenges
may differ. If you are in doubt
about any process, or your ability
to complete the job safely, consult a
qualified technician. Please, always use
safe practices and the proper tools. „
ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

121

Behind the Garage Door

THE TOAST OF
THE TOWN
A drive to gather parts to save one big Healey – and the the odd tot or two – has led to a
concerted effort to get five of Britain’s finest back on the road
By Quinton Taylor, photography supplied by Russell Lane

ack in the ’50s and ’60s, the
attractive flowing lines of Donald
Healey’s Austin-Healey sports
cars were the epitome of British open-top
sports cars, competing in circuit racing
and international rallying. For a number
of years, BMC’s competition department
fielded teams driving Austin-Healeys to
memorable successes, particularly in rallying
where the cars relished tough conditions.
Big, noisy, and decked out with extra lights
and in bright colours – the BMC team was
all red – they provided a great spectacle.

B

The later six-cylinder 100/6 and
3000 models were not only long-legged
touring machines but also impressive
cars on the international race and rally
scene. Some appeared in motor racing
meetings in New Zealand and many wellknown drivers had successful outings in
these cars.
One such driver was George
Lawton, who bought an Austin-Healey
100/6. George was a successful joint
winner with Denny Hulme of the new
Driver to Europe Award following the

Russell Lane’s 1954 Austin-Healey 100

first recipient, Bruce McLaren, but
George was fatally injured in a Formula 2
race in Denmark in 1960.
His Austin-Healey came into the
ownership of friends Richard and
Margaret Shanks, and this was where I
first got to ride in one of these great sports
cars. Richard recently advised that the
car has returned to the Lawton family,
purchased by George’s younger sister.

THE WHISKY CLUB HEALEYS
A surprise arrived by email mid-year,
containing a wealth of information from
Christchurch Austin-Healey enthusiast
Russell Lane. He and his mates have
banded together as ‘The Whisky Club’
and, with the help of Warwick Stapleton
of Canterbury Auto Fabrication, they
are bringing back to life five AustinHealeys, as Russell explains: “From 1991
until 2011, when the project started, I
accumulated parts so that I could replace
the rusty parts of any car before starting
the project.”
His car arrived packed in boxes.

“I can only say that
the help of the others
in The Whisky Club
was exceptional and
kept me focused”
– Russell Lane

Nick Dawe’s 1961
BT7 takes shape

Russell has also forwarded many photos
and some videos of the cars being
restored.
“As shown, I did not have a very usable
Healey,” he says. “I salvaged as much as
was sensible and replaced most of the
chassis, so I was building on a rust-free
base. And, so started the jigsaw.”
Back then, Russell paid a US$800 for
the ‘collection of parts’ that he bought in
from the States, along with others.
Russell Lane – 1954 Austin-Healey 100
(BN1)
“With help and work from Warwick
Stapleton, we completed the chassis then
bolted everything on, to make sure it all
fitted and was the correct part for the car.”
All parts were reconditioned as they
were bolted together.
“I can only say that the help of
the others in The Whisky Club was
exceptional and kept me focused. I was
aiming for a car that was very good but
did not lose the patina of age.”
Russell had to make some inevitable
sacrifices to complete the restoration:
“I do regret selling some of my toys
to complete the project. My MG, my
Porsche 944, and my Moto Guzzi. To get
the result I wanted, sacrifices had to be
made. My wife encouraged me and is very
pleased with the result.”
The car has been painted in a Rover
maroon and looks great after its sevenyear restoration.

HEALEYS GATHER
Nick Dawe – 1961 Austin-Healey BT7
Nick Dawe acquired his car in 2015,
one of three cars purchased from
Wayne Kay. Following the Christchurch
earthquake, Wayne needed to demolish
and rebuild the shed where his Healeys
had been stored for some time. Nick

THEMOTORHOOD.COM

and a friend, Barry Ricketts, decided to
acquire three of Wayne’s five cars. Wayne
had originally purchased the cars from
Russell Lane and partner Ralph Roden
when they operated R&R Restorations
in Christchurch in the 1990s. Nick’s
white BT7 model joins an assortment of
classics in his garage including a Triumph
Stag and an MGB roadster, with the
intention of selling it once completed.
Barry Ricketts – BJ7 and BJ8
Barry Ricketts bought the other two of
the cars that Wayne was selling. The first
car is now completed and looks very
sharp in its bright red and it retains its
original left-hand-drive format. Barry
intends to part with it once his second
Healey is finished. The second car is
being upgraded slightly to make it more
driveable in modern road conditions.
The motor now produces 200bhp

(150kW) and a five-speed gearbox is
being fitted.
John and Karen Craig – 1956 BN2,
100/4
The Craigs bought their car from
Russell Lane some six years ago, one of a
number of cars brought in from Sebring,
Florida. It sat for many years in Russell’s
shed and was intended to be a parts car
for other 100/4s. Parts for this car were
slowly gathered from all quarters. The
registration process with the Ministry
of Transport is a story on its own which
we will cover in a forthcoming feature
on all five cars. New Zealand Classic
Car will follow this interesting group of
restored cars as they near completion. It
is unusual to get so many examples of
one make under restoration at the same
time, let alone at the same restoration
facility. „
Barry Ricketts’ BJ7
Austin-Healey

Marketplace Report

TRUE BLUE AUSSIE:
THE HOLDEN HQ

HQ restored at
Auto Restorations

Many cars have made up the Kiwi motoring landscape of yesteryear,
but few are as well known as the Holden HQ
By Ben Selby, photography Quinton Taylor and New Zealand Classic Car archives

C

apable of not only enduring everything
the roughest Kiwi and Aussie roads
could throw at it, the HQ was a workhorse
work car; a practical family run around; and,
in the guise of a GTS Monaro, even a fullyfledged street weapon. The New Zealand
Police, government departments, taxi
companies, and families throughout the
country either owned or used an HQ
Kingswood, Belmont, or Premier.

LANDMARK MODEL FOR GMH
According to HQ owner and Holden
enthusiast Ian McDougall, the HQ was a
genuine landmark car from the Red Lion.
“It was the first purely Australian-built
Holden, with all the components built in
Australia. Holden made half a million HQs
during its production run and that included
all models, saloons, wagons, utes,
Sandmans, etc.,” he says.
Thanks to such large numbers, the HQ
was pretty much everywhere and in the
decades that followed, you could pick
up either a Kingswood, Belmont, or even
a Monaro for a pittance. Today, things
couldn’t be more different. The number of
original HQs on New Zealand roads has
reduced drastically.
“There was an abundance of HQs, but

things like the HQ stock car racing series
killed a lot of them,” says Ian.
Coupled with others falling victim to
general neglect over the years and the
demise of the Holden brand itself, those

“Holden made half a
million HQs during its
production run”

wanting to enjoy a piece of Australasian
motoring heritage will now have to pay top
dollar for a decent example.
“I bought mine 20 years ago for $3K,
now I have had it revalued at $90K,” says
Ian. “I also had a friend who recently
bought an HQ which was actually his
father’s New Zealand-new car with 87,000
original kilometres for $35K. There are
more sixes around than V8s and a decent
HQ, whether it be a Kingswood, Belmont,
or Premier, figures of between $35K to
$40K for an unmodified example would be
a good price. Buy entirely on condition; the
more original it is the better,” he says.

Now rare but a popular seller was this 1974 HQ Belmont Sandman panel van
124

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

“I once needed a new water pump
for mine and I managed to buy one
from a Repco store for $225. Interiors
are equally as durable but check the
dash top coat, as this was prone to heat
damage and cracking,” Ian says.

AN APPRECIATING CLASSIC
Ministry of Transport HQ patrol cars –
many came with a 308ci (5047cc) V8

LEGENDARY RELIABILITY

“The rarest HQs:
New Zealand traffic
police cars and the
Commonwealth Games
commemoration
models “

Mechanically, the HQ, whether you opt
for a six-pot or an eight, is known for its
simple and durable mechanicals.
“They really are indestructible if they
are looked after. The 202ci [3310cc] six
was a wonderful motor and you can
still buy parts for them. In fact, there are
probably enough parts and body panels
available or being made out there for you
to build an entire car,” laughs Ian.
The HQ is such a landmark car that
even mainstream automotive stores can
source parts for you.

Anything with a Holden badge is going
to appreciate, whether it minimally
or considerably, and the HQ is no
exception.
“They will continue to go up in value,”
says Ian. “They are a strong yet goodlooking car.” The days of picking up an
HQ for peanuts are long gone. In fact, just
seeing one in original condition on our
roads these days is a pleasure in itself.
Those in the market had better act
quickly because with each passing
year, the HQ as we know and love it will
continue to climb in value. However, with
a wide and dedicated ownership and
fan base, there will be no shortage of
people able to help point you in the right
direction to ensure you can bag the best
HQ Holden you can. „

VALUABLE LIMITED
PRODUCTION AND SPECIALS
Aside from the Monaro GTS which these
days can be seen changing hands for
$100K to $250K the rarest HQs out there
would be the New Zealand traffic police
cars and the Commonwealth Games
commemoration models.
“The police cars have all disappeared,”
says Ian. “After they finished their service,
they were bought cheaply by people
who cut and shut them. An original
police car would be a collector’s item,
as would be the 1974 Commonwealth
Games commemoration cars. There are a
number of replicas out there, but if it has
the original white-on-black number plates
beginning with ‘HD’, chances are it will be
the real deal,” says Ian.
Checking an HQ over thoroughly is key
to finding a gem.
“The HQs had a tendency to rust
around the windscreen and around the
plenum chamber,” says Ian. Water would
get in, rot out the floor and around the
windscreen itself.
“Check around the windscreen. Each
windscreen is glued into a channel and,
unfortunately, they start to trap water.
Check around the wheel arches too and
around the mudguards.”

Rod Hayman (Pontiac Firebird) battling John Hepburn’s HQ Monaro, Timaru International Motor
Raceway, 2022

ISSUE 395 / SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024

125

Showstoppers

WE TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT SOME OF THE
TOP CLASSICS AT SHOWS AROUND THE
COUNTRY. MANY WILL FEATURE LATER IN
NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR MAGAZINE
By Quinton Taylor

H

eading the list this issue is a 1959 Cadillac de Ville coupé that
Chris Moor snapped in Wellington. A recent full restoration and a
role in a family wedding are just a couple of highlights.

1

1: Ben Selby gets to grips with one of the World’s top supercars, the impressivelooking McLaren 675 with a fitting scenic backdrop for this exciting machine.
2: Former saloon car racer Dick Shanks of Queenstown has enjoyed AustinHealeys, Daimler Darts, and Jaguars, so it’s no surprise his that latest
acquisition is a 2002 Jaguar XKR. A regular at the annual Josephville
Hillclimb run by the Eastern Southland Vintage Car Club, it will be interesting
to see if Dick runs the car at this event.
3: Michael Ahie let us feature his amazing Rover V8 a few years back. He has
now recreated the car that he had at high school and travelled many miles in
while at university. It’s a Vauxhall Chevette, but nothing like Chevettes of its
era. A very well-restored wolf in sheep’s clothing.

2

4: So fresh from its recent restoration it has yet to get to a show – but that will
be taken care of this year – is Helen Fellow and her family’s 1977 Leyland
Clubman van. The van was owned for a short period by a Southland
business, then it became part of the family, carting the junior members to
school as one of its duties. It has now taken on a new lease of life.
5: Jonathan Paape has been exploring the rare phenomenon of split-backwindow 1963 Chevrolet Corvettes, sampling three outstanding examples.
They only made these for one year, and they are dramatic cars.

3

5
126

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

4

News

CLASSIC CARS IN THE
DIGITAL DOMAIN
CHECK OUT NEW ZEALAND
CLASSIC CAR ’S NEW WEBSITE:
CLASSICCAR.CO.NZ
Every week, we upload new content onto our
New Zealand Classic Car magazine website from
our 33 years of article archives. Some uploads of
the past few weeks include:

Free to read online
Lunch With … Roger Bailey. One of the
legendary engineers who prepared racewinning cars
https://classiccar.co.nz/lunch-with-roger-bailey/

Unveiling at Matamata Panelworks

SHELBY MUSTANG
GT500KR 1000 UNVEILED
A

very happy owner received the keys to
the second Mustang Shelby GT500KR
1000 Wide Body Gen III, built by Matamata
Panelworks and Shelby New Zealand, at
a special unveiling ceremony on Friday,
12 July in Matamata.
Company owner Malcolm Sankey said
that he was thrilled with the completion
of the project and congratulated Penny,
the new owner.
“We had three allocated and one
has been sold back in the States, so we
are getting just the two at the moment,”
Malcolm said.
Invited guests were given a special
treat as the car was fired up and the
tarpaulin with its Shelby insignia was
rolled back, revealing the ‘EVILKR’
Mustang Shelby, in gloss black. Fine red
pinstriping highlighted the bonnet, and
the Shelby name was prominent in red
down low on the carbon-fibre front airsplitter. Custom Shelby badges finished
an impressive-looking car.

SHELBY HEART
The distinctive rumble as it idles comes
courtesy of a 5.2 litre Predator V8,
developed in conjunction with Whipple
superchargers, using its 3.8-litre twinscrew version pumping through an
intercooler to deliver up to a healthy
812Kw. The impressive gloss-black body

sits on GT500KR 20x11-inch gloss black
forged alloy wheels at the front, fitted
with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S 305/30-20
ZR20 tyres. Putting all the power down
to the road are Pilot Sport 345/30-20
ZR20s on GT500KR 20x13-inch wide
forged alloy wheels at the rear.
Keeping the wheels under control
is an MSS-Shelby fully adjustable
suspension system.

CUSTOM INTERIOR
The interior is fitted with a Katzkin
GT500KR Recaro/Coupe interior kit,
matching floor mats with custom red
stitching on the seat, centre console,
and steering wheel. Tinted glass is fitted
all round.

Free to read online
Celebrating 70 years of the Jowett Jupiter
https://classiccar.co.nz/the-jowett-jupiterturns-70-2/

Free to read online
Tony Lyne is building extraordinary Formula 1
models, some take three months to construct
https://classiccar.co.nz/the-super-detailed-pointof-difference/

TECHNOLOGICAL TOUR DE
FORCE
A lot of technology has gone into
developing the complete performance
package in this car resulting in a massive
list of detail refinements to the interior,
suspension, and wheels and tyres,
as well as the engine, to make this a
definitive ‘King of the Road’ Shelby.
Carroll would have loved this machine!
A full feature on this exciting Mustang
Shelby GT500KR will be in Issue No. 396
of New Zealand Classic Car.

Free to read online
A genuine Shelby GT350 – one of the
unicorns of the car world
https://classiccar.co.nz/almost-mythical-pony/

Daily Driver

Kerri and her Ford
Escort with a ’74
Commonwealth
Games Holden

1974 MARK 1
FORD ESCORT

Owner Kerri Nevin of Christchurch has a great story to tell about her
Ford Escort, the second she has owned. Photography by Kerri Nevin
By owner Kerri Nevin

he first Escort I bought when
I was 19, but foolishly, in
hindsight, sold it after about a
year to buy a Japanese import. I had long
thought of buying another classic Escort and
the time came to do something about it.
“Twelve years ago, I was looking for
another Ford Escort, so I approached
the classic car guy at Avon City Ford
Christchurch to help me source one.
Together, we found my current Escort,
named ‘Patricia’, after my mum, on
the internet and went to look at it in
North Canterbury. She started her life in
Invercargill in 1974 and was owned by
several elderly ladies until I bought her in
2012. She is a 1.3-litre with the vinyl roof
and automatic gearbox.
“Patricia has received a repaint, but it’s
in the original colour; otherwise, she’s in
completely original condition, and that’s the
way I intend to keep her.
“In the closing scenes of the iconic 1981,
New Zealand movie Goodbye Pork Pie, there
is a Mk1 Ford Escort parked on location
outside the dairy in Southland. We like to
think that is Patricia. She was located in the
city at that time, and it is very unusual to
see an Escort in this colour with the vinyl
roof, so it’s not too big a stretch to surmise
that she was the only one in the area at
the time of filming. During the summer
months, I occasionally drive her to work
and at the weekends give her a run, but in
winter she is a weekend car.
“I had previously been a collector of 1974

“T

128

NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR

Commonwealth Games memorabilia, and
since the car is also 1974, I decided to kit
her out in all-things Commonwealth Games,
including a car badge, flag, cushions, cups,
tumblers, and tea towels.
“Earlier this year, after posting a picture
of her on a Remembering Christchurch
Facebook page, I was approached by
Ren Cameron, who was organising the
50th celebrations commemorating the
Christchurch 1974 Commonwealth Games.
He asked if I would bring the car to the
Christchurch Town Hall to park alongside
the official games Holden Kingswood as
part of the celebrations. Red, white, and
blue Mk1 Escorts were used to ferry around
VIPs during the Commonwealth Games
Festivals.” „

Austin A35

COMING UP
IN #396
n Issue No. 396, we go from
one extreme to the other, with
Ben Selby cruising in an iconic
McLaren to a pint-sized Italian recently
restored. Both are real delights.
We keep on cruising with
Jonathan Paape, enjoying his drive in no
less than three rare, split-back-window
Chevrolet Corvettes. I take a ride in an
early Chevrolet Camaro and its garage
mate, the former restored many years
ago and still looking like it was done
yesterday. It’s original right down to the
drum brakes! We also look at another
Aussie classic crime-fighter in used
condition. Patrick dives into the mighty
Austin A35, and Gerard begins his
story looking into 1950s New Zealand
motor racing. Jim’s in the US looking at
museums and drives an ex–Al Capone
car, while I chat to a young apprentice
who restored his Land Rover at age 14!
We also have all our regular
columnists and news items for another
great read.
There is plenty more too at
https://classiccar.co.nz, and see us on
Facebook.

I

Restored Camaro

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